tedski

You hit the nail right on the head. I still miss that signature VFR cam noise and the signature VFR "middle 4 of a v8" stuttery idle, but boy does the FJ's ergos make it easy to get over. The power delivery on the VFR was awesome, especially because the throttle springs had more tension and it felt like you were trying harder or something. But, the FJ is just damn fun. On my 400 mile twisty ride home from buying the bike, I was all smiles. I'm going to steal "the FJ is a nice spiritual successor to the Honda" for sure! This also means I no longer have to sport tour on my 390 Duke... with 110 mi fuel range and pretty cramped ergos. It'll be nice to be able to do more than 450 mile days again.

It did come with bags. The 52 liter Trekker top case and two V37 sidecases. I have a bittersweet relationship with hard luggage, though. I do love a topcase for around town/errand running, but I've grown to like soft luggage more for touring. I'm a huge fan of the Kriega soft luggage and have drooled over the Mosko system a few times, too. My plan is to keep the Givis for when my wife wants to go 2-up. I'll get the inner bags and give her two cases to pack into. I think that'll be a lot easier to manage logistically than giving her a roll-top kriega bag and hoping for the best.

I've run Sargents on a lot of bikes and my old VFR had a corbin. I found the Corbin to push you up against the tank uncomfortably. I've also heard a lot of people say Corbins are too "dished" on other bikes. Corbins are typically heavier than Sargents, too. I've never had a bad thing to say about Sargent seats on the 4 bikes I ran them on. That said, I live near Corbin, so I brought my 23 yr old VFR seat to them and had them redo the foam and cover. When you ride in, they do a custom job where you go ride around between foam changes and give feedback before they measure and cut the cover for it -- at no additional cost. That was well worth it and I gotta say having a seat last 23 years was a testament to their craftsmanship. They re-used that same seat pan and just changed out hardware on it.

Not today, but this past Monday I went down to Los Angeles to buy my new-to-me 2017 FJ-09. I immediately rode it over to my Uncle's place in Santa Monica and spooned on new rubber (Michelin Road 5s) and removed the barn door VStream+ windscreen (to be sold) and put the OEM screen back on. The bike came with givi cases all around, but they were keyed differently despite having matching cylinders in the bag o' parts the previous owner provided. So, I also swapped out some cylinders so they're all keyed similarly. Stem to stern torque checks and inspections and a 400 mile twisties ride north back home on Tuesday and back to work.

This weekend I'll be hitting the East Bay roads... it's been too long since I did Redwood, Pinehurst, Palomares, Morgan Territory, Mines, etc. But, I guess I'm also overdue for breakfast at Skywood Trading Post and some peninsula roads. Hopefully I'll see ya up there one day.

If you wanted to skip the bullet connectors and crimp on your own OEM-style connectors, they are Nippon Tanshi .040 (NT-040) connectors. They are available from CyleTerminal Yamaha NT-040 Motorcycle Turn Signal Connectors Nippon Tanshi NT-040 Motorcycle Turn Signal Connectors. Commonly... and EasternBeaver NT-040 Both are reputable sellers who have been serving the DIY motorcycle community for ages.

I thought they fixed the one piece crotch leak . I also have a 2-piece RC for this reason. My current RoadCrafter has about 150k miles on it. It definitely needs periodic maintenance. I wash it in Nikwax's Tech Wash and Tx.Direct products. At the beginning of the rainy season (back when we had rain), I'd spray it with DWR to refresh it, too. I notice the cordura will get waterlogged when the DWR breaks down and that's the first sign that it's time to take care of it. I highly recommend buying the zipper parts kit when you buy an AeroStich. The wrist zippers fail most often and the leg zipper pulls occasionally break off. It's nice to have the original parts to replace... it only takes patience and some needlenose pliers -- definitely something you can do sitting in the hotel room on a ride.

Does the Corbin seat pan still use the plastic adjuster thing that the stock seat does or does it work around that?

Hello all! At the beginning of the pandemic, I sold my '93 VFR (flying fridge) with the intent of upgrading to the FJ-09 for ergos more suitable to my old legs without sacrificing the riding experience. Buying during the pandemic didn't make sense, but with California seeing the exit of the pandemic nearing, I started shopping again. I wound up scoring a pristine 2017 in white for a great price! 12k miles on the clock, a few farkles and all the parts to revert to stock if desired. Can't beat that! Glad to be here and I look forward to contributing to the community.