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about to get fj09 but ???


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yesterdAY I TEST RODE THE FJ09 DURING a very brief ride . i found the A mode too abrupt and the engine braking to immediate 
then on a very short interstate ride lasting only 300 or so yards i got a lot of vibrations from the footpegs, the bars ,etc.
once back at the dealer i was told that it could have been the result of lugging the engine ..???? that i should have kept the rpm's above 6,000,
 
anyhow can you guys tell me if this vibration is normal and if the advice is correct .
 
what have you guys fond is the biggest negative on this bike ...?
 
the other bikes i am looking at is the bmw gs ,the rt , and the versy 1000.
 
i prefer the fj09 due to its low weight . 
 
but i wonder what i would be lik eon the 1,800 mile trips i usually take 2 or 3 times per year .
 
i would appreciate all feedback
 
tomorrow i am going back for a second test ride 
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Hello and welcome to the site. I think a second, longer test ride is in order.
 
I have had mine for just over a month and have covered 1 800 miles, so can't say what it'll be like on your longer trips - I'll be starting mine in a few weeks so will have a better feel then. I have done around 400 miles in a day, the total trip distance was about 900 miles. The bike was a week old, so still running / breaking-in, mainly on roads which could be likened to your interstates.
I found no issues riding the bike, in fact preferred it in almost every aspect over my 600 sports tourer, the standard (stock) screen, for me, can make things rather noisy - however there are a few aftermarket screens which folk are fitting.
 
I don't ride very much in A mode (not yet anyway  ::) , waiting till it gets warmer) , but when I have I haven't found it abrupt. May I suggest the abrupt acceleration and engine braking could be due to 'excessive' twisting of the throttle. It will depend on what you are used to riding, again in my case my previous bike had a very sharp throttle response - i.e. from closed to fully open there is not much movement, the Tracer / FJ is the same - gentler throttle movement could cure that issue for you.
 
Lugging the engine, needed to look that one up. He was suggesting you were in too high a gear for the speed and putting the engine under too much load. It is a 3 cylinder engine, there will be some vibration - I've noticed my mirrors can vibrate a bit, but it hasn't been a point of concern for me.
I think having to keep the rev's above 6K is not correct, I've found it'll pull very nicely in a high gear and low revs - but don't crank open the throttle from there, kick down a few gears then accelerate.
 
Hope it helps and your second ride goes better for you.
 
 
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A mode is "abrupt" by design. It is for sport and is meant to be ultra responsive, some call that abrupt. Standard is the mode I would guess most people ride in most of the time. B mode is ultra smooth to me, but it does take some power away. But to be honest, B mode takes the power to weight ratio down to about where the other bikes on your list are at. I put it in A mode if I want to get around someone very quickly or if I just want to play. Otherwise I keep it in standard.
 
As far as comparing the bike to the others you mentioned, you are on the FJ-09 forum, so we are going to be a little biased. I will try to keep my bias to a minimum. You need to take into consideration how you will be using the bike to determine if it is right for you. I got mine because 95 percent of the time, I won't put over 100 miles on it in a day. I wanted a lightweight bike that was easy to handle, had enough power to keep a grin on my face and would handle a big trip if it had to. I also wanted to be able to do multiple day trips a year that might be 300 miles or so and require some luggage. The big trip for me is the less than 1% of the time I'd be on the bike. I might do 2 big trips on this bike the whole time I own it. I certainly wasn't going to make sacrifices to the 99% of the time to accommodate the long trip, but I wanted a bike that would handle it if I got the fancy to do so. That said, I think this bike will handle a long trip fine, but there are others that would excel on a longer trip. You will need to put some things into the FJ to make it trip worthy in my opinion. The carrying capacity is a little low if you want to ride 2 up with luggage. A suspension upgrade may be needed, depending on how much weight you need to haul. The windshield for me would be a must upgrade for a longer trip, it is nearly a must for the commuting I am doing, about 50 miles per day, almost all 2 lane highway. Fortunately it seems the Ermax screen has been well reviewed by other members and it's only $105 or so. I have not noticed the vibration, but I am coming off a 1970 CB450 that I couldn't use the mirror because the vibrations made them too blurry to make even large objects out. It is rare that I take the FJ above 6000 RPM. Only under hard acceleration. I certainly don't keep it there, especially since it is still under 1000 miles.
 
The GS and the RT are going to have more bells and whistles. All the bikes you are comparing are better set up for long trips than the FJ from the factory. They also weigh more with all the downsides with that, have worse power to weight ratios even though they may have more horsepower, are physically bigger and cost a lot more especially the BMWs. I at least briefly considered all the bikes on your list when I was looking but for what I need in a bike right now, the FJ wins by a landslide. For you, the choice may or may not be different. And that's ok.
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I concur with what Steve says. Have you considered it was the road surface, not the bike? We have some concrete motorways (your interstates) over here and the rippled surface can be horrible on a bike, especially when they are freshly laid and the traffic has not smoothed the surface a bit.
This signature is left blank as the poster writes enough pretentious bollocks as it is.
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yesterdAY I TEST RODE THE FJ09 DURING a very brief ride . i found the A mode too abrupt and the engine braking to immediate  then on a very short interstate ride lasting only 300 or so yards i got a lot of vibrations from the footpegs, the bars ,etc.
once back at the dealer i was told that it could have been the result of lugging the engine ..???? that i should have kept the rpm's above 6,000,
 
At 6000 the motor smooths out and just about all vibration goes away, all the way to 10,000rpm.  Very sweat.  There is more vibration around 4,500-5,800 or so, but you get used to it.
 

anyhow can you guys tell me if this vibration is normal and if the advice is correct .
 
what have you guys fond is the biggest negative on this bike ...?
 
 
Have not found a lot of negatives:  vibration at 4500-5800, windscreen is best for summer only, missing cruise control.

the other bikes i am looking at is the bmw gs ,the rt , and the versy 1000.
 
+$$$$$ for those other bikes.

 
i prefer the fj09 due to its low weight . 
 
but i wonder what i would be lik eon the 1,800 mile trips i usually take 2 or 3 times per year .
 
I own a FJR1300 for last 10 years and have over 200K.  I plan on using the FJ as my A bike this year, and have 4,500 to date on it.  I see no problem with doing my 2-6K trips already planned for this year.  Using the stock seat too.


i would appreciate all feedback
 
tomorrow i am going back for a second test ride 
Good luck in your selection process.  The weight thing is and was one of my main concerns and reasons I jumped on the FJ in December.  I do not regret it.  Last year I purchased a FZ and knew how great the 847 triple was and knew it would be good for touring.  The 0-60 in 2.6 sec. was just a bonus.  Another note:  You can ride the twisties in 2nd, 3rd or 4th or even 5th and if you don't go any slower than 45 you can do it in 6th.  My FJR can't do that.

Ken, Candy Ass L.D.R. Sleeps 8 hours
(2)2005 FJR1300abs:  230,000 m
2015 FJ-09:  114,000 m (Replaced engine at 106K)

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Regarding shift points. The manual has recommended shift points/mph, which are ridiculas, so I assume that they are minimum mph shift points.
 
1st - 2nd: 20kmph or 12mph
2nd - 3rd: 30kmph or 19mph
3rd - 4th: 40kmph or 25mph
4th - 5th: 50kmph or 31mph
5th - 6th: 60kmph or 37mph
 
I use the kmph values for the mph because it is so easy to remember and feels about right. But note that if Yamaha says to shift up from 5th at 37mph, you will not be lugging the engine if you give it full throttle at that point. May feel like it, but you will not be hurting the engine if you do so. This supports the use of higher gears to save on fuel in the twisties, if you can bear it.  :D  Just remember if you are using regular unleaded at the time, you may not want to do this.  (Some locations only have one grade of fuel).

Ken, Candy Ass L.D.R. Sleeps 8 hours
(2)2005 FJR1300abs:  230,000 m
2015 FJ-09:  114,000 m (Replaced engine at 106K)

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yesterdAY I TEST RODE THE FJ09 DURING a very brief ride . i found the A mode too abrupt and the engine braking to immediate  then on a very short interstate ride lasting only 300 or so yards i got a lot of vibrations from the footpegs, the bars ,etc.
once back at the dealer i was told that it could have been the result of lugging the engine ..???? that i should have kept the rpm's above 6,000,
 
anyhow can you guys tell me if this vibration is normal and if the advice is correct .
 
what have you guys fond is the biggest negative on this bike ...?
 
the other bikes i am looking at is the bmw gs ,the rt , and the versy 1000.
 
i prefer the fj09 due to its low weight . 
 
but i wonder what i would be lik eon the 1,800 mile trips i usually take 2 or 3 times per year .
 
i would appreciate all feedback
 
tomorrow i am going back for a second test ride 
I would guess your previous bike was/is a cruiser? You will get use to things. No vibration for me, but I have been riding sports bikes for years, even my FJR. 
A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
Bikes:
2015 FJ-09, Seat Concepts seat cover and foam, Cal Sci medium screen, rim stripes, factory heated grips, Cortech Dryver tank bag ring, Modified stock exhaust, FlashTune with Graves fuel map, Cree driving lights, Aux power socket.
2012 Street Triple type R (Wifes)
2007 FJR1300 (Sold!)
 
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yesterdAY I TEST RODE THE FJ09 DURING a very brief ride . i found the A mode too abrupt and the engine braking to immediate  then on a very short interstate ride lasting only 300 or so yards i got a lot of vibrations from the footpegs, the bars ,etc.
once back at the dealer i was told that it could have been the result of lugging the engine ..???? that i should have kept the rpm's above 6,000,
 
anyhow can you guys tell me if this vibration is normal and if the advice is correct .
 
what have you guys fond is the biggest negative on this bike ...?
 
the other bikes i am looking at is the bmw gs ,the rt , and the versy 1000.
 
i prefer the fj09 due to its low weight . 
 
but i wonder what i would be lik eon the 1,800 mile trips i usually take 2 or 3 times per year .
 
i would appreciate all feedback
 
tomorrow i am going back for a second test ride 
Go try a 30 minute ride on that Versys and let us know what you think about that 1043cc thrashing machine. 
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my previous bikes have been DUC, high vibes....honda cb900 smooth , bmw r100rs ..great bike , 1982 and just sold it last week after 33 years , street glide..sold it after 5 years and 40,000 miles more or less and i took off the bottom of the floorboards at the dragon, moto cuzzi le mans (teni ) plus others ,and my first bike was a 1946 h. davidson  single cylinder made in germany ,2 cycle engine ...which i rode all over including making a cross country bike out of it ...wherever my horse went this bike went ....i was 11 years old then ,so i have been riding for 60 years ....but now i am asking for opinions because this may be my last bike ever ,and not too familiar with the newer bikes and all the electronic sh...
 
why is it that when i typed heavypieceofshet davidson it came out as heavyoieceofshet..i have edited this 3 times 
 
well, it did it again......now let me tell you guys ..the heavypieceofshet  ( davidson )  is a great bike up to 80 mph ..beyond that ,on the cherola parkway i was riding with a group of sports riders and as we entered a curve at 92 mph my front end started to wobble and i was able to recover it but all the way on the incoming lanes ...i was lucky,no traffic ...but it is a great bike if you learn its limitations ..i never again entered a curve at highr than 75 mph.
 
then ,on the dragon's tail, few were able to pass me ...
 
.i did , almost , tear off my ankle ,the sidi boot saved me ...and almost destroyed the floorboard but that was it ,i did not go down ...  i took a right turn uphill curve too fast and the road came up to meet me ........it pushed the board way up and took my foot off it and turned it around somewhat....the sidi boot ankle restraint prevented a broken ankle .
 
on the interstate ,it is great .........on back roads ,knowing its limitations ,it is good .
 
all bikes have limitations ....it is riders who do  not understand themselves or their bikes that put down other makes . 
 
 
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