FJ-09 -3600 miles through sand, dirt, sleet, rain and snow

[puddles]

3600 miles round trip, 2 weeks
From San Francisco to Los Barilles, Baja California Sur
Longest day ~420 miles
Roads: almost all paved; mostly biways, a couple of dirt and sand (with a hard bottom) mixed roads
Weather: cold! average 50 degrees; low 38, high 75; rain and sleet, with snow on the ground
 


 
Power, ride-ability...
Super lightweight, so great in the twisties, without at all feeling like you need to wrestle it into the corners; but solid weight enough to feel comfortable at 75/80 mph on the highway. Height was fine for me; I'm 5'7" and a half with a 31/2 inch inseem. I could flat foot it at stoplights. Coming from a 4 four it took me several hundred miles to get comfortable with the proper shifting points... Once I got all the way to Los Barilles, (about 1700 miles into the bike), I started using the gears more to control the bike in the corners. On a 25-30 mph curve I would put it down into 3rd gear and the engine would hold the bike in the corner nicely, I could get somewhat hard on the gas in 3rd and not redline but have good power to pull out.. I really liked how the engine breaking works- It would get me settled nicely in the corner and there was enough power in each gear, even the low gears, to power out hard but still be in control.
On the way home, after 3000 miles I was excited to get home and looked down from time to time to see that I was mellowly plowing at 85 or 90 mpg on HWY 101... no problem, steady as she goes

 
Comfort ...
Coming off of a 99 VFR800- having done a cross country trip and many multiple week trips- I have to say I don't think I'll turn back. I miss the sound of the gear driven cams and the exhaust, and sporty-ness, but I don't miss the riding position. The upright position is just what I needed. The upright, wide handle bars make it easy to sit up and easy to turn in the corners.  After about 1000 miles I adjusted the wind screen from the first level to the third level which made riding at 70 mpg from 60 mpg much more protected; so much that I didn't realize my speed at 70 mpg. At 80 mpg, it's a little less effective, so perhaps the higher windscreen might suit me, especially since I tend to do long distance trips
 
On this trip, it was cold- with temps going into the mid 30's and sitting in the 40's - which is cold for me.  I think I'll order the heated hand grips that Yamaha sells. For the most part my chest and core were relatively warm- it's the fingers and toes that are really exposed and get uncomfortably cold.  I don't wear heated gear- it seems too fussy.. I wear aerostich rain mits that do help a bit.  Heated grips would do just the trick for the longer days and when the weather dips down.
 
The seat was fine for me. I didn't notice monkeybutt as much as I have in the past on the VFR.  2 hours in the seat seemed about my range (i think this is probably true with the VFR), where I wanted to get up and stretch and move around;  I usually used this time to get gas, have a coffee, warm up and chit chat with the locals.
 
Cruise control would be nice i suppose...although I guess I've always thought that...I used a $10 throttle rocker on mine and it was nice to have for sure...There's not a lot of vibration coming through the bike from the engine, so it does the job.
 
Compared to the VFR I seemed to have more energy left in me to go longer miles... The 400+ mile ride from Long Beach to El Rosario didn't seem too bad; my mood wasn't too crabby, or impatient; where on the VFR I may have been over it and ready to stop, feeling like I needed to stand up and stretch, etc.  I didn't feel like I needed to stand up on the FJ that much...

 
Controls...
 
Since I've never owned a brand new modern bike, the controls were fancy for me. I enjoyed toggling through the three screens to see my gas mileage, or the amount of time I had spent riding since last turning off the bike; or the air temperature (I liked trying to guess if the temperature had changed);  The bike doesn't allow you to reset the mileage or toggle through all of the maintenance features when in motion... oh well
 
The gas gauge is a little funky- it seems to go down only after a half a tank or something like that, and then in increments of what seem to be quarters... I didn't like this too much. I reset my mileage each time I filled up so that I could calculate it some on my own... To reset the mileage was a little confusing at first; then I realized I only needed to tap the reset button and then hold it again to reset;
 
The auxiliary plug is a big plus for me! Before I had a USB plug from my battery that I picked up from the BMW shop; it was awkward- I never had it mounted anywhere and unless I had my tank bag it was hung up from the side of my bike- so big improvement for me!  I used my to charge my phone since i use it to listen to music.
 
Gas mileage...
 
According to the bike readout, my bike was averaging 50 mpg for my trip... I was probably averaging 65 mph; On the last leg of the trip I ran the bike around 75/80 mph (which I think is something like an average of 45 mpg), half straight road and half twisties through the foothills... I got to around 160 when the reserve flashed and then 186 when I got to the gas pump...
 
My luggage...
 
I ride with a givi fabric tank bag (T401NG) that straps on with plastic coated hooks. It fits the FJ much better than it did my VFR... although there isn't an ideal place to hook the front hooks (the rear 2 straps hook on pretty good to the frame); I hooked the front 2 straps to the fairing and the front right one slipped off several times and scuffed up the fairing a little bit... The rear bag (50 liters) I used is made by "bags-connection" -available from twisted throttle- http://www.twistedthrottle.com/bags-connection-evo-cargobag-motorcycle-luggage-system. It fits great! actually much better than on my VFR... I ordered hard bags, but this luggage would suit this bike great; the FJ has hooks that work perfect for strapping it on the bike;  I had tightened the bag too much in the beginning and the way it sat on the rack made me loose some space; so I just loosened the bag and once it was full, it filled out and made up the slack.

 
ABS...
 
Wow- whoever invited this is genius! I had chance to test it out on on 138 in California heading towards Palmdale; there was stop and go traffic backed up waiting to turn on to Rte 2 trying to get Wrightwood... there was a fender bender pulled off on the side of the road which I felt the need to stare at too long... when I turned around there was a white minivan 25 ft in front of me- I was probably going 50... I grabbed a handful of brakes and really didn't think I was going to be able to stop until I got just the the edge of his bumper... Awesome - the ABS kicked in, slowed me down and kept me totally in control
 
Riding in dirt, bumpy roads, speed bumps, rain and sleet...
 
OK- so this is not a dual sport bike, at all. It's a sport bike with a comfy position... Riding on washboard dirt (10 miles of it outside of La Paz where they were repaving the road) does not make this bike happy. I wonder if I played with the suspension if it would be better, but it was so painfully bumpy, I dropped my speed to like 15-20 mph.  I felt like I might hurt the bike if I went even faster. I tried to find the sandy parts, which helped.
 
The bike didn't bottom out, only over some of the awful speed bumps "topes" in Guerro Negro.. where I had to stop the bike and paddle-walk over the speed bumps not to hit the bottom of the bike.  I wondered if I had hit my rear stand, vs. the exhaust pipe- I hope..
 
The road out to Playa Naranjos just south of Mulege is a few miles of dirt and sand (with a hard bottom)... The bike moves through this as you would expect any loaded sport touring bike with street tires.  Not ideal, but makes it though fine.
 
I was in rain and sleet on my last day of baja... snow on the ground, mud puddles and one very big mud puddle through one of the towns... plowed right though all of it as you would expect any sport touring bike...
 
Suspension...
 
On the highway, when the road is bumpy, the bike suspension seems choppy/bouncy... it's not plush... I may play with the pre-load some... In the corners the bike seems planted and corners well.  I really enjoyed the suspension in the corners...

 

[Cruizin]

Moving this to the ride report Board. Great report! Thanks for sharing with us all!!

[pavemike]

Way to go Puddles! It may be safe to say that you have the highest mileage FJ09 in the states now. I'm happy to hear that the bike did well on the trip and you returned safely!

[puddles]

Moving this to the ride report Board. Great report! Thanks for sharing with us all!!

Thanks Cruizin!  I wasn't sure where to post it!  Cheers! Cary 
 
 

[puddles]

Way to go Puddles! It may be safe to say that you have the highest mileage FJ09 in the states now. I'm happy to hear that the bike did well on the trip and you returned safely!

Ha! It won't be for long, I'm sure. It's a great touring bike! Cheers! Cary "Puddles"

[xcsp]

Nice ride report, real-world review of the FJ Puddles!!!

[puddles]

Nice ride report, real-world review of the FJ Puddles!!!

Thanks xcsp! I don't usually do many ride reports, but really enjoying this bike and wanted to share.  Cheers! cary

[roadscum]

Nicely done puddles, thanks for sharing!
To combat the cold you might want to give some thought to a heated jacket liner, once you own one you won't look back.The heated liner will keep your body core warm, when that happens the blood in you extremities will remain in your hand and fingers, there's  no need for it to rush to your body core to warn the organs. Also with a heated liner you can minimize the under layers you carry, no need for the bulky warm clothing. I've been using a heated liner to many years and won't leave home without it!
Paul
 

[puddles]

Nicely done puddles, thanks for sharing! To combat the cold you might want to give some thought to a heated jacket liner, once you own one you won't look back.The heated liner will keep your body core warm, when that happens the blood in you extremities will remain in your hand and fingers, there's  no need for it to rush to your body core to warn the organs. Also with a heated liner you can minimize the under layers you carry, no need for the bulky warm clothing. I've been using a heated liner to many years and won't leave home without it!
Paul

Hi Paul- That's good advice...thanks!  and now with my new handy dandy auxiliary plug I might be able to just easily plug it into the bike. Do you prefer a particular heated jacket liner?  Cary

[puddles]

That was a awesome report with some cool pictures, thanks! I was also looking into the heated grips. If I remember correctly I think they can be controlled through the bikes computer and seen on the display when active which is kinda cool.

Hi kickback- Cool - thanks for reading. Nice to know that the heated grips are hooked into the computer ... cool that it's not just an afterthought...   
 

[puddles]

Hi Paul- That's good advice...thanks!  and now with my new handy dandy auxiliary plug I might be able to just easily plug it into the bike. Do you prefer a particular heated jacket liner?  Cary

Puddles, unfortunately the auxilary plug is only rated at 2 amps which isn't near enough to power heated clothing. I ride with Warm-n-Safe heated gear and simply installed a $10 battery harness as see here. Once you used electric gear, you simply don't know how you ever did without it. Packs small and is infinitely warmer than multiple layers. 

Good to know Paul- thanks for sharing the info. it's helpful!  I used to ride with a heated vest, but found layers kept me warmer.. maybe I need to give the jacket a try though since it covers more of me.  always willing to give things a try!

[roadscum]

I to initially used a vest but found the jacket liner to be much more effective. My old Widder vest had a large V-neck opening and it was a source of cold air. I've had several different jacket liner and the Warm-n-Safe water proof liner works best for me, it fits good, has no cold spots, and looks to be a high quality product . I purchased directly from them and their sales person was knowledgeable, very helpful, and [strong][em]she was an experienced rider[/em][/strong]!  Before purchasing the Warm-N-Safe I tried the latest model  Gerbing and the neck opening to be way too large.
The warmth the of a heated collar around ne neck is so so so nice on a chilly morning ride here in SW Florida! 
Paul

[snowflake]

Puddles,
 
Excellent and inspiring report. Thanks for taking the time to post it.
 
I amd also a big fan of heated jacket liner. I had a Widder vest for many years but eventually (3 years ago) replaced it with a Tourmaster Synergy Jacket. Much more comfortable and the sleeves make a difference. The collar is heated and that is nice. But as GSO points out you should run e pigtail(fused) from your battery. The liner draws about maybe 70 watts on full power (I only used low and medium settings, I think HI will melt you) so auxilliary plug won't cut it.. The pigtail can also be an easy place to hook up a battery tender and a mini air compressor. Thats what I do on my FJR.
 
I bought my jacket at www.motorcyclegear.com Great folks to deal with.
 
 
Keep sending those reports in. You rock!
 
Snowflake

[unicycle52]

I also ride with a Warm n Safe jacket liner.  On a cold, but sunny day in New England I can be riding with the sun at my back and I get the illusion that the sun is warming me.  I've ridden many times in the mid 30's and had this sensation.  
 
Great ride report.
 
 
 

[ULEWZ]

 

 
Puddles, you are the first one with a brown FJ-09!