puddles Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 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. Thanks roadscum, snowflake and unicycle52 for the tips on heated jackets- appreciate it! Cheers! Puddles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eatpasta Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Where's our rock star? @puddles how's the bike holding up?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puddles Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 Where's our rock star? @puddles how's the bike holding up?? Ha- hi eatpasta I've ridden it around town and on the freeway to the eastbay, mostly commuting... Now that it's not loaded with gear it's even more fun... The bike reminds me of riding the f800gs (I rented one in Texas for a street ride with my pop) - light, comfy like a couch, lots of get up and go, plenty of power- but 3 grand less... My friend who has been looking at the FJs wanted to know if the bike could get him out of the way on the freeway- I.e he's on the freeway- a truck stops in the middle of traffic and he wants to dodge around, get on the throttle and get on his way.... I practiced on my commute over to berkeley and yes not a problem- I'm cruising at 65 -I roll on the throttle and the engine gets me to 80 or 85 safely and with little effort. On another note my hard bags have come in and I orders the heated grips... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eatpasta Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Where's our rock star? @puddles how's the bike holding up?? On another note my hard bags have come in and I orders the heated grips... awesome! good to hear.... Im sure lots of people that come to this board are going to be very curious to hear what you have to say about the bike because you've put not only the most amount of miles on the bike as anyone here, but you've already put the bike to the test through Baja. Maybe start a thread sooner or later about you and your bike that follows your experience with the bike overall - because again lots of people that come to check out this board are going to want to know what's it's like to live with this bike and you've lived with it the most. I can only imagine what the FJ's power to weight ratio is like. Because I had an 1150GS for 90K miles, that's all I can compare it to and the GS has less power and outweighs it by 200 lbs....so Im sure the FJ is a blast! When you get some time, post up a new thread about adding the boxes and heated grips and update it every so often. That would be cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamboa Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 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 Yea I havea TourMaster Synergy and love it when I use it. Unfortunently I often. Mistake how cold it is and leave with out it. That is what's good about hard luggage as u can leve it on tbe bike in winter 2015 FJ-09 matte gray 2013 Honda CB1100 2004 Triumph T100 Bonneville Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfjniner Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Thanks Puddles for posting your ride and your impression of the FJ. It is really great to read someone's story that we can relate to. I am with roadscum on the heated jacket liner, and wear a Warm and Safe myself. I had a Gerbings and like the Warm and Safe more. I wear less clothes while wearing it. I leave the jacket liner in to help push the heated liner up against my single shirt or base layer when it is in the lower 40-30's. The heated liner comes off first then the jacket liner, unless I am wearing the liner for "just in case reasons" then I don't wear the jacket liner, as in the three warmer seasons, like in the mornings. I have installed the brackets and am using FJR bags. I have found that I don't even notice them on the bike, and passing at 90 has not been any problem. I'm going to like this as I usually don't use the side bags on the FJR. Keep us informed as you reach other FJ milestones: ie: valve adjust etc. 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) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptinstructor Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Although a few months since your post, I was glad to read it. My wife is on a 2011 BMW R1200GS (low suspension). She wants to go to something lighter. We wrestled with several options. We decided on the R1200R for 2015. Took a test ride and found the bike to sit like a sport bike.... very crunched up. So, we thought of the Triumph Tiger. But, after test riding the FJ09, we were impressed with the comfort and performance (Blows the doors off the 2011 BMW R1200 GS). Anyway, thank for the post (if you read this) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dmizer Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 I used to ride with a heated vest, but found layers kept me warmer. I've found this to be true as well. Dressing smart with appropriate layers and a good wind blocking outer shell trumps heated gear. Avoid cotton, trust wool. Heated grips and gloves on the other hand ... those are really helpful. I've been looking forward to hearing about your trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puddles Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 Although a few months since your post, I was glad to read it. My wife is on a 2011 BMW R1200GS (low suspension). She wants to go to something lighter. We wrestled with several options. We decided on the R1200R for 2015. Took a test ride and found the bike to sit like a sport bike.... very crunched up. So, we thought of the Triumph Tiger. But, after test riding the FJ09, we were impressed with the comfort and performance (Blows the doors off the 2011 BMW R1200 GS). Anyway, thank for the post (if you read this) Hi Ptinstructor- very cool! Thanks for your post! I love how comfortable the FJ is and lightweight. Hope your wife is having fun- he bike is a blast! Cary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armyeod Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armyeod Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Thanks Puddles for posting your ride and your impression of the FJ. It is really great to read someone's story that we can relate to. I am with roadscum on the heated jacket liner, and wear a Warm and Safe myself. I had a Gerbings and like the Warm and Safe more. I wear less clothes while wearing it. I leave the jacket liner in to help push the heated liner up against my single shirt or base layer when it is in the lower 40-30's. The heated liner comes off first then the jacket liner, unless I am wearing the liner for "just in case reasons" then I don't wear the jacket liner, as in the three warmer seasons, like in the mornings. I have installed the brackets and am using FJR bags. I have found that I don't even notice them on the bike, and passing at 90 has not been any problem. I'm going to like this as I usually don't use the side bags on the FJR. Keep us informed as you reach other FJ milestones: ie: valve adjust etc. what is that soft bag you have on the rack? and i assume that is the FJ rack accessory? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbtracer Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Really enjoyable photographs, travel report and bike review. Makes tours in the UK seem a little short! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldfart Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 So Puddles, after that great ride did you come home to discover your bike was affected by the recall? Just curious. If it was, the tranny certainly didn't seem to be a problem on the trip. Great report and thanks from all of us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumbooblivion Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 I used to ride with a heated vest, but found layers kept me warmer.I've found this to be true as well. Dressing smart with appropriate layers and a good wind blocking outer shell trumps heated gear. Avoid cotton, trust wool. Heated grips and gloves on the other hand ... those are really helpful. I've been looking forward to hearing about your trip. If comparing 20 year old Widder Vests to modern heated gear like Gerbing and Warm & Safe, sorry, you're way behind the curve. There is no way layers beats a good heated jacket ... NOTE: Jacket, not VEST! Vests suck ... it's turns out it's really important to heat your arms. Jackets do this pretty well. Warm core, warm arms means warmer hands ... better control, less pain. Most riders haven't a clue how to use an electric jacket to get most out of it. Jacket must be as close as possible to your skin. I generally begin with just ONE very thin base layer, then comes the Gerbing jacket. Then a thin but SNUG fitting Merino thin sweater, then jacket liner (First Gear TPG one) then my riding jacket. That set up works down to about 27F. But MOST important thing is having enough elec. output in your charging system to really make that elec. Jacket rock and roll. On my DR650 (max output just 200 Watts) it's not great. But on the FJ I imagine there is plenty surplus Watts to juice up the elec. Jacket, heated grips ... and more. Elec. gloves are wonderful (better than most heated grips) too if they fit you and they don't distract from your riding. Layering with modern fabrics is very smart ... but why not DO BOTH? Use the high tech miracle fabrics in layers and things like down vests, high tech base layers, Merino wool ... AND the heated Jacket? ... be sure to wear things in the right order ... elec. jacket as close to you as you can get with snug fitting sweater OVER It to hold it close on you. Makes HUGE difference if things get truly cold. (below 30F) Elec. Jackets rock, I NEVER go on any long trip without mine. Saved my icy butt more than once. O_o I've been badly frost bitten years ago (not from riding bikes) ... so my hands & feet are especially sensitive to cold ... very painful when exposed to below freezing temps. The Elec. Jacket helps me a lot. Everything stays warmer. But just be aware : Once temps are down below 20F not much will help you. Best course of action: 1. Slow Way Down. 2. get off the road ASAP. 3. Watch for ice in corners, intersections. 4. Camp or Motel or just hang out at rest stop or restaurant and get help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member wessie Posted April 26, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted April 26, 2015 The FJ09/Tracer's AC Magneto outputs 415W at 5000 rpm. Battery is a weedy 8.6Ah so bear this in mind when fitting any electrical accessories - many touring bikes have a 20Ah battery like a 12V20P and a 700W alternator (as on my R1150GS) which is beefier than many cars. This signature is left blank as the poster writes enough pretentious bollocks as it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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