crfan1 Posted June 25, 2015 Author Share Posted June 25, 2015 Hey crfan1 if you were closer to me near Ottawa Ontario i would let you take it for a ride, I bought mine back in April, and injured my back a week later, so it sits in the garage collecting dust. I have surgery scheduled for July 8th and then 4 to 6 weeks before I will be able to ride again:(((( Not being able to ride and having to look at that new bike just sitting there is driving me crazy!!! Thanks for the offer and good luck on the Surgery! Hope it goes great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
root Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 Hi, I owned both, a 2014 FJR and a 2015 FJ. My FJ is in the shop right now for failing to start issues, to which they can't figure it out. The FJR has been around about 15 years. Its a very polished bike. Well constructed with great fueling and they seem to last for ever. I sold it after 1400 miles for one reason, balancing the weight. The FJR was the first bike that I felt I might drop at any stop sign or red light if I got my footing wrong. So I sold it. It ran fantastic though. My FJ on the other hand is much easier to ride as I feel like I can thread a needle with it but besides its in the shop for warranty work at 416 miles, its fueling is MUCH poorer than the FJR, as is its suspension and brakes. It really depends on what characteristics you value most. I wish the FJR wasn't so heavy and that the FJ were actually a polished mini FJR, but neither are true. Interesting...That is the one aspect I am a bit worried about without being able to ride one. My Tiger is pretty polished, smooth and the fueling is quite honestly the best I have ever had on any bike. I look at the FJ as a raucous little kid who may be fun but isn't perfect.....its a matter of will I mind the imperfections, haha. I think my dealer has an FJR demo and I may try and get a ride on that. Not sure How I will feel about the weight though (from a handling standpoint). I am pretty much leaning towards the FJ but damn I wish I could ride one, haha. Anyone in the south Chicago/northwest Indiana area want to stop by and swap bikes for a short ride? I'd love to try a tiger. I'm just south of Ft. Wayne. I'm just so busy, I'm not sure when I could meet up with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crfan1 Posted June 25, 2015 Author Share Posted June 25, 2015 Interesting...That is the one aspect I am a bit worried about without being able to ride one. My Tiger is pretty polished, smooth and the fueling is quite honestly the best I have ever had on any bike. I look at the FJ as a raucous little kid who may be fun but isn't perfect.....its a matter of will I mind the imperfections, haha. I think my dealer has an FJR demo and I may try and get a ride on that. Not sure How I will feel about the weight though (from a handling standpoint). I am pretty much leaning towards the FJ but damn I wish I could ride one, haha. Anyone in the south Chicago/northwest Indiana area want to stop by and swap bikes for a short ride? I'd love to try a tiger. I'm just south of Ft. Wayne. I'm just so busy, I'm not sure when I could meet up with you.Thanks and I hear you on being busy, hehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efjay Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 I'd go for the FJ-09 for the lighter weight alone. Plus you can mount FJR bags on it. So it's a lighter FJR. Oh yeah, and the performance is no joke. Hard to rev it hard because thing will get you way above speed limit real fast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dooder Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 When I bought my last bike, it came down to either the F800 GS or the Tiger. I went with the GS because of the blue and white sticker and regretted it ever since. I don't recall how the Tiger felt specifically, but the HUGE difference I notice between the two is that due to the positions of the pistons, the bikes balance way differently. The pistons on my GS are straight up and down, giving the bike more ground clearance, but raising the weight a good six inches. On the FJ, they cant forward, and the bike feels half as heavy, and because of that is much more confidence inspiring at low speeds. So much so that after almost 2000 miles on my FJ so far, I still get apprehensive leaning it over in tight spots. I assume the difference between the Tiger (a true ADV bike) and an FJ would be the same. I did throw a leg over an FJR as well, besides feeling two feet wider, it seemed to feel closer to my GS in the top heavy aspect. Then again, bikes are like dogs. Some people are foofums dogs folks, some like em big and meaty, some like the loud ones, some like the ones that scare the bejeebers out of everyone but you, and some are cat people. The only one that you need to really answer to is the one you see in the mirror. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crfan1 Posted June 28, 2015 Author Share Posted June 28, 2015 Hahaha! Very good points. The Tiger is a bit more heavy and top heavy than the FJ for sure but I have a lot of stuff on mine so its to be expected. It is officially for sale and after it goes, I am going to get a nice Matte Gray FJ sitting at my dealer. We did some numbers and I can get the bike with bags and heated grips out the door with taxes and all for $11,750. Not a a bad deal at all I think.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
db5304 Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 Glad the members here could help you make your decision. I love my FJ-09, but just rode an FJR at a demo day and damn did it feel good. The power delivery was so smooth, and I didn't recall feeling the seat at all. With that said, I didn't get to feel it in the twistys, but I did feel the weight at stops. It wasn't crazy heavy, but I felt the weight a couple of times where it caught me off guard. You also don't have the crazy Torque of the FJ, there is power for days, but it is a steady release, not un-caging a monster like the inline 3. With all that said, I think you made a good choice, I would love both bikes, but for the price and how I ride, I think the FJ is it. I also think you should do some research on the side bags before committing. There are alternatives out there for cheaper in which you get more. The Yamaha bags and mounts are on quite a delay (unless something changed recently). Although i can also say I have had a horrendous time with Shad USA and over a month later, I have my top case, but not my side bags yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crfan1 Posted June 29, 2015 Author Share Posted June 29, 2015 Thanks...yeah the bags are available, the mounts are on back order but my dealer can get them from another dealer. the heated grips are back ordered until later in July., which is ok. I am still thinking about the FJR too, hahaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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