Newbie looking at FJ-09

[fjcobbie]

I have an '06 FJR AE and , as many here have noted, I was looking to downsize since I'm a bit older; looking for something with some getup and go, but with less weight.
Took the FJ for a test ride last Friday - plenty of speed, liked the lesser weight, but the positioning was not as comfortable as my FJR. It wasn't uncomfortable, just much different, since I'm positioned much higher due to the design. Getting both feet on the ground was not an issue for me.
 
Questions:
The dealer told me that the 2015 model is hard-wired for cruise control, just like the heated grips. I've done a good bit of research and have found nothing to substantiate
his claim. He also told me that the CC is a line item in his inventory, he just can't order it; actually said it should be available to plug in by next year.
 
Has anyone else heard about this CC option being available soon, as a plug-in to the 2015 model?
 
I would also welcome your feedback, as current owners, on your experience adjusting to the height of the FJ.
 
I have a great quote of 10,100 out the door, before trade-in, and 30 days to decide, though I don't want to wait that long.
 
Thanks...

[Guest bobh380]

Hi Fjcobbie,
I was in a similar situation as you . I wanted to downsize from my Honda Blackbird for similar reasons as you.
Part of it was for age reasons but also because I don't get to do a lot of high speed touring now . Its mostly my local mountain roads .
Coming off a polished bike like the FJ or the Blackbird onto a Tracer is a very different riding experience.
I think you can get used to most riding positions as long as its not uncomfortable. I don't particularly like the seating on the Tracer but for the type of riding I now do its okay . I will be doing short blasts around my twisties with only occasional touring .The tracer is very twitchy compared to a Blackbird and if I can get it remapped I think I will really like the bike.Cant help you with the cc question .To be honest if I had my time again I would have bought the Mt-09 and kept my Blackbird as well.That would have been the best of both worlds for me .

[root]

I have an '06 FJR AE and , as many here have noted, I was looking to downsize since I'm a bit older; looking for something with some getup and go, but with less weight. Took the FJ for a test ride last Friday - plenty of speed, liked the lesser weight, but the positioning was not as comfortable as my FJR. It wasn't uncomfortable, just much different, since I'm positioned much higher due to the design. Getting both feet on the ground was not an issue for me.
 
Questions:
The dealer told me that the 2015 model is hard-wired for cruise control, just like the heated grips. I've done a good bit of research and have found nothing to substantiate
his claim. He also told me that the CC is a line item in his inventory, he just can't order it; actually said it should be available to plug in by next year.
 
Has anyone else heard about this CC option being available soon, as a plug-in to the 2015 model?
 
I would also welcome your feedback, as current owners, on your experience adjusting to the height of the FJ.
 
I have a great quote of 10,100 out the door, before trade-in, and 30 days to decide, though I don't want to wait that long.
 
Thanks...

 
I have not seen anything to substantiate his claims about cruise control. I'm not exactly an insider who would be in the know either. It is very intriguing if he is correct though. I don't know of any instances where Yamaha has done that in the past with cruise on bikes though. That is the big thing that makes me question if he is just trying to get a sale. 2WheelDynoworks has mentioned they are working on adding cruise control to their ECU flash. They also said they are primarily a performance shop so it is not high on the priority list so it could be a while since they are focused on the racing season. It basically comes down to if they can finish it over the winter time. I have more confidence in them adding cruise to the 2015 than I do in Yamaha adding it. I'm not sure if 2WheelDynoworks is planning on figuring out a place to plug in the Yamaha controls from the FJR, some custom control, or if they are going to figure out a way to used the existing menu controls to add it. If they can make it work, my vote would be for the FJR control. It would be more intuitive and fill a spacer hole that just screams, you didn't get all the options you could have, and just look more professional. The big thing that sucks about that though is the FJR switch assembly is north of $200. That's on top of the cost to flash the ECU and I have no idea if you can even plug that into the FJ's ECU. 
 
I really like to keep my bike looking either stock or artfully modified. If I add something, I want it to look like it belongs on the bike. If it's to control the bike, I want those controls within easy reach. There's some add on cruise controls that add another box and are complicated to install. I know bobthebuilder started to install one of the aftermarket electronic cruise controls. I have not heard if he has finished it though. If he hasn't I'm sure it's more that he just hasn't had the time to do it yet. Personally, I'd much rather a cruise control that uses the stock controls or uses the FJR / Tenere cruise box that replaces the turn signal / headlight / menu buttons on the FJ and looks the same as the FJ's box but has buttons where the cutouts are on the FJ. I am pretty picky, so it may be a while before I get cruise, if ever.
 
It has been my experience, if you can't live without a feature, wait until the feature is available before you buy. There is no guarantee cruise will be added to this bike, ever. There's a lot of hope and some areas of promise, but until it's actually released I wouldn't count on it. I would have loved to have cruise control, but I like this bike so well, I'm ok without it. If it ever becomes available with controls that look like they were designed for the FJ, I will likely be among the first in line to purchase it.