cowboyrog Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 I had a really hard time deciding between the Versys and FJ. Decided on the FJ due to engine, weight, handling and I already I have a bike that comes with bags. Very happy with the FJ. It is a little bit of a hooligan bike and at 62 years old I am enjoying it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vince Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Never test ride a bike you are not ready to buy.+1 I've learned that lesson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmac Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 I bought it because the flaws I now know weren't apparent to me at purchase. The XR s still out of my league and since Yamaha can't get mine to start correctly my dealer will be taking it back from me towards a '16 FJ or something else. I really don't want a more expensive bike. I am waiting to see what changes there will be for the '16. We should know shortly. I love the weight point of this bike the most. 550lbs for a Versys is more than I prefer. Anyone road a Versys 1000, I haven't. There won't be any changes to the 16. Just take a look at the FZ history for insight. No changes from year 1 to 2. The Versys is an excellent bike and could make the short list if I could have only one. It has good power and handles quite well but you will definitely notice the additional weight. It has better suspension and a slightly longer wheelbase than the FJ. I liked it a lot but I think Kawasaki is missing the boat by not offering cruise on their revised models. Once you have it, it is hard to give up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeepinoutwest Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 There is a change to '16 FZ-09 so likely that change will also appear on the '16 FJ-09. After many failed CCTs on the '14 FZ, they went with a manually adjusted one for '15, and now for '16 they have a new and improved automatic CCT on the FZ. So I will wait and see what changes the '16 FJ has. FI maps were also different from '14 to '15. It wold also be very easy to add cruise control for '16 as the cut outs are already there. 2001 Honda Saber - sold 2003 Yamaha FZ1 - sold 2005 Yamaha FZ6 - sold 2007 Yamaha Vstar 1300 - sold 2008 Kawasaki Versys - sold 2009 Yamaha FZ6 - sold 2010 Yamaha Raider - sold 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 - sold 2014 Yamaha FJR - sold 2015 Yamaha FJ-09 - lemon back to dealer 2016 Yamaha FJ -09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotto Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 I have not test ridden a XR. It is definitely too much $$ for me. Every road test I have read has commented on bothersome vibration at normal cruising speeds. They seem to gloss over it because the bike is so outstanding in all other respects but I've had too many other 4 cylinder machines with bad vibes, no thanks. Nothing like numb hands to take the fun out of long rides. The Versys 1000 would have been my choice if I toured 2 up but I ride strictly solo and the FJ is almost perfect. A better shock and some fork upgrades and it will be perfect. (Except the lack of cruise control). I've adapted to the somewhat abrupt throttle as the miles have mounted up and I'm sure a reflash would solve that completely. Just my $.02. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeepinoutwest Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 Strange to me that some people get bad vibrations on 4 cylinder machines, I never had that experience on my FZ6s, FZ1 or Ninja, but my right hand constantly gets tingly and falls a sleep with my FJ-09, so I thought this was something inherent in a triple. 2001 Honda Saber - sold 2003 Yamaha FZ1 - sold 2005 Yamaha FZ6 - sold 2007 Yamaha Vstar 1300 - sold 2008 Kawasaki Versys - sold 2009 Yamaha FZ6 - sold 2010 Yamaha Raider - sold 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 - sold 2014 Yamaha FJR - sold 2015 Yamaha FJ-09 - lemon back to dealer 2016 Yamaha FJ -09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member wessie Posted September 13, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted September 13, 2015 Strange to me that some people get bad vibrations on 4 cylinder machines, I never had that experience on my FZ6s, FZ1 or Ninja, but my right hand constantly gets tingly and falls a sleep with my FJ-09, so I thought this was something inherent in a triple. Every engine will transfer vibrations to the chassis to some extent. The worst bike I had for vibrations was a 1999 CBR600FX, the last of the carbed bikes. The right peg and bar had a horrible high frequency buzz that made your digits go numb. One of the drawbacks of having a compact, rigid frame. 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...
Premium Member keithu Posted September 13, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted September 13, 2015 Every bike is different. The high frequency vibes on my '85 BMW K100RS were dreadful, and after 80k miles the bike was literally falling apart from the vibration. Little things like fairing brackets, horn brackets, the headlight reflector, and fuel tank welds were all fatigued by the constant high-frequency buzz, to say nothing of my wrists. OTOH, my 2000 TT600 - also an I-4 - was glass smooth. And BMW's later K1200RS didn't vibrate either, even though it was just an update of the original K-platform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmac Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 I have not test ridden a XR. It is definitely too much $$ for me. Every road test I have read has commented on bothersome vibration at normal cruising speeds. They seem to gloss over it because the bike is so outstanding in all other respects but I've had too many other 4 cylinder machines with bad vibes, no thanks. Nothing like numb hands to take the fun out of long rides. The Versys 1000 would have been my choice if I toured 2 up but I ride strictly solo and the FJ is almost perfect. A better shock and some fork upgrades and it will be perfect. (Except the lack of cruise control). I've adapted to the somewhat abrupt throttle as the miles have mounted up and I'm sure a reflash would solve that completely. Just my $.02.There are vibrations on the XR. The main reason appears to be that the bar ends are made of aluminum and are extremely light at about 40 grams. An owner tested various configurations with an accelerometer and determined that 300 gram bar ends were ideal. A vendor has some in production and will be ready for sale soon. The stock XR does not cause my hands to go numb, nevertheless, I will be ordering the heavier bar ends. Fixed for $65. Glad your happy with the FJ but no matter how much money you throw at the suspension it still will not handle as well as the XR. I suspect this is due to the extremely stable chassis of the XR and perhaps, the longer wheelbase. My FJ had stock suspension but I had an FZ-09 with GP reworked forks and a Penske shock. It handled quite good but the XR is in a completely different league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogri Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 BMW makes good stuff...owned lots of their cars. However, this is the Yamaha FJ-09 forum. If I want to read about the S1000XR, I will join their forum. STUFF EVERYTHING - I'VE ALWAYS GOT MY BIKE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
root Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 BMW makes good stuff...owned lots of their cars. However, this is the Yamaha FJ-09 forum. If I want to read about the S1000XR, I will join their forum. It's quite clear from the title of the thread that the XR is going to be heavily discussed. If you don't like that, please don't click on the link that says S1000XR. And better yet, don't comment on it. Really pretty simple. The rest of us can still enjoy talking about a related bike even if we may not be able to afford it at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogri Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 Has nothing to do with affordability, etiquette certainly! STUFF EVERYTHING - I'VE ALWAYS GOT MY BIKE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liam876 Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 To cover the FJ09 properly it is also necessary to discuss it's competitors. To some who do not have an issue with the price point the S1000XR is a strong competitor and therefore worthy of discussion on the FJ09 forums. I've not seen anyone complaining saying we should remove all the threads that talk about the Versys, another more expensive competitor... As has been said previously, if you take offense to this for some reason then stop coming back to the dedicated thread on a matter that you don't like seeing discussed. Simples. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
root Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 To cover the FJ09 properly it is also necessary to discuss it's competitors. To some who do not have an issue with the price point the S1000XR is a strong competitor and therefore worthy of discussion on the FJ09 forums. I've not seen anyone complaining saying we should remove all the threads that talk about the Versys, another more expensive competitor... As has been said previously, if you take offense to this for some reason then stop coming back to the dedicated thread on a matter that you don't like seeing discussed. Simples. You said it better than me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member ULEWZ Posted September 14, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted September 14, 2015 To cover the FJ09 properly it is also necessary to discuss it's competitors. To some who do not have an issue with the price point the S1000XR is a strong competitor and therefore worthy of discussion on the FJ09 forums. I've not seen anyone complaining saying we should remove all the threads that talk about the Versys, another more expensive competitor... As has been said previously, if you take offense to this for some reason then stop coming back to the dedicated thread on a matter that you don't like seeing discussed. Simples. I love to hear about other bikes pros and cons, just not every minute by the same people ad nauseum . That was the point. 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!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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