Premium Member wessie Posted December 19, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted December 19, 2015 But not having to hassle with a chain, worrying about grit in it after I lube it when I have to ride over some sandy dirt parking lot, etc makes the driveshaft alone worth it. Lol! you don't need to lubricated modern o-ring chains - the lube is sealed inside You do need to maintain the chain to stop those O ring seals getting compromised by dirt and shrinkage. Something like SAE 90 gear oil is ideal. Hence my preference for an auto-oiler rather than aerosol wax or lube. (Yamaha are very vague about what to use, giving generic, " use any old shít suitable for O rings" advice. 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 December 19, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted December 19, 2015 I don't get the appeal of shaft drive. Heavier. Robs horsepower. Not really user serviceable. That's not really true. The maintenance on a shaft drive is to change the oil in the rear end every 10-20k miles. Unless you have one of those stupid newer BMW rear ends the oil change is incredibly easy. Open the drain plug, let the oil pour out, replace the drain, open the filler plug, and refill with fresh oil. It's much easier and less messy than breaking a chain, removing the rear wheel and sprocket cover, replacing the sprockets, reinstalling the wheel, and riveting on the new chain or taking your chances with a clip master link. Not to mention the fact that in between oil changes there is absolutely nothing to do on a shaft drive; no lubing, no adjustments. In the rare event of chain failure in a trip, any local shop can put you back on the road in an hour for about a $100. If the shaft drive fails, I'd hate to see how much it would cost, and how long you would wait to get one from Yamaha. This is certainly a fair point. Although I've had more than one friend lose a chain while riding and it punched a hole in the engine case. It's rare, but it does happen. Yamaha shaft drives seem to be pretty reliable, fortunately. I don't think I've ever heard of a shaft/rear drive failure on an FJR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member jeff400650 Posted December 20, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted December 20, 2015 ^ Good points. I'll be more open minded. I only shaft bike I've ever had was a Saber 1100 in the '80s. They've probably improved a bit. Pistons or pedals, 2 wheels are where it's at... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sodapop Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 This is an interesting thread, since I was stuck on the fence between these two bikes. A used FJ came up for sale in my area, so I jumped on it. I have to say, the Tenere is a great bike and might be a better fit for some of my riding, especially long trips. I wish I could justify having both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freebooter Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 I love both too. I do miss my FJ-09 but I live the Tenere. Though a bit heavier it is surprisingly nimble, manouverable, and easily managable, imho. "What do I know of cultured ways, the gilt, the craft and the lie? I who was born in a naked land and bred in the open sky. The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing. Rush in and die, dogs — I was a man before I was a king!" -- from t poem "The Road of Kings" by Robt. E. Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member keithu Posted December 22, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted December 22, 2015 The S10 and the FJ are pretty different from each other. The more interesting comparison to me is the Versys 1000LT and the Super Tenere. The Yamaha is $3000 more and 25lbs heavier than the Kawasaki, but you get shaft drive and cruise control. Compare that to the FJ-09 which is $5000-6000 less than the S10 and 100lbs lighter. It's easy for me to suffer through chain maintenance knowing how much money and weight I saved. But if I'd bought the Versys, I'd probably have regrets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertrider Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 I owned a S10 for about 6 months and 4000 miles. Nice bike, good ergos for me (5'10""). No off pavement riding since I have a dirt bike for that. 600 lb adventure bikes are a handful in the dirt and no fun for me. My take on the S10- comfortable, ok power, Yamaha reliability, lousy lighting, terrible factory side cases, and my real reason for parting with it- boring engine. FJ-09 is much lighter and snappier, Yamaha reliability, and just plain fun! Has the character that S10 lacked. We all get something different out of riding. Go with a bike that "speaks" to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 The S10 and the FJ are pretty different from each other. The more interesting comparison to me is the Versys 1000LT and the Super Tenere. The Yamaha is $3000 more and 25lbs heavier than the Kawasaki, but you get shaft drive and cruise control. Compare that to the FJ-09 which is $5000-6000 less than the S10 and 100lbs lighter. It's easy for me to suffer through chain maintenance knowing how much money and weight I saved. But if I'd bought the Versys, I'd probably have regrets. Cruise would make the FJ-09 a much more well rounded bike. I'm sure Yamaha will get to it eventually. You forgot to mention the FJ makes more hp than the S10. But as we S10 owners lovingly say, what it lacks in horsepower it makes up for in weight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member keithu Posted December 23, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted December 23, 2015 You forgot to mention the FJ makes more hp than the S10. But as we S10 owners lovingly say, what it lacks in horsepower it makes up for in weight! LOL, I didn't even know that. Is the FJ-09 the best motorcycle ever devised by humankind? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freebooter Posted December 23, 2015 Author Share Posted December 23, 2015 If it had shaft drive it would be. "What do I know of cultured ways, the gilt, the craft and the lie? I who was born in a naked land and bred in the open sky. The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing. Rush in and die, dogs — I was a man before I was a king!" -- from t poem "The Road of Kings" by Robt. E. Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member keithu Posted December 23, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted December 23, 2015 And cruise control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docsimple Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 Thats still up in the air. The engine though? Yup, sweetest power plant evah! You forgot to mention the FJ makes more hp than the S10. But as we S10 owners lovingly say, what it lacks in horsepower it makes up for in weight! LOL, I didn't even know that. Is the FJ-09 the best motorcycle ever devised by humankind? 2015 Red FJ 09 2013 WR250R - little boy blue - sold 2012 DL650 V Strom - sold 2007 FZ6 - sold 1986 FJ600 - sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldfart Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 I've driven the FJ-09 on trips up to 2,500 miles (Palm Springs to Seattle and back) and loved every minute of it. 1) I never felt the need for a heavier bike, even in strong winds and 2) never felt the need for cruise control so I could scratch my nose with my right hand and 3) never thought "gee I wish this thing had a drive shaft." In my book the light and powerful FJ is the best all around bike on the market. But as they say, different stokes for different folks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 I've driven the FJ-09 on trips up to 2,500 miles (Palm Springs to Seattle and back) and loved every minute of it. 1) I never felt the need for a heavier bike, even in strong winds and 2) never felt the need for cruise control so I could scratch my nose with my right hand and 3) never thought "gee I wish this thing had a drive shaft." In my book the light and powerful FJ is the best all around bike on the market. But as they say, different stokes for different folks! The only thing I miss on the FJ-09 is cruise. Once you've had it its hard to live without it. While cruise was not a deal breaker for me on the FJ-09 it is the last bike I will own without it. I just hope Yamaha doesn't put cruise on the FJ-09 for a couple of years as that would cost me a chunk of money. I would trade my bike for one with cruise in a heartbeat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docsimple Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 you dont have to live without cruise. You just need to pony up 1k$ and a couple afternoons. Since I bought my fj for 9K and have put about 2k in aftermarket/planned farkles if I added a CC I would be at 12k total investment. S10 starts at 15K. I thought long about getting an S10 before I went FJ. I knew I wanted the toys, but the whole bike should be a toy in my mind. Most of this angst is the end result of riding a V Strom for a couple years. It is a fantastically reliable machine. It will go just about anywhere and take a beating. It even occasionally gave me a smile. But mostly it got me where I wanted to go relatively comfortably. I need a bike that has me in a bug eating grin every time I twist the throttle. That may be because my first ride was an FZ6 and at heart I'm a bit of a squid. My test ride on the FJ blew me away, lust at first ride. I think in a few years when the three bikes I already have are paid off I may look at an S10 again. But only if the wife suddenly gets interested in 2 up. I've driven the FJ-09 on trips up to 2,500 miles (Palm Springs to Seattle and back) and loved every minute of it. 1) I never felt the need for a heavier bike, even in strong winds and 2) never felt the need for cruise control so I could scratch my nose with my right hand and 3) never thought "gee I wish this thing had a drive shaft." In my book the light and powerful FJ is the best all around bike on the market. But as they say, different stokes for different folks! The only thing I miss on the FJ-09 is cruise. Once you've had it its hard to live without it. While cruise was not a deal breaker for me on the FJ-09 it is the last bike I will own without it. I just hope Yamaha doesn't put cruise on the FJ-09 for a couple of years as that would cost me a chunk of money. I would trade my bike for one with cruise in a heartbeat. 2015 Red FJ 09 2013 WR250R - little boy blue - sold 2012 DL650 V Strom - sold 2007 FZ6 - sold 1986 FJ600 - sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.