tweak Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 Hi! I've been riding a YZF600R for the past few years (along with a VT500C, ZR7S, KLR250, etc.) I just graduated college a few weeks back and I'll be starting my first "good job" on Monday. As much as a reward as just wanting something new, I'm contemplating the FJ-09, probably a used 2015 since they're going for around $7500 with luggage. When the FZ came out I thought, "Man that's almost perfect, if it was shaft driven and had a windshield I'd be in love." Yamaha seems to have only been willing to meet me halfway, but that's fine until someone else beats them to it . I've been doing some research on the coveted FJ and I've come across at least two major issues for me: 1. FJ09 oil pan is flawed and will almost definitely need replacement. It's hard to say looking at photos, but does the revised pan completely nestle the pan behind the exhaust or frame? I have been known to drive over curbs daily and down long gravel roads and occasionally down rocky and rutted river roads. 2. FJ09 has a speed limiter. Anybody know how much it costs to fix this problem? I found flashtune for ~$400. Will Yamaha disable it for me? 3. Maybe more? It's been a challenge finding a local dealer that will let me ride their bikes. Did anybody buy theirs without riding it? I'm not very willing to buy something that can't go where I want it to. I've been contemplating the Sprint ST 1050 for a while and it's starting to win out. It's heavier, but still very nice and I can get one for $3000 less than the FJ. It'll lack ABS, traction control, and other goodies, but I've lived without them this far. EDIT: I couldn't find a bug report section. Is anybody else having an issue with the session staying active (logged in) between tabs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duhs10 Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 The oil pan isn't moved, it's just the little fin is removed and plug is moved to the side which makes the exhaust the lowest part of the bike instead of drain plug. Haven't driven over any curbs so I can't tell you if it bottoms out easily.. Only way I know of removing the limiter is an ECU flash. I highly doubt Yamaha will remove it for you, but I guess it doesn't hurt to ask. My dealer let me take mine for a ride when it was brand new. Most dealers in my area allow test rides on used bikes without a hassle. '15 FJ-09 w/ lots of extras... Fayetteville, GA, USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member DavidS Posted June 5, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted June 5, 2016 I agree with duhs10's responses, but on the issue of riding the bike before buying - run away from a dealer that won't let you test drive a bike you want to buy...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
root Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 My dealer didn't want to let me ride it before I bought it. They said they don't do any test rides for anyone. I told them it was a shame because I was 90% sure I wanted to buy it, but couldn't bring myself to buy it without a test ride. Then the policy suddenly changed to only allow test rides for serious buyers. If it comes down to making a sale or not, I suspect most dealers will let you test it. I'm finding there's a strong trend of Japanese bike dealers not wanting to invest in demo bikes. I went bike shopping with a friend yesterday. It was raining. We were primarily looking at Japanese bikes for him in months past but he couldn't find one he really fell in love with that he could afford the insurance on. He likes the FJ except for how tall it sits. He wants TCS and ABS. He said if they offered ABS on the FZ, he would have bought it a long time ago. Now he's looking at a Ducati Monster 821. Very similar specs to the FJ as far as HP and features but lower seat height. It has a wet clutch and much longer than typical Ducati valve service intervals too. Twin vs triple. 112 hp vs 115hp. Both 800-850 cc. Similar weight. Ducati has more adjustable TCS and ABS. The Ducati dealer had a bunch of demo bikes and told us to come back when it's not raining to ride any of them. We also went to the BMW/Triumph dealership. He didn't see anything that struck his fancy there. I sat on a S1000XR. I told the salesman it would be a while before I was in the market for another bike and he still pushed me to take a test in the wet conditions even. He even said if he can get people to test drive a bike, they usually buy it. I chose not to yesterday. If I ride that bike, I want it to be in dry conditions and I'm too afraid I'm gonna buy it. It was a beautiful bike. Every time I've tried to test a Japanese bike, it's been like pulling teeth to do it. I've always been able to when I really wanted to though. Seems as though the European bike dealers can't wait to get you on a test ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridebmx Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 1.) No need to replace oil pan, just need to grind down the trianglular looking part sticking out, if you can get your hands on a grinder it's a 10 min job then you get the Mazda drain plug bolt and that's under $10 and anyone can do it easily! 2.) flash will get that taken care of 3.) My dealer was a pain to get a test ride on and I had to go with one of the employees as they let me on a ride with their cruiser bike and I didn't go over 40mph on the whole test ride which sucked but as soon as I rode it and hit the throttle I fell in love with that engine and that's after test riding a BMW S1000XR and R1200GS the weekend before, those bikes were excellent but I found the FJ's engine having much more character and just felt more fun in general and being $12,000 cheaper than one of those bikes you cannot go wrong with it! My only main complaint is the stock windshield which is like a sound producing rocket, it's total crap for ME and I switched to a Givi D2122S which is better but still a bit loud but I'll live with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivabign Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 Tweak, since you're looking at a used bike anyway why not just search thru Cycletrader, Craigslist, whatever; and find a used one you can take out? I live in CA and most owners will let you take the bike for a nice spin as long as you have a current motorcycle license and cash in hand in case you crash. To be honest putting miles on a dealers new bike just to see if you want to buy a used bike is probably not something I would do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweak Posted June 5, 2016 Author Share Posted June 5, 2016 My dealer didn't want to let me ride it before I bought it. They said they don't do any test rides for anyone. I told them it was a shame because I was 90% sure I wanted to buy it, but couldn't bring myself to buy it without a test ride. Then the policy suddenly changed to only allow test rides for serious buyers. If it comes down to making a sale or not, I suspect most dealers will let you test it. I almost got the FZ09 immediately after selling my YZF600R. I walked into a dealer with almost $3000 for a down payment and I told them I couldn't buy it without a test ride, and of course they told me to go rent one or go to another dealership that allows test rides (and THEN had the audacity to suggest returning to them to buy it! lmao). Come to find out there's not a rental company for about two hours of driving, so I'm not going back there. I'm finding there's a strong trend of Japanese bike dealers not wanting to invest in demo bikes. Definitely. I worked at a Kawasaki dealer as a mechanic and the old guy wouldn't let anybody ride them because he didn't want to buy the insurance that goes along with being a dealer. I had to install the batteries on the new machines as soon as they left the sales floor, some of which can be a real pain. I think he did that to remove the temptation of people waving money in his face, but on the other hand, over about an 8 month period we sold exactly one motorcycle. I am almost certain his test ride policy drove people straight out the door to the next Kawasaki dealership over an hour away. I'll have to check out the Ducati. I'm sure they're more expensive, but if it's worth it, it's worth it. 1.) No need to replace oil pan, just need to grind down the trianglular looking part sticking out, if you can get your hands on a grinder it's a 10 min job then you get the Mazda drain plug bolt and that's under $10 and anyone can do it easily! Awesome, I've seen that but noticed it still clears the exhaust. A cage / skid plate still looks necessary for what a lot of riders now call my "adventure" riding style (just the crappy gravel roads and curbs, no single track!). 2.) flash will get that taken care of For the price of a flash I'm more likely to buy the flash kit and offer to disable speed limiters on eBay for $50 a pop and get my money back. 3.) My dealer was a pain to get a test ride on and I had to go with one of the employees as they let me on a ride with their cruiser bike and I didn't go over 40mph on the whole test ride which sucked but as soon as I rode it and hit the throttle I fell in love with that engine and that's after test riding a BMW S1000XR and R1200GS the weekend before, those bikes were excellent but I found the FJ's engine having much more character and just felt more fun in general and being $12,000 cheaper than one of those bikes you cannot go wrong with it! The Honda / Yamaha dealer in Texarkana is iffy like that. I'd test ridden a sport bike there before but didn't care for it. About six months later they had another model and they'd supposedly changed their story to, "no test rides on sport bikes." What a crock. My only main complaint is the stock windshield which is like a sound producing rocket, it's total crap for ME and I switched to a Givi D2122S which is better but still a bit loud but I'll live with it! I've seen this complaint on so many other bikes I've had but I was mostly okay with all of them. I guess I'm fairly tolerant and not too willing to pay $100 for a cheap little piece of polycarbonate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member ULEWZ Posted June 5, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted June 5, 2016 My dealer didn't want to let me ride it before I bought it. They said they don't do any test rides for anyone. I told them it was a shame because I was 90% sure I wanted to buy it, but couldn't bring myself to buy it without a test ride. Then the policy suddenly changed to only allow test rides for serious buyers. If it comes down to making a sale or not, I suspect most dealers will let you test it. For the price of a flash I'm more likely to buy the flash kit and offer to disable speed limiters on eBay for $50 a pop and get my money back. I've seen this complaint on so many other bikes I've had but I was mostly okay with all of them. I guess I'm fairly tolerant and not too willing to pay $100 for a cheap little piece of polycarbonate. You do realize flashtune locked the harnesses down to one ECU S/N and each additional ones cost $100? 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...
tweak Posted June 5, 2016 Author Share Posted June 5, 2016 No I didn't realize that. I guess they have to do something to keep their prices high, though. Thanks for pointing that out, I'd have felt like an idiot if I'd found out the hard way Tweak, since you're looking at a used bike anyway why not just search thru Cycletrader, Craigslist, whatever; and find a used one you can take out? I live in CA and most owners will let you take the bike for a nice spin as long as you have a current motorcycle license and cash in hand in case you crash. To be honest putting miles on a dealers new bike just to see if you want to buy a used bike is probably not something I would do... I must have missed this. There are almost no FJ09s for sale on the private market yet. I think the few used ones available made it back to dealers as trade ins. If the dealer doesn't have insurance for test rides I'm assuming that covers all of their inventory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member DavidS Posted June 5, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted June 5, 2016 I have never seen a dealer refuse a test drive to someone who is serious about buying a bike. While I understand their cost and liability issues, how can they expect you to know if that bike is right for you without riding it? I still say run and find a dealer who will let you ride it. Then go back and wave at the old dealer as you ride by on your new bike....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
root Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 ...I'll have to check out the Ducati. I'm sure they're more expensive, but if it's worth it, it's worth it.... The monster is certainly a different bike in the way it sits. I really like it, but it wouldn't be a good fit for me unless it was a second bike for me. Looks to be a great fit for my friend. Just goes to show how highly individual a bike purchase is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member martyl Posted June 5, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted June 5, 2016 I'm fortunate that I live about an hour from Daytona. I test rode my FJ09 at the demos at the Daytona Speedway area. I fell in love with the FJ09. I was so impressed how planted the bike felt in big cross winds. Didn't like the stock seat right off. I looked at so many different bikes out there I had to be honest with myself as to the type of riding I wanted to do with a new bike. The FJ09 was always the one calling me back. I recently saw the new Yamaha XSR900. If I wanted a cafe racer style bike I'd seriously consider that one. Same motor as the FJ09 & the FZ09. Allot of bike for the buck. A Motorcyclist's Church is the open road.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suncoaster Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 I have never seen a dealer refuse a test drive to someone who is serious about buying a bike. While I understand their cost and liability issues, how can they expect you to know if that bike is right for you without riding it? I still say run and find a dealer who will let you ride it. Then go back and wave at the old dealer as you ride by on your new bike....... Agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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