pcarnut Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Has anyone here switched or had some extended time riding a Triumph Tiger 1050 and now owns an FJ? When the FJ first came I was in the market for a bike. Did a short 20 minute or so demo ride when Yamaha had their truck in town. I liked the FJ a lot and after the ride tried to negotiate a deal but since they were just out I couldn't get the dealers to come off full list. So, found a very nice Tiger 1050 and have really enjoyed it for the past year and half. But, I'm still toying with the idea again of an FJ due to the lighter weight, rave comments about the motor, and more modern design. Anyone have time on both of these bike? Would love to hear your feedback. Thanks, Roger SoCal 2015 FJ-09 Red of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlmiskelly Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 I had a Tiger 1050 the first year they were available and really enjoyed the bike. Fast, maneuverable and distinctive. However, after breaking my ankle (in an accident unrelated to riding) I found it to be top heavy when stopped. So I traded it in for a Bonneville and the years passed. Just two months ago I bought my FJ-09 and could not be happier with it. I find it just as fast - if not faster - and maneuverable as the Tiger but, as you mentioned, much lighter. Riding positions are almost identical. Fit and finish are equivalent. Throw in anti-lock breaks and traction control, which was not available on the Tiger 1050 when I bought it, and the FJ-09 comes out ahead in my books. 2015 Yamaha FJ-09 and 2018 Yamaha XSR700 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordsmith Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Has anyone here switched or had some extended time riding a Triumph Tiger 1050 and now owns an FJ? When the FJ first came I was in the market for a bike. Did a short 20 minute or so demo ride when Yamaha had their truck in town. I liked the FJ a lot and after the ride tried to negotiate a deal but since they were just out I couldn't get the dealers to come off full list. So, found a very nice Tiger 1050 and have really enjoyed it for the past year and half. But, I'm still toying with the idea again of an FJ due to the lighter weight, rave comments about the motor, and more modern design. Anyone have time on both of these bike? Would love to hear your feedback. Thanks, Roger FWIW - I owned a Tiger Sport 1050SE for some time here in Oz, about 3 - 4 years ago. It came with colour-coded hard panniers (lids were painted) in a bright metallic orange colour - sounds kinda yucky but I liked it. I found two issues with it over time. The first was more me (a feeble septuagenarian) than the bike - it was a bit top-heavy, due I feel to the very tall engine architecture and the corresponding high c of g. The second was more troublesome, and related to the very uncomfortable seat - possibly in the same torturous league as the FJ-09/ MT-09 Tracer seat, so often replaced by owners here, including me. It was (from the side) banana-shaped and gave no fore-and-aft wriggle-room, as well as being hard and unyielding. I spent a lot of fruitless dollars trying to fix it, even buying (and later rejecting) an AirHawk seat-pad. Other than those points, I found it a very satisfying bike to ride, lacking nothing compared to the Tracer, and to some maybe more attractive visually. But I have to admit to liking the somewhat 'in-yer-face' styling of the Yamaha (but then I even liked the looks of my BMW GSs, to many the ugliest things on two wheels!). And I quite like the style of the heavily-revised new Tiger Sport 1050, with (allegedly) over 100 changes to various elements of the bike, including standard cruise control. As to a comparison - I'm sure you'll find the Tracer much lighter and more 'flickable', performance not lacking in any way, and seat easy (if somewhat costly) to upgrade and/ or replace if you find it unsatisfactory. Both bikes, if bought new, seem to offer very good value-for-money. Good luck with the eventual decision (PM me if further thoughts are sought). Riding a fully-farkled 2019 MT-09 Tracer 900 GT from my bayside home in South East Queensland, Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcarnut Posted July 24, 2016 Author Share Posted July 24, 2016 Great feedback guys, very helpful, thank you! How would you compare vibration between the two at freeway speeds, say 60-75 mph, and did you feel one provided a roomier cockpit, i.e. with regards to leg room? At 63 I can't take having my knees bent too sharply for longer than a couple of hours. Went by the dealership yesterday and sat on an FJ again, noticed my feet were slightly further back and more underneath me than the Tiger. SoCal 2015 FJ-09 Red of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordsmith Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 Great feedback guys, very helpful, thank you! How would you compare vibration between the two at freeway speeds, say 60-75 mph, and did you feel one provided a roomier cockpit, i.e. with regards to leg room? At 63 I can't take having my knees bent too sharply for longer than a couple of hours. Went by the dealership yesterday and sat on an FJ again, noticed my feet were slightly further back and more underneath me than the Tiger. [em]Roomier cockpit?[/em] Take a look at the very interesting and informative (and simple-to-use!) cycle-ergo website. Here, you can enter any bikes you choose and switch back and forth between any number using your mouse to get an instant visual comparo of ergonomics after entering your height and inseam measurement. I suspect you'll find the Tracer somewhat 'roomier'. When considering a new bike it's one of the first things I check. For me - 77yo with poor hip and knee and ankle flexibility - my gold standard is the BMW R1200 GS: the Tracer has similar but not identical ergos, IIRC. Riding a fully-farkled 2019 MT-09 Tracer 900 GT from my bayside home in South East Queensland, Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcarnut Posted July 25, 2016 Author Share Posted July 25, 2016 Great feedback guys, very helpful, thank you! How would you compare vibration between the two at freeway speeds, say 60-75 mph, and did you feel one provided a roomier cockpit, i.e. with regards to leg room? At 63 I can't take having my knees bent too sharply for longer than a couple of hours. Went by the dealership yesterday and sat on an FJ again, noticed my feet were slightly further back and more underneath me than the Tiger. [em]Roomier cockpit?[/em] Take a look at the very interesting and informative (and simple-to-use!) cycle-ergo website. Here, you can enter any bikes you choose and switch back and forth between any number using your mouse to get an instant visual comparo of ergonomics after entering your height and inseam measurement. I suspect you'll find the Tracer somewhat 'roomier'. When considering a new bike it's one of the first things I check. For me - 77yo with poor hip and knee and ankle flexibility - my gold standard is the BMW R1200 GS: the Tracer has similar but not identical ergos, IIRC. Good advice, forgot about that that site. I'll go check it out. SoCal 2015 FJ-09 Red of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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