New Member intro to the FJ-09 Forum

[grabcon]

Hi all, a brief intro of myself. I am in my mid 60's and have ridden most of my adult life. I currently have in the barn a 2008 ST1300, 2008 VFR800, a 1976 CB8750F (AKA Fred) and a 1978 CB550. Yea I am a bit partial to 4 cylinder hondas but looking to change, hence the reason for joining the FJ-09 forum.
 
I am looking to sell my ST1300, although a wonderful bike it no longer fits the needs of my wife and I. She rides the VFR. We have started doing destination travels. Haul the bikes behind the RV and work out of a location for riding and then packing up and moving to the next spot. The ST is a bit heavy to be loading and unloading on the trailer. So I have narrowed my search to the FJ-09 I think. Two weeks ago I was down to the Gen 3 FJR or the Gen 7 VFR1200. Until I revisited the FJ-09.
 
Our daily rides are somewhere between 100 and 500 miles, this is really dependent on where we are and what there is to see and do. I am hoping that the FJ-09 is the right ticket for this with some add-on. This is the reason I joined the forum is to gain some more knowledge prior to buying.

[DavidS]

Congratulations, and welcome to the forum. You must have your own Motorcycle garage with all those bikes.
 
I think the FJ-09 will suit you well, it's light, and a lot of fun, with plenty of power. Lots if information about the most common complaints (and raves) regarding this bike, this group isn't shy.

[grabcon]

David thanks for the welcome. You hit the nail on the head for why I joined this forum. Pros, cons, and some honest thoughts and not BS. I am not a believer in making a bike what it isn't but to make it more suited without significant change.

[fzkenm]

@grabcon
 
What you describe as your goal is precisely what the FJ-09 excels at.  Full of gas, it weighs just over 460 pounds, just be careful how many farkles you add.  It will go on/off a trailer easier than the VFR800, have better low to midrange, and has a very comfortable riding position.  It's quite nice as it is, but responds well to different changes, particularly suspension, seat and windscreen.  You didn't indicate your size, but that seems to be the biggest influence on one's perception.  The larger/heavier one is, the more the suspension, seat and windscreen seem to have a negative effect.  The bike is set up for someone in the 150-180 range.  The further from that, the more dramatic the effect.
 
Of all the stats, nothing conveys just how much "fun" this bike is.  If you read the reviews of the FJ and its "sisters", the FZ and XSR, you'll see repeated references to how much fun the Yamaha CP3 engine is.  

[grabcon]

fzkenm, I am not a big farkle guy, I only have a GPS on my ST, no heated gear or other high electrical draw items. The difference between the ST and the FJ-09 is around 250 pounds, this is a huge plus for loading/unloading and just moving around when it is not running. I am 5' 10" and right at 200 pounds and very physically fit. Hard cases, top case, bigger windscreen and crashbars are the initial addons. I typically do not change any riding position ergonomics until a clock a couple thousand miles, the same will hold true for suspension tuning. My wife and I are very aware as to not overload the bikes with stuff. I have seen far to many overload and then complain about tire wear, poor handling, etc. Even on the ST if my wife and I are on together we are within 20 pounds of GVW for the bike. and in my opinion we are not big people, just average.