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Took the plunge and made purchase


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After a bunch of questions (thanks everyone) and over thinking FJ vs Versys I went FJ. 2017 White. Dealer gave me $9200 out the door (4k trade in on higner mile Vstar 1300 cruiser). Then bank gave me 2.8% interest so I just had to! No bags but I didnt like them much anyway and they look like they would leak.
 
I also could not find a Versys to ride locally so, oh well.
 
Im in. Pickup tomorrow.
 
Now just need to research:
 
Risers for shorter arms
Possibly Shorter seat
Probably new shield
 
Stoked.
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Congratulations on your new FJ. 
 
My ongoing indecision was the same as yours .... FJ09 on Versys 1000LT.   After months of analyzing, re-analyzing and  review I finally made the decision on the FJ-09 about 8 weeks ago new.  6,800 odd miles later ... I'm sure I made the right choice for me.  
 
I hope you find your new one as much fun as I"ve found mine.  
 
Well ... off to bed ... heading for a 3 day weekend ride to Arkansas on my new FJ. :)
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Congrats. I love white on these bikes.  
If you are anywhere near Indiana, we'll have to meet up. I can drool over your white paint job, and you can try out the mods I've made addressing the short arms and legs.
[span][a title=@jgalloway" href="https://fj-09.org/user/3053][span]jgalloway[/span][/a], Could you tell us the mods you did? Thanks 
[/span]
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Congrats. I love white on these bikes.  
If you are anywhere near Indiana, we'll have to meet up. I can drool over your white paint job, and you can try out the mods I've made addressing the short arms and legs.
[span][span]jgalloway[/span], Could you tell us the mods you did? Thanks 
[/span]
For my reach issues, I installed Rox 2" anti-vibration risers and a set of Rizoma bars. The bars are about 3" narrower than stock and draw back about 3/4" more. With re-routing cables, everything worked except the clutch cable. I got a 2" longer clutch cable from Motion Pro for around $45 shipped. I did the work myself, so all in this project cost around $200. The difference it makes is incredible. I'm 5'7" with a short torso. In July I rode from my house in Indiana to my brother's house in Colorado, all side roads, and only stopped for food and gas. It was a 23.5 hour ride, and I had no back, shoulder, or wrist pain. As for the short legs, I bought new suspension last year. When I did, I went ahead and lowered the bike 9/16" of an inch. I ordered a shock from Cogent Dynamics, and they will custom cut an Ohlins spring and the shaft on their shock to lower the bike to where you want it, and it only adds like $50 to the build. Unlike the lowering links you can install, this doesn't affect the shock performance and make it ride rough. When I got the forks back from Forks by Matt, I raised them in the clamps to lower the front the same amount. The only difference that made in handling (the lowering, not Matt's forks) is that the bike seems to be a little more responsive to input when turning. I realize that this puts the oil plug closer to the ground, but I don't ride off-road intentionally, I slow for speed bumps, and avoid large potholes. So far I've had no clearance issues, and I ride 2-up a lot. The bike stands a little taller on the kickstand, so if you try to park where you need to lean it uphill, it might be an issue. I was going to take the stand off and cut a section out of it and put it back on this winter, but it really hasn't caused me any issues, so I've decided to leave it alone. I don't ride with the center stand because when I'm 2-up I drag it (even before I lowered the bike.) I only use it when I'm doing maintenance. But after lowering the bike it does take a bit more effort to lift it onto the stand. Also, when I ordered the Corbin seat, I had them make it as low and narrow in the front as possible. It's very comfy when cruising, but when I need to stop, I can scoot up a couple of inches and get more leg reach (also helps to hang off the seat in corners if that's your thing.) The seat and the shock together were $1,600, so probably not worth it if you are just looking for a little leg reach. But, if you are like me and want a new seat and a suspension upgrade anyway, it's the way to go. Before these mods it was a scary thing for me to try to stop on anything besides perfectly level ground. Now I'm worry free.
 
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