Questions for FJ-09 Owners

[Lone Wolf]

20 years ago I was riding a Yamaha triple 850 and LOVED it. Don't know why I ever sold it.

It had the torque and balls of my Harley and the power at RPM of my Kawi 1000.
Once again I am looking at the Yamaha triple 850.  
I have checked them out at the dealer (FZ and FJ-09). Sat on them. 
Won't let myself test drive one until I can afford it - I know that triple motor will be like heroin.
 
Some questions for those that have lived with the FJ-09 for a while:
They are so much lighter than say an FJ-R or traditional Sport Touring bike. 
That is awesome for "power to weight" ratio - but how is it on the open road with a strong cross wind?
Currently I am riding an old Honda 750 Nighthawk that is about 500 lbs wet. There were some 45 mph cross winds the other day on the open road. I was questioning how a lighter bike would have felt in that situation. I rode Harleys that felt like a schoolbus on the freeway, and that's not where I want to go... so it's a trade off.
 
The other question is the "modern" fuel injection, all the sensors, all the electronics - is it dependable for you?
My 750 doesn't even have a fuel pump, just simple carbs and very little to go wrong unless you store it for over a year and the jets clog.
I know that carbs aren't coming back... and I love fuel injection in my Tahoe. Just reluctant to have a bike that complicated.
 
Which "mode" do tend to set your bike? I used to pop wheelies all the time when I was a kid (now I'm 59 years old). As it is, I am usually 10 to 15 mph over the speed limit on my 750. I sold a sport bike a couple years ago because I was tempting fate too often.
Perhaps an FJ-09 on "snooze" mode most of the time would keep me out of trouble. Occasionally go nuts, then put it back on snooze mode.
 
 

[jimf]

The other question is the "modern" fuel injection, all the sensors, all the electronics - is it dependable for you? 

I can't speak particularly to the FJ, even if I had mine yet it just wouldn't be old enough to know, but my Daytona has been pretty darn reliable -- and that is a Triumph :-).  Turn the key and it starts easy every time, which I certainly can't say about any of the carb'ed bikes, especially with ethanolized gas. 
There are more things to go wrong -- fuel pump, ECU, various sensors -- and for that reason I paid good money for an extended warrantee.  I never used it.  Zero problems over 7 years.  I ate through brake pads and had two batteries die in that time frame, and one regulator/rectifier, but all of those things were occasional trouble on my old bikes too.  The core motor was a (very fast :-) appliance
 
These technologies are well sorted at this point, having had decades of debugging on cars.  If they break they're more expensive to fix, but they require much less frequent ongoing maintenance and will probably run trouble free for a decade or more without any thought at all.  My gut call is that over the long term the new stuff is no more expensive and probably less so, but not ever having had any of that stuff break yet the numerator is still zero....

[ULEWZ]

20 years ago I was riding a Yamaha triple 850 and LOVED it. Don't know why I ever sold it.
It had the torque and balls of my heavypieceofshet and the power at RPM of my Kawi 1000.
Once again I am looking at the Yamaha triple 850.  
I have checked them out at the dealer (FZ and FJ-09). Sat on them. 
Won't let myself test drive one until I can afford it - I know that triple motor will be like heroin.
 
Some questions for those that have lived with the FJ-09 for a while:
They are so much lighter than say an FJ-R or traditional Sport Touring bike. 
That is awesome for "power to weight" ratio - but how is it on the open road with a strong cross wind?
Currently I am riding an old Honda 750 Nighthawk that is about 500 lbs wet. There were some 45 mph cross winds the other day on the open road. I was questioning how a lighter bike would have felt in that situation. I rode heavypieceofshets that felt like a schoolbus on the freeway, and that's not where I want to go... so it's a trade off.
 
The other question is the "modern" fuel injection, all the sensors, all the electronics - is it dependable for you?
My 750 doesn't even have a fuel pump, just simple carbs and very little to go wrong unless you store it for over a year and the jets clog.
I know that carbs aren't coming back... and I love fuel injection in my Tahoe. Just reluctant to have a bike that complicated.
 
Which "mode" do tend to set your bike? I used to pop wheelies all the time when I was a kid (now I'm 59 years old). As it is, I am usually 10 to 15 mph over the speed limit on my 750. I sold a sport bike a couple years ago because I was tempting fate too often.
Perhaps an FJ-09 on "snooze" mode most of the time would keep me out of trouble. Occasionally go nuts, then put it back on snooze mode.
 

Welcome. To answer some of your questions, the F-Jay (see how I spelled that?) accelerates like a bat out of hell. You will not be disappointed in the power. Plenty of torque if you are a gear low and need to power out. Because it is light, cross winds can be fun, but not dangerous. I work in Palmdale where the wind can really kick up (45-50 mph gusts!), and it was not a major issue for me. No inadvertent lane changes, but gets your attention. If you decide to wheelie, turn the traction control off and have at it. The bike is too new to have a solid reputation yet, but it is based on the FZ-09, and that does have a good reputation, but with updated fuel map and suspension Compression settings. There is a recall on the shifter shaft, that should be taken before you are ready to purchase. I use A mode most of the time. I like the instant acceleration, vs STD mode or B mode. You will appreciate the lightness of the bike in the twisties as I do. I came off an FJR1300, and can really fell the difference at the end of the day.
 

[Lone Wolf]

"These technologies are well sorted at this point, having had decades of debugging on cars."
Gotcha - and that is what I was hoping to hear. Just never had an injected bike, and I have run through over a dozen bikes in 40 years. I think I will be pleasantly suprized.
 
"I work in Palmdale where the wind can really kick up (45-50 mph gusts!), and it was not a major issue for me. No inadvertent lane changes, but gets your attention."
I remember when your freeway went down in the 1994 earthquake. I rode that many times when I lived down south, and it is a wind tunnel. That would be the test.
 
OK, another set of questions for owners:
1) If you put a bigger windshield on the factory mounts, does it wiggle in the wind? My Honda 750 has a National Street Shield EX that is solid as a rock. I look at the mounts for the FJ-09 windshield and it just seems... kind of minimal if I put the larger aftermarket screen I would need.
 
2) What are those things appended to the sides of the gas tank in front?  Do they come off?  I am kinda old-school and prefer rounded classic shapes. 

[wessie]

The fly by wire system is something Yamaha has used on other bikes. My 2010 Super Tenere for example. I sold that bike with 20,000 miles on it and reliability was rock solid over the 5 years. I won't be buying an extended warranty for my Tracer (UK name for the bike).
 
I have done 1000 miles in the last month.
 
Mode: never B, switch over to A when I remember on open roads. Makes a huge difference to initial acceleration.
 
The bike is quite stable in winds with my 200lb bulk on it. It does not become unsettled even with a topbox. I live in the Cotswolds, a very hilly area of England and the plateau across the top is quite exposed, with nothing to shield winds coming off the Atlantic.
 
Mods: Givi/Kappa luggage, chain oiler and a taller screen as the stock one was not to my liking
 
It's a great bike, 60 kg lighter than my last bike. Just miss the shaft drive, but that would add 30kg!
 
 

[Lone Wolf]

...Mods: Givi/Kappa luggage, chain oiler and a taller screen as the stock one was not to my liking  
It's a great bike, 60 kg lighter than my last bike. Just miss the shaft drive...
 

Gotcha - how does your taller screen do on the stock mounts, does the upper part flex much or vibrate in the wind? 
I really liked my 1980 triple because it DID have a shaft drive. I also had a 750 Yamaha Seca with shaft drive. Oh well...

[wessie]

...Mods: Givi/Kappa luggage, chain oiler and a taller screen as the stock one was not to my liking  
It's a great bike, 60 kg lighter than my last bike. Just miss the shaft drive...
 

Gotcha - how does your taller screen do on the stock mounts, does the upper part flex much or vibrate in the wind? 
I really liked my 1980 triple because it DID have a shaft drive. I also had a 750 Yamaha Seca with shaft drive. Oh well...

There's a review in the Accessories section here  - also look for comments about an Ermax screen in other threads. 
In fact, many of the questions you are asking yourself can be answered if you spend some time reading through the various sections. Almost every part of the bike has been discussed at some point so perhaps join in the discussions in those threads. I'm not trying to dissuade you from continuing this thread but as you ask different questions people will chip in here & there and it will become disjointed. If you go to a thread on the topic, or create one on a specific point then the conversation will be easier to follow. 

[Lone Wolf]

Awesome forum - I was "lurking" and reading up on the accessories over the last couple months. 
I am going to pull the trigger on an FJ-09 when my current bike gets more miles on it.
 
What are those things appended to the sides of the gas tank in front? Do they come off? I am kinda old-school and prefer rounded classic shapes.