Hi Everyone,
Well, I finally got a chance to take out the FJR on a ride to the CreSTOC event covering about 400 miles in two days, much of which was mountain twisties. This obviously won?t be the end-all write up between these two awesome bikes, but the ST community may enjoy reading about my findings on this close cousin to the ST. Note that I had a 2003 ST1300 ABS for about 3 years (sold about 6 months ago) on which I put about 25,000 miles.
You may ask why I switched to an FJR. In actuality I didn?t ?switch?. I sold my ST out of necessity about 6 months ago. That left me with one bike (?02 BMW F650GS Dakar) that I thought could my main bike, but I was wrong. I really craved having a powerful street bike, so I sold the Dakar and started looking for a replacement. (It was pretty hard keeping up with two friends on their STs riding a 650CC single with dual-purpose tires!) Another ST was near the top of the list, but since my wife rarely ever rides with me, I decided it may be fun to try another bike just for me. The list was short: ST1300, BMW 1200RT, FJR1300, Kawasaki Concours, Triumph Sprint ST. I won?t bore you with my rationale for deciding on the FJR, but I am happy with my decision.
For any comparison to be valid we have to look at the configuration of the two bikes, neither of which was stock:
2003 ST1300 ABS
Progressive front springs, bar risers, Metzler Z6 front / ME880 rear, Clearview GT Medium with Goldwing vent, Staintune exhaust, Turbo Tom FPR, Sargent seat.
2007 FJR1300A (non ?auto-shift? model)
ABS (std), Rifle windshield with ?tuning blocks?, Helibar triple clamp bar risers, Metzler Z6 front / Metzler Z6 rear (very worn), Corbin front seat / stock rear.
We also need to factor the rider. I?ll state up front that I am FAR from an expert rider, and consider myself the typical ?weekend rider? with a fair amount of miles under my belt. I?ve been riding since I was 16, with few real breaks except for a period of a few years after my divorce back around ?81 when I was raising my kids by myself. I?m 56 years old, way out of shape, 5?10?, 195 lbs, 30.5? inseam.
WEIGHT
FJR: 642 lbs wet (According to owner?s manual)
ST1300 Non-ABS: 719 lbs (According to
http://corporate.honda.com)
ST1300 ABS: 730 lbs
If I had to pick any issues with the ST that prompted me to consider another bike there would only be two; the seat height, and the weight of the bike. In particular, the weight was bothersome for me even though the ST sheds it weight nicely once it?s rolling. Moving it around the garage, backing out of parking slots, etc. were hard for me as I?m not particularly strong in the legs in addition to being inseam challenged. The FJR, while being considerably lighter than the ST seems to also carry its weight lower, which makes it much easier for me to move it around or coming to a stop on uneven ground. The seat height on my FJR is also low enough to where I am flat-footed; whereas on the ST with seat in the low position I was on the balls of my feet.
ENGINE COMPARISONS
Both of these bikes have amazing engines and little negative can be said about either. Honda?s V4 is silky smooth and generates unbelievable amounts of mid-range grunt. Yamaha?s inline 4 is powerful, smooth, and produces great torque for an inline 4. (I had previously owned a ?90 FJR1200, whose engine was known to be a ?torque-monster? compared to others at that time.)
It?s well known that the FJR puts out a bit more horsepower (15 or so at the rear wheel), but both engines seems to deliver the power differently. I was surprised and amazed at the fact that the FJR seems to have more torque at the lower end of the RPM range. This thing actually starts to pull pretty strongly a bit under 2500 RPMs! I?ve never been on a bike that generated so much power on the low end. Simply amazing! The ST however, seems to have more mid-range power. I?m referring to the type of ?useful power? you may need going 40 miles per hour to pass a car or accelerate by just opening the throttle. No shifting required for an impressive amount of linear power delivery that was definitely quicker than it ?felt?.
The FJR seems to generate decent power in the mid-range, but huge power would require a downshift. Opening the throttle without a shift generates good power delivery, which gets progressively stronger as the RPMs increase. Once the needle climbs above 5000 RPMs, this thing generates amazing power that becomes intoxicating as you climb to 6000 and above (redline at 9000). The sound is also part of the experience. It starts with a snarl as you open the throttle that develops in to a full-on growl as it generates power and climbs in RPMs. I truly believe that this aspect of the bike is one which makes people claim that this is more of a traditional or sporty motorcycle feel, compared to the somewhat reserved and eloquent power delivery of the ST.
VIBRATION / SMOOTHNESS
It would be hard to argue that ANY bike is as smooth and vibration-free as the ST, so I won?t. However, there are significant differences here. Note that this FJR is one of the so-called ?Gen II? models (2006 on) where the gearing was made a bit higher to help eliminate complaint of a ?buzz? at typical freeway speeds. In fact, my bike had a slight buzz on the foot pegs around 78 ? 82 MPH. However, I?d call it a ?discernible? buzz in that you COULD feel it, but it was far from an issue. I could barely perceive any vibration in my hands at any time, and this may have been partially due to the foam grips on the bike.
The biggest difference came when you opened up the throttle. On the ST the sophisticated, meek, and silky smooth engine would show the amazing power of the mighty V4 which could be felt through the frame. You knew and felt the engine coming alive. On the Feejer, the rider doesn?t feel the vibrations and power developing through the frame as with the ST, but you hear this amazing power plant underneath of you coming to life! You?re not quite as connected to it though as with the V4.
EXHAUST NOTE
As mentioned above the exhaust note of the FJR is impressive under acceleration, but I also enjoyed the sound of the Staintunes as the big V4 generated power. Under typical throttle settings the FJR is sounds subdued with a nice but impressive ?hmmm? emanating from the pipes behind you and an engine that is very quiet until the throttle is opened. The ST?s unmistakable ?George Jetson? sound took a little getting used to, but I grew to like.
HANDLING
I?m probably not an accomplished enough rider to write about this aspect of the bikes with real authority, but I can say that these differences here are not huge as some might expect. Keep in mind that my 400 miles on the FJR hardly compare to the 25,000 miles I put on the ST. (The magazine write-ups are probably a much better reference here.) Also noteworthy is the fact that my ST had Progressive springs, which I felt were significantly better than the stock ones. Given that it was my first real outing on the FJR, and the fact that the Z6 on the rear is very worn, I was a bit reserved here too.
A significant difference between the two bikes is the fact that the FJR's front suspension is highly adjustable, including spring preload, rebound damping, and compression damping. The rear shock has two setting for spring preload and rebound damping. I had been playing around with the settings a bit prior to this 2-day ride, and I will undoubtedly dial them in closer as I get more time on the bike.
Both of these bikes handle amazingly well considering their size and overall utility. The FJR felt a bit more ?flickable? than the ST though in the corners, and seemed more in its element laying over with very fast and very tight transitions. I never felt any frame flex or loss of confidence during tight corners and transitions, and the bike felt to me to be a bit lighter and quicker than the ST during these maneuvers. I didn?t feel quite as comfortable with high-speed sweepers on the FJR as I did on the ST though. The ST seems to have a slightly more stable feel during these long turns, with the FJR requiring more attention to keeping it stable in the corners. (Again, keep in mind that this was day 1 and I was a bit concerned with the worn tire on rear.)
I felt a tiny bit of front end wobble as I was rebounding from bumps while leaned over that may have been a little bit of flex in the forks, or possibly a need to tighten up the rebound damping a bit. Not sure - I need to play with this a bit more. I think that the FJR is a bit more performance oriented here and definitely sensitive to changes. My bike had a badly worn front tire when I bought it, and it handled terribly! I want to emphasize here that the differences didn?t appear to me to be significant. The sportiness of the FJR seems to be well publicized, but the ST is no slouch in the hands of a capable rider.
BRAKES
I was able to dial in to the brakes on the FJR very fast, and felt that the bike could slow down quicker with more confidence that the ST. This may be due to the significant difference in the weight (75+ lbs) between the two machines. I have no idea about real professional test results. I just felt like the FJR was really good in this department.
INSTRUMENTATION
Simply stated, I feel that the FJR is far better. I hated the Honda Civic look of the ST?s instrumentation, which was pretty much worthless during the day. I usually ride with an Olympia high-viz yellow jacket, which was reflected back in the Honda?s instrument panel. The LED panel seemed equally ill-designed. However, I feel that it?s outright stupid for a speedometer to go all the way to 190 MPH, as the gaps between the miles are closer than necessary. (Personally, I rarely go triple digits and would be happy with a speedo that ends at say, 140.)
The FJR has a gear indicator! (Since Yamaha seems to be listening, why didn?t they include self-canceling turn signals?) During the many times I felt that I need to switch up one more gear I could see that I was in 5th already. I also felt the need to find another higher gear on the ST until I got used to be bike. The LED panel is easy to read with all the same functions as the Honda, except it tells you how many miles you have traveled on reserve rather than remaining miles.
TIP-OVER PROTECTION
Honda deserves major kudos here! The tip-over protection on the ST is a well thought-out design aspect of the bike that coincidentally lends itself to very purposeful ?integrated? freeway pegs. (How cool is that?) I wish Yamaha had followed Honda?s lead here, as the FJR is susceptible to considerable damage with an innocent driveway tip-over. As I was looking for an FJR, I encountered several with discounted prices from damage from such static drops, including the one I bought. I need to replace the right mirror, as well as touching the saddlebags and one spot on the side.
?Sliders? are common for the front of the FJR, and one company in Belgium makes sliders for the rear. A company in San Diego manufactures actual crash bars for the ST (front & rear), but they have the definite look of add-ons compared to the STs clever tip-over wings. The FJR gets low marks in this department.
OTHER ?MENTIONABLES?
- I feel that the FJR looks sportier, as well as more current in its design. This is obviously a personal observation and many will feel otherwise.
- I live in a hilly area adjacent to the high-desert town of Temecula that is almost always windy. Going up the hill toward our house, I would always get blown around on the ST, and I learned to go with it. While I don?t feel that the ST is particularly bad handling in winds, the FJR seemed to have a much more aerodynamic profile and slices through wind much better.
- The mirrors on the FJR remind me of the mirrors on my old ?90 FJR1200. I find myself doing the chicken moves with my arms as I often pull in my elbows toward my body so that I can see more behind me. About 25% of my FJR?s mirrors are obstructed by my arms. I hear that it?s pretty common for owners of FJRs to substitute their stock mirrors with ones from the FZ1, which are wider.
- Adjustable clutch and brake levers on the FJR ? a nice touch.
- The saddlebags on the FJR are about as roomy as the STs, but I think the bike still looks ?normal? with them off. In contrast, I always felt that the ST looked like it just came out of surgery to remove something huge from its side with the bags off! (I always ride with the bags on, so it?s actually not a real issue for me.) The latch mechanisms on both are very functional and intuitive.
- I?ll note here that the Honda seems to get a price premium, which is no doubt related to the renowned Honda reliability.
- I won?t mention much about maintenance issues as I don?t have a lot of experience here. However, look at pictures of the oil filter on the left side of the FJR. Very simple oil changes, but the air filter is pretty hard to get to.
Only one glove box on the FJR on the left side, but you can?t cook omelets in it. It also has a mechanism that locks it unless the ignition is turned on. (Some find that annoying and change it.)
- The windshield resets itself to the low position when the ignition is turned off. I personally think that is pretty cool as I?m always adjusting the windshield while riding, but many FJR owners find it annoying and defeat that function.
In closing I wanted to mention that 875+ folks on this site read my post in the California section announcing that I had purchased an FJR, and many wrote to congratulate me on having another bike. However, there were
ZERO negative comments about crossing over to another brand. This fact speaks volumes to the caliber of the members of ST-owners, and one of the primary reasons I am sticking around here.
Good folks here. No ?posers? and true motorcycle enthusiasts all.
Ride safe, everyone.
Rick
