Just had my FJR1300 knocked out from under me. What should I replace it with?

Tree work? Do you ever visit treebuzz.com? I'm a part-time hack & have spent several hours over at TB.

You philosophy is the same as mine. The rule is; "ride like no one can see you, everyone is trying to kill you and even if they look at you keep the brakes covered." I've heard very few bad things about the FJR. I seriously considered one when they first came out. The "road sofa" comfort of the ST's won in the end. I've had full-on sport bikes. The speed is intoxicating. But I sorely regret (pun intended) the choice of acceleration over comfort. The FJR also does this well. The ST just "fits" me like a glove. I know it sounds strange but when I get on my ST, there is no rider and MC. I don't even think about controlling the ST. It's seems about as natural as walking. Then again I might just be a little messed up!


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curtspivey said:

The ST just "fits" me like a glove.

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+1 I've said it several times ... I've been riding since 1973 and the ST1300 is the first bike I've had where I found myself NOT thinking about which bike I'll get next.

Man...
I really loved the ST1100 back when I had it. All the raving about ST fit...I think I'll try to get an afternoon ride in on the ST1300 before I spend the money this fall. The FJR did fit me just fine but I do have time to check about before committing.

Thanks for all the input!

Later,
Kent Larson in Minnesota

hoowasat said:

Tree work? Do you ever visit treebuzz.com? I'm a part-time hack & have spent several hours over at TB.

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Thanks for the note. Looks like a great resource. I'll have a day or two after surgery to lay about surfing the net and plan to spend some time there.
I've been cutting down and pruning trees for about 10 years now as a 5 to 10 hours per week hobby. The day job is as an embedded systems programmer (specializing in medical devices) so no exercise there. Tree work is my way to get people to pay me to exercise while I'm having fun swinging about the tree-tops.

Later,
Kent Larson in Minnesota

Have you considered a Beemer? The main reason I'm suggesting one is the cavernous side cases we see on some of the GS variants. A woman in our bike club has one with BMW cases (pricey in the extreme) that expand outward. I'm not a fan of the canbus system, but there seem to be a lot of these bikes running around. If you get an older one, it would probably be more reliable and cheaper (read affordable).

SMSW said:

Have you considered a Beemer?

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I've owned most brands over my 30 years as a rider but never BMW--and I guess I don't really have any interest in owning one. I'll have more than enough room in the FJR or ST1300 hard cases so no need to chase that aspect. When I analyze where my distaste for the brand comes from, I find:
- Didn't like the front end feel from the 4 or 5 different BMW rides I've had.
- Don't feel the build quality and engineering (which I rate highest of all makes) was worth the extra cost.

These are just my personal feelings but they keep me from giving BMW any serious consideration. The front end fell may be different now but I was frequently given the chance to flog student bikes on a regular basis back when I was a control rider for the NESBA riding organization in the late '90s and I always felt the front end feedback was too vague when BMW owners would push to have me ride their steed.

The cost issue seems to be holding true today. Seems like a 25% or more premium for the name and I don't personally get any extra kick out of the name.

I'm always willing to give them another chance if someone has a ride for me to try but I'm not going to be looking to hard in that direction.

Thanks,
Kent Larson in Minnesota

For me Kent, I like the position of the ST more than the FJR, because of the way you sit more " in the bike", than on, l would rate an FJR as the closest to the ST, but I haven't ridden a trophy either. I love the looks of the triumph, and it seems to be the same type of seating position. My only concern is network support on the road;most members on the forum said that getting parts is a roll of the dice. You can get them , just not readily available.
I hope you're healing well.
Eddie

FJR is more like a sports car with high horsepower not that you need the HP but nice to have anyway. I have an ST1100p and love it for a lazy meandering ride to the coast (cagers stay away). I've had a ST1300 and felt little difference from the ST1100. When I want to ride the twisties or shoot up the freeway for several hundred miles or feel like I'm on a low flying jet I'm on the FJR. I'm with you on BMW impression. The BMW is ok but not great, sold mine last month mostly due to never riding it.
As for positioning on bike there are (like the ST) many mods you can do to relieve strain on your body but stock works fine for me. For both the ST and FJR they are so well made that the factory engineers have little to do and always seem to fall back on color design, lights and what have you. Great bikes both but as I indicated the FJR is a just plain performance and sexy Go Fast Bike. YMMV but if your on an FJR it will vary faster.


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SantaRosa said:

YMMV but if your on an FJR it will vary faster.

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Ha! Cute.

hoowasat said:

... the ST1300 is the first bike I've had where I found myself NOT thinking about which bike I'll get next.

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Yeah, I can relate to that.... My problem is, which ST1300 should I work on next?

Well, the bones have had almost 3 weeks to mend so far and it is going well. I didn't miss any days of riding and I'm back to full weight on the leg. I'll find out on August 9th if the mending went as hoped but meanwhile I have some bikes to test.

A generous offer to take a ST1300 out for a test with the wife will be accepted and executed this Sunday. However, I'm getting a bit scared off of the ST1300 after reading the "frame near legs too hot to touch" thread. My only complaint for the 2005 FJR1300 was the excessive heat it transferred to my legs and is the reason why I'm not going back to the FJR unless it is a post 2006 model. Oops, there's also the missing 6th gear deal which pushes me to 2016 or newer for the FJR1300.

I would not like having the same type of heat problem if I went with a ST1300.
I'll be checking on the heat issue Sunday and when I meet up with the MNSTOC group in August. Any opinions on if heat should remove the ST1300 from consideration?

Later,
Kent Larson in Minnesota

It's so hard to characterize the ST1300.

Sometimes mine has been HOT. Other times merely warm. It also depends on what kind of gear you wear. I started riding it with jeans (my recollection is they could be occasionally hot). Jeans & mesh overpants (mostly OK). Shorts & mesh overpants (hot when >100F weather, I fashioned some insulation for my shins!). My waterproof overpants are typically warm just by themselves - I don't recall trying them in hot weather.

I've been out riding across the Mojave Desert in the summertime. In Baker CA when temps are 128F. I don't think of the ST1300 as the limiting factor, but I do go for cooling vests and Camelbaks with ice water to survive.

Try it. YMMV.

I've never noticed a heat issue with ours. I know a lot of folks had complaints about heat in the first years of production. About the only time my legs got warm was sitting in traffic with the radiator fans blowing hot air in the summer. I don't really consider that to be a design flaw.


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I was in Europe for 3 weeks so just reading this for the first time, glad you came out of it as well as you did.

Every time I read one of these posts it reminds me that in CA we generally don't have to deal with this scenario very often, because about 99.9% of the intersections have left turn lights to prevent these right-of-way violations from happening.

dwalby said:

Every time I read one of these posts it reminds me that in CA we generally don't have to deal with this scenario very often, because about 99.9% of the intersections have left turn lights to prevent these right-of-way violations from happening.

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I understand the added safety but I rail against the use of red-light turn arrows unless the intersection is one with obstructed view. True, in my case it would have saved me as she wouldn't have been given the green arrow while I had a green or just-changed-to-yellow, but, I hate the assumption that drivers are too stupid to make decisions implied by installing the red arrows. I want to be given the right to decide if the road is clear and turn when safe. I only want that privilege for me and not for drivers too stupid or distracted to make a good decision but I guess if I'm given that option we have to give it to all the other drivers as well.

Having yellow--yield to oncoming traffic but proceed when safe--lights on all non-obstructed view intersections is my desire. I know this means idiots will violate my right of way but I accept that as part of riding motorcycles. It doesn't change my approach since even a red-arrow left-turn lane will have violators so I'm always going to (as I should have done a few weeks ago) be responsible for monitoring that turning vehicle and assure they can't hit me even if they try. Red-arrow turn lanes don't allow me to ride any different other than assuring I have to wait to turn even when no traffic is around. When I go through any intersection, red-turn or yellow-turn arrows in place, I'm going to assume my right-of-way will be violated.

I have the same opinion about riding hi-vis, just because I'm decked out in florescent yellow isn't going to assure everyone sees me so I'm still going to ride like I'm invisible. True, hi-vis gear may reduce the 1 or 2 times a day I have to avoid being run into to something more like 1 or 2 times a month but I sure better not relax just because I'm more visible. So, I just don't worry about being visible and continue to ride not just as if I'm invisible but like other drivers can see me and want to hit me.

It is up to me to assure they can't hit me even if they are trying. Something I failed to do a few weeks back.

As I said, I feel 100% responsible for not clearing the intersection and assuring I couldn't get hit, however I'm not accepting blame for the accident from a legal aspect. Currently the other's insurance company has floated a 80-20 split on responsibility. My guy is going to push back for 100% blame on their end. We will see how it works out but even at 80%, all my expenses for bike and medical are covered. I would only loose 20% of the value on personal property that was lost (chainsaw, Levi 550 jeans).

BTW, I found out the Levi 550s will not be covered by Progressive because they are not double-layered or Kevlar included "riding" jeans. I've crash tested Levi's at least 8 or 10 times over the last 35 years and find their durability "acceptable" but not that great. I've had to regrow quite a bit of skin but never needed bone grafts or anything like that. I guess I just accept the additional possibility of pain and prolonged suffering over the daily hassle of changing pants before and after rides. Now that I know some "riding" jeans would have been covered, I may look into buying a few sets.

Anyway, I'm still hot on the market for a replacement. This Sunday has a ST1300 trial ride and I'm heading to a local dealer right now to see if a 2016 FJR demo ride is available.

Later,
Kent Larson in Minnesota

There have been a lot of guys going in another direction in the form of "Adventure" bikes. Ask Mellow about his Yamaha Super Tenere. Factory cruise control, heated grips, electronic suspension available, more spacious ergonomics. But luggage is separate.

If you're still wanting a SPORT-tourer, the FJR should probably lead the list based on so many rider defections. A sport-TOURER, maybe look at used (or leftover?) ST1300's. With maybe a side trip to looking at the Concours, if you can deal with the looks.

ST_Jim said:

If you're still wanting a SPORT-tourer, the FJR should probably lead the list based on so many rider defections. A sport-TOURER, maybe look at used (or leftover?) ST1300's. With maybe a side trip to looking at the Concours, if you can deal with the looks.

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Thanks for the input. ST and FJR still top my list. Concours is out as I don't like the looks and am not a fan of the brand. No adventure bike because I have a Yamaha WR250 to fill that need and passenger comfort is a heavily weighted requirement. I'm still keeping the Shaft-Drive Triumph under consideration as well but that will be harder to find for test ride or leftover bargains.

Later,
Kent Larson in Woodbury, MN

You could always go with a ST1100 ABSII. I've heard they are really good bikes ...

The heat issue ..... hummmmmmmm ...... Since there seems to be a lot of info about how these bikes are the same (ST1300) from year to year I was putting the differences down to what we do to them or our individual sensitivities.

I don't remember noticing a lot of heat on the 2005 I crashed, but this summer I have toasted my ankles on the replacement 2005! The differences between them are the replacement has ABS and the PO installed fairing deflectors. When riding the 2012 I have not noticed the ankle heat. I have assumed that the deflectors changed the airflow "just enough" to pull a little more air out around my ankles .... and so far that was one of the reasons the new set of deflectors for the 2012 was staying in their box .... with the major one being that at 5'9" I just don't have enough leg length to go out around the deflectors and fit the highway pegs!

oh well, opinions are like ... You know the rest!