Yamaha USA lists the FJR as 635-642 lbs. wet, ~100 less than the ST. 100 lbs. would be enough for me to notice.
I need to start looking for a new bike.
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BakerBoy
It's all small stuff.
Caveat emptor.
The more we talk, the heavier the Honda is and the lighter the FJR is.
For me, there were 2 distinct turning points away from the FJR:
1) dealers here wouldn't move on price when I tried to make what I thought was a fair deal (and I missed out on a couple FJR's elsewhere, by chance; I was willing to fly and ride)
2) regardless of whatever weight stats everyone argues about, it was still quite heavy to me. It honestly didn't feel any lighter than my ST to me.
So I passed on the FJR, looked at the FJ-09 while waiting for 'direction', while enjoying my ST1300.
Then this lovely blue low mile RTW showed up at a local consignment shop. With hesitation, I looked at it despite my knowledge of issues with my wife's and numerous friend's BMW autos. The first time I got on the RT in the showroom and moved it around, it was noticeably easier than the ST1300 even though it felt a touch taller. The first time I put it on the center stand, I heaved it like I had to do with the ST1300 (which I similarly found necessary while feeling out the FJR), and pulled that RT up on the centerstand so easily that it launched up onto the centerstand with a klunk, it jerked backwards, and it made a skreetching sound as it slid rearward on the floor. The salesman tried not to notice the new scratches on their polished salesroom floor as he gave me a puzzled look trying to figure out why I yanked it up so hard.
The first time I rode it, I was amazed at how easy it was to move around while straddling it, and further how easy it was to steer, walk, and/or keep stable in first gear friction zone. As I drove away I found it too easy to over-push the steering and disrupt the bike (relative to the ST1300), so I immediately went to an empty parking lot and did lots of figure eights, braking tests, circles, minimum radius turns, etc. to recalibrate myself to much easier inputs.
Bill, (again, not because I have some axe to grind to justify my purchase) but you really should ride a 2014+ RT (the watercooled version, aka "RTW") and see for yourself if it meets your needs. It did for me.
Caveat emptor.
The more we talk, the heavier the Honda is and the lighter the FJR is.
For me, there were 2 distinct turning points away from the FJR:
1) dealers here wouldn't move on price when I tried to make what I thought was a fair deal (and I missed out on a couple FJR's elsewhere, by chance; I was willing to fly and ride)
2) regardless of whatever weight stats everyone argues about, it was still quite heavy to me. It honestly didn't feel any lighter than my ST to me.
So I passed on the FJR, looked at the FJ-09 while waiting for 'direction', while enjoying my ST1300.
Then this lovely blue low mile RTW showed up at a local consignment shop. With hesitation, I looked at it despite my knowledge of issues with my wife's and numerous friend's BMW autos. The first time I got on the RT in the showroom and moved it around, it was noticeably easier than the ST1300 even though it felt a touch taller. The first time I put it on the center stand, I heaved it like I had to do with the ST1300 (which I similarly found necessary while feeling out the FJR), and pulled that RT up on the centerstand so easily that it launched up onto the centerstand with a klunk, it jerked backwards, and it made a skreetching sound as it slid rearward on the floor. The salesman tried not to notice the new scratches on their polished salesroom floor as he gave me a puzzled look trying to figure out why I yanked it up so hard.
The first time I rode it, I was amazed at how easy it was to move around while straddling it, and further how easy it was to steer, walk, and/or keep stable in first gear friction zone. As I drove away I found it too easy to over-push the steering and disrupt the bike (relative to the ST1300), so I immediately went to an empty parking lot and did lots of figure eights, braking tests, circles, minimum radius turns, etc. to recalibrate myself to much easier inputs.
Bill, (again, not because I have some axe to grind to justify my purchase) but you really should ride a 2014+ RT (the watercooled version, aka "RTW") and see for yourself if it meets your needs. It did for me.
Caveat emptor.
Now that the R1200RT is in the mix, what year did the final drive become safe? A lowered RT would be a great bike and meet the OP's needs, as well as mine. BamaRider loves his 05 and has had no final drive problems. I suspect regular inspection and maintance is the key here.
DavidR8
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I was curious about this before we bought our ST1300 so I sought out some who had weighed their FJR.
The results are not what I expected.
Measured Weight of FJR
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?share_fid=1413305&share_tid=67242&url=http://www.fjrowners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67242&share_type=t
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Motorcycle Dave
Vendor
I also went for the Can AM Spyder
I also went for the Can Am Spyder, some of you may recall I put a very long post on my thoughts
of it when I got it about 4 years ago.. First and formost.... it IS NOT a motorcycle however after a
while of learning how to ride it as it does not handle or ride like a bike it is a hell of a lot of fun to ride.
I got mine when I was 71 after some drunk took me and my ST out at a stop sign while waiting for
traffic to clear. I got the ole "your getting older you should get something easier to ride that don't tip over,
well I did just that. At that time they had only 2 models RS and the RT I went for the RS more sporty
and better handling. I hated it at first because I had motorcycle in my brain but I must admit it is a fun
ride, I do like the trans. auto shifting, and reverse is very nice to have..... All that being said I still have
a good old 2 wheel bike, a PC800 Pacific Coast.
Dave
I also went for the Can Am Spyder, some of you may recall I put a very long post on my thoughts
of it when I got it about 4 years ago.. First and formost.... it IS NOT a motorcycle however after a
while of learning how to ride it as it does not handle or ride like a bike it is a hell of a lot of fun to ride.
I got mine when I was 71 after some drunk took me and my ST out at a stop sign while waiting for
traffic to clear. I got the ole "your getting older you should get something easier to ride that don't tip over,
well I did just that. At that time they had only 2 models RS and the RT I went for the RS more sporty
and better handling. I hated it at first because I had motorcycle in my brain but I must admit it is a fun
ride, I do like the trans. auto shifting, and reverse is very nice to have..... All that being said I still have
a good old 2 wheel bike, a PC800 Pacific Coast.
Dave
Last edited:
BakerBoy
It's all small stuff.
Strange link David...takes many of us to tapatalk site. maybe repost essence of the results?
DavidR8
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Yup
It was a 2014A model.
Panniers on but empty.
Full tank of gas.
Total weight was 705 lbs.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It was a 2014A model.
Panniers on but empty.
Full tank of gas.
Total weight was 705 lbs.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yeah, but their process was suspect. They weighed the front and back seperately and added the 2 figures. Someone later in the thread weighed theirs at a truck stop and got a weight very similar to the published wet weight.
Here's my mental picture to justify that their technique was valid...
Imagine 2 scales, one under each wheel. It's perfectly reasonable to add the 2 numbers. Now remove one of the scales and replace it with a block of wood exactly the same thickness as the scale that was just there. The weight on the other wheel will not change. And now do the same thing with the other wheel. The 2 numbers added together should be the same whether it's a block of wood or another scale.
There is some room for error if the block of wood is not exactly the right thickness, but it should be pretty close.
I think I would have more faith in a scale designed to weigh hundreds of pounds than I would in a scale designed to weigh thousands (or tens of thousands) of pounds.
I recently had a mild stroke and because I didn't fell confident in 2 wheels I now own a Can am Spyder and love it
BakerBoy
It's all small stuff.
I just read the thread on FJR weight being discussed in the last few posts above: http://www.fjrowners.com/forums/8-fjr-central/67242-measured-weight-fjr.html
Sorry, no jspringator, their method is not suspect. They got a good weight (multiple ways, multiple times) at 705 lb. I see those guys are engineers and they did weigh it correctly.
Conversely, the guy who got a 665 lb weight "on a certified scale" is actually presenting the most suspect data, but data that people would want to believe. If that certified scale was good for semi-trucks, it may have been certified to +/- 50 lb in the range of 20,000 to 80,000 lb (completely guessing without knowing the specific scale and seeing its written certification). Then, something as light as the FJR would read low due to scale binding/hysteresis.
[/hijack]
But that's all tangential to Bill's reason for starting this thread
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Great to hear that some of us on here have Can-Am Spyder's.
This is my wife's F3 Limited model.
It has more HP than my ST1300
Just a blast to ride.
Attachments
I have a 2016 rts special edition I bought New Sept 2017
I'm surprised to hear this because we just bought one for my friend and I had to push it myself and it wasnt difficult at all.
OP
OP
Oh come on BakerBoy, lighten up, tell me what you really think.Not because I have one, but because it is lighter, better wind protection, lighter, more doo-dads, lighter, easier to steer, lighter, better suspension, lighter, and easier maintenance (if you do it yourself). But it lightens the wallet. Because it is lighter.
OP
OP
Very good - my smile for day. lol
ChucksKLRST
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So, Bill. After all this conversation, which bike are you going to get? Riding season is only a few weeks away, now.
DavidR8
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I'll second the vote for the 2014+ BMW RT-W.
We rented a 2015 in Dec and I was really surprised at the difference between it and the earlier versions which in my opinion, felt a bit industrial.
The only hesitation I would have about buying one is that because the bags are so wide my lady found it really difficult to get onto the pillion seat.
Other than that we did 500 happy miles.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
We rented a 2015 in Dec and I was really surprised at the difference between it and the earlier versions which in my opinion, felt a bit industrial.
The only hesitation I would have about buying one is that because the bags are so wide my lady found it really difficult to get onto the pillion seat.
Other than that we did 500 happy miles.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Have you considered a Honda Pacific Coast? You can get a nice low mileage one for around $3000.00 or so.
Lots cheaper than a new bike.
Rayjoe
Lots cheaper than a new bike.
Rayjoe
OP
OP
Hi Chuck - i do like the BMW R1200RT. one thing I've learned about owning a bike was I was doing it all wrong. I would buy a bike and run it for years until something was technically better, smoother faster....
Lately I went to the local Honda dealer - they have about 60 used bikes. I looked at a 2010 Beemer that had 36000kms. i talked to the salesman and said what would you give me for a 2011 BMW K1600 GTL. He asked how many kms did it have, I said 83000 kms or just over 50,000 miles. I thought he was going to have a stroke. It seems they don't like to trade on anything with over 60,000 kms (38,000 miles)! I mentioned the bike would not broke in yet. He told me that the average bike owner puts on about 5000 kms a year.
Well he's lucky I didn't ask about a trade on the ST 10yrs old and has 174,000 kms on it ( 108,000 miles) It looks like i was supposed to sell the bike every two years to stay under 60000 kms. Who new?
We can't afford a new BMW so we will be looking for a while.
Both bikes are in excellent shape but we can do without the weight.