Previous ST Owner Comments on His New FJR (long!)

[tfaucett]

I read all the posts in this thread and it was enjoyable. I had an 06 ST1300, decided to get a Harley, sold the Harley and bought an 08 FJR1300, sold that for an 08 Wing, long story short I now have an 09 ST1300. Guess I could have saved a LOT of money and just stayed with the 06 ST1300 3 years ago but thats me. I will say that I really liked the FJR and it looks nicer without the bags on but other than that they are both great bikes. Before buying the 09 ST1300 I had a VERY hard time deciding which bike to buy, Connie, FJR, or ST. It came down to color, dealer, and reliability of the ST. Another factor was this Forum and all its great members. The FJR forum, well I will not waste my time on that. Here is a photo of my FJR and the HIGHWAY pegs I had. They are higher up than the MCL/Wild Bill type and incorporate into the Delrin sliders I used. I can find the info on the FJR site if you have not seen them. Thanks for your review.

 

[glossblk06]

It was a good bike but I did not like the looks of the saddlebags, did not like the low rearview mirrors and there was some noticeable engine heat.

I've owned an '06 ST1300, a '08 FJR1300A, and now a '09 FJR1300AE. I fully agree with you about the FJR mirrors. 2nd generation FJR mirrors are useless for any rider with wide shoulders. I have replaced my stock mirrors with '05 FZ1 mirrors. The capibility to see behind me is amazing.

The 2nd generation FJR does not displace a lot of noticeable engine heat. The 1st generation FJR does. My '06 Honda ST1300 did also. That is until I removed my headers and had them ceramic coated by Jet Hot in Arizona. After that it was fine. The 2nd generation FJR engine heat is acceptable.

In particular the forward lean of the riding position. Since you have had risers on both is there any difference for the two bikes?

The stock FJR lean ergonomics are a bit more aggressive than the Honda ST. I did have a Heli riser plate on my ST to help with my bum neck & shoulder. I should have tried some other triple clamp on the ST, as I never could pacify my neck & shoulder with the angle of the handlebars. For the '09 FJR, I had MCL install a riser triple clamp. This changed the handlebar position upward, rearward, and the outward angle. Now, for me only, the FJR is much more comfortable than the ST ever was. But that is just me, as we all have different anatomical needs. As anyone with a bum neck knows, just the slightest change in wrist or arm position can be the difference between comfort & discomfort. Maybe I'll try some ape hangers next to see how those do.

 

[rickj]

My other concern, since I go on some long trips, is the ability to put highway pegs on the FJR and stretch out your legs. How is the leg position and is there any reasonable (safe/decent looking) highway pegs for the FJR? Thanks for your help.

I considered the 905 crash bars or making up some pegs using the Wild Bill mounts and Kuryakin pegs, but opted for some MCL highway pegs. Picture of them HERE. They look silver in the pictures on the bike, but the base plate is actually a powder coated gray that matches the engine.

They were easy to install and look integrated, but not as sleek as the STs highway blade / wings that fit in to the tipover bars. They click in to position and are angled to click back to the retracted position if they hit the ground. They're not likely to hit the ground though, as they don't stick out very far. In fact, I'm really only able to use the outer half of them without my leg rubbing up against the faring. However, I've tried them several times now and they're definitely a nice addition to the bike.

I'm still planning on putting sliders on. There are many available for the front, but a company in Belgium (www.bike-design.com) has some for the rear to protect the bags. Pricey, but they look pretty functional.

Rick