Test rode the Feejer today

[Mick]

I'm on the fence with these two bikes. It took me forever to narrow it down to the FJR1300 and the ST1300. I"m going to try and test ride both of them this weekend.

Hey, do neither. Try an ST1100. I'll be making a for sale ad for mine this weekend and posting it shortly thereafter. Way cheaper and you'll have money left over for farkles.

 

[rickj]

I'm on the fence with these two bikes. It took me forever to narrow it down to the FJR1300 and the ST1300. I"m going to try and test ride both of them this weekend.

Well, you've narrowed your choices down to two very good bikes. Please post the specifics of what you are looking for and your findings after you do the test rides!

Rick

 

[awmp]

Finally got to test ride a Honda ST1300. Was a 2005 model, 20k miles (looked new). The 20k service had just been performed a few days earlier.
Bottom line up front; great ride, did feel the warmth a little, handled great but was different than my cruiser (Yamaha Road Star 1600)(I know, duh).

Good:
Styling, loved the color (2005 Burgundy). Nice storage. (hard bags with lots of room). This bike had after market exhaust that gave it a nice "note". I could turn it on a dime, was very easy to maneuver. I like the power windshield, style, feel, reliability (past owners experience) and the brakes. This was a non ABS, but I felt like I could stop at a moment's notice with no problems. Had me asking if the ABS was worth looking for and paying the extra dollars for. I also liked the size of the gas tank, more is always better in my book.

Not bad, but not good:
The heat issue did come up. After about 30 minutes or so the top of my legs could feel the warmth of the bike. (75 degrees outside, what would a 100 degree day feel like?). My other current ride is a Yamaha Road Star 1600, lots of power. I know the two can't be compared but the ST1300 seemed like it took a little to get it going. I felt like I had to rev it more to get a move on. I know the difference in engine size but I thought it would have more get up and go. As I rode the bike more I became more accustomed to the feel of the bike and the power seem to get better as I felt out the bike more.

Final thoughts: Is it the bike for me? I will tell you when I test ride a Yamaha FJR1300 and compare the two. Did I like the bike, yes. Easy to ride, felt great, I liked the styling and have finally found my niche on what kind of bike I like the most. (sport touring) Heck it only took me about 23 years of riding to figure it out, but hey I'm a Army MP and we are not know for change, lol.

 

[RaYzerman]

It probably takes a bit of getting used to, but you shouldn't go around at 2500 rpm on these bikes like you would a cruiser. V-twins have their torque power at lower revs. Both the ST and FJR need a few more revs than that to get into the torque band, and then they will go. Get them revved up over 5,000 and they take right off. The 1100's have their torque band lower and pull like tractors too. It's all good once you become accustomed to it, and eventually I think you'll be impressed with the power and smoothness.

 

[J Paul]

Well,I got the call from her insurance co today. I'll be picking up the FJR this Sat. Looking forward to it. Jeff

 

[awmp]

I bought a FJR1300A 2007, 8k miles, will be here on Sunday. YEAH !!

 

[rickj]

Well,I got the call from her insurance co today. I'll be picking up the FJR this Sat. Looking forward to it. Jeff

I bought a FJR1300A 2007, 8k miles, will be here on Sunday. YEAH !!

Congratulations Jeff and Forrest! Sounds like an exciting weekend coming up riding your new bikes! Sorta like an early Christmas. I look forward to reading your in-depth reviews after you've had a chance to ride the Feejer. Man, it seems that we're developing quite a contingent of FJR riders on this site. (It is THE best site.) I hope you both stick around and continue to contribute to the collective knowledge about sport-touring bikes in general.

Jeff, what year is your FJR? Did you previously own an ST1300?

I'm heading out this coming Saturday for a 3 or 4 day ride with my wife as pillion up to the California Sierra passes and Lake Tahoe area. We'll be meeting up with another former ST / current FJF rider from this site (Glossblk06) and his wife. On the way back from north Lake Tahoe we're picking up yet another rider from this site (Maldos). Anyway, we're hitting these Sierra passes: Tioga, Carson, Monitor, Luther, and Sonora. I've only been on Tioga so I'm real excited about the ride. We may extend a day and spend some time in the Sequoia National park.

I plan on doing a write-up, with my wife's input, on how the Feejer handles 2-up loaded down.

Congrats again!

Rick

 

[RaYzerman]

I plan on doing a write-up, with my wife's input, on how the Feejer handles 2-up loaded down.

Congrats again!

Rick

Rick, I would be very interested to hear about the 2-up experience, since folks are curious how it is for LD 2-up compared to the ST. I thought it did well on my limited ride, and handled just as well as 1-up, just felt more solidly planted. Also curious about your suspension settings.... I use rear Hard, damping 6, front preload 2, compression 4-5, rebound 6 as I found it was necessary for twisites 1-up. Same settings will work for 2-up and it still did well in bumpy stuff, no bottoming, etc.

 

[sagedrifter]

Heat issues are fine on my 07 FJR, I just did a long tour out west and did a lot of desert riding. You don't have the heat coming straight up from the engine. The fuel tank gets warm in 112 degree heat and a I feel heat on my right ankle through my Sidi Onroad boots when its hot and I'm "playing". Thats about it. They added a heat shield under the tank in 06 I think and it helped greatly. So, its a better or cooler while moving slow in traffic.

I like both bikes at 4K and above, there isn't much to say there. The V-4 is smoother at 4K and the I-4 pulls steady till 6K and then plull stronger all the way to red line. Both bikes hit 130 mph with no issues, the FJR wth my big but on it with bags and a top case will go well into the 140's before you know it, it doesn't take long to get there and the bike hauls up to 150 plus if you like that sort of thing. Either bike will get you in trouble...

The stability around trucks is very good even with a large shield. The ST13 has more leg room, the FJR dash can be read in sun light. Honda has a better warranty, Yamaha has thier YES 4 year coverage. The FJR ABS is very good, I never road a ST13 with ABS so I can't compare. I liked the Honda bags better, Yamaha latches don't seem as durable.

The FJR puts a huge smile on my face ever time I get on it. I think my next bike needs less power though, Its hard to maintain will power over the throttle hand. Its pretty fast for a touring platform and the quick reving engine is addictive with the sound of the D&D slip ons. I now know that a sport bike would be no good for me.

I would be tempted to get the new VFR right now though, I wonder if my 6'-4" 280 pound body will fit????

The new VFR and ST1300 would be a great combo for my riding style!!! oPoST1:

 

[rickj]

Rick, I would be very interested to hear about the 2-up experience, since folks are curious how it is for LD 2-up compared to the ST. I thought it did well on my limited ride, and handled just as well as 1-up, just felt more solidly planted. Also curious about your suspension settings.... I use rear Hard, damping 6, front preload 2, compression 4-5, rebound 6 as I found it was necessary for twisites 1-up. Same settings will work for 2-up and it still did well in bumpy stuff, no bottoming, etc.

Hi Ray,

Here are the setting I'm running right now:

FRONT
Preload: Line 3
Rebound: 6 clicks counter-clockwise
Compression: 8 clicks counter-clockwise

REAR
Preload: Soft
Rebound: 12 clicks counter-clockwise

I put the rear preload on HARD when I rode with Marilyn last weekend and she commented that it was too harsh in the bumps. I think I'm going to leave my suspension settings and adjust along the way if necessary.

Rick

 

[J Paul]

RickJ I had a 06 ST until a girl with a cell phone in her ear pulled out 10 ft in front of me. The good news is I walked away and the bad is the ST was totaled with a bent frame. The dealer I bought the ST from had a new 08 FJR on the floor and I took her out on a test ride-the rest is history. Jeff

 

[RaYzerman]

Rick, you may find the soft setting on the rear isn't enough in the twisties, maybe different 2-up, but I didn't like it when I got aggressive. The soft setting 1-up though is a nice smooth ride and soaks up bumps really well. Too bad it wasn't a variable preload adjustment.
Your front settings look fine, but again if you get aggressive, you may want a touch more preload. The beauty of it is, the FJR's have so much more adjustment and can be dialed in to individual preferences and weights. I'm still fine tuning mine, and I may back off a touch more like your damping settings.

 

[rickj]

Rick, you may find the soft setting on the rear isn't enough in the twisties, maybe different 2-up, but I didn't like it when I got aggressive. The soft setting 1-up though is a nice smooth ride and soaks up bumps really well. Too bad it wasn't a variable preload adjustment.
Your front settings look fine, but again if you get aggressive, you may want a touch more preload. The beauty of it is, the FJR's have so much more adjustment and can be dialed in to individual preferences and weights. I'm still fine tuning mine, and I may back off a touch more like your damping settings.

Thanks, Ray. I'm going to play around a bit with the suspension settings on the trip. I agree that the bike's suspension is highly adjustable, which is a nice feature.

I have it dialed in pretty close to where I want it for riding by myself, but may need to play with the settings a bit for 2-up riding. I've actually created a spreadsheet with comments on how it felt after making each change to keep track. I had the front preload set a bit more aggressive, but backed off as I was making adjustments. For reference I'm about 190 lbs.

Best,
Rick

 

[rickj]

Rick, I would be very interested to hear about the 2-up experience, since folks are curious how it is for LD 2-up compared to the ST. I thought it did well on my limited ride, and handled just as well as 1-up, just felt more solidly planted.

Just got back from a 1300+ mile trip 2-up with y wife. I posted some of her commennts in THIS THREAD that was already started on the topic.

Rick

 

[MARCUS ST1100]

I used to have a ST1100 till a gal rear ended me Aug 2008, I replaced it with an 06 FJR, I really love this bike, I have a PC3 and remaped it now this thing starts pulling hard @ 3k rpm and very little vibration @ 4k, the ST1100 was nice but the FJR put a bigger smile on my face, I was looking for more Sport than Tour and the FJR fit that bill, the ST1300 is better 2 up but my wife seldom rides with me, I can still do 500+ miles day on FJR and have fun holding my own with the sport bikes in the twisties

 

[MARCUS ST1100]

Thanks, Ray. I'm going to play around a bit with the suspension settings on the trip. I agree that the bike's suspension is highly adjustable, which is a nice feature.

I have it dialed in pretty close to where I want it for riding by myself, but may need to play with the settings a bit for 2-up riding. I've actually created a spreadsheet with comments on how it felt after making each change to keep track. I had the front preload set a bit more aggressive, but backed off as I was making adjustments. For reference I'm about 190 lbs.

Best,
Rick

Rick,

You may want to upgrade your suspension, I could not get the correct sag with the stock settings, I did not go with the full GP suspension for $1,500 I got the Hyper Pro spring kit for $225, it replaced the front fork spring and rear spring using the OEM shock, not perfect but a lot better than stock, I also raised the rear with 5/8 dog bones, giving me more ground clearence no mor draging hard parts and I'm using all of my tires, for the price I think it's worth it. with the Hyper Pro set up you set it once, solo or 2 up you don't need to make adjustment, they are progressive springs.