FJR1300a "new-to-me"

[ekim]

Didn't want to step on Kurt's thread so I started my own!

I just wedged into my garage a 2011 FJR1300a (~25k miles)
The current technology makes this thing buttery smooth.
It has all the stuff I wish my g had (hard bags, quiet exhaust, ABS, adjustable windscreen etc) Not to mention the fuel injected horsepower!
Damn near did a "stoppie" with the first grab of the front brake.
The grandson of my XS11g

It was a craigslist deal and a wonderful transaction with a new found friend.
He insisted we do a test drive - he rode his burgman and I the FJR.
We left San Francisco, down the freeway, west over the mountains to highway 1 to the coast, had lunch in half moon bay then back to SF.
A 100 mile test drive!

My XS11 keeps her spot in the garage and will stay local. The FJR will see the touring miles.



- Not pictured is the factory trunk

[dbbrian]

Wow - very nice. Seems a lot of XS'ers are picking these FJR's up!

Here's to many happy miles.

[Bonz]

Yeah, there has been a good run of them being bought by folks. I would seriously look at the C14. I think they're a more roomy riding position based on having ridden them both at a dealer over the years, however the C14 is supposedly more top-heavy. I did not notice the top-heavy however I am a taller guy with plenty of legs to flat foot and then some. I would suppose with aftermarket accessories either riding position could be made to fit about any size person.

I do like the extra .8 of a gallon the FJR carries. I think any bike that has "touring" or "tourer" in its name should carry 6.5 to 7 gallons. I had an ST 1300 for a year and 7.7 gallons was a blessing for staying in the saddle on long stretches when I wanted. That bike was short on personality, per se, however it was a good working machine.

[XJOK2PLAY]

Yeah, there has been a good run of them being bought by folks. I would seriously look at the C14. I think they're a more roomy riding position based on having ridden them both at a dealer over the years, however the C14 is supposedly more top-heavy. I did not notice the top-heavy however I am a taller guy with plenty of legs to flat foot and then some. I would suppose with aftermarket accessories either riding position could be made to fit about any size person.

I do like the extra .8 of a gallon the FJR carries. I think any bike that has "touring" or "tourer" in its name should carry 6.5 to 7 gallons. I had an ST 1300 for a year and 7.7 gallons was a blessing for staying in the saddle on long stretches when I wanted. That bike was short on personality, per se, however it was a good working machine.

Bonz,
IIRC, that was another difference between the two bikes.
The FJR1300 has a bit more fuel capacity, but gets around 10 mpg less than the C14... so it actually has less range.
The C14 has 6.1 gal capacity, but gets 48-50 mpg...almost 300 miles on a tank.

Ekim,
Congrats on the FJR!
Welcome to the expanding sport touring club!
Looks nice!
Bob

[Bonz]

My bad on the tank capacity. I looked up on the Kawasaki website and it said 5.8 gallons for the 2017 C 14. Maybe the earlier ones had a bit more?

I checked fuelly.com, looks like the C14 as reported by owners gets a few more miles per gallon which is pretty cool for the extra size and performance that engine does have.

In my opinion guys that ride like we do tend to take care of and maintain their equipment in the grand scheme of things and know how to be efficient with milking the most out of every gallon.

With the SG, 39-40 mpg is the norm since the ACCT mod. It was 37-39 mpg with the stock tensioner even when newly adjusted.

[3Phase]

Edit: D'oh! That's a really clean looking FJR! E-shift or minimal options?

The cam chain messed up the gas mileage? I kept mine adjusted a lot more often than the fine manual said so I never thought to check mileage but you're right, it would get all laggy and start to dog out and that would do it.

[DiverRay]

Nice machine Mike! Now we need to do another day ride, if you don't mind being next to a C14 of the same year.

[Bigfoot]

I am getting just over 40 mpg around town. Not sure what i could get if i tried to conserve, or long highway miles. I hit reserve right at 200 miles with 1.6 gallons left. So my range if I chose to push it that far is around 265 miles per tank. Plenty far enough for me to want to get off the bike for a few min. The FJR is just fricking fantastic so far. Such a joy to ride and so damn quick. Congrats Ekim

[Bonz]

40 mpg around town is dang good, IMO. My 80 SG only does 40 mpg on the best day on the open road.

The response with Fuel Injections is so instantaneous, and manufactures have really smoothed it out so it feels much more like a carburetor than an on/off switch. My 2003 V Strom 1000 model was really glitchy. I added a fuel controller to it and it helped a lot. My 2004 Honda ST1300 was a different beast and was dialed in very smooth from the factory.

[XJOK2PLAY]

Bonz,
I hadn't heard that Kawi changed anything with the tanks, but my '11 holds 6.1 gal.

Maybe they stop filling the tank when it gets to the bottom of the metal insert to arrive at 5.8 gal. Mine has a warning tag on the tank that says filling into that insert can cause evaporative issues... but never had a problem...

My last trip back from Canyon City averaged around 48. One trip out to Zion and back I consitantly got 50. That was the trip with Brent on his red Harley.
Every stop, he averaged 1 mpg better with that old carb'd twin with 51.

Harry,
Is your '08 carbed? You mentioned "hitting reserve"...
I thought an '08 was injected...
Sounds like both bikes have similar range.
I hear ya about trying to hang in the saddle that long, though!
I'm sure you and Greg will agree that coming back from Canyon City last year, it was so dang hot I couldn't last more than 100 miles... just to get a bottle of water and take some gear off! Yikes...

[Bonz]

On my injected ST1300 when the low fuel warning came on, that was considered reserve. Harry is new to the fuel injected phenomenon so he still calls it reserve when his fuel warning comes on. :-)

With the fuel pressure used in fuel injection, a petcock would be a serious weak link in my opinion.

[Bigfoot]

Bonz,
I hadn't heard that Kawi changed anything with the tanks, but my '11 holds 6.1 gal.

Maybe they stop filling the tank when it gets to the bottom of the metal insert to arrive at 5.8 gal. Mine has a warning tag on the tank that says filling into that insert can cause evaporative issues... but never had a problem...

My last trip back from Canyon City averaged around 48. One trip out to Zion and back I consitantly got 50. That was the trip with Brent on his red Harley.
Every stop, he averaged 1 mpg better with that old carb'd twin with 51.

Harry,
Is your '08 carbed? You mentioned "hitting reserve"...
I thought an '08 was injected...
Sounds like both bikes have similar range.
I hear ya about trying to hang in the saddle that long, though!
I'm sure you and Greg will agree that coming back from Canyon City last year, it was so dang hot I couldn't last more than 100 miles... just to get a bottle of water and take some gear off! Yikes...

Bob, you are correct, it is fuel injected. The fuel gauge hits empty after 5 gallons. At that point the odometer changes and starts counting up. Not sure why they thought that would be more helpful than telling you how much fuel you have left. But, i know it is a 6.6 gallon tank. So when it hits E have a "reserve" of 1.6 gallons.

[XJOK2PLAY]

That sounds similar to the C14.
Kawi thought it was a great idea for the display to change when the fuel guage hits the last bar, and it begins to toggle back and forth between "low fuel" and a pic of a gas pump. When this happens, you lose all other screen function...

Fortunately, a fellow C14 owner and forum member BDF invented a bypass electrical harness that stops that and alows you to still see miles to empty and all the other data. I bought one, and it's way better.

I'd far rather see miles to empty than a stupid low fuel warning only.

[Bigfoot]

That sounds similar to the C14.
Kawi thought it was a great idea for the display to change when the fuel guage hits the last bar, and it begins to toggle back and forth between "low fuel" and a pic of a gas pump. When this happens, you lose all other screen function...

Fortunately, a fellow C14 owner and forum member BDF invented a bypass electrical harness that stops that and alows you to still see miles to empty and all the other data. I bought one, and it's way better.

I'd far rather see miles to empty than a stupid low fuel warning only.

Yup, this just stays on empty and starts showing you miles you have gone PAST empty. I guess so you can have a contest to see who has gone the furthest past E. Miles to truly empty would have been a much better piece of information to have.

[kboehringer]

Another Grandson of the XS11!

Didn't want to step on Kurt's thread so I started my own! I just wedged into my garage a 2011 FJR1300a (~25k miles)

Don't worry about stepping on my toes.... Glad to see another enthusiast on a great ride. I took mine for a ride last weekend and then came home and drove my Green XS11 around the town. It's not hard to find the room for one of these.

Wow - very nice. Seems a lot of XS'ers are picking these FJR's up!

I'd love to hear the estimate of owners of BOTH FJRs and XS11s. I bet there are quite a few.

Yeah, there has been a good run of them being bought by folks.

If your love the XS11/XJ1100 your are probably a in-line 3 or 4 cylinder guy. The only real choice to maintain a happy Yamaha family is the FJR. I'm personally much too old for the R1, R6, R3. The FZ07 and FZ09 look pretty cool and my son may be getting one from mom & dad for college graduation in July! Otherwise it's a "pretend a Harley" V-Twin.

KURT