Anyone Tried the new Yamaha FJR

[threeup]

Anyone tried one yet
How does it compare??

Not likely to change my Trophy, but interested in knowing...

[trophied]

I only sat on the ES model once when they first came out.  The riding position didn't suit me and it was a little tall.  Still no audio, and according to one of the magazines road test it only got 38 mpg, so not for me.

[Volfy]

I've test ridden FJR's of various model yrs, most recently an (14?) ES.  Always thought it was a very competent and well-rounded sport tourer.  That is also why I don't particularly like it very much.  It is just too much of a compromise all the way around:

Not sporty enough to be considered a gentleman's sportbike, but...
Too sporty to be considered a full-on touring bike.

Not enough rider isolation for a true all-season bike with long-haul comfort, but...
Too much weight and bulk to handle well at the limits for serious corner carving.

IMO, it's a great if you can only have one-tool-in-the-garage.  Otherwise, 2 (or more) bikes better tuned to specific types of riding might be preferable.  I'm much happier with VFR1200 and TTSE, than I'd otherwise be with a single FJR1300.

That said... kudos to Yamaha for the latest barrage of refinements done to this venerable platform.  6sp and slipper clutch make the package even more appealing.  I can only hope Triumph could be this diligent about the TTSE.

[trophied]

The only thing Triumph could change for the better would be active suspension.  It already has slipper type clutch if not one in the strictest sense, and 6 speeds.  Just drop a gear with it throttled back, and drop the clutch to check it out - no drama.

[plgoddard]

On Friday I test drove a 2016 FJR1300ES. A very find machine indeed! But I came away with an enhanced respect for the TTSE.

Here are a few observations, probably in the order of what I noticed first:

- FJR is quieter. It was difficult to notice what gear I was in. Good torque in any gear, but not quite as torquey as the Trophy.

- FJR is smoother. This is likely due to the in-line four.

- The clutch felt awesome -- smooth, so little effort. Very nice!! Downshifting, interestingly enough, felt rougher, more abrupt, but the pull feel on the clutch was effortless. Way better than the Trophy.

- Low-speed maneuverability is better on the FJR, due to lower center of gravity, but once I was rolling the TTSE puts the FJR to shame for nimbleness. Super easy to flat-foot it, but once rolling the TTSE is definitely more lively and agile.

- Seating / riding comfort -- for me -- was not great. My body's been around the sun 47 times and at ~5'9" (177cm) and 155 lbs. (70kg), and I enjoy sitting completely upright. The lean on the FJR is a bit forward, and the handlebars are too close together for my liking. Some risers would likely help with the lean I don't prefer, but when the bars are an inch too close together, leaning in through twisties wasn't as confidence building. For me.

The seat on the FJR felt terrible -- to me. Admittedly, given the stats you just read, I have very little padding -- but the seat to me felt too hard and too hard in all the wrong places. If you like lots of fore/aft movement ability, the FJR seat is better than my comfort seat on the Trophy. Doing chin-over-wrist in the turns felt awkward for me -- and not simply because it's different than what I'm used to -- hard to explain, but the feel of getting myself up close and intimate with the tank didn't feel as secure. The TTSE has a steeper angle where the seat meets the tank. And ever since I put on TechSpec pads on, the TTSE for me feels rock solid -- the FJR didn't feel nearly as tight/solid/predictable. Again in this position the narrowness of the handlebars was not to my liking. She still scoots very nicely through the curves, however! Just being picky in pointing out the differences.

- Suspension adjustments and mode changes on the fly is really nice. I like that feature very much -- just let go of the throttle and toggling between sport and normal takes mere seconds. Very nice. The difference between comfort and sport is more noticeable too -- maybe because I could so quickly compare them. In sport mode she handles quite well -- although not as nimble in emergency/road hazard avoidance maneuvers as the TTSE -- but very good.

- Wind/weather protection is not as good as the Trophy. Not as much windscreen protection and the wind on the hands was noticeably greater on the FJR.

- Pannier bags look like they'll barely fit a helmet. And so awkward to open/close! You need two hands (or a hand and a knee) to make them work. And you need the key to open/close. Whoever signed off on the final engineering of those panniers took some serious shortcuts and is no doubt regretting not spending just a little more time working out the details!

- Torque/power. Not as much torque as the Trophy in the lower RPMs, but plenty overall. The power is not as linear as the TTSE, but plenty overall.

- The 6th gear is plenty tall. My Trophy in 6th at 3k RPM hovers ~60mph. In 6th on the FJR it was ~60mph at ~2750rpm. I often go to 6th on the TTSE -- quieter, more relaxed feeling -- but on the FJR I could see going into 6th only when cruising on the freeway. Plus on the Trophy in 6th I could be doing just 50mph and rolling it on is never an issue -- again, the relative lack of low-end torque on the FJR would keep me in lower gears. Related to this particular point, I didn't have enough saddle time to really compare, but I'm guessing that the numbers will work out to show that the fuel economy on the Trophy is 20-30% better.

In summary, I think the FJR is a very fine machine indeed. I can see why it's so popular as a sport-touring machine! Smooth, quiet, powerful, overall probably very comfortable for most folks. I felt vindicated for having had it on my short list when shopping for a ST bike; indeed, if I had (or get to) experience some of the troubles some few people have had with their Trophy, the FJR remains on my short list. However, my post-purchase satisfaction with the TTSE was given a real boost after riding the FJR. Perhaps more saddle time would improve my already-high opinion of the FJR, but overall, I'd rate the TTSE a 9 out of 10 and the FJR an 8 out of 10.

[trophied]

Fair, objective, and clear.
Thanks for the report.
Clean roads and light traffic to you sir! 

[threeup]

Very full review

Thank you

[Bludy L]

A few months ago I was at Triumph of Warren/Yamaha of Warren.

The sales manager told me that since they became a Triumph dealer they've done very will with the Trophy and only sold on FJR.

The seating position on the FJR is to sporty/forward for these old bones.