Initial Ride (thoughts and impressions)
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 6:58 am
I’ve been interested in buying a Yamaha FJR for a couple of years, but I was unsure of the matte blue paint finish. I didn’t think I would like it, so I waited. And I waited. Finally, in 2020, Yamaha changed the paint color to Liquid Graphite. I began looking for dealers that had the bike in stock, but this model does not appear to be very popular in these parts. I shopped around to find the best deal locally, and decided to work with Powersports of Willmar. On April 1, I put a down payment for the bike, and the order was placed. I was told to expect about 2 weeks for delivery and setup. I received a call on April 15, informing me that the bike had arrived at the dealer, and it would be ready for pickup on Friday. I made an appointment for 12:00 on Saturday to complete the purchase.
I am anticipating many things with this bike, and I am interested to see how my perceptions play out. I am wondering if I will be able to reach the ground flat footed. I’ve been wondering if I should have ordered the touring wind screen. Is this bike going to be good for commuting? How much maintenance will I be able to perform on it? Am I going to ruin the panels when I take them off? Will I dump it on a gravel road, taking it to the cabin from the dealer? Am I going to struggle moving it around the garage? The comfort has to be much better than the Vulcan – right? Will I be able to ride it to Montana? Is the FJR going to be the missing piece of my long distance touring puzzle? 6 years ago, I almost gave up motorcycling because of my 4,000 mile trip on the Vulcan. By the time I got home, I hated that bike, and I put it away for over a year. Thankfully, I have fallen in love with the Vulcan again. She earned her name of “The Red Bitch”, however. But, I digress….
Okay – so, we are getting ready to head to the cabin. So much garbage is going through my mind. I am counting on the fact that the majority of my gear is at the cabin, and it hasn’t been destroyed by mice or squirrels. The gear I am aware of here at home is already packed. I am hoping there is an area nearby the dealer where I can practice on the bike before hitting the road. It’s been almost 7 months since I’ve ridden the Vulcan. My skills are not honed in for the season, yet. How foolish am I to hone them on a new bike? It is only a matter of hours before I know the answer to that question. When I come home tomorrow, I hope to capture my first impressions on the FJR. Stay tuned….
It took less than an hour to complete the transaction. I am very happy with the experience I had a the dealership. The very first thing I noticed when I mounted the FJR, was that the mounting was quite clumsy for me. I immediately dismounted, and scuffed my boot on the right side case. I will need to work on this, and figure out how to mount and dismount without damaging the bike. My feet have no problem reaching the ground and flatfooting. In fact, I might be able to raise the seat height, if I choose to. The foot peg position was interesting for me, and it is something I need to be aware of for the first few times of riding – the gear shift lever most likely won’t last if don’t. I adjusted the mirrors, and started the bike up. I was surprised how quiet the motor is. I began moving cautiously, not knowing how the bike will respond to my commands. I needn’t have worried – she is a motorcycle, after all, and I know what I am doing. When I rolled out of the parking lot, onto the surface street, the FJR began displaying her personality. It is one of the most compliant bikes I have ridden. Steering is effortless and the roll on power is smooth. The gauge cluster seems to be designed well, and I had no problems becoming acquainted with the layout. I turned off of the service road, and began my FJR journey on US71 N. I noticed the riding position is exactly what I was hoping it would be as I worked my way through the gears. I am getting a little too much wind blast on this blustery day. Thankfully, the menu display was set for the windscreen, and I moved it to the high position. The wind blast disappeared. I have not figured out how to set items in the menu display. I have no idea how many miles are on the bike, although, I was able to somehow set the clock. I will get it figured out soon enough… The ride home on Sunday was into a headwind, and I am pretty sure I will be ordering the touring windscreen. I can most likely deal with the standard screen, but just a few more inches would make a lot of difference, I think. I rode around Green Lake in Spicer then headed back to US71 S to head back to the cabin. Feeling a little more comfortable with my new steed, I decided to give it a little more throttle. What a rush! This bike goes from 0 to OMG! with the flick of the wrist. The power of this fine motorcycle is amazing, and is mostly likely far beyond my expertise. I was pleasantly surprised at how nimble she is. It is really effortless to maneuver her – even in the garage. In that respect, it is far more compliant than any other bike I have ever owned.
I will probably never bring the bike to its limits, but she will certainly bring me to mine – I just need to acknowledge my limits, and we will be just fine. For now, we are getting acquainted with each other. The journey has really just begun.
I am anticipating many things with this bike, and I am interested to see how my perceptions play out. I am wondering if I will be able to reach the ground flat footed. I’ve been wondering if I should have ordered the touring wind screen. Is this bike going to be good for commuting? How much maintenance will I be able to perform on it? Am I going to ruin the panels when I take them off? Will I dump it on a gravel road, taking it to the cabin from the dealer? Am I going to struggle moving it around the garage? The comfort has to be much better than the Vulcan – right? Will I be able to ride it to Montana? Is the FJR going to be the missing piece of my long distance touring puzzle? 6 years ago, I almost gave up motorcycling because of my 4,000 mile trip on the Vulcan. By the time I got home, I hated that bike, and I put it away for over a year. Thankfully, I have fallen in love with the Vulcan again. She earned her name of “The Red Bitch”, however. But, I digress….
Okay – so, we are getting ready to head to the cabin. So much garbage is going through my mind. I am counting on the fact that the majority of my gear is at the cabin, and it hasn’t been destroyed by mice or squirrels. The gear I am aware of here at home is already packed. I am hoping there is an area nearby the dealer where I can practice on the bike before hitting the road. It’s been almost 7 months since I’ve ridden the Vulcan. My skills are not honed in for the season, yet. How foolish am I to hone them on a new bike? It is only a matter of hours before I know the answer to that question. When I come home tomorrow, I hope to capture my first impressions on the FJR. Stay tuned….
It took less than an hour to complete the transaction. I am very happy with the experience I had a the dealership. The very first thing I noticed when I mounted the FJR, was that the mounting was quite clumsy for me. I immediately dismounted, and scuffed my boot on the right side case. I will need to work on this, and figure out how to mount and dismount without damaging the bike. My feet have no problem reaching the ground and flatfooting. In fact, I might be able to raise the seat height, if I choose to. The foot peg position was interesting for me, and it is something I need to be aware of for the first few times of riding – the gear shift lever most likely won’t last if don’t. I adjusted the mirrors, and started the bike up. I was surprised how quiet the motor is. I began moving cautiously, not knowing how the bike will respond to my commands. I needn’t have worried – she is a motorcycle, after all, and I know what I am doing. When I rolled out of the parking lot, onto the surface street, the FJR began displaying her personality. It is one of the most compliant bikes I have ridden. Steering is effortless and the roll on power is smooth. The gauge cluster seems to be designed well, and I had no problems becoming acquainted with the layout. I turned off of the service road, and began my FJR journey on US71 N. I noticed the riding position is exactly what I was hoping it would be as I worked my way through the gears. I am getting a little too much wind blast on this blustery day. Thankfully, the menu display was set for the windscreen, and I moved it to the high position. The wind blast disappeared. I have not figured out how to set items in the menu display. I have no idea how many miles are on the bike, although, I was able to somehow set the clock. I will get it figured out soon enough… The ride home on Sunday was into a headwind, and I am pretty sure I will be ordering the touring windscreen. I can most likely deal with the standard screen, but just a few more inches would make a lot of difference, I think. I rode around Green Lake in Spicer then headed back to US71 S to head back to the cabin. Feeling a little more comfortable with my new steed, I decided to give it a little more throttle. What a rush! This bike goes from 0 to OMG! with the flick of the wrist. The power of this fine motorcycle is amazing, and is mostly likely far beyond my expertise. I was pleasantly surprised at how nimble she is. It is really effortless to maneuver her – even in the garage. In that respect, it is far more compliant than any other bike I have ever owned.
I will probably never bring the bike to its limits, but she will certainly bring me to mine – I just need to acknowledge my limits, and we will be just fine. For now, we are getting acquainted with each other. The journey has really just begun.
