FJRiders.com

That was what popped into my head during the ride today.

I recently bought an 03 from Texas - I live in Maine. Had had to do a lot of tasks to get her roadworthy, but got the plastic back on late this afternoon and decided that it wouldn't be right not to check my work. The bike performed flawlessly, and when I pushed a bit, she wasn't even stressed. All the power and handling I was hoping for with plenty in reserve. Fantastic.

Doesn't even wake up until 5,000 rpm. If you want to have fun, ride it in one gear (or two) less than where you think it should be.

Fun zone in the twisties, 5-7k.

I have come out of the twisties, gone down the highway for awhile and find I've been doing 3rd gear for awhile. I hang out in 2nd and 3rd gear in the mountains. I'm no jwilly or BillLumberg...they probably scream around the curves at 3k while yawning.

7k -8k in 5th for a half hour in Nevada brings back fond memories.

Bugnatr wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 12:28 am 7k -8k in 5th for a half hour in Nevada brings back fond memories.

Pffft!

Put your Big Boy pants on for crying out loud! 7k-10k for 24 hours in Nevada brings back some interesting memories.....

SkooterG wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:06 am

Bugnatr wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 12:28 am 7k -8k in 5th for a half hour in Nevada brings back fond memories.

Pffft!

Put your Big Boy pants on for crying out loud! 7k-10k for 24 hours in Nevada brings back some interesting memories.....

One more reason not to buy a slightly used FJR from Scooter.

I remember my first experience of "holy cow" on the FJR; my first FJR was a 2004ABS model I bought from a guy in Atlanta in 2006. Drove up on a Saturday morning from Beaufort, SC; did the walk around and short test ride, tossed all the accessories (guy had a ton of extras) in the car and started the ride home. Getting on the expressway, the ramp was uphill then tapered off and transitioned from concrete to asphalt; I was somewhere deep in the revs and when I crossed that little transition, the front end just stayed in the air. I was somewhere well into triple digits when I rolled out of the throttle to merge into traffic...

It's not a "rev limiter", it's an "upshift indicator"...

Bugnatr wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 9:35 am

SkooterG wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:06 am

Bugnatr wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 12:28 am 7k -8k in 5th for a half hour in Nevada brings back fond memories.

Pffft!

Put your Big Boy pants on for crying out loud! 7k-10k for 24 hours in Nevada brings back some interesting memories.....

One more reason not to buy a slightly used FJR from Scooter.

FJRoss wrote: ↑Wed Apr 07, 2021 7:57 pm Doesn't even wake up until 5,000 rpm. If you want to have fun, ride it in one gear (or two) less than where you think it should be.

Funny thing is I came off a V-twin cruiser when I got my FJR. I was use to that long pull through the full rep range you get from a V-twin. While I was breaking in the FJR I was thinking this bike is tamer than they say. Then once it broke in and I start getting on it a bit at 4k a smile would just come over my face. I had to learn the FJR likes to rev a bit.

Now on the MT09 I am learning that again. It likes to rev even more than an FJR.

Yessir, Mr. tim ferrell from Maine ... each of us has a "holy cow" story related to our FJR.

A Harley buddy once wanted to find out why I loved my rice burner and refused to buy a Harley like his. He cranked up my quiet FJR and accidentally lifted the front tire (shifting into third?) in a short parking lot. He immediately parked the bike, threw me the keys, shouted a few vulgarities, and said he would never ask me again.

Uncle Hud wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 10:08 am Yessir, Mr. tim ferrell from Maine ... each of us has a "holy cow" story related to our FJR...

If Mr Tim Ferrell is indeed from Maine, he can come down any Wed or Fri in the summer and I can meet him at New England Dragway for an entire evening of HOLY SHIT experiences

SkooterG wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:06 am

Bugnatr wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 12:28 am 7k -8k in 5th for a half hour in Nevada brings back fond memories.

Pffft!

Put your Big Boy pants on for crying out loud! 7k-10k for 24 hours in Nevada brings back some interesting memories.....

For some reason my rev limiter kicks in before 10k. You must have modified your engine.

wheatonFJR wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 12:46 pm

SkooterG wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:06 am

Bugnatr wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 12:28 am 7k -8k in 5th for a half hour in Nevada brings back fond memories.

Pffft!

Put your Big Boy pants on for crying out loud! 7k-10k for 24 hours in Nevada brings back some interesting memories.....

For some reason my rev limiter kicks in before 10k. You must have modified your engine.

That is because you are riding a lowly Gen III my no longer Wheaton friend. If you weren't so old and gnarly you might have remembered that the rev limiter on a Gen I doesn't kick in until about 10,500 rpm.

danh600 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 9:59 am Funny thing is I came off a V-twin cruiser when I got my FJR. I was use to that long pull through the full rep range you get from a V-twin. While I was breaking in the FJR I was thinking this bike is tamer than they say. Then once it broke in and I start getting on it a bit at 4k a smile would just come over my face. I had to learn the FJR likes to rev a bit.

It's fun to go the other way around, from a revvy Japanese bike to a V-Twin. I went to a demo day and tried, I think it was the XR1200 since that was when they were testing the racing series in the newly replaced AMA racing run by DMG. Just as I was starting to get a grin on my face with the torque pull, I hit the rev limiter at I think 6K rpm and almost went over the bars, felt like I hit a brick wall. They do not like to rev a bit.

SkooterG wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 1:06 pm

wheatonFJR wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 12:46 pm

SkooterG wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:06 am Pffft!

Put your Big Boy pants on for crying out loud! 7k-10k for 24 hours in Nevada brings back some interesting memories.....

For some reason my rev limiter kicks in before 10k. You must have modified your engine.

That is because you are riding a lowly Gen III my no longer Wheaton friend. If you weren't so old and gnarly you might have remembered that the rev limiter on a Gen I doesn't kick in until about 10,500 rpm.

Hmm, my '04 hit the first stage of rev limiting (cutting off 2 cylinders) at 9,300 rpm. It hit the second stage at 9,500 and cuts off all four cylinders. When you hit the first stage of limiting your first thought is almost always OH SHIT, I wonder how bad the engine damage is, then you realize it was the rev limiter.

Yeah Double Hmmm on crap thrown out there by S.G.
Let me guess...you were slipping the clutch on a cone course at the time.

First time I hit the limiter, I had down shifted before a multi car pass...and hit it during the pass.

That got my attention!

I now just keep shifting during the pass until I get hit by eleventy gigawatts!

gixxerjasen wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 1:15 pm

danh600 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 9:59 am Funny thing is I came off a V-twin cruiser when I got my FJR. I was use to that long pull through the full rep range you get from a V-twin. While I was breaking in the FJR I was thinking this bike is tamer than they say. Then once it broke in and I start getting on it a bit at 4k a smile would just come over my face. I had to learn the FJR likes to rev a bit.

It's fun to go the other way around, from a revvy Japanese bike to a V-Twin. I went to a demo day and tried, I think it was the XR1200 since that was when they were testing the racing series in the newly replaced AMA racing run by DMG. Just as I was starting to get a grin on my face with the torque pull, I hit the rev limiter at I think 6K rpm and almost went over the bars, felt like I hit a brick wall. They do not like to rev a bit.

The Goldwing Valkyrie of my wife's red lines at 6K. Try going from an MT09 to that.

SkooterG wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:06 am

Bugnatr wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 12:28 am 7k -8k in 5th for a half hour in Nevada brings back fond memories.

Pffft!

Put your Big Boy pants on for crying out loud! 7k-10k for 24 hours in Nevada brings back some interesting memories.....

I'm not sure there is enough Nevada to do that. Unless of course, one is running laps...

The FJR is a rarity power wise to me. On the one hand, it will accelerate quite squiddely (is that a word??) to going to jail speeds. But it will also easily hold a buck fifteen remarkably comfortably for long distances. It is a bit heavy for full scale twistie holligans, but many riders here make that work, including myself when I'm in the zone. And yet, it has no problem toting the load (the WHOLE load) across country to the campground or wherever, with plenty of room for rider to stretch out.

It really is quite a machine....

ionbeam wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 1:24 pm

SkooterG wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 1:06 pm

wheatonFJR wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 12:46 pm

For some reason my rev limiter kicks in before 10k. You must have modified your engine.

That is because you are riding a lowly Gen III my no longer Wheaton friend. If you weren't so old and gnarly you might have remembered that the rev limiter on a Gen I doesn't kick in until about 10,500 rpm.

Hmm, my '04 hit the first stage of rev limiting (cutting off 2 cylinders) at 9,300 rpm. It hit the second stage at 9,500 and cuts off all four cylinders. When you hit the first stage of limiting your first thought is almost always OH SHIT, I wonder how bad the engine damage is, then you realize it was the rev limiter.

Well that is interesting. That's not how my first '04 worked. To get to top speeds of about 155+ mph I remember being *well* past redline. I would go out and test on my current '04 but it's in bits and pieces and probably will be for quite some time. Too many projects, too little time.

Are you sure you are not thinking of your current scoot? What you describe is how I remember my Gen II and Gen III FJRs working.

Possibility of tachometer being off? I wouldn't think so.