FJRiders.com

I recently did just short of a 1,000 mile day for Tour of Honor, finishing all sites in a state, in time to get home for a small whisky and a big dinner. The bike, a 2018ES with 95,000 miles (by the time I got home), performed like new. My Aeroflow extra extra tall allowed for quiet, even at FJR-nominal speeds.

The only issues were user-created. I got caught in a spattering squall at the first site, which made it difficult to keep my lens clear, and to keep my rally flag still for the required photo. To add to the challenge, my flash decided it wasn’t going to play at all, so there was a flashlight involved for illumination.

As I pulled away, I realized that I had actually been the victim of high winds and a sprinkler system that activated while I was setting up….. I never claimed to be smart…

Later, absent mindedly trying to wipe off the water/fog from the lens area of my phone, I managed to punch the phone out of the mount, on the highway, and had to spend 15 minutes searching for it on the roadside. (Point=Lifeproof).

But back to my screen. A couple of days after I got home from my TOH run, I did the 95k oil change, and thought- as many miles as I’ve run on the AeroFlow, Corp. extra extra tall, let me switch things up. I swapped on my Yamaha touring screen (an old favorite, especially for spring/summer/fall), so I could have back to back comparison.

Helmet-wise, things were much noisier, but buffeting/felt wind were similar. But damn, the wind tugging at my shoulders and my entire torso was really notable. Like I was getting patted down by an overly zealous bouncer
Just all over. Not bad, just night and day different from the xx tall.

The next day, I removed my handguards. It’s been a warm week, so I pulled them on a lark.

The first thing I noticed was more felt vibration than with the handguards. Not alarming, but, having run the storm handguards for thousands of miles, I noticed the difference. And the wind blast on my hands, in the cool mornings, made me very aware that I had selected lighter gloves in anticipation of warm afternoons.

I put the xx tall back on, and it felt almost as if I had remounted my barkbuster storms. The shield marries up with the nose of the bike so well, I found myself wondering both why I run handguards, and why I bother with earplugs.

Of course, this is in moderate weather. In true cold, and heavy crosswinds, I wouldn’t give up either. But it was interesting to try my old summer setup back to back with the Aeroflow XX Tall. And I’m still getting pretty good airflow with the shield down- which is important to me for afternoon commutes. Been in the 80’s a couple of days this week, and I’ve no complaints.

Natehawk has been whispering bad ride ideas in my ear. I hope this fu$king bike doesn’t self destruct when it hits 100k.

Ride safe. Spring is here.

bill lumberg wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 5:42 pm Natehawk has been whispering bad ride ideas in my ear. I hope this fu$king bike doesn’t self destruct when it hits 100k.

Just look at all the people who have well over 200k on theirs... it'll be fine.

How many miles did Wendy have in her IBR’s?

natehawk750 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 8:26 pm

bill lumberg wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 5:42 pm Natehawk has been whispering bad ride ideas in my ear. I hope this fu$king bike doesn’t self destruct when it hits 100k.

Just look at all the people who have well over 200k on theirs... it'll be fine.

bill lumberg wrote: ↑Thu Apr 14, 2022 4:12 am How many miles did Wendy have in her IBR’s?

natehawk750 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 8:26 pm

bill lumberg wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 5:42 pm Natehawk has been whispering bad ride ideas in my ear. I hope this fu$king bike doesn’t self destruct when it hits 100k.

Just look at all the people who have well over 200k on theirs... it'll be fine.

Over 200k but I think she had a motor swap or rebuild at some point. I can't remember what it was exactly, but I remember it was something that was freakishly rare that cause her motor to blow.

bill lumberg wrote: ↑Thu Apr 14, 2022 4:12 am How many miles did Wendy have in her IBR’s?

natehawk750 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 8:26 pm

bill lumberg wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 5:42 pm Natehawk has been whispering bad ride ideas in my ear. I hope this fu$king bike doesn’t self destruct when it hits 100k.

Just look at all the people who have well over 200k on theirs... it'll be fine.

ruh-roh.

I'm at 85K, Bill, and kind of on the fence.

On the one hand, I'd like to get a new FJR for a retirement present to myself. You can find plenty of '21s now, and a few '22s are starting to show up as well.

But on the other hand, a new FJR will cost $20K (including TTL). My bike is worth $6K (if I'm lucky). And I really (REALLY) like my current bike. I got it set up just the way I want it, and there's nothing wrong with it.

I'm not worried about the bike lasting to 150K and well beyond. But at some point, some kind of little nit picky crap is gonna happen. I wouldn't want it to happen 1500 miles from home.

Still contemplating....

Hppants wrote: ↑Thu Apr 14, 2022 4:15 pm I'm at 85K, Bill, and kind of on the fence.

On the one hand, I'd like to get a new FJR for a retirement present to myself. You can find plenty of '21s now, and a few '22s are starting to show up as well.

But on the other hand, a new FJR will cost $20K (including TTL). My bike is worth $6K (if I'm lucky). And I really (REALLY) like my current bike. I got it set up just the way I want it, and there's nothing wrong with it.

I'm not worried about the bike lasting to 150K and well beyond. But at some point, some kind of little nit picky crap is gonna happen. I wouldn't want it to happen 1500 miles from home.

Still contemplating....

Perhaps another way to look at this is....the FJR should be good for another 100k with your care and if the bike does take a sh*t while on a road trip you can easily afford to rent a uhaul truck and get it home with all the money you saved by not spending 20 large.

Then again a new bike is a new bike

Hppants wrote: ↑Thu Apr 14, 2022 4:15 pm I'm at 85K, Bill, and kind of on the fence.

On the one hand, I'd like to get a new FJR for a retirement present to myself. You can find plenty of '21s now, and a few '22s are starting to show up as well.

But on the other hand, a new FJR will cost $20K (including TTL). My bike is worth $6K (if I'm lucky). And I really (REALLY) like my current bike. I got it set up just the way I want it, and there's nothing wrong with it.

I'm not worried about the bike lasting to 150K and well beyond. But at some point, some kind of little nit picky crap is gonna happen. I wouldn't want it to happen 1500 miles from home.

Still contemplating....

Nothing says that can't happen with a bike that has 5-10K on it either.

Not really a lot of nit picky stuff is gonna happen, and no issue with the bike going 150k and beyond..... at 100k folks have a mental block, so it won't be worth as much should you sell it, even less if you traded it in. It's a keep it or sell it point in time now..... once over 100k, that value won't change much from then on.

raYzerman wrote: ↑Fri Apr 15, 2022 8:47 am Not really a lot of nit picky stuff is gonna happen, and no issue with the bike going 150k and beyond..... at 100k folks have a mental block, so it won't be worth as much should you sell it, even less if you traded it in. It's a keep it or sell it point in time now..... once over 100k, that value won't change much from then on.

Therefore...it's a PERFECT IBR bike Mr. Lumberg. The question really is though, are YOU qualified?

I’m nowhere near qualified. Just used it as an illustration of high mileage FJR durability.

I am tough, and can ride far. But I’m not smart enough on a good day. I’d never be able to make complex plans and decisions under extreme fatigue. Those folks are about 17 levels above me. Color me a novice.

wheatonFJR wrote: ↑Fri Apr 15, 2022 9:07 am

raYzerman wrote: ↑Fri Apr 15, 2022 8:47 am Not really a lot of nit picky stuff is gonna happen, and no issue with the bike going 150k and beyond..... at 100k folks have a mental block, so it won't be worth as much should you sell it, even less if you traded it in. It's a keep it or sell it point in time now..... once over 100k, that value won't change much from then on.

Therefore...it's a PERFECT IBR bike Mr. Lumberg. The question really is though, are YOU qualified?

bill lumberg wrote: ↑Fri Apr 15, 2022 9:37 am I’m nowhere near qualified. Just used it as an illustration of high mileage FJR durability.

I am tough, and can ride far. But I’ll not smart enough on a good day. I’d never be able to make complex plans and decisions under extreme fatigue. Those folks are about 17 levels above me. Color me a novice.

wheatonFJR wrote: ↑Fri Apr 15, 2022 9:07 am

raYzerman wrote: ↑Fri Apr 15, 2022 8:47 am Not really a lot of nit picky stuff is gonna happen, and no issue with the bike going 150k and beyond..... at 100k folks have a mental block, so it won't be worth as much should you sell it, even less if you traded it in. It's a keep it or sell it point in time now..... once over 100k, that value won't change much from then on.

Therefore...it's a PERFECT IBR bike Mr. Lumberg. The question really is though, are YOU qualified?

I don’t agree with your self assessment, but what do I know. I think however that you need to go to a cutdown summer screen now…and a car tire. On the front.

Bill - I also disagree with your personal assessment. You could do the IBA and over time, you'd be quite good at it because you are analytical, disciplined, and a good listener, IMNSHO three of the most important character traits needed.

Doug and Scott make excellent points regarding "do I sell or do I keep". With retirement imminent, I'll always have more time than money. Thinking about it further, even it I opt to buy a used FJR with less mileage, I'm not so sure the delta adds up. Looking at the known history of the bike, a lot of that nit-picky crap I referred to earlier that I'm concerned about is stuff that rears its head as much (if not more) with age rather than mileage and in some cases, LACK of use. The wear/tear stuff that happens from mileage (clutch, brakes, stator, forks, etc) - this stuff is pretty easy to fix and can even be planned for (in some cases). The HARD crap that I can't fix (transmission, internal engine, etc) last FOREVER on the FJR.

As you can see, I'm well into "overthinking" mode.

Sorry to jack your thread, Bill. But I think you and I are kind of in the same boat.

There is a 2015 FJR A model with 4,700 miles, with extras, and seems nicely cared for, for sale on Adveturerider forum for $10,750 asking price.

A couple of 2022’s have landed in showrooms in my area. The beast has awakened…. No bags though. I wonder when those will arrive.

I have considered keeping my 2018 and adding a super ten. This is truly an affair of the heart, or perhaps, an exercise of pure whimsy. Logic does not appear to have received an invitation to the discussion.