Rode an FJR for a while

eddiekay · June 28th, 2011, 09:35 PM

Swapped horses with my pal saturday on the interstate. The FJR is not like any bike i ever rode. Sitting still, you can feel the weight a bit but it's not like it fells ready to fall over. Once you're moving, even slow, the weight disappears...I was amazed at how light it felt even before i hit 40. It shifts with a soft click...barely noticeable and you can hardly feel the click thru the shifter. Clutch is as easy to pull as the ninjette and while its not a neck snappin' wheelie poppin sport bike it accelerates very fast and just keeps going.....it's like what I imagine an electric bike would be like. The windscreen is just unreal....I'm 6' tall and after a mile or so I thought to myself that this is a bike I could ride 1000 miles in a day....you're wrapped in a quiet pocket and the wind that did get thru was on my sides, below my arms and not at all uncomfy. It wasnt my bike so I didnt let her out but @ 130...it was no diff than at 40 or 50. Since i'VE SPENT 90% of my miles on the ninjette over the past 18 months this was a very strange, nice, experience. But...funny impression was that the FJ....except for the top end....felt much more like my ninjette than it did my fz6...not what I expected. The FJR feels like it doesnt need your help to do anything...the ninja feels like it needs your help to do everything and really...that's what I've always liked best about the 250...you have to ride it, I mean RIDE it.

Bosgarage57 · June 29th, 2011, 04:45 AM

Yea, I ride a concours 1000, and like you said, shes a little top heavy, but once you get going it disappears. I'd love to test drive the new C14's. I do like the looks of the FJR's though. They seem more SPORTtouring than the others do. But the older models (like 05-07 or so) do not have fairing pockets, and once you have them you'll miss them on other bikes

. They are just two different worlds, the ninjette and sport touring and each have their place.

eddiekay · June 29th, 2011, 06:41 AM

What does it feel like coming off a Connie onto a ninjette?
Many years ago when Toyota intro'd the SR Corolla's a reviewer wrote that SR meant " secret racer" and that's a nice way to describe the ninjette. it always feel and sounds faster than it is....everybody thinks its a 600 except the rider.
Coming off the FZ the only thing I ever miss is the power to pass into an oncoming lane and get back before the oncoming trailer truck. Yet, the bottom line is that the ninjette forces me to rider safer.
The connie was a steal for many years...pissed that I didnt try one before they raised the prices...I've seen a few with over 100k but I haven't seen a new one in months.

Bosgarage57 · June 29th, 2011, 06:55 AM

I had an 05 fz6 before I bought the connie, big difference. The concours is like you said, sitting in a big bubble on calm with the big fairing. The fz6 felt grabby when starting to accelerate, jerky like. The concours is smmmoooottthh. The ninjette I ride is actually my gf's and its lowered 3" so I feel like im on a minibike. I'm currently looking for a cheap 250 to streetfighter it just to drive to work and back because you cant beat 65 mpg

, plus its just sooo light.

eddiekay · June 29th, 2011, 07:29 AM

yeah...05 fz6 is what I have...like everything about it.
Streetfighter ninjette would def be nice...had the plastic off mine enough and she's not as pretty naked but I love those little pipes...almost makes me want to solder a hose connection onto them,,,peashooters. I saw some guy in PA with a pregen with straight pipes...sounded funny, looked like something out a garage in Vietnam....I loved it.

Bosgarage57 · June 29th, 2011, 07:33 AM

Ha! i would love to have seen that! I liked the fz6, but the gf didnt. I had a top sellerie seat for it, two brothers sbk exhaust, givi luggage and the works. Also have you modded your airbox on it? I did and i could tell a difference in it (reason I ask is becuase I have an extra airbox laying around if you wanted to try it)

eddiekay · June 29th, 2011, 08:09 AM

No mods on the FZ...I have extremely limited mechl skills and that's part of why I liked the bike...never needed anything. Beside painting my bar weights red and flat blacking the plastic scallop at front...didnt touch it. When I crashed it I had to take the tank off for repaint...took the pump out and had to go back to some 17 year old at the dealer to show me how to put the fuel pump back in...beyond turning a screw...I'm lost. The ninjette is less scary so I did the sprockets, washered the handlebars ( best 60 cents i ever spent), brakes and headlight modulator....pipes and jets ???? they belong in the basement and in the sky. Although I do have an interesting project coming up:
Everybody in NY thinks Italian components are way cool....the NY area has more Ducatis than Rome. So....I figure to make my bike look way cool-er
I'm going to give myself an Italian looking pipe and stenicil the brand on it....Vaffanguelo...if you dont know...ask the guy at the pizza place.

Bosgarage57 · June 29th, 2011, 08:43 AM

Yea im not too good with a wrench either, I make my dad do most of it (as I watch). Thats why I want a 250 so I can do my OWN things to it. whats this washered handlebar mod you speak of?!

eddiekay · June 29th, 2011, 08:58 AM

Read about it on this forum.
You stuff some washers in the top of your fork tubes...maybe 22mm, cant recall.....between the spring tops and the plugs. I guess it kinda pre loads your forks and, in my experience, all but eliminates the nose dive these bikes tend to do when you brake hard. I think I put 3 or 4 in and it made a noticeable difference. I'm 185 lbs but if youre a lightwieght guy it...the nose dive...might be something you havent noticed as much. Theres all kinds of very creative ideas on ninjette....one guy flush mounted his stock turn signals buy cutting the stalks, rotating the "teardrop" 90 degrees and black caulking them into the existing openings in the fairing....smart. I think one of the things i like best about the forum is that younger guys come up with some extremely nice ideas and the experience guys make real good suggestions. The reverse is true too. I got some guidance from guys half my age.

slolane · June 29th, 2011, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bosgarage57

Yea, I ride a concours 1000, and like you said, shes a little top heavy, but once you get going it disappears. I'd love to test drive the new C14's. I do like the looks of the FJR's though. They seem more SPORTtouring than the others do. But the older models (like 05-07 or so) do not have fairing pockets, and once you have them you'll miss them on other bikes

. They are just two different worlds, the ninjette and sport touring and each have their place.

The new C-14 is sick, I rode a friends when I had my ZX14 we swapped for a few miles. It's a bit heavier but well built and as noted once you start moving that weight seems to go away... you mostly feel it in parking lots, stop and go traffic, etc. but on the highway it's very nice. I'm 5'9" with only 29" inseam so to me it was tall. Compared to my ZX14 it was really a lot different, more than I expected but a great tourer for those long rides. I liked the large fairing and windscreen, high risers, shaft drive and built in storage... good stuff.

ricochet08 · June 29th, 2011, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eddiekay

It shifts with a soft click...barely noticeable and you can hardly feel the click thru the shifter.

wish i could say the same for my ZZR600. that thing clunks when shifting to 1st or 2nd. :P

Bosgarage57 · June 29th, 2011, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slolane

Man i love that kawi green on the zx14's. They look good beside each other.

Bill N · June 29th, 2011, 01:03 PM

I own a 2009 FJR and a 2008 ninjette. They compliment each other very well. Commute on the Kawi and long trips on the Yammi. Two very different bikes that serve my purposes. All day rides on twisties and or interstates, the FJR is pure comfort with a sporting attitude. The Ninjette is nimble in traffic, fun to ride and gets 58-60 MPG in city traffic. What's not to like?
Bill

eddiekay · June 29th, 2011, 02:11 PM

I only spent maybe 30-40 miles on the bike...maybe 2 miles on the street...the rest on I80. I didnt get to see what the FJ was capable of at all but///IF I had the time to do real touring...not just long day trips...that would be the bike. Ive seen my pal lean it over very far in slow-ish turns and I was kind of not believing what I saw. Yet, he made a good comment just after getting it...he hated it already...because it did everything perfect...after a few months, he loves it again. He's got an FZ6 and a Strat too so he's a well rounded rider.

June 28th, 2011, 09:35 PM	#1
eddiekay ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: eddie Location: Lawnguylind Join Date: Nov 2009 Motorcycle(s): 300, WeeStrom Posts: A lot.	Rode an FJR for a while Swapped horses with my pal saturday on the interstate. The FJR is not like any bike i ever rode. Sitting still, you can feel the weight a bit but it's not like it fells ready to fall over. Once you're moving, even slow, the weight disappears...I was amazed at how light it felt even before i hit 40. It shifts with a soft click...barely noticeable and you can hardly feel the click thru the shifter. Clutch is as easy to pull as the ninjette and while its not a neck snappin' wheelie poppin sport bike it accelerates very fast and just keeps going.....it's like what I imagine an electric bike would be like. The windscreen is just unreal....I'm 6' tall and after a mile or so I thought to myself that this is a bike I could ride 1000 miles in a day....you're wrapped in a quiet pocket and the wind that did get thru was on my sides, below my arms and not at all uncomfy. It wasnt my bike so I didnt let her out but @ 130...it was no diff than at 40 or 50. Since i'VE SPENT 90% of my miles on the ninjette over the past 18 months this was a very strange, nice, experience. But...funny impression was that the FJ....except for the top end....felt much more like my ninjette than it did my fz6...not what I expected. The FJR feels like it doesnt need your help to do anything...the ninja feels like it needs your help to do everything and really...that's what I've always liked best about the 250...you have to ride it, I mean RIDE it.

June 29th, 2011, 04:45 AM	#2
Bosgarage57 ninjette.org sage Name: Luke Location: Sevierville, TN Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 06 Buell Uly, 05 VStar 1100 Posts: 577	Yea, I ride a concours 1000, and like you said, shes a little top heavy, but once you get going it disappears. I'd love to test drive the new C14's. I do like the looks of the FJR's though. They seem more SPORTtouring than the others do. But the older models (like 05-07 or so) do not have fairing pockets, and once you have them you'll miss them on other bikes. They are just two different worlds, the ninjette and sport touring and each have their place.

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June 29th, 2011, 06:41 AM	#3
eddiekay ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: eddie Location: Lawnguylind Join Date: Nov 2009 Motorcycle(s): 300, WeeStrom Posts: A lot.	What does it feel like coming off a Connie onto a ninjette? Many years ago when Toyota intro'd the SR Corolla's a reviewer wrote that SR meant " secret racer" and that's a nice way to describe the ninjette. it always feel and sounds faster than it is....everybody thinks its a 600 except the rider. Coming off the FZ the only thing I ever miss is the power to pass into an oncoming lane and get back before the oncoming trailer truck. Yet, the bottom line is that the ninjette forces me to rider safer. The connie was a steal for many years...pissed that I didnt try one before they raised the prices...I've seen a few with over 100k but I haven't seen a new one in months.

June 29th, 2011, 06:55 AM	#4
Bosgarage57 ninjette.org sage Name: Luke Location: Sevierville, TN Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 06 Buell Uly, 05 VStar 1100 Posts: 577	I had an 05 fz6 before I bought the connie, big difference. The concours is like you said, sitting in a big bubble on calm with the big fairing. The fz6 felt grabby when starting to accelerate, jerky like. The concours is smmmoooottthh. The ninjette I ride is actually my gf's and its lowered 3" so I feel like im on a minibike. I'm currently looking for a cheap 250 to streetfighter it just to drive to work and back because you cant beat 65 mpg , plus its just sooo light.

June 29th, 2011, 07:29 AM	#5
eddiekay ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: eddie Location: Lawnguylind Join Date: Nov 2009 Motorcycle(s): 300, WeeStrom Posts: A lot.	yeah...05 fz6 is what I have...like everything about it. Streetfighter ninjette would def be nice...had the plastic off mine enough and she's not as pretty naked but I love those little pipes...almost makes me want to solder a hose connection onto them,,,peashooters. I saw some guy in PA with a pregen with straight pipes...sounded funny, looked like something out a garage in Vietnam....I loved it.

June 29th, 2011, 07:33 AM	#6
Bosgarage57 ninjette.org sage Name: Luke Location: Sevierville, TN Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 06 Buell Uly, 05 VStar 1100 Posts: 577	Ha! i would love to have seen that! I liked the fz6, but the gf didnt. I had a top sellerie seat for it, two brothers sbk exhaust, givi luggage and the works. Also have you modded your airbox on it? I did and i could tell a difference in it (reason I ask is becuase I have an extra airbox laying around if you wanted to try it)

June 29th, 2011, 08:09 AM	#7
eddiekay ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: eddie Location: Lawnguylind Join Date: Nov 2009 Motorcycle(s): 300, WeeStrom Posts: A lot.	No mods on the FZ...I have extremely limited mechl skills and that's part of why I liked the bike...never needed anything. Beside painting my bar weights red and flat blacking the plastic scallop at front...didnt touch it. When I crashed it I had to take the tank off for repaint...took the pump out and had to go back to some 17 year old at the dealer to show me how to put the fuel pump back in...beyond turning a screw...I'm lost. The ninjette is less scary so I did the sprockets, washered the handlebars ( best 60 cents i ever spent), brakes and headlight modulator....pipes and jets ???? they belong in the basement and in the sky. Although I do have an interesting project coming up: Everybody in NY thinks Italian components are way cool....the NY area has more Ducatis than Rome. So....I figure to make my bike look way cool-er I'm going to give myself an Italian looking pipe and stenicil the brand on it....Vaffanguelo...if you dont know...ask the guy at the pizza place.

June 29th, 2011, 08:43 AM	#8
Bosgarage57 ninjette.org sage Name: Luke Location: Sevierville, TN Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 06 Buell Uly, 05 VStar 1100 Posts: 577	Yea im not too good with a wrench either, I make my dad do most of it (as I watch). Thats why I want a 250 so I can do my OWN things to it. whats this washered handlebar mod you speak of?!

June 29th, 2011, 08:58 AM	#9
eddiekay ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: eddie Location: Lawnguylind Join Date: Nov 2009 Motorcycle(s): 300, WeeStrom Posts: A lot.	Read about it on this forum. You stuff some washers in the top of your fork tubes...maybe 22mm, cant recall.....between the spring tops and the plugs. I guess it kinda pre loads your forks and, in my experience, all but eliminates the nose dive these bikes tend to do when you brake hard. I think I put 3 or 4 in and it made a noticeable difference. I'm 185 lbs but if youre a lightwieght guy it...the nose dive...might be something you havent noticed as much. Theres all kinds of very creative ideas on ninjette....one guy flush mounted his stock turn signals buy cutting the stalks, rotating the "teardrop" 90 degrees and black caulking them into the existing openings in the fairing....smart. I think one of the things i like best about the forum is that younger guys come up with some extremely nice ideas and the experience guys make real good suggestions. The reverse is true too. I got some guidance from guys half my age.

June 29th, 2011, 01:03 PM	#13
Bill N ninjette.org member Name: Bill Location: Tampa Fl Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 250 Ninja Posts: 180	I own a 2009 FJR and a 2008 ninjette. They compliment each other very well. Commute on the Kawi and long trips on the Yammi. Two very different bikes that serve my purposes. All day rides on twisties and or interstates, the FJR is pure comfort with a sporting attitude. The Ninjette is nimble in traffic, fun to ride and gets 58-60 MPG in city traffic. What's not to like? Bill

June 29th, 2011, 02:11 PM	#14
eddiekay ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: eddie Location: Lawnguylind Join Date: Nov 2009 Motorcycle(s): 300, WeeStrom Posts: A lot.	I only spent maybe 30-40 miles on the bike...maybe 2 miles on the street...the rest on I80. I didnt get to see what the FJ was capable of at all but///IF I had the time to do real touring...not just long day trips...that would be the bike. Ive seen my pal lean it over very far in slow-ish turns and I was kind of not believing what I saw. Yet, he made a good comment just after getting it...he hated it already...because it did everything perfect...after a few months, he loves it again. He's got an FZ6 and a Strat too so he's a well rounded rider.