[sportrider - features] - Refresher Course | 2013 Yamaha FJR1300A Review

[Ninjette Newsbot]

Back in the March 2013 issue, we got two days’ worth of exposure to Yamaha’s upgraded 2013-model FJR1300 sporttourer (“Moving Forward”) up in the mountains surrounding Northern California’s wine country. Despite the engine and chassis still remaining basically the same since its 2003 introduction, the newest FJR impressed us with its new electronics package that significantly freshened up the overall performance of the veteran longrange sporting machine. Since that initial ride, we’ve spent several months and thousands of miles aboard our own FJR test bike on our local (and non-local) roads, giving us a good viewpoint on living with the Yamaha for an extended period.

One of the FJR’s strong points is its engine’s wide power spread that makes its five-speed transmission less of a liability than you’d think. With 86.8 foot-pounds of torque at 6400 rpm, there’s no shortage of steam when called upon at the lower parts of the Yamaha’s powerband. The two riding modes in the new ride-by-wire throttle system—sport and touring—tend to mask the linearity of the 1298cc inline-four’s powerband. Sport mode provides responsive and immediate acceleration in the low-end and midrange, but that’s more a consequence of the electronics opening the throttle plates quicker for a given throttle position. Touring mode seemingly opens the throttle plates at the same rate as a cable-actuated throttle up to one-third rotation; from that point however, it seems as if there is a slight lag until you reach the two-thirds point. Make no mistake, the FJR’s engine has more than enough power to get the 668-pound beast moving forward very quickly no matter which riding mode you’re in, and the traction control system is very transparent, perceptibly pulling power only in the most ham-fisted throttle situations.

There was one aspect of the five-speed transmission that couldn’t be overlooked, however, and that’s the wide ratio spread that tends to make the engine feel busy anywhere above 4000 rpm. And although Yamaha states there were some changes with the 2013 model to ease shifting, we found the gear changes on our Yamaha were still a bit high-effort compared to other sport-tourers in the class, especially in the first three gears. Once in top cog on the highway, you’ll find the new cruise control to be one of the easiest to use, with no annoying extra bells and whistles to distract you.

Braking power on the Yamaha is plenty strong enough—and the ABS threshold high enough—to haul the big FJR down from speed with authority, but the Unified Brake System prefers that you either apply the rear brake before the front or both simultaneously. The front brake lever only actuates six of the eight front brake pistons; the rear brake pedal actuates the other two, plus the rear brake caliper. If you happen to apply the front brake first, the braking power ramps up quickly and significantly when you press the rear brake pedal; it’s not the smoothest setup, especially during aggressive braking. Good thing the ABS works well.

The minor suspension upgrades have markedly improved the FJR’s twisty-road habits without impinging on its superslab comfort. There’s much better chassis control when you start getting aggressive with the big Yamaha in the canyons, especially when carrying a passenger or weighty cargo on the back. And yet the bike’s long-range manners have been improved as well, with the new windshield and front fairing design providing good wind protection without the trailing turbulence that afflicted the previous generation setup.

Speaking of cargo in the back, we found the FJR’s saddlebags to be one of the better setups in the sport-touring world. The hard bags are easy to remove or install (unlike some others that require a magician’s sleight of hand), they have excellent capacity yet are tucked in enough to be narrower than nearly all of the competition, and seal out inclement weather well.

The stock OEM-spec Bridgestone BT-023 tires provide good grip and neutral steering/ handling characteristics for the majority of their life span. It’s just that the mileage isn’t that great—we burned through the stock set in 3500 miles, though to be fair, not many tires would last under a 668-pound motorcycle that can get around corners like the Yamaha. As the Bridgestones become worn, the FJR starts to require a lot of additional steering input to hold a line and then begins to fall in a bit as you approach maximum lean. Spooning on a set of Pirelli’s new Angel GT sport-touring tires quickly cured those handling ills and transformed the Yamaha’s steering (more on that in our product evaluation on the Pirellis on page 87).

When it comes to fuel mileage, the Yamaha’s 6.6-gallon fuel tank and relatively frugal engine compared to the competition means that as long as you’re not playing hard in the canyons, a range of well over 220 miles is easily within reach. Like most fuel gauges, the FJR’s is on the pessimistic side, including the mile-rangeremaining counter—but obviously it’s best to be on the safe side, as this isn’t a bike that you’d be pushing to the gas station.

Although it’s becoming increasingly difficult to hide that the bike is becoming a bit long in the tooth, the upgrades Yamaha instilled into the 2013 FJR1300 go a long way toward giving the venerable sport-tourer a fresh lease on life. The factory obviously did its homework, as all the complaints we had with the previous-generation FJR were addressed with the new model. And with a sticker price of $15,890, the Yamaha undercuts its competition by a significant margin…in case you needed any more convincing.




Specifications

2013 Yamaha FJR1300A
MSRP: $15,890
Engine
Type: Liquid-cooled, transverse, DOHC inline-four, 4 valves/cyl.
Displacement: 1298cc
Bore x stroke: 79 x 66.2mm
Compression ratio: 10.8:1
Induction: Nippon EFI w/YCC-T, 42mm throttle bodies, single injector/cyl.
Chassis
Front tire: 120/70ZR-17 Bridgestone BT-023F F
Rear tire: 180/55ZR-17 Bridgestone BT-023R F
Rake/trail: 26 deg./4.3 in. (109mm)
Wheelbase: 60.8 in. (1545mm)
Seat height: 31.7 in. (805mm)/32.5 in. (825mm) adjustable
Fuel capacity: 6.6 gal (25L)
Weight: 668 lb (303kg) wet; 628 lb (285kg) dry




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