2008 Yamaha FJR AE, gonna sell for a friend. Or keep?

[oldGSfan]

A friend asked me to help sell his 2008 Yamaha FJR AE, always liked those but I'm not sure it'll fit me well at 6'4", we'll see soon. It's got 27K miles on it and is in very nice condition. The deal is anything over a surprisingly low dollar amount, I keep. Now of course I am hoping it fits me and I snag it for myself. Like I need another bike! Cash for my other habits is probably the way to go.

I think there are some owners here, chime in on what I should check out on it. It has new Pirellis and fluids, needs nothing.

[LAB3]

I'm also 6'4" and for the last year or so my knees have been giving me a lot of trouble. Up until about the first of this year I'd been riding a 1980 Yamaha XS11 standard which has a very upright riding position with the pegs tucked back under the hips. Great for moving your weight around and getting the most out of the handling.

Now I'm on a 2001 Kawasaki Voyager XII which is very much like riding in a chair style position with the pegs much further forward. Although this really does seem to limit how easily the bike can be thrown around under me my knees are very grateful, they haven't given me any issues for about a month now.

Long and short of it, if your knees are somewhat troublesome (mine always have been) the tucked back peg position isn't going to be doing you any favors. I'm just glad I've gotten it figured out, my long distance hiking will probably be on a rebound now!

[Rob S.]

"Automated clutch"? Your left hand could atrophy, and then you wouldn't be able to ride that manly Norton!
Not to mention shaft drive.
If people found out it was parked in your garage, couldn't that bring down the value of your house?
And what would the neighbors say?
I say sell it, and invest the cash in the Norton and Laverda. Maybe a great new leather jacket.

[GS1150Pilot]

Other than engine heat issues, all I've ever heard about the FJR is good stuff. I have a friend who owned one, but he is 5'8", so at the other end of the spectrum for fit.

[oldGSfan]

My friend had some left wrist damage, so the automatic clutch was good for him. Now he's onto a Gold Wing. I'm not a big tourer like he is, but years ago I had a Venture Royale for a short time, just to make some money. It was pretty nice, and a bit of a hot rod for such a tank. I took my then 78-year-old mom on a cruise along the Angeles Crest Highway. It was a great day, and she loved it. I found Yamaha's quality to be top-tier, right with Honda (sorry, Suzuki). The only other Yamaha I owned was an XT350.

I rode the Norton today after installing an anti-wet-sumping cutoff valve. Basically, if not run for some duration, usually weeks, depending on the oil pump tolerance, mainly. Oil moves from the tank into the sump past the oil pump. You get a big cloud of smoke and can blow out the crankshaft seal, which mine did. There are reed valve fixes, and some even dab J-B weld onthe mail seal and live with the smoke cloud. Mine dislodged and passed the engine oil into the primary. I run ATF in the primary, as the chain is lubricated by it, but there's a 'dry' clutch in that case that will slip when splashed with engine oil, which inevitably happens. Anyway, the switch interrupts power to the coil, so I use it as a kill switch. A total pain to install due to British pipe threads not matching the cycle thread (CEI) of the tank output. The wiring is very tedious to get to as well due to the crowded space around the mid-section of the bike, but I got it done.

I'll take the FJR for some spins but sell, not keep, unless it hits all the notes.

[Burque73]

The power that 1300cc engine puts out is incredible. Smooth running, stable at speeds well into tripe digits. Great wind protection. Comfortable (enough) stock seat for multi day rides. I think by 2008 the FJR heat issue was taken care of. First gen, like my 2003 was HOT! I would hear gas boiling in the tank all the time.


There are work arounds to make it tolerable though. Another biggie was the cam chain tensioner. Many original tensioners failed and destroyed the engine. Not sure what year they reingeneered it, but there is an aftermarket CCT identifiable by the green dot on it.

I'm 5'8" and couldn't get the FJR sorted to not hurt my wrists. Always thought it was too far a reach for me and leaning forward put too much weight on my wrists. I had some relief from the pain (and the heat) by getting the barn door windshield swapped out for a stock shorter one, and leaving it in the lower position. That electric adjustable windshield was super nice in bad weather though. Tried bar risers, even swapped out the stock two piece handles with a standard set that came back and up a bit. Still had bad pain in my wrists. If you're 6'4" it should fit you perfectly, Tom.

Check here for tips and tricks on the FJR

https://www.fjr-tips.org/mods/cans/cans.html

[Rob S.]

Boiling gasoline?!? Yikes! I thought we just were talking about the rider getting too hot.

My friend had a Concours (Kaw). On some days, the weather was too hot to ride. I'm old skool - like to ride in summer. Get half naked on a full naked bike and enjoy the breeze at 80 mph.

[rphillips]

Half naked on a naked bike at 80mph??? I remember every time I ever saw that thinking they haven't got a clue. I like riding in hot summer to, but fully dressed. BTDT

[oldGSfan]

Thanks for the inputs, should have the bike early next week. I don't need another thing to regsiter, insure, and squeeze in the garage so I'll sell. Good to make some $ for the other bikes.

[Rob S.]

Well, sleeveless shirt. After a 3 piece suit and tie on Wall St. all day, need to clear the cobwebs. Very short shorts (but high top sneakers) when I went to Jones Beach. Those early Z1s were very safe.

[LAB3]

I'm just outside of Daytona for trailer week. Temps have been in the upper 80's the past few days, it's tough to ride with a mesh jacket on and I feel naked without it. Still though, hanging out at Sopotnicks Cabbage Patch yesterday there where chicks riding in with bikinis on, it's obvious who's a newcomer and the ones who have seen a few things.