I took delivery of my new AE (computer clutch) on June 12 and have amassed my first 500 miles. In short, I am very pleased with the FJR in general and VERY glad I chose the AE version. I did so as I have early onset Parkinsons disease and thought the removal of clutch duties would be helpful. I have had 4 bikes; a Honda 350; Honda 500 - 4; Honda Sabre 45 and a Kawasaki KZ1000. The FJR is a new league intirely!
Positives: The engine is a smooth powerhouse with enough bottom end torque to make 2 up riding effortless. Handling is just short of recent sport bikes and way out in front of other long distance mile muchers. Now here is some heresy - the weight is PERFECT! No, it won't do switchbacks like a GSX 600. Let's face it, a 600+ lb is just not going to be as "flickable" as a sub 400 lb machine. But a good rider won't be far behind. But you wouldn't give up an LB on a long interstate haul and in heavy crosswinds the FJR is a rock. I'd be all over the place in the KZ. The electric shift can be made to be imperceptable up AND down the gear range. Downshift transitions on long sweepers is incredible - smoother than I can do on my own for sure once you learn to hit the down lever instead of the horn! The improved heat dissipation is great even here in central Fla EXCEPT on I4 in bumper to bumper traffic when the cooling fans are running. The instant MPG reading is worth every penny for the frugal (me) minded. It is sensitive enough to discern riding position, incline and windshield heigth. Here are some figures. I will be tweaking these as break in continues.
5th Gear - Windscreen in full UP position
55mph = 60 mpg
60mph = 58 mpg
65mph = 54 mpg
70mph = 51 mph
75mph = 49 mpg
80mph = 46 mpg
85mph = 43 mpg
You can add 2-3 mpg by lowering the shield and crouching in the "bubble."
Not bad for a 1300 powerhouse that can out roll-on allmost anything except a recent liter bike! I also have a spreadsheet on all the speeds in gears for those technicrats like myself who might be interested.
DISLIKES - wind shield is a bit flimsy at high speed. Torque would allow a 6 speed trans. Yam is probably holding out on this to have something to talk about/trade up to - down the road. If you stop in 4th gear the clutch will work but the system gets confused on how to get back down to 1st. It takes a throttle - shift dance to step back down the range. Better to do diligence in downshifting properly. Selecting 1st causes an unelegant "klunk" to let you and those around you know you are about to launch. No sneaking away on this one!
In conclusion (for now) I am ESTATIC! I think Yamaha has done their homework on the AE shifter and I expect to see competition coming from all sides. The gauntlet has been thrown down and cannot be ignored.
Looking forward to your comments,
John A..
Positives: The engine is a smooth powerhouse with enough bottom end torque to make 2 up riding effortless. Handling is just short of recent sport bikes and way out in front of other long distance mile muchers. Now here is some heresy - the weight is PERFECT! No, it won't do switchbacks like a GSX 600. Let's face it, a 600+ lb is just not going to be as "flickable" as a sub 400 lb machine. But a good rider won't be far behind. But you wouldn't give up an LB on a long interstate haul and in heavy crosswinds the FJR is a rock. I'd be all over the place in the KZ. The electric shift can be made to be imperceptable up AND down the gear range. Downshift transitions on long sweepers is incredible - smoother than I can do on my own for sure once you learn to hit the down lever instead of the horn! The improved heat dissipation is great even here in central Fla EXCEPT on I4 in bumper to bumper traffic when the cooling fans are running. The instant MPG reading is worth every penny for the frugal (me) minded. It is sensitive enough to discern riding position, incline and windshield heigth. Here are some figures. I will be tweaking these as break in continues.
5th Gear - Windscreen in full UP position
55mph = 60 mpg
60mph = 58 mpg
65mph = 54 mpg
70mph = 51 mph
75mph = 49 mpg
80mph = 46 mpg
85mph = 43 mpg
You can add 2-3 mpg by lowering the shield and crouching in the "bubble."
Not bad for a 1300 powerhouse that can out roll-on allmost anything except a recent liter bike! I also have a spreadsheet on all the speeds in gears for those technicrats like myself who might be interested.
DISLIKES - wind shield is a bit flimsy at high speed. Torque would allow a 6 speed trans. Yam is probably holding out on this to have something to talk about/trade up to - down the road. If you stop in 4th gear the clutch will work but the system gets confused on how to get back down to 1st. It takes a throttle - shift dance to step back down the range. Better to do diligence in downshifting properly. Selecting 1st causes an unelegant "klunk" to let you and those around you know you are about to launch. No sneaking away on this one!
In conclusion (for now) I am ESTATIC! I think Yamaha has done their homework on the AE shifter and I expect to see competition coming from all sides. The gauntlet has been thrown down and cannot be ignored.
Looking forward to your comments,
John A..
