FJR1300 VS C14

[ridingslow]

My dad and I decided to do some 2nd and 3rd gear roll-ons and to my surprise he waxed my ace ever time....Guess its time to remove the flys  

2005 FJR1300 stock vs 2008 C14 stock

[mugwump58]

I'm guessing you've traveled together. Who get the better mpg?

[J-Mac]

I had an FJR wax me in a top gear roll on when I had my ZX14. It didn't last though...

When I came around him, I was pulling away hard. I had never met the guy,but we had a good talk on the side of the road after the roll-on.

That was before fly removal too.

My Connie is awsome in the basement now as well with the flies removed. Be sure and get the PCV to really take advantage. Those bikes are mapped fat from the factory to keep the cats happy.

I also recommend an aftermarket slip on. It shaves tons of weight and I really noticed more acceleration after installing one.

[J-Mac]

Hey RS!

I didn't even notice it was you!

Let's roll again next year.

[Coastourer]

Trust me, remove the flies and install a PC-V. It will be a totally different story next time you go up against your Dad, won't even be close.

[KodiakRS]

So here's the $10,000 question.

First gen c14's and gen II fjr's can be found for $7500-$8000.  Gen 2 connies are starting to show up around $10000-$11000.

Do you:
Go with a gen 2 fjr and a few thousand $ worth of gas tires and farkles?
Go with a gen 1 connie and spend the leftover on exhaust and tuning?
Go with a gen 2 connie and ride it as is?  


By the way, does someone who has ridden both have anything to say about the handling/cornering clearance/suspension of these two?

[Cablebandit]

So here's the $10,000 question.

First gen c14's and gen II fjr's can be found for $7500-$8000.  Gen 2 connies are starting to show up around $10000-$11000.




By the way, does someone who has ridden both have anything to say about the handling/cornering clearance/suspension of these two?

Um, you can still find brand new leftover C14's from '09 in the $9000 range.

Paging Smoker for a comparison between the two.



*roll-ons don't mean a whole lot when one is a 5 speed and one is a 6 speed.  

[mcrider007]

By the way, does someone who has ridden both have anything to say about the handling/cornering clearance/suspension of these two?

The C14 has much firmer suspension, including an inverted fork, and greater ground clearance/lean angle.  The FJR has fully adjustable front forks, lower center of gravity, and is more nimble.  There are also a lot of aftermarket options to upgrade the FJR's soft OEM suspension.

[AzItLies]

The C14 has much firmer suspension, including an inverted fork, and greater ground clearance/lean angle.  The FJR has fully adjustable front forks, lower center of gravity, and is more nimble.  There are also a lot of aftermarket options to upgrade the FJR's soft OEM suspension.

FJR ground clearance: 130mm  

Connie C14 ground clearance 125mm  

Much firmer suspension? I doubt that, the fjr has one of the stiffest suspensions of any bike I've ridden. Lean angle? where do you get that from?

[mcrider007]

FJR ground clearance: 130mm  

Connie C14 ground clearance 125mm  

Much firmer suspension? I doubt that, the fjr has one of the stiffest suspensions of any bike I've ridden. Lean angle? where do you get that from?

Its pretty obvious you don't know anything about the FJR's OEM suspension, go over to Racetech.com and look at the OEM spring rates for the FJR and C14 and see what they recommend (the EOM spring rates in the FJR are .80 kg/mm, the C14 has 1.20 kg/mm springs).  There is nothing stiff about the FJR's suspension front or back, it loads up (the springs compress) whenever it is in a curve and that reduces the available lean angle and makes it way to easy to drag hard parts.  GP Suspension in Oregon City does about 90 FJR fork rebuilds a year and they replace the OEM springs with .95 or 1.0 springs.  They also recommend much heavier springs in the shock for any riders carrying over a 200 pound load.

[Roadscum]

I'm guessing you've traveled together. Who get the better mpg?

Good question. Come on fess up, which bike gets the better gas milage????

Regards, Paul

[ripdaddy]

Sorry, but what are the flys?

[Cablebandit]

Secondary butterflies in the intake runner

[Dan K]

My dad and I decided to do some 2nd and 3rd gear roll-ons and to my surprise he waxed my ace ever time....Guess its time to remove the flys  

2005 FJR1300 stock vs 2008 C14 stock

Do you and your dad weigh about the same?

For what it's worth, I took a 3 day trip in Colorado a few years back and I had a 2nd Gen FJR, buddy had a first Gen c14.  They were REALLY similar.  C14 had nicer amenities - better glove compartment, 6 speeds.  FJR had easy adjust suspension from soft to not too soft, and I enjoyed it.  I handled twisties well - a little more work than I'm used to (my everyday bike then was an '02 FZ1) but they were both great all day bikes.  Tough call as to which one to buy, would likely be the better deal as opposed to the better bike.  That close.

- Dan

[AzItLies]

Its pretty obvious you don't know anything about the FJR's OEM suspension, go over to Racetech.com and look at the OEM spring rates for the FJR and C14 and see what they recommend (the EOM spring rates in the FJR are .80 kg/mm, the C14 has 1.20 kg/mm springs).  There is nothing stiff about the FJR's suspension front or back, it loads up (the springs compress) whenever it is in a curve and that reduces the available lean angle and makes it way to easy to drag hard parts.  GP Suspension in Oregon City does about 90 FJR fork rebuilds a year and they replace the OEM springs with .95 or 1.0 springs.  They also recommend much heavier springs in the shock for any riders carrying over a 200 pound load.

you're the one that said the fjr had less ground clearance, pretty obvious you don't know what you're talking about. I weigh 150 lbs, plenty good suspension for me.

[mcrider007]

you're the one that said the fjr had less ground clearance, pretty obvious you don't know what you're talking about. I weigh 150 lbs, plenty good suspension for me.

I don't know where you got your ground clearance numbers but I doubt those were the numbers with a rider on board and they certainly aren't the numbers when the suspension is loaded going through a corner...but  FJR's suspension is probably adequate for a 150 lb load, there just aren't very many of us that can pack for a trip and not exceed 150 lbs.

[wibornz]

Pulling the flies make the c14 a whole new bike. It adds 26 hp in the mid range.  Added the a pipe and powercommander, kn air filter and pulled the flies.  Now the big girl will pull wheelies at 60 + mph with my 350 pound ass on it.  Also be careful as she will smoke that rear tire coming out of corners.

It is a shame Kaw detuned the c14 so much from the factory.  The real differnce between the fjr and the c14 is that when they are stock they are kinda close, but the fjr motor is already tuned out close to the max hp, where the c14 was detuned to be just above the fjr and other st bikes.  There is alot of easy hp that can be put back into the c14.  I have ridden with many other c14 owners that have left their bike stock, and mine with the flies removed, pipe, power commander and air filter will walk away from them even when I am one gear higher on the roll.  

At 60 on a roll, I pull two to four bike lenghts on my friends FZ1 to 140 then at 140 + I will just pull away.  

[AzItLies]

I don't know where you got your ground clearance numbers but I doubt those were the numbers with a rider on board and they certainly aren't the numbers when the suspension is loaded going through a corner...but  FJR's suspension is probably adequate for a 150 lb load, there just aren't very many of us that can pack for a trip and not exceed 150 lbs.

follow the links provided to back up my facts, they are the manufacturers websites.

[mcrider007]

follow the links provided to back up my facts, they are the manufacturers websites.

Lets see if we can summarize....your "facts" concerning ground clearance for a FJR and C14 come from a manufacturer's website (and probably do not include any adjustments for rider's weight) and your conclusions about the FJR's suspension is based on some short test ride.  If you read it on the Internet then it must be true.  

My statements regarding suspension, ground clearance, and available lean angle, are conclusions I made after actually riding a FJR and a C14 back to back through the same corners....which is pretty easy for me to do since I have had both bikes in my garage for last 4 years.  I have also upgraded the suspension on the FJR, front and rear, and know how much of an improvement it makes...but I didn't read about my experience on the Internet so my input is probably not as accurate as yours.

[mugwump58]