IF you were 63 and money was no object

[Fast Blue]

I'd have my ZZR1200 rebuilt  and painted to the 9's

And for other rides the ZX 14  Concours loaded up for touring

[Sport-Touring]

[kitesurfer]

i'll be 62 in 8 days.  Picking up my 2013 conny with 460 miles on the clock at 6pm  

[Blue is Best]

Mr Big seems to be conspicuously absent from his own thread.  Come on Mr Big - let us know what you're up to!  What did you decide?

I was also wondering what is going on with him.                

[naustin]

He hasn't logged-in to the site since 3/4/15

[cruisin]

He hasn't logged-in to the site since 3/4/15

makes you wonder if it was all just an elaborate troll.  

[02Tac]

makes you wonder if it was all just an elaborate troll.  

Don't know that I would use the word troll as the discussion has been interesting.

[naustin]

I'm guessing he bought a bike and is out riding it.

[ffb13]

well, i am 73 and in the same boat..

.just sold all my bikes and now looking for a new one .candidates are the bmw rt , the vesy 1000, the fj09 ,and because of a great deal, the honda 2014 valkyrie (the deal is new ,o miles ,msrp $18. can buy for 12.9 )

my old bikes mg teni, 1982 bmw r100rs (just sold0, harley street glide (great bike but heavy great tourer ),honda and others

the fj09 appears to be fast and fun and low weight at 466 lbs. test rode it yesterday and going back for another ride tmw. i found too many vibes but was told it is because i did not hold higher rpm's ,over 6,000.  but  i am not too sure about this thus another ride tmw.

i usually ride 7 to 8 hours straight and once a year or so i ride from vermont to conn. to miami and back via back roads ....

looking for advice on the fj09 or any other of th ebikes i listed above ...my main problem with the rt is the weight up high due to fairing ,i know this is one of the finest but due to weight ,reliability issues , i am down on it but ??/

[karlfitt]

the fj09 appears to be fast and fun and low weight at 466 lbs. test rode it yesterday and going back for another ride tmw. i found too many vibes but was told it is because i did not hold higher rpm's ,over 6,000.  but  i am not too sure about this thus another ride tmw.

Yamaha gave test rides at the Moto GP.

It was a nice loop too, about 20 miles I would guess (Didn't look at the ODO)

I liked the ride, comfort.
I found the engine underwhelming. I think a 900 cc triple could be much better. It could have more everything.
I also felt some snatch in the driveline in on/off throttle situations.

I am looking for a new bike now and like the way this looked, also liked the low weight and the bags available for it. But after moving from an ST4s to a R 1100 S I know I want more motor than that.


I

[02Tac]

the fj09 appears to be fast and fun and low weight at 466 lbs. test rode it yesterday and going back for another ride tmw. i found too many vibes but was told it is because i did not hold higher rpm's ,over 6,000.  but  i am not too sure about this thus another ride tmw.

looking for advice on the fj09

I would be concerned about a dealer telling me I had to keep the motor over 6K to keep it smooth.  I looked at an FJ09 at my local dealer, did a bit of research and come up with one BIG design flaw. It has LED headlights which seems fine on initial consideration. The thing is, I do a lot of night commuting so headlights are very important to me. On the FJ09, if you have a headlight go out, you cannot replace a blub. You have to replace the whole headlight assembly at a minimum cost of $450. This is just for the part!!!!  I stopped by the dealer to see if I was wrong in my research. They had no idea so we went to the service/parts department. They did not know, but a quick look in the service manual / parts books show that you do have to replace the whole assembly.

Might just be me and I know LEDS are supposed to last a good long time but Ihave had LED lights go bad and I can replace a hell of a lot of regular bulbs for $450.

[ffb13]

i took a second ride on the fj09 today and....my price is $10,450 out the door plus tax ....

the vibes are there but only thru the pegs and only as you accelerate past 5,500 and then after 1 or 2,ooo rpm's more they go away and back and so on..but nothing major.

the winnd protection is ok

the built and assembly is good ,not great ,,.

the weigh of th ebike, the power and the handling are really great and lots of fun....my only concern is that bikes ,(and cars ) that are lots of fun are not really good on extra long trips .

anyhow after my 20 minute test ride on I95 and back roads all was fine ,except my head was buzzing  and it took a while 3 hours for it to go away ,maybe the wind buffeting or the fact that i forgot to wear my ear plugs.

so i am back to the valkyrie ....from a pric epoint nothing can beat the fj09

but with the $18. valkyrie going for 12.9  ,it has a shaft , very high quality mayerials and assembly ,ect.....it is more of a bargain when you compare what you get ..    ...the down side, the 750 LBS> wet  vs 490 wet for the fj09


will have to decide soon to get the deals

[dietDrThunder]

Ok so if my criteria was super reliability, snappy and entertaining in the motor dept., comfy but I'm not touring on it, and money is no object, here is my plan:

I'd buy an FJ09, and do the following to it:

Ohlins shock w/ remote preload adjuster
Ohlins R&T forks valved for street riding
BST carbon fiber wheels
Brembo forged 4-pots in front with a Brembo adjustable ratio M/C
Brembo rear 2-pot caliper (for vanity only)
Akrapovic pipe
Power Commander with auto-tune
Meyer seat
[insert personal pref stuff like screens etc. here]

I can't think of another bike that would satisfy the OP's requirements like this one would. All I have is an LOL for the BMW/Guzzi/KTM/Aprilia suggestions, because the guy said that the FJR wasn't reliable enough for him. I can't imagine how that's even possible (bad luck I'm assuming) but this is not a guy who needs a Guzzi in his garage nor an endless parade of final drive replacements in his future. Don't get me wrong, I love lots of the other bikes suggested, but they aren't for this guy. Also, too many folks are leaving out the 'money-is-no-object' thing. A Bandit? Really?

Anyway, great thread even if the guy isn't posting back up!

[Cobalt]

and you wanted the best SportTouring bike there is in regards to smoothness, power and dependability, jus  what bike would you buy and what mods would you think be needed to smooth it out.....Don't say a Yamaha FJR

You said "best" and "fjr" in the same post. That's my answer. Sorry.

In three years the FJ09 might supplant it, but first model year... as much as I absolutely LOVE the bike on paper, it's too soon to tell. There's pretty much nothing in the common-accepted sport-touring genre that, for me, touches the FJR.

$.02

[ffb13]

just made my move . after much research and low weight being a factor i was between the fj09 and the versy 1000...i removed the gs1200 and the new r1200 r and rs due to the reliability problems with bmw bikes ..they are no longer what they used to be .and in my opinion not worth twice as much ...
the only dealer to give me a ride on the versy was 125 miles away but i went ,rode it ,and it felt great for my body vis a vis the fj09. also i think better quality of assembly and materials and i hope i am not wrong.
i was able to do U turns with ease after a few ones ,when at the begining i was paranoid of dropping it .
next step will be the removal of the bags and mounting brackest to lower the weigh by 45 lbs, (according to motorcycle daily road test )
just e-mailed my credit card information to pay for the bike and will pick it up next week when they finish installing the gear indicator,heated grips and power plug .yet to go is the v1 , the garmin and the gerbing plugs .
will take it to conn.vt in september via deals gap and mountain roads .

[sleazy rider]

Erm, the bags disconnect quickly with just the twist of a key.  The mounts can't weigh more than 5-10 pounds for both and are part of the rear fender mounting  I've prepped a few at the dealership.  The driving lights are a very nice addition for touring, but a bit of cash.

They must have just ordered the accessories because the install takes just a couple hours.  It's ALL plug and play, but the front fairings need to come off.  Compared to the FJ-09, yeah, it's a much better feeling bike.  I've ridden a few of them too.

Added:  point of interest.  All the FJ-09s have gone to younger kids and all the Versys have gone to older, higher mileage riders.

PPS:  the price you're getting on the FJ is way out of line.  We were selling them at $8250 OTD. Honda East in Toledo was under $8000!

[Oxblood]

I'd move to Panama and live aboard a nice yacht on Panama Lake.

[zer0netgain]

Anyone suggest financing the tech to have my mind transplanted into a 25-year-old body?  

[ffb13]

i went to the dealer on saturday and picked up the versy1000...rode it back home ,125 miles ...all fine except for trouble at times shifting out of second gear into 3rd . will bring it to the attention of dealer when i do the 600 miles service. like an idiot and as suggested by a friend who gave me a ride there i bought the 5 year unlimited mileage guarantee from kawasaki and honored at any kawasaki dealer ----4 hours later when i got home i requested a refund .$ 700.00

bike rides nicely and ,of course had to keep it under 4,000 rpm that translates into aprox 58 to 65 mph .twice i had to pass cars and for 5 seconds or so i hit 4,700 rpm and it hit 80 mph and slight tingling in footpegs and bars but went away .
excluding the warranty and including all taxes,prep, gear indicator, power plug and and ,i forgot what else , the out the door was $13,410.
i understand dealer cost is 10,999 plus hold back .

today i took a ride at 7 am and back by 10 am and had it without the bags . i did not exceed the 4,000 rpm and bike was vibration free and super smooth and very comfortable even in 90 F heat . did get some engine heat when stopped at light ,but no worse then the street glide.
also, in extreme lean angles you can sense that this bike is no ninja or duc  .it is what i may call a gentleman's touring bike for the higher age groups and very comfotable.  on the trip home i got 46.7 gph. confirmed when i filled up today .
and i like the high seat position that allows me to see over the car in front .
had to do one evassive maneuver  when and idiot on a cell violated my right of way at a round about but i did see it coming and handled it .
unfortunately i want to do the first 600 miles for the first service here in miami before i ride to vermont and connecticut via dragon's tail and mountain roads in w.va. and so on. hope i do not get killed here by idiots texting or driving 400 horses after just getting of a mule or  a horse a few months ago.

[olderigetfasteriam]

i went to the dealer on saturday and picked up the versy1000...rode it back home ,125 miles ...all fine except for trouble at times shifting out of second gear into 3rd . will bring it to the attention of dealer when i do the 600 miles service. like an idiot and as suggested by a friend who gave me a ride there i bought the 5 year unlimited mileage guarantee from kawasaki and honored at any kawasaki dealer ----4 hours later when i got home i requested a refund .$ 700.00

bike rides nicely and ,of course had to keep it under 4,000 rpm that translates into aprox 58 to 65 mph .twice i had to pass cars and for 5 seconds or so i hit 4,700 rpm and it hit 80 mph and slight tingling in footpegs and bars but went away .
excluding the warranty and including all taxes,prep, gear indicator, power plug and and ,i forgot what else , the out the door was $13,410.
i understand dealer cost is 10,999 plus hold back .

today i took a ride at 7 am and back by 10 am and had it without the bags . i did not exceed the 4,000 rpm and bike was vibration free and super smooth and very comfortable even in 90 F heat . did get some engine heat when stopped at light ,but no worse then the street glide.
also, in extreme lean angles you can sense that this bike is no ninja or duc  .it is what i may call a gentleman's touring bike for the higher age groups and very comfotable.  on the trip home i got 46.7 gph. confirmed when i filled up today .
and i like the high seat position that allows me to see over the car in front .
had to do one evassive maneuver  when and idiot on a cell violated my right of way at a round about but i did see it coming and handled it .
unfortunately i want to do the first 600 miles for the first service here in miami before i ride to vermont and connecticut via dragon's tail and mountain roads in w.va. and so on. hope i do not get killed here by idiots texting or driving 400 horses after just getting of a mule or  a horse a few months ago.

Did you trade in the "shift" key from your pc?