Concours 14, part 2

[Rob Schwartz]

I'm diggin' the FJR pretty well, myself.  Never had heat issues with the
rental in CO (though the 100°F (35c?) temps didn't help) and mine's been
great.  Both are the '06-current body style that received significant
upgrades in the heat management dept.

My FJR pulls smooth and strong wherever you need it to.  I haven't struggled
with driveline lash or had any problem with it at slow speeds... I really
enjoy the way it rides and handles.  If the Connie's that much better,
awesome, but the FJR definitely doesn't suck.  I've scraped peg 2up with
both mine and the Rocky Mtn. Rental...

Yes, the throttle return spring is much too stiff.  I've put my
throttlerocker back in action to give me some extra leverage on it and it's
been great.  A Throttlemeister goes on this week.

The buzz in the handlebars had my hands tingling after an unfortunate 2-hour
interstate drone.  I'm hoping that the extra weight of the T'meister will
cancel some vibrations.  The stock bar-ends are scrawny!

Here's what I was working on earlier...

Subject: Initial impressions with my FJR1300AE
(NGPZC, unless smooth, strong inline-4 power counts as GPZC...)

The missus & I just returned from a weekend jaunt to visit family in CT on
~600 mi. of hilly, curvy terrain with a little slab, some potholes & a few
frost heaves thrown in for good measure.  There were plenty of exploited
passing opportunities and only a couple officer-induced pucker moments.
Overall a great trip!

The FJR is a heluva bike.  VERY smooth, polished ride.  As much go-fast
power as you'd ever need, with downshifts for passing entirely optional.
Did I mention the shifting?  Yeah, that's pretty cool.  It works about 99.1%
as perfectly as I'd want it to and probably as well as anything like it
could work.  My only complaints are that I can't squeeze the clutch in and
coast while I shake/stretch my right arm (Throttlemeister goes on next week)
and that I can't play with the throttle ("vroom, vroom") when I come to a
stop or whatever.  Also, twice when coming to a stop, I rolled on a little
throttle as I squeezed the brake, which was a little funky.

The windscreen is good though airflow could definitely be smoother.  I
wonder how well those VStream shields work... It's got a decent stock
saddle, though I'll admit, I've added a BeadRider and I don't care if it
makes me look like a cab driver!  It's no Russell, etc., I'm sure, but it
definitely doesn't suck.  Saddlebags aren't as sweet as the VFR's, but they
definitely don't suck.  I strapped a waterproof duffle to the luggage rack
(Givi + backrest setup mysteriously delayed from TwistedThrottle.com) which
worked well enough minus a very light scuff on the tail plastics.

Any questions, fire off.  No "Nigerian Scams" please..  ;)

-Rob