I've had a chance to put some 150-200 mile day trips and the bike just eats up the miles on the highway. Around town it's just as much fun. I was thinking about the Goldwing, but I don't think I'd use that when going out for stamps or small errands for how big the thing is. With the bags on and...
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I've had a chance to put some 150-200 mile day trips and the bike just eats up the miles on the highway. Around town it's just as much fun. I was thinking about the Goldwing, but I don't think I'd use that when going out for stamps or small errands for how big the thing is. With the bags on and the suspension setting on soft, I ride for hours and am never tired. With it on hard and the bags off, it's much more aerodynamic and can keep up with anything out there, it's really like having 2 bikes in one. I've only noticed the heat problem on hot days, when the gas tank is close to empty, and stuck in a traffic jam. The hard bags are nice but I wish they were top loading, they hold plenty for a weekend trip and you'll be amazed how handy it is to have a bike with hard luggage for stuff like shopping if you're moving up from a sport bike with zero cargo capacity, it's a real luxury. Power from the engine is almost limitless, it's just like others have said. Dump the throttle in third gear and you'll start to time travel. Shaft drive and fuel injection means silky smooth power. The ABS already saved my butt once when a lady in a Toyota swerved right into me, it felt like a parachute got deployed and I heard the chirp chirp chirp of the ABS kicking in as the light came on. Get the ABS model, don't skimp on that, especially in the rain it's gonna save you from at least one accident over the years. Downsides? There's not many, and all of them can be fixed with aftermarket goodies. I may go for a taller windscreen, the stock one does a pretty good job though, it's much better than some who complain about it and the taller one is only like $124 bucks. I wish the pegs were larger and don't know of any aftermarket ones (but also I have big feet. Also I had the bike painted red as the silver color was too boring. The new '05s look great in blue. Summary: This bike offers astounding performance as a sport bike, and also eats up the miles for long trips. I checked out the H-D Fatboy and rented one for a day, and when I got back on the FJR it was like "so glad I didn't buy the Fatboy!". The suspension is confidence inspiring, and the fairing lockable compartment is so handy to have. I just don't think they will ever come out with a bike that's better than this, it's a keeper!
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