Yamaha FJR1300 (ABS) reviews

This bike is everything it claims to be and then some. I cannot believe the power and nimble handling from such a "big bike", far more agile then my previous bike a Kawasaki Concours. This bike just beats all others hands down on being a great mix of sport/touring. Show less

I am so excited the cool weather is coming to TN. soon. So this Fall I can really enjoy my FJR. I invested in heated grips last November when I bought and some good protective clothing. Much easier to wear in the coming months. The FJR's power is incrediable, best at 80-90. I must say this is a lot of bike for my size. Seat is my next purchase for my little butt. Then I'll be set. I find it you have to be careful when you drop the bags, it's not as nimble as the croch rockets and it suits me find for an overnight travel. Not real good to jump on to run down to get milk at the convient store. The heat from engine could be routed better but what the heck it moves so fast who cares. Can't say enough good things about it. Now just have to look out for the deer's! cb Show less

Having owned about 25 other motorcycles including a BMW k1200rs and a Honda st1300 and having ridden about 250,000 miles, I finally decided to get an '05 fjr. It is a remarkable motorcycle! I just finished a 2,500 mile ride cut short by the recent hurricane, and this bike tracks on the interstate like a slot car. I spent most of my time in the 75-80 mph and an occasional 100. Not a stutter, a bikefire, just a bike that loves to be ridden! It absolutely outhandles the Honda and the BMW and while they are both terrific bikes, the Yamaha just feels so much more alive - and it handles better. This is not a bike for a beginner but for those experienced riders looking for comfort and a ton of power! Show less

If you're looking for an inexpensive H.D. substitute with a big fat seat that you and your old lady can tool around on, don't buy this bike.
If you like candy colored flower child paint jobs with all the chrome glitter, don't buy this bike.
If you ride around corners in the vertical position, don't buy this bike.
If you want a bike that sounds tuff and goes slow, don't buy this bike.
If you're afraid to open the throttle because the front wheel might come off the pavement, don't buy this bike.
If you're looking for a gas-hog that can't go past a gas station without filling up, don't buy this bike.
If you like paying big money for mediocre engineering just so you can wave the flag, don't buy this bike.
On the other hand, if you're like me and you want a superbly engineered bike that can cut around corners horizontally, accelerate so fast it will take your breath away, stop on a dime with 9 cents change, bypass so many gas stations you'll actually forget that sooner or later you will have to fill it up again, ride two up in comfort and look like it's going 100 mph on it's center stand... BUY THIS BIKE!!! Show less

Purchased this bike 5/27/05. I've logged in over 6000 miles so far. I feel that Yamaha has built this bike for me personally. I can't get enough of it. There's plenty of power on tap to do any kind of riding. The ABS is a Godsent for those rainy days. Plenty of wind and rain protection from fairings and shield.( the stock shield could use a few mor inches of hieght.) The hard bags provide sufficient storage for a weekends worth of clothes and gear for rider. I recommend a top case for two up touring. For now I use a tailpack strapped to the rear rack. I can squeeze 250 miles out of the 6.6 gal tank if I keep my right wrist in check. But it's too much fun to wring it out when opportunities arise. This bike loves to cruise at speeds the local law enforcements tend to frown upon. I highly recommend this bike to anyone who likes to ride a powerful motorcyle, but does't want to be hugging a gas tank all day. Show less

I LOVE MY 1300. It is at its best at 40-90mph.I went from a Honda Valkyrie for four years to this delight. Agile and mobile is how I describe it. Seat is not the best so you might want to check out another seat but that is just my opinion. Show less

Pros: The bike handles great, pulls like a freight train, looks good, has excellent fit and finish, very good mileage (averaging 43 mpg), good mirrors, runs fine of regular unleaded, and shifts smoothly
Cons: The seat isn't as comfortable as it could be (kind of narrow), it generates some heat although I've felt worse, and the owner's manual is pretty rudimentary compared to my other four bikes' manuals. Show less

I test rode the 2004 BMW K1200GT and the 2004 Honda ST1300. I couldn't get a test ride on the FJR1300, but I agreed with everything the article had to say about the ST1300 and the K1200GT. Based on that, and what they wrote about the FJR1300, ranking it first ahead of the other two, I bought the 2005 FJR1300. The FJR1300 is the sort of bike that makes me look forward to my commute. It has huge power, everywhere, it has an all-day comfortable riding position. It's not as comfortable as my Goldwing, but it's certainly comfortable enough for a 1000-mile day. It has great luggage for around-town errands. It holds my XXL full-face helmet in either side bag. The biggest surprise of all is how nimble the bike is in the twisties. It feels way lighter than its wet weight at speed, and the brakes are incredible. The Bridgestone BT020s that came on the bike new were good for about 8000 miles. There was a little cupping in the front at the 7500 mile mark. The grip and wet manners of the tires were fantastic. I'm considering buying them again. The pegs scrape a little early for my taste, but there's plenty of bag clearance after the pegs hit. Also, not that you'd want to abuse a bike in such a way, but throttle-only wheelies are possible in first or second on this bike. I describe it's power delivery as very similar to pulling a trigger. At 70 mph, should you decide that you want to go from being behind the brain dead cager talking on the phone in the left lane to in front of said cager, the time it takes to do it is far less than the time to finish reading this sentence. All in all, I'm extremely pleased with the bike. Show less

This bike has already amazed me with only 1800 miles on the ticker. I have owned 7 sport bikes from 1990 early CBR to '02 GSXR 1100. I also had a drag bike for about 6 years. Not bragging, just explaining that this bike, while comfortable to ride, is very powerful. I read another review about the limiter at 150mph, bummer I had mine at 135mph last week and was hoping for 175mph. Anyhow if you like comfort, power and luggage space this is the bike! Show less

Having owned the FJR since August, I've had time to get over the inital rush of this machine. It's not as nimble as an ST4, as heavy, expensive or comfortable as a ST1300, nor as fast as a ZZR1200. But all things combined, it is really hard to beat the FJR overall. It has a lot of horsepower and low end torque. I have ridden 920 miles in one day with this machine and it performed flawlessly. The valve adjustment interval is 24,000 miles and almost no one has had to adjust them then. Oil changes are every 4k miles, but takes a max of 15 minutes to perform, as the oil filter and drain plug are in easy access. The brakes are excellent and it is relatively sure footed. My only real complaint with the bike is that the rear shock is a throwaway, pre-load adjustable only and is undersprung for anyone over 180 lbs. I have also did some modifications to the bike to make it more comfortable as you can see below. Show less