tips for long ride bikes e.g. fjr 1300

[ggg3]

hey guys,

 

 

i am searching for a bike to go for long distances like above 150km at some kind of average speed or a little bit faster the main thing is, that i can sit as comfortable as possible and that the bike is not too heavy (e.g. the hondy goldwing would be too heavy :-)) ), to turn round in the streets.

 

 i came across the yamaha fjr 1300 which looks pretty but also costs quite a much. do you have any alternatives ? i think a windshild is not the worst option so far, right ?

[upnatit]

hey guys,

 

 

i am searching for a bike to go for long distances like above 150km at some kind of average speed or a little bit faster the main thing is, that i can sit as comfortable as possible and that the bike is not too heavy (e.g. the hondy goldwing would be too heavy :-)) ), to turn round in the streets.

 

i came across the yamaha fjr 1300 which looks pretty but also costs quite a much. do you have any alternatives ? i think a windshild is not the worst option so far, right ?

 

There are a number of factors to consider. Firstly you height and weight play an important role. If you are short legged like me, some bikes don't have a good height adjustment option. I like to be able to plant both my feet on the ground when coming to a stop.

 

Secondly the areas you are going to ride - twisting roads or highway conditions. A touring bike like the fjr is not going to be as fun thru the twisties although after riding one, they do go pretty good.

 

Another consideration is the gear you want to carry and what can you fit on an individual bike. If you ride in an area where it rains all the time, you want to be able to carry all your wet weather gear with you.

.

Honestly you can pick up a pretty good second hand bike with low k's, usually owned by some bloke who only rode it once a month or less. Every bike I have bought has been second hand with less than 20000 k's and about a quarter of the price they were when new. I ride em to they stop going and get a another one, but I do 25000 to 30000 k's a years on em. I started off riding a lot of jap bikes but my preference at the moment is with triumphs. Very little problems with them compared to the issues I had with jap ones over the years.

 

There are so many variables in picking a bike and the best way is to go out and test ride a few.

 

 

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[ggg3]

thank you very much. concering the weight and height, i thought with my 183cm and 90kg i probably could ride most of the bikes. but you are absolutely right with the leg length, i also like to put both legs on the ground.

 

about the areas, well i live in the rural area near munich. so my wayss are mainly some kind of highways or trips to towns like munich.

 

 

concering the gear i thought there could be some gear available which is quite hidden in comparance to the supersport bike gear.for sure, weather conditions play an important role in that consideration. do you have any favourite company you like to wear ?

 

you put up an nice driving till death tactic i currently use for my car use but i never considered it for bikes as i was always quite fearful what might happen if they got so many miles and i am on a trip and the engine gets broke.....do you have any estimation when to sell a bike when they got many miles on it ? do you decide by mileage  or how do you decide when to leave/sell the bike and look for another one ?=

 

very interesting that you mention triumph bikes. i read a lot in german bike forums and the only thing i figured out is to avoid bmw cause of their many problems and expensive maintenace. in this progress i came across the yamaha fjr cause i read some problems on it too but in the averall view quite many agreed that it is a quite areliable bike. i just never read much about triumph in the forums...but now i especially looked for it and i am positively surprised. what kind of triumph bike do you currently favour ? how do you value a windshield at higher speed like above 150 km/h ?

[Atlas]

Mate I have owned an FJR1300 since new, 10yrs now, 110,000 wonderful kms... Highly recommend them. 

 

Heaps of storage in panniers and top box, I also have a tank bag for the longer trips. Being a Sports / Tourer you can have fun in the twisties without having sore wrists and then do long day hauls with no problem. The adjustable winscreeen is great for rain or when its cold. 

 

Even though she is 10yrs old I could still jump on her tomorrow and ride around Australia no problem. Good in town and also great on fuel, about 20kms per litre on regular unleaded. 

 

You could do a lot worse than an FJR mate.

[ggg3]

thanks for sharing your great experience, atlas. does your fjr already have the abs included by the way ?

 

wow, sounds amazing. how long can you do tours without getting sore on the seat ? do you have the standard seat or any customized seat ?

[Atlas]

Mate I have been riding for 30yrs so I can ride a fair way... I have standard seat with an air hawk on it .... I have done 1000 km days... and every thing is sore !!!!

 

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Yes I actually waited for the ABS model to get here

 

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[ggg3]

good damn, 1000 km a day is absolutly amazing. for sure i can believe that afterwards everything is sore. can you walk away from the bike after such trip alone ?:-)

 

 

did u ever get in a situation where you really felt the work of the abs ? do you recommend it over bikes without any ?

 

concering tires for the fjr, do you have any favourite ? because on a car i think michelin tires are superior to others for my use.

[Atlas]

Sadly a couple of times the ABS has come into its own. ..not my fault but that doesn't matter when I am the one lying on the ground ! So can highly recommend ABS.

 

Tyres, can't recall what types are on it but the standard ones were ok

 

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[ggg3]

damn, that sounds hard. did you ever have some kind of crash where you had to repair the fjr ? i mean is it repairable to some extend with "average prizes"?

[jojo90]

I rode Saigon to Hanoi (with a trip south round the Mekong Delta & A trip from Hanoi to Sapa). Probably put 4,500-5,500km on the bike.

 

What did I ride?

 

A Chinese copy of a Honda Win 110CC Motorbike. Bought it for $250 and sold it for $280 . 

 

Tips from me would be something that is comfortable to ride. I ended up bungee-cording a pillow to the seat to save my ass. Make sure the right bits are adjustable so you can get the perfect fit. Second tip, and this is essential in my view for multi day trips, is to have a bike that can be fixed at almost any garage. The Honda I had used generic Honda parts from the Scooters. There wasn't a mechanic we came across that couldn't fix her up. Thirdly make sure the bike has enough space for all the stuff you want to take. Pack your bag then throw half the crap you packed away. 

 

Next trip for me will be 6 months touring India on a fresh off the production line Royal Enfield.

 

Hope this helps... 

[Atlas]

Touch wood I never have am accident

 

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[ggg3]

thanks for sharing the information jojo90.how were you able to sell it at a higher price ? sounds incredible.did you add something extra ?:-)

 

thanks for your advices, i will keep them in mind. when u talk about the bike being able to be fixed by any mechanic, i will probably go for bikes with low power engines or ? as i thought the ones who have more power also have more complex electrics with them, right ?

 

 

what kind of bike will u choose for your india trip ?

[ggg3]

wow, good to hear atlas, i wish you any luck possible for your future rides that you can avoid any accident. have u ever bought any of those jacket airbags which came up the last 2-3 years ?

[upnatit]

thank you very much. concering the weight and height, i thought with my 183cm and 90kg i probably could ride most of the bikes. but you are absolutely right with the leg length, i also like to put both legs on the ground.

 

about the areas, well i live in the rural area near munich. so my wayss are mainly some kind of highways or trips to towns like munich.

 

 

concering the gear i thought there could be some gear available which is quite hidden in comparance to the supersport bike gear.for sure, weather conditions play an important role in that consideration. do you have any favourite company you like to wear ?

 

you put up an nice driving till death tactic i currently use for my car use but i never considered it for bikes as i was always quite fearful what might happen if they got so many miles and i am on a trip and the engine gets broke.....do you have any estimation when to sell a bike when they got many miles on it ? do you decide by mileage or how do you decide when to leave/sell the bike and look for another one ?=

 

very interesting that you mention triumph bikes. i read a lot in german bike forums and the only thing i figured out is to avoid bmw cause of their many problems and expensive maintenace. in this progress i came across the yamaha fjr cause i read some problems on it too but in the averall view quite many agreed that it is a quite areliable bike. i just never read much about triumph in the forums...but now i especially looked for it and i am positively surprised. what kind of triumph bike do you currently favour ? how do you value a windshield at higher speed like above 150 km/h ?

 

I have to agree, the FJR is a very comfortable bike to ride over long distances and does go thru the twisters pretty good. ABS is a fantastic option to have and if the bike comes with the option I would go for it. It is pretty hard to wear out a big engined bike and the 100000 km mark is only half of what I would expect out of a bike with a motor this big, as long as it is maintained. That is the key to the longevity of any bike. I drop the oil out of mine every 5000 k and have it serviced properly every 10000. However you will find the service lengths different between bikes as you do cars these days.

 

I did have 2 bikes up until recently. I still have my daily commute bike which is a triumph sprint 955. It is one of the last ones made in 2004. I love it as being a triple, it has plenty of get up and go and is nice on longer trips. I use it as my daily commute bike and have had it for 2 years and it had 20000 km on it when I bought it and it now has 72000. Have not had an issue with it. I will keep it to a point where a repair will outweigh the cost of buying another one. I will sell it to a wrecker. But in all honesty I am looking around for another good second hand one that I can store in the garage for when this one goes to motorbike heaven.

 

I also had 2011 triumph speed triple. This was my fanging bike and boy it was fun. However the minister of finance (the ex wife) won out and it was sold for financial reasons (she wanted a new car). Now I have got rid of her (and her car) I am starting to look at another bike. I am looking at an adventure bike and leaning more towards the triumph tiger then the BMW GS series. The BMW is a fantastic bike, but I can't justify the ongoing costs with repairs and services in comparison the the triumph.

 

There are a lot if great bikes out there and some real bargains to be had with blokes buying them with the intention of riding all the time, but them just sitting around gathering dust until their wife suggests they sell it.

 

Re your windshield question - the only advantage of a good high windshield is wind protection. Both my current bike and the speed triple had short screens and I could quite comfortably ride em at 150 km/h all day long ( not that I did as here in oz I would have no licence left 5555) if you have a lot if cold weather and rain etc a high windshield us an advantage. I live in a fairly warm climate where it is only slightly cold for only a months or two. I ride in all weather conditions and with the right gear you can be as dry as sitting in a car on a very wet day, or as cool or warm as you want to be. I have a wide variety of gear, however I do prefer my dri rider jacket and pants the most. I am 174cm and fairly stocky and there gear fits my short legs the best and is not too tight around the upper portions.

 

 

 

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[ggg3]

thanks for answering upnatit, now i have some kind of general overview. i did not expect that bike engines can take so much on them till they burst, it is really good to hear. so i think the best time to buy used bikes is probably between 20'km and 70'km, similar to a car or ? how do you value the current state of a bike during buying ? checking that all maintenance have been made in producer connected repair shops ?

 

concering the gear, do you recommend any special company for that ?

 

 

i think your further girls/wives will have no influence to take into consideration for future buys or ?:-)))

[Edge]

I'm confused, are we off round Isaan on this bike or where?

[ggg3]

i think it lead to some kind of general aspects of bikes and so on. i hope you arent confused anymore.

[upnatit]

thanks for answering upnatit, now i have some kind of general overview. i did not expect that bike engines can take so much on them till they burst, it is really good to hear. so i think the best time to buy used bikes is probably between 20'km and 70'km, similar to a car or ? how do you value the current state of a bike during buying ? checking that all maintenance have been made in producer connected repair shops ?

 

concering the gear, do you recommend any special company for that ?

 

 

i think your further girls/wives will have no influence to take into consideration for future buys or ?:-)))

 

I usually don't go anything more than 30000 km as it is usually easier to check on the owners "claimed service " Over 20000 and they should have had. Major service with valve clearances done and this depends on the service requirements for each manufacturer. Also I change my sprockets and chain every 30000 km so there is another expense. Belt driven bikes are different in this regard.

 

In comparison with engines you have a lot of different types and cylinder configurations. In simple terms, the bigger the motor, the less harder it has to work to accelerate and has lower revs at higher speeds. This all contributes to the overall longevity of an engine, but servicing is a key factor. The longer it goes the more value you get out of it.

 

As for the gear, I suggest you try it on and take it for a test ride. Most places here in Australia allow me to do it. It is more about comfort then anything. If you know the sizing you can do plenty of price comparisons online and eBay is a great start. One thing I might suggest is that when you buy a helmet, consider its Sharp rating. The more stars the better. Helmets are independently tested by this mob and are rated. The results are on their website. You will be quite surprised that some of the expensive helmets rate lower then some of the cheaper ones. But again - comfort and safety are paramount here.

 

In relation to the value of bike, just look online and see what bikes of a similar make and model are selling for in your country. It is pretty easy here in oz with a number of dedicated bike sales websites.

 

 

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[ggg3]

thanks for answering my questions,upnatit. i think now somehow i can figure it out how to do the first steps of my search.

[Edge]

i think it lead to some kind of general aspects of bikes and so on. i hope you arent confused anymore.

 

It's just that I think most people come to a different conclusion about which bike for SEA's roads as opposed to European etc.

 

My two last chosen long haul steeds in farangland.

.

[ggg3]

ah, now i think i really understand you. for sure, now you made it clear. i think these two general categories may be available. for faster speeds the right one, for getting everywhhere the left one, i think, right ?

[PepeLePew]

[ggg3]

thanks for this nice photo, i also liked ducati for their look. just when i read about them, it wasnt as positive as the look is and was.

 

triumph trophy se could be not the worst choice