Thoughts on FJR 1300

[Jedz123]

Yes it's Italian....very "frasheel"

Might be a bowling ally...

OK OK, we are totally getting distracted

[hjfisk]

The dealer down the end of the road has both the FJR and a Connie, 04 FJ and a 08 Connie, both are priced for fall clearance . I hope to find time tomorrow to go and take them both out for comparison purposes. Both have higher miles but very clean( both just over 60K .) They are asking 3k for the FJ and $5200. For the Connie

[lurch12_2000]

The dealer down the end of the road has both the FJR and a Connie, 04 FJ and a 08 Connie, both are priced for fall clearance . I hope to find time tomorrow to go and take them both out for comparison purposes. Both have higher miles but very clean( both just over 60K .) They are asking 3k for the FJ and $5200. For the Connie

Dealer overpriced for high mileage bikes?

Same Connie with fraction of the miles and could probably had for even less.

http://burlington.craigslist.org/mcy/5300133520.html

NOTE: I just notcied it's not running.

Better deal on an FJR?

http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/mcy/5308119321.html

[Jedz123]

The dealer down the end of the road has both the FJR and a Connie, 04 FJ and a 08 Connie, both are priced for fall clearance . I hope to find time tomorrow to go and take them both out for comparison purposes. Both have higher miles but very clean( both just over 60K .) They are asking 3k for the FJ and $5200. For the Connie

Jim they didn't release the Gen 2 FJR till 2006. That's the bike you want and the one I can strongly recommend. The Gen1's are good bikes but I hear the vibration at highway speeds is an unacceptable problem for a touring machine. I also know the valve seals are more prone to premature failure and can cause smoking and oil consumption issues. 60K is pretty high for a gen1 FJR and I would hesitate greatly on spending the $$$ on one. To get into the ST realm on a younger machine (miles) and year I'd budget at least $6K. Also the Gen1 FJR is not a GEN2 FJR. It would be like riding a ZX-14 to see what Connie 14 felt like ( I know not the best comparison). Just two different bikes based on similar platforms.

Dealer overpriced for high mileage bikes?

Same Connie with fraction of the miles and could probably had for even less.

http://burlington.craigslist.org/mcy/5300133520.html

NOTE: I just notcied it's not running.

Better deal on an FJR?

http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/mcy/5308119321.html

Like I said Stay away from the Gen 1 FJR, if your looking for a well sorted tourer wait and nab a Gen 2 FJR or a C14.

As for the Connie if the K-PASS system is compromised look to spend $thousands$ I know Fobs are near $500 each before programming in which you need all legal paper work to get sorted at a certified Kawasaki dealer. If the K-PASS system it's self is compromised look to spend thosee big bucks for it's tied into the ECU system (and ABS if equipped) and put the bike's electrical system into lock down and costs a fortune for the dealer to get it sorted... You could only spend $500 but likely look to spend more.. K-PASS on board diagnostics is the LCD display and if that's unresponsive your looking at replacing all those components to get it to work. The usual issue is if someone tries to jump the bike off a running car... It frys the K-PASS and your F'd... It's in the users manual to only start the bike off a fully charged battery.

FYI

[GS1150Pilot]

I don't think it's exactly on the level to state categorically that the Gen 1 FJR is lemon-like. It's not. As I said, I have friends who have ridden them, and the one who put 70K on one did it on an '03-and that bike is still running very well (we still see the bike at bike nights). Neither of the guys I know who have them have had a single hiccup or reliability issue. In 2011, Cycle World listed the Gen 1 FJR as a number one used bike buy.

[Jedz123]

I don't think it's exactly on the level to state categorically that the Gen 1 FJR is lemon-like. It's not. As I said, I have friends who have ridden them, and the one who put 70K on one did it on an '03-and that bike is still running very well (we still see the bike at bike nights). Neither of the guys I know who have them have had a single hiccup or reliability issue. In 2011, Cycle World listed the Gen 1 FJR as a number one used bike buy.

I was strongly advised to not look for them due to vibration issues, possible vale seal and head gasket failure issues that were completely knocked out from the release of the Gen 2. I know an acquaintance that has over 100k on his gen 1 FJR and still rides it almost everyday, no issues and love his bike. I also met a gentleman on the road that had a gen 1 FJR that blew it's head gasket at 110K miles and left him stranded thousands of miles from home, however he loved the bike and bought a Gen 2 FJR which he was riding. He said the gen 2 was a better bike then his gen 1. Your right Pilot it's a good machine and it's not a lemon. I guess the point I'm pressing is the Gen 2 is the better machine, refined and it's been fixed from all the gen 1 short comings. It was that gentleman I met on the road (Deal's gap exactly) that put the ST seed in my head for I was really not happy with the B-king for my trip. That's why when I first started looking for ST's I was focused mainly on a Gen 2 FJR.

Really personal preference.

[eddie21]

Typical FJR rider? lol

[Rob S.]

I'm so old I remember when the FJ was cutting-edge sportbike.

[GS1150Pilot]

If I were in the market for a modern sport-tourer, I'd be all over an early FJR. That said, I like old stuff, so I'll stick to the hard decision between various vintage BMWs.

[Jedz123]

If I were in the market for a modern sport-tourer, I'd be all over an early FJR. That said, I like old stuff, so I'll stick to the hard decision between various vintage BMWs.

One of my Bosses is on the same boat. He has a K100 with over 160K miles... Of course he's spent a small fortune in keeping it on the road for the past 3 decades but loves it. However his wife had one look at my bike and told him he had to get that next .

[trevor]

One of my Bosses is on the same boat. He has a K100 with over 160K miles... Of course he's spent a small fortune in keeping it on the road for the past 3 decades but loves it. However his wife had one look at my bike and told him he had to get that next .

The wife is missing the soul in a K100 compared to the Tupperware Connie.

[RichDesmond]

The wife is missing the soul in a K100 compared to the Tupperware Connie.

Soul in K100?? Perhaps the most soulless, clinical, antiseptic bike ever made....

[trevor]

Soul in K100?? Perhaps the most soulless, clinical, antiseptic bike ever made....

And the connie has it?

[RichDesmond]

And the connie has it?

More than the K100.

As you may have figured out, I hate that bike. Haven't owed one (perish the thought!!) but have ridden a few. They always struck me as a bike designed by people who never rode, like BMW brought over a bunch of car engineers on a lark and mistakenly put into production the aberration they came up with.

[GS1150Pilot]

I have been looking at various K75s and a few R100s, both of which I like. Regarding spending a small fortune to keep them on the road, meh. Pretty sure they won't cost as much over three years as a new C14 does to buy, and we know Jedz will not have the C14 in three years. I always buy older vehicles. No depreciation, generally easier to work on and cheaper on parts (though BMW stuff is rather dear).

Still, for a full boat ubertourer, I'd take an FJR. One of my co-workers just bought a C14 in the metallic Kawi green. Good looking machine, but a great riding buddy bought one and said it was the only bike he'd ever bought that he failed to fall in love with. I think the FJR is a bit sharper, and at 100 pounds lighter, it'd be a more sprightly ride.