Oct 28, 2007 ... diversity of FJR owners and of the places you choose to tour. ... ply “thanks” in the
message to Yamaha section. ... 2005 and 2006 models are the most satis- fied:
over 95% of ... with parts and accessory avail- ability: 67.2% of ...
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Yamaha FJR1300 Owners’ Survey Results
by Franke Santos
T
HANKS TO ALL the diligent FJR owners who responded to our survey. Over 530 responses poured into our offices over the past several weeks, and now we’re ready to share those results with you. Thank you also for sharing your pictures with us. It was incredible to see the diversity of FJR owners and of the places you choose to tour. Many owners detailed their love for their bikes, with many owners saying simply “thanks” in the message to Yamaha section. Many others felt it was missing several important features but still loved it anyway.
Owner Profile Most owners were men between the ages of 50 and 64, with the 50–54 contingent making up almost 25% of the group. Model years 2005 and 2006 made up almost equal percentages, about 28%. Most (87%) bought new. Only 7.4% of owners had an AE model (electric shift with ABS), which came out in the 2006 model year. In terms of satisfaction, owners of the 2005 and 2006 models are the most satisfied: over 95% of owners of those model years rated their bikes a 4 or a 5. Brand loyalty is very strong among owners: Almost 94% of all owners said they would buy another Yamaha based on their experience with the FJR, and 21.9% previously owned other Yamahas.
Owners were less satisfied with parts and accessory availability: 67.2% of owners rated availability as above average or excellent, while 22.3% rated it as average. About 10% gave this a low score. Several owners noted that it took weeks to get certain parts, with a long backorder period. Over 80% of owners said that they used their bikes for weekend rides. About 68% of owners use their FJRs for touring. Our respondents are experienced riders: more than 50% had owned eight or more motorcycles before owning the FJR, and one owner reported owning more than 35! Previous Honda owners made up 30.9% of the FJR owners, 17.7% had owned BMWs and 11.3% had owned Kawasakis. Judging from your responses about tour length, we probably should have added a blank that asked you where your favorite touring spots are. Naturally, mountainous regions with their attendant twisties were a favorite spot, which is evident from your pictures. Interestingly, almost a quarter of readers said they camp while touring. Those who took tours longer than 2500 miles camped the most: 32.9%. Definitely a good way to stretch out your money so you can ride more miles.
2007 model
Why Buy? The most cited reason for buying an FJR was power and performance. That’s not surprising, considering that the 2006 FJR made 121.2 rwhp @ 7750 and 87.4 lb./ft. of torque @ 6500 in our last test. Of course, we loved seeing that the second most cited reason was MCN’s reviews, at 30.4%. Other magazine reviews trailed a bit, at 29.9%. Other reasons included styling (26.7%), previous Yamaha ownership (19.1%) and reliability (15.9%). Some of the write-in reasons cited included reviews from online FJR forums, electric shift and fit. Sales of FJRs has increased 1.1% over last year, according to the latest Motorcycle Industry Council numbers. In the last 12 months, 10,800 FJRs were sold in the US, making Yamaha the No. 2 sport-touring brand with 26.2% of that segment. BMW is the No. 1 sport-touring brand, with 38%, a number that includes several models.
Common Mechanical Problems 53%
25% 17%
Excessive Sudden Throttle Engine Response Heat
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15%
Faulty Weak Throttle Rear Shock Pos. Sensor
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Gary Whitten of Creswell, OR celebrates reaching Windy Ridge near the summit of Mount St. Helens. Gary owns a 2006 FJR which he uses for weekend rides and touring.
MOTORCYCLE CONSUMER NEWS
Previous Brands Owned 31%
Honda Yamaha
22% 18%
BMW Kawasaki H-D Suzuki Other
11% 7% 6% 7% Wendy and Mike Loomer of Wofford Heights, CA reach the Arctic Circle. Mike proposed to Wendy while they were riding their FJRs, and they rode away from their wedding on the bikes! Wendy, a Yamaha certified technician, writes of an ongoing problem with valve ticking, and repeated blown head cover gaskets.
Mechanical Problems The most commonly reported problem with the FJR was excessive engine heat, at 51.7%. Addressed by the factory with changes on the 2006 model, engine heat drew complaints from 59.0% of 2004 owners and 57.6% of 2005 model owners. Surprisingly, only about 40% of owners of ’04 and ’05 models have performed modifications to their bikes to address the heat issue. About 25.1% of owners reported sudden throttle response as an issue, and it was worst in 2006, at 39.8%. Other common problems included a weak rear shock (17.1%), a faulty throttle position sensor (16.7%) and valve tick at high rpm (9.5%). Other sporadically reported problems included the clutch not disengaging fully or sticky clutch plates, and chipping paint.
Tires Michelin led the pack with FJR owners, with 19.4% saying they preferred the
Michelin Pilot Road, while 17.8% preferred the Metzeler Roadtec Z6. Avon tires placed third (16.2%) and fifth (8.7%), with the AV45-ST/46-ST Azaro and AV/55/56 Storm ST. The stock Bridgestone BT020s came in fourth with 12.9% of the vote. Metzeler MEZ4, the other stock tire fitment, came in sixth. Most riders get between 5000 and 10,000 miles from a rear tire. About 22% of owners who fitted Avon AV45-ST/46ST Azaros got 10,000 to 15,000 from their rear tires, the highest percentage of the top five tires. Azaros were also the least expensive of the top five, at around $325 for a set. Small percentages of owners preferred other tires, including: Metzeler MEZ2 and ME880, Pirelli Diablo Strada, Bridge-
Tire Preferences 17%
16%
16%
10%
10% 7%
7%
16%
stone BT021, Continental ContiRoadAttack and Michelin Pilot Power.
Accessories A touring bike is almost naked without accessories. The most common aftermarket accessory added to the FJR was a different windshield, at 44.0% and a couple of readers mentioned adding a Laminar Lip. Handlebar relocation kits and throttle locks were also popular. Many people changed their seats, and of those, Corbin had the largest share at 37.9%, followed by Sargent Cycle Products at 20.4% and Rick Mayer Cycle at 17.5%. About 12% of owners decided to change their rear shock, and of those, more than half (52.2%) went with a Wilbers shock. Many owners felt the FJR needed a sixth gear, which might reduce the vibration that a few owners complained about. One owner wrote, “please follow BMW and smooth out engine and add (a) sixth gear.” No one praised the five speed, though in our 11% August 2006 comparison with the BMW K1200GT, we found the transmission adequate given the engine’s torque.
4%
Message To Yamaha 2%
Metzeler Avon AV Michelin Avon AV B’stone Pilot Storm ST BT020 Azaro Roadtec Road Z6
Metzeler MEZ4
Pirelli Diablo Strada
B’stone BT021
Metzeler MEZ4
Other
Several owners proclaimed their love for their FJRs. “Great bike! Best bike I’ve ever owned,” wrote Mark Lutterman of Duluth, MN. Another owner wrote “this bike
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Feature Aftermarket adds 44%
42% 38%
26%
25%
23%
21%
19%
16%
Windshield Handlebar Throttle Relocation Lock Kit
Marc Berger of Canton, MA visits Shasta Trinity National Forest in Northern California. He owns a 2004 FJR which he uses for touring.
has the best combination of style, looks, power, performance and comfort of the 13 motorcycles I have owned.” Mark LeMire of New Jersey said “two months ago we did an 1800-mile trip through the Adirondacks, and can tell you that the biggest problem was trying to stop smiling to decide where to go next.” Michael McCarter of San Diego said he loves the bike’s handling and smooth ride and performance through the twisties. He tries to ride almost every weekend with his wife, Judi, who also owns an FJR. She writes, “The FJR performs and rides like a sportbike with the comfort of a touring
bike. I love the sporty sleek design too. Other sport-touring bikes are just too big and bulky.” But there were several things that FJR owners felt were missing. Besides the sixth gear, owners resoundingly wanted a taller windscreen, a softer seat, self-canceling turnsignals and more adjustability. Short and tall riders said they felt the bike didn’t fit them well, so perhaps this will lead to Yamaha offering greater adjustability: more seat options, more lever options, more peg options. Considering that 42.2% of owners fitted a handlebar relocation kit to their bike, it sounds like more handlebar position options should be added to future models. On the options side, owners desired
Judi and Michael McCarter of San Diego recently toured Palomar Mountain, CA. Judi writes, “Please make a sport-touring bike to fit a small short person. There are many short men as well as women that would ride if the bike fit them.” She has a 28" inseam and added a 1 1/4" sole to her Sidi boots to reach the ground better. 30
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MOTORCYCLE CONSUMER NEWS
Seat
Frame Sliders
Heated Grips
Topbox
GPS
heated grips, cruise control, power outlets, frame sliders and more colors. Red seemed to be the most requested color. A reader from Grapevine, TX, wrote “the FJR is a moderately capable sporttourer that still retains some significant flaws, some of which could be improved at little or no cost: glove box, fuse panel access, rear fender.” Owners of 2003 to 2005 models really want a factory kit that can fix the FJR’s excessive heat problem. One owner who said he would not buy another Yamaha was mad that there was not a fix for his bike: “I called you about the heat problem on my 2005, you denied there was one, you fix the problem in 2006 and offer me nothing, never again!”
Kathryn Seymour of Taber, Alberta, owns a 2003 FJR outfitted with a Rich’s Custom Saddle, an aftermarket windshield, handlebar relocation kit, heated grips and frame sliders. She wishes that Yamaha would admit to a problem with the FJR’s valve guides and come up with a proper fix.
To help out owners of 2003–2005 models, MCN contributor Tracy Martin wrote a how-to on heatproofing the FJR in the May 2005 issue. It involved blocking the opening behind the front fairing, which prevents hot air from reaching the rider, and insulating the back of the gastank. Tracy estimated that heat was reduced by 60% on the left, 30% on the right and 50% at the back of the tank. Dealers were given somewhat average marks, with 68.5% of owners rating their dealer with a 4 or a 5. However, 18.7% rated their dealer just a 3, 6.7% a 2, and 6.1% a 1. Compared to previous surveys we’ve conducted, that many 1s and 2s does not bode well for Yamaha dealers. Wendy Loomer of Wofford Heights, CA owns a 2005 model and wrote about her repeated trouble with Yamaha involving the valve tick at high rpm, among other problems. “It’s amazing how many techs, service writers, service managers, etc, have never heard of this problem, and when they call Yamaha for insight or authorization they are told by Yamaha that they have never heard of the problem either.” We included it in our survey after repeated letters from our readers. Another owner writes, “great bike but crappy dealer. Bike components were poorly or improperly installed on initial assembly.”
Conclusion Though our survey respondents perceive Yamaha as being unresponsive to
Matt Hagman of Ham Lake, MN owns a 2006 FJR which he uses for both commuting and touring. He writes that the FJR has a “great engine, great power.”
some customer complaints, overall, owners seem to be extremely satisfied with their FJR. And their experience has caused them to be incredibly loyal to the Yamaha brand, which presents a marketing and engineering challenge to competitors like Honda, BMW and Kawasaki. It’s too early to tell if Kawasaki’s Concours 14 can turn the table on the FJR, but our first impression (September ’07) is that Yamaha now has real challenger.
Jon Spittle of York, PA writes that many Yamaha dealers aren’t too familiar with the FJR unless they have staff knowledgeable about sport-touring. Fellow riders often mistake his bike for a BMW, something that does not surprise him. “BMW riders appreciate the FJR and welcome its riders into their fold,” he says.
However, the large numbers of prior Honda owners now riding FJRs shows that Honda must improve the ST1300. But a group like our survey respondents—older, affluent and with lots of motorcycling experience—will demand that Yamaha fight for their motorcycling dollar with more features and options, improved dealer service and better factory response. And if they don’t receive those things from Yamaha, they may seek to spend their money elsewhere.
Robert Steckel of Pine Mountain Club, CA owns a 2005 FJR and says he is very satisfied with the bike, but gives both his dealer and parts and accessory availability only average marks. He’d like better dry weather braking from the ABS and wider mirrors. Visit us at WWW.MCNEWS.COM
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