Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128211
many of the BMW bags that lose a lot of space on the exhaust side due to the routing of the pipe, the Yamaha bags are the same capacity on both sides. Additionally, there is a small new storage compartment that is servo operated, opening only when the bike is in neutral and the key is on. Just a tip, don't put your cell phone in there, because if the bike's battery dies, you won't be getting into the compartment to call for help. The fairings now feature new integrated front turn signals, which replace the old stalk signals. The multireflector beam headlights are adjustable for different preferences for their beam angles. The adjusters reside just under the instrument cluster on the dash. Speaking of the dash, all of the information that you MOTOR The motor is largely unchanged for 2004, but here is the basic information on the powerplant. The FJR's I 298cc, 16-valve motor is based on the company's cutting-edge YZF-R1 sportbike. It features that engine's same stacked gearbox layout, which allows the motor to be more compact and also adds to the rigidity of the package. The bore and stroke dimensions measure 79 x 66.2mm, with the forged slugs attached to carburized connecting rods. The engine features twin counterbalancers to keep vibration to a minimum. Fuel injection is handled by a closed loop system with a bank of 48mm throttle bodies. The engine feeds the power to the low maintenance shaft drive. Although a lot of people may like the fact that they don't have to worry about the final drive too often, it kind of annoys me. I hate the fact that when the throttle is chopped abruptly, such as in a sportier riding situation, the shaft drive makes the motor drag. Kind of like severe compression braking, but that is just the nature of shaft drive, and I'm sure that once accustomed to it, it isn't a big deal. CHASSIS The chassis has multiple changes for 2004, but the biggest is the addition of ASS. The brakes feature brandnew 320mm rotors, which were increased from 298mm on last year's model. Their thickness has been reduced from 5 to 4.5mm, and the number of pins connecting them to the carriers has been reduced to six from 10. The new "Brembo style" master cylinder has a 16mm bore diameter up from 14. The lever itself is adjustable in five increments. The calipers are the same four-piston monoblock units as the R1 has. This brings us to the ASS system itself, which is a nonintegrated system, meaning that the front and rear brakes are not linked and are operated independently. Information is fed to the computer via a pair of wheelspeed sensors telling the computer how to modulate the ABS. The could ever wish to have is right in front of you. The analog tach and brakes have that noticeable pulsing at impeding lockup, which lets you know that they are working and is just the nature of the system. The suspension on the FJR has that features a bar-style fuel gauge, been updated for 2004, with the forks getting progressively stiffer by 10 want, then look no further than the percent 91mm into their stroke. spring rates on the twin stacked springs have also been changed are now 15-percent stiffer each. The rear and The rear shock also features a unique lever to instantly change the preload from a softer setting. for one-up riding to a stiffer setup for carrying a passenger or riding with a heaVily loaded bike. We didn't really have any complaints with the suspension on last year's bike, but if they feel that's what it needed, we won't complain. It would take a lot of Coors Light cans to form the beefy, all-aluminum chassis on the FJR, especially from the headstock down to the forward engine mounts, not to mention that the aluminum subframe is pretty substantial itself. The forks are 48mm right-side-up units and are fully adjustable. The FJR handles better than it has a with ease in handling big Around town right to; the bike turns the tighter stuff while sweepers even better. the bike feels very bal- anced, carrying its weight pretty low speedo are joined by an LCD display temperature gauge, huge clock, and twin trip meters. If huge is what you turn signal indicators on the dash, which border on the obnoxious. As for the riding position, you can't really go wrong with the highrise aluminum handlebars and the comfortable upright riding position for those long stints in the saddle. Those stints should be fairly lengthy due to the bike's 6.6-gallon fuel capacity that should have you longing to give your legs a stretch anyway. Yamaha is also offering a bunch of accessories that will make the FJR even more functional, like a top-mounted touring trunk, touring seat with an optional passenger backrest, the aforementioned taller windscreen, and the heated grip kit. As I said at the beginning, if you want one, get down to your local dealer and put your deposit down; otherwise you'll miss out for at least another year. The FJR is only available in the Cerulean Silver color scheme and runs $11,599 for the non-ABS version and $12,599 for the ABS-equipped version. eN in the frame. In slow moving traffic the FJR feels perfectly balanced, never begging you to put your feet down "just in case." For ease of maintenance the FJR comes standard with a center stand. AODITIONAL FEATURES One key-touring feature that was changed for 2004 is the FJR's new 40mm (1.6 inch) taller electronically adjustable windscreen, and there is still an optional windscreen that is even taller. The magic button on the left turn signal housing tilts it to within 23 degrees of vertical for those chilly or rainy days. The standard color-matched 7.9gallon side cases are roomy and UST PRICE $11,599/$12,599 DISPLACEMENT ...•.••.••......................................1298cc ENGINE TYPE Uquid-cooled, in-line four·cylinder 79 x 62.2mm BORE x STROKE 10.8:1 COMPRESSION RATIO CARBaRETION .......................................•............EFJ IGNmON Digital Tel TRANSMISSION ......•• ~ •.•..•...............................Five-speed STARTING SYSTEM ...................••..•..•••................EJectri<: FaEL CAPACITY ..............•••.••••••........................6.6 gal. WHEELBASE ........................................•••........60.6 in. RAKEITRAIL ...........................................••.........N/A SEAT HEIGHT .................................••.••••..........32.2 in. FRONT TIRE ............................•.••.•...............120/70· 17 REAR TIRE ..............................•.•.................180/55·17 FRONT·WHEEL TRAVEL 5.4 in. REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL .4.8 in. FRONT BRAKE Dual 320mm discs/Nonintegrated ABS REAR BRAKE .single 282rnm disc FINAL DRIVE Shaft CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT ........•..••••••..................537 Ibs,J553 Ibs. come with a removable liner. Unlike cue I e n e _ s • APRIL 30.2003 15