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/1542395
Yamaha FJRI300AJAE r-tsl P81cE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . s13.499/$15,2S9 DtsPrAcEMEtrT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I2980c ENGlilE TYPE . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .liquid-cooled inline fourcYlinder BoRt xSTfio|G................79x62.2mm cot/tPBEssloN 8AT10 ................10.8:1 cABBURETloil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Efl tcl{tltoil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Diqiral Tcl IRAilSl\llSSl0l'l ........... . ...Fivs-speed STAR i{G SYSTEM .. ......... .....Elecrric FUELCAPACIIY ....................6.6 qal. WTEILBASE ..... .................606,n. 8Affi/TfiArl...........................ivA SEATHE|GHT.......................32.? in. Fnoill TtnE........... ...........120110-11 nEAnT|RE.......................18040-17 rRoNT-WHEEL TRAVEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.4 in. REAn-WHEEITnAVIL.................4.8 in. FRoilT BBAXE . . . . . .Dual disc w/ standard ABS nEAn BR'IXE............,...,........t}sc fl A[Dn|vE.........................sh.ft CLAIMED 08YWE|GHT...............582 h. --, T I hot air out and away from the rider and motorcycle, there s a hrger heat oudet that allows cold air to dri\.e away the hot air. This works in coniunction with a new curved radi_ ator which uses twin-ring hns that are direct- ed to force hot air out of the cowling- The FJR also gets the ventilation from under the new windscreen with the air com- ing out iust under the instrumem Panel- More air intakes have also been added to the out- side of $e headlights, which have also been redesigned and are now adiustable via a knob on the inside of the fairinS. Addhionally, a heat shield has been added between the engine and the fuel tank, and there's a lomm-higher air channel that floYvs below the tank, which still retains its 6-5-8al- lon capacity, UJt with a reserve that's been increased from 1.3 to 1.5 gallons. To funher try and turn Palm Springs-like heat into Newport Beach cool, the FjRl300 now has adjustable lowers an the knee area. an accessory box with a DC power orJput located wi*in its I -liter .apacity, with vr'hich you could charge your phone, iPod, or other srnall electrical device. The other differ- ence with this year's box is that it can be opened anytime the ignition is on ahd can be closed at any time. Last year's could only be opened when the ignition was on and the bike was in neutral. The side bags hare been mo\ ed in so the bike is two inches narrower and they now come with nice, little color-matched snap6 to cover the mounting holes when the bags are in the garage and not on the bike. The nar- rower bags should help when lane splittinS, which we did a bh ofduring the ride back into San Diego - much to the chagrin of those from out of sEte, who believe *|e Practice borders on totai insaniq/. Lucl!), the or|e 8uy had his grip warmers on. More on that later: The overatl styling oI the bike has changed with the F]R gettinS a bit of an R I lookto it.ln other words, I looks a bit more agressive than pr€r./iols rnodels - pointier and sleeker. Pbn of dlat look comes from better-looking mirrors, a new tailli8lt, etc. The only real technical change to the powerplant is that Yamaha has Sone to a ca6b/tic converter that now makes the bike green enough to comply with Euro-3 regulations, due mainly to the use of a heated-q/pe oxIgen sensor- The from fork on the FIR ttow uses a three-bushinS q/stem for less binding, and the rear shock is the same two-v\ray adiustable (preload, rebound) unit so you can set it uP for riding by yoorself or brirEing a siSnifiGnt other The s.r'ingarm for '06 has also been lengthened lsmm. which Yamaha says Eives dle bike smoother rear-sL6p€nsion action, improved stability and improved faction. Makes sense to rs- The aluminum sub frame is also new, with a handhold to make it easier to get it up on the centerstand, and also to fit the new seat design. The Yarruha FlRl300 uses a unified-brak- ing system, though the front brake is com- pletely separate and works on its ovm. That means you can t'ail brake the bike well into the comer and not fe€l as though the rear brake is also going to start being applkld by itself. So acbJally, it's the reir system that's unilied, because the rear-brake pedal acti- vates the rear caiiper and orE front-biake calip€r. We rode the FJRS pretty hard on tiSht and twisty roads, and the brakes worked well. We foond that it bkes a fair amount of rear-brake pressure to acti\rate the front- brake, whkh is good if you're not a huge fan of linked-brake systems. ln addition to the YCC-S qatem, the upgraded FJR AE aiso comes with heded griF (they're an option on the sEndard unit) that are controlled via a dial on the fairing - ,ust behind $e accessory box. Since w€ rode in rnosdy Sodegree temPerdures, I can't say whedler or not tle grips work well- MlaPs we could ask the poor guy whoce tempera- ture control I cranked all the way to ma,r dur- ing one of our frequert stoP6. Just kiddinS. (Or noL) The standard FJR|300A comes in Cobok Blue and carries a suSg6td rerail price of $13,499. The FjRl300AE comes in Cerulean Silver and costs $ 15,29. So there you have it. For $1800, Yamaha will leave that pesky cfutch lever off, freerng your left hand for warding off SWs and the like. Or for striking the Heisman Po6e while riding through town. That s yoor call. \y'y'hat we can tell you is that the FJR|300 has always been a winner, a motorcycle that is comfortable, fast and han- dles well - a sportbike all dre6sed uP in tour- irE garb. And now there's a ve6ion that's not only a winnq but it's a tad difierent. And it's no gimmick. The clutchless bike works with the sarne efiicaency as its sister, but with a device that's designed to take some of the hassle and fatigue out oI riding. lt's definitet different- Really different, Give it a try CItl 52 MAY 3r,2006 . CYCLE NEWS -- Y7- ) - b I , T - / r SPEC!FICATIONS - a tZ "L ir. . 7 Ir E ; I \ I \---_ - . i- lr \ \' \ L. i! 1 a a I ! 'ts -l - ,t - t ) 4 J I The new FJRI300 ako Sets adiustable handlebaG with I lmm difference from all the way forward to all the way back (with the standard position in the center), makin8 it tun- able for different-sized riders. You can also vary the height on the seat, with the two oPtions set 20mm apan. The rear pas.senger pegs have also been rroved - 40mm for- ward, 20mm downward and l4mm out - to reduce knee bend. This year's model gets