Ordinary Biker Oz: Yamaha FJR 1300

Showing posts with label Yamaha FJR 1300. Show all posts

Thursday, January 14, 2021

Update

Page changed to "Motorcycles Facts, Trivia and History" from Tuesday Trivia after two years of posting.

The Ordinary Biker Oz Motorcycles Facts, Trivia and Historypage is now 1 year old! The first entry was made January 14, 2020 concerning a German engineer named Gottlieb Daimler. A new installment has been added each week, except for the week of June 30th (I was leading a week of riding in the Rocky Mountins of Colorado for some friends) and the week of Thanksgiving (I was in rural Mississippi visiting the in-laws and eating great country cooking).

I have learned a lot and learned I have a lot yet to learn. The history of motorcycles and the men and women who have help to advance motorcycle technology, riding, racing, usage and enjoyment is interesting and creates a spirit of thankfulness to those who have ridden ahead of us.

Awesome gear for every rider!

The number of "failures" and disappointments are far greater than the successes and exuberant moments which make it to the "history books." I often wonder how many versions of the first KTM motorcycle failed before the R100 was released (see September 22 post).

How many riders died before T.E. Lawrence's death and Sir Hugh Cairns decided to develop safety motorcycle helmets (See July 14th's Trivia) and the development of rider safety gear that followed.

I look forward to learning, sharing and adding more Tuesday Trivia in 2021. I hope you enjoy it and learn something new and interesting.

It has also been a year of my affiliate relationships with Dainese and Duke Cannon. As an affiliate, if a reader follows a link from here to the affiliate site and makes a purchase I get a small commission. I have ordered and used products of both companies before becoming an affiliate and I still am a customer to both. I enthusiastically recommend both companies and would even if I wasn't an affiliate partner with them.

Thank you to the readers who have followed a link and made a purchase!

Be safe and enjoy the ride and when not riding visit Tuesday Trivia, my most read review posts, my recommended venders page or the latest post at Ordinary Biker Oz. Be sure to leave a comment and/or question. I love hearing from you.

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Please visit the following great companies:

THE ESSENTIALS FOR MODERATE SELF-IMPROVEMENT

Awesome gear for every rider!

https://dukecannon.com/?rfsn=3578014.7da392

Ordinary Biker Oz YouTube Channel has video reviews and more

* I have personally ordered from and/or visited this business and based on my experiences I recommend this company. I have an affiliate relationship with this business, which means if you follow this link and purchase, I will receive a small commission and will get to ride more!

# Based on reviews, word of mouth and discussion with others I recommend this company. I have an affiliate relationship with this business, which means if you follow this link and purchase, I will receive a small commission and will get to ride more!

Feedback on these businesses is appreciated. You may comment below.

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Friday, January 3, 2020

Why a Motorcycle Blog - Revisited

My son and I in North Carolina in July of 2011

Original Objective

Why did I start the The Ordinary Biker Oz blog? I began the blog in September 2007 with the goal of being useful to both new motorcycle riders and experienced motorcyclists. One of the original objectives was to provide straightforward and honest reviews without crazy, absurd and/or silly comparisons. As I stated in the introduction post "I read several motorcycle magazines and websites. I especially like the product reviews, except for the unique descriptions (which are often silly) that journalist sometimes use to try to sound clever". I actually heard a comparison between the sound of a sport bike motorcycle to a million mad hornets - how does that help?

Although the blog has evolved and hopefully improved, the founding purpose remains "to give straightforward reviews of items that I have personally used, places I have eaten, roads I have traveled, and/or bikes I have ridden." Occasionally I did share some more personal post with one of my favorite was about my dad and our trip with Honor Flight to Washington DC for World War II veterans.

Wendell Osburn PFC, Purple Heart recipient talking to some brave American soldiers.

2020 and Beyond

With the beginning of 2020 I want to renew the goal to provide useful information and reviews. Encouraging and helping bikers to ride safely, comfortably and often, is part of that goal.

With my goal in mind I have recently made some improvements and additions to the blog. Please notice the tabs below the blog description. The "Recommended" page provides links to numerous other sites including my own personal YouTube Channel, The Moto Oz webpage (I am a co-owner and will say more about Moto Oz products below) and affiliate businesses. I want to be honest and upfront with you about my affiliate business relationships. If you use the link to visit one of the affiliate business and make a purchase I get a small commission, but your low prices are not affected. Any purchases are greatly appreciated and will aid in fuel fill-ups :) .

Standing by 1909 HD which Dale at Wheels Through Time Museum told me based on the photo of my Grandfather, is probably the same year & model.

The tab for "Top Review Post" will display the seven most read reviews on the Ordinary Biker Oz blog. The V Star 1100 Review is the top review and it has been read over 57,000 times while the Arai Helmet review has been read over 1,200 times. These reviews have been used by a lot of riders to gather information. The page will change when other reviews have more views. I will update 2-3 times a year as needed.

Feedback Appreciated

I am always open to suggestions, questions and comments. If you would like more information on a review, or would like to see some specific reviewed or discussed I will try my best to help out. You can follow the blog via email, just enter your email address below.

Moto Oz the side business

Beat The Heat Tours

2019 Beat The Heat tour in Colorado, stopped at a reservoir on the Highway of Legends - CO 12.

Another aspect of our Moto Oz venture is the Beat The Heat summer motorcycle tour. We call it Beat The Heat because we leave Texas for a week during the hot summer and spend a week in a cooler climate. The Rocky Mountains in Colorado and New Mexico or the Smoky Mountains around Tennessee and North Carolina are the favorite riding spots. There are many great roads to ride. We have been doing the summer trip for 12 years and it has changed into the Beat The Heat tour. I plan and organize the trip and lead the rides each day.

In 2020 we will be going to southwest Colorado where we will ride the Million Dollar Highway (aka US 550) and The Silver Thread Scenic Byway (aka CO 149). We will stop at the small on of my favorite bakeries in Lake City, CO. We will spend time in the historic towns of Ouray, Silverton, Durango, Telluride and Ridgeway. I am planning to add more trips per year in the future. Once I retire I would like to conduct 4 to 5 tours a year and several long weekend trips.

Be safe and I hope to see you on the road

I hope you find some of the posts useful, informative, humorous or at least mildly entertaining all the while being honest and straightforward. As stated above, comments, questions and suggestions are always welcomed.

Connect and follow on social media

Please visit the following great companies:

THE ESSENTIALS FOR MODERATE SELF-IMPROVEMENT

Awesome gear for every rider!

Ordinary Biker Oz YouTube Channel has video reviews and more

Feedback on these businesses is appreciated. You may comment below.

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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

A totally different ride

In May I purchased a 2010 Yamaha Venture and loved it. I rode it to Des Moines, IO in June and then to Yellowstone in July. Then in August the bike was totaled after when a lady ran a traffic light. Four weeks after my accident the insurance company finally gave me a reasonable settlement offer, but only after I had a couple of dealerships submit values for the Venture.

The Venture is a great bike. I really enjoyed it. The finishing touches and amenities were top notch and the comfort on long rides was awesome. It had plenty of power to carry my son and I along with all our belonging for the Yellowstone trip up the mountain passes in Colorado and Wyoming.

The Venture comes standard with CB, radio, cassette, and 6 disc CD changer. The stereo/CB controls were easy to use and easily reached. I realize the cassette is outdated and the CD changer took up a lot of space. I actually removed the CD changer (anyone need one let me know I will sell it to you at a great price).

Even though I really liked the bike I had been thinking for a couple of years of trying something different, but I was not sure the wife would go for it. During the 4 weeks of being without a bike I had time to research and look at a lot of bikes. I decided on one that I wanted. I knew that Martha would have to be happy with it so I asked her to test ride it with me. She did and we discussed out we could make it more comfortable for the passenger. She was OK with my choice - OH BOY!!

I purchased a 2010 Yamaha FJR 1300!

Waiting to go riding!

The FJR is a sports tourer. At 1298cc & 145 Horsepower! WOW! I had a huge grin after taking the bike out on the road. It is fuel injected, liquid cooled, and crazy fast! I love the easy detachable saddlebags. With just the key I can take the saddlebags off. This will be great when traveling or if I just want to go on a local ride.

I picked it up this past Thursday (Sept. 16). It was pre-owed and had only 757 miles on it. I rode this weekend and put 300+ miles on it. I am still smiling!

The "grin factor" on the FJR is 10 of 10!

I have ordered the truck with backrest, touring windshield, Corbin seat, and a J and M CB system. Now I am trying to find some floorboards for the passenger.

Saddlebags removed

One great feature is the quick detach saddlebags. With the turn of the key the bags can be lifted off and carried in. Make it convenient when traveling or when I want to look more sporty. The instrument panel features a temperature, instant MPG, average MPG, tach, speedo (goes up to 180, but I don't plan to test it), time, two trip odometers, and the regular odometer. The FJR has a 6.6 gallon gas tank - that will be great on long trips. On my most recent 200 miles the MPG average is 44.1 and that was with a few quick accelerations up above the speed limit (just a little :) ). The electronically adjustable windshield is a nice feature allowing me to customize the riding experience.

The ride is completely different, but so far I am loving it. I know that if I would have been on the FJR I would have gotten out of the way of that Tahoe.

I am looking forward to posting a review after I get to the 10,000 mile mark. It sure feels good to be back riding.

Update - Here is the review after 2 years and 34,000 Miles