Portland Oregon

This post is about motorcycle stuff. You may want to bypass if your interest is more along the lines of the travel channel.

I spent two days in Beaverton (just outside Portland) taking care of some business and regrouping before heading back. The oil was changed on the FJR for ONLY $79.00 (there needs to be a Jiffy Lube for motorcycles; that was a bit much I thought). The wireless on my netbook works again after visiting the local library and copying the driver files to a thumb drive for later installation (no CD drive on my netbook). My laundry is now clean and I'm reasonably rested.

Typical Staging of the Crud

The mileage on my 2006 Yamaha FJR1300 to this point is 4333. The bike has performed flawlessly. There may be better sport touring bikes on the market, but I can't imagine them being much better. The most advantageous feature of the FJR relative to the other offerings on the market is the range. I was very appreciative of the extra miles while roaming the west Texas back country in the dark.

Tripometer so Far

Contrary to some reports I've read, I don't find the stock seat to be that uncomfortable. I'm sure an after-market product would be better, but my shoulders and neck usually give out before my backside. I am very active in the saddle keeping my circulation going by crunching my buns and concentrating on good posture.

Some reviews of the FJR have identified the lack of a 6-speed transmission as a weakness. I don't find that to be the case at all. IMHO, a 6th gear is completely unnecessary. One critique on which I agree is the lack of smoothness in the shifting. At times, it just seems to clunk unless you really get the groove. Nowhere near a Harley, but not quite the smoothness of my old Honda VF700. And yes, I think the clutch pull is too hard. For all these "shortcomings", the extra fuel capacity and high MPG more than compensate. Add to that superior handling, rock solid reliability, smooth power, great looks, and a very reasonable acquisition cost (particularly if you buy used as I did), and it's no contest for me.

When I left Atlanta, I put on a new set of Shinko 011 Verge radials. So far, they have performed well. They are very smooth at interstate speeds and seemed to do fine when I did encounter some knee-dragging (fantasizing...) opportunities. They have developed a flat spot, more so on the rear, and a slight low speed wobble -- due to the flat spot I presume. I think I will make it back home on these tires as they look to have a good bit of tread left.

The biggest riding complaint encountered to date has been the wind. Almost every day it seems like gale force winds are trying to knock me off the road. It can get downright freaky with all the bags I have piled up like a sail. I've since concentrated on moving the center of gravity of my luggage lower to the ground by packing the heavier items in the lower bags. It's better, but not perfect.

That's it for now...