Friday, February 27, 2009

Taking Delivery

I took delivery of my FJR on Wednesday. I was hoping that I would be able to witness the complete assembly of the bike, but as it turned out it was assembled at the warehouse. I was able to take pics of the dealer prep.

My first impression was right as they pulled the bike off the truck: it is not black! The bike is actually a metallic charcoal color that is absolutely spectacular.



They wheeled the bike into the shop for dealer prep. They basically check the entire bike, fill it with fluids, make any adjustments, and attach all the extra bits. The dealer was terrific to work with (Pasadena Yamaha).





The side bags come in a separate box, and include a 3rd lock cylinder matched to the rest in the event that I get a top case later on. A set of soft bags are also included that fit inside the hard bags. A set of clear stickers gets attached to the parts of the bike that might get scratched due to the bags. The dealer spent about thirty minutes making sure that the stickers were perfectly placed. I love that kind of attention to detail.



I had them adjust the bars to their farthest back position. There are four possible positions. It is important to note that you have to loosen both sides before you can move them -- they are attached underneath by a common bracket.



I had them install a set of frame sliders. I've been told that just dropping the bike at a standstill could result in $2K in damages, so these seem like cheap insurance to me. Fortunately you don't have to cut into the fairing to install them -- they just bolt on.



And here is my FJR's first ride. I was both delighted to see it speed off, and also jealous that it was the mechanic and not me doing it. But my turn came soon after.



My next post will cover my first impressions on actually riding the beast!

6 comments:

  1. Cool! Congrats!

    Makes me want my own big touring bike. Looks smaller w/o the side bags though. Charcoal is definitely better than black. Looks Nice!

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  2. Same color as mine and I really liked it too. Now how are you going to break it in? Motoman method or by the book?

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  3. HappyPuppy: great question. I was at the moment following the book. Mostly varying RPM, keeping below 4K for now ease into more aggressive throttle over first 1,000 miles. Certainly open to other advice.

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  4. I did it by the book. I was not sure about the ceramic cylinder lining and how the Motoman method would work. I have done the Motoman method in the past and didn't have any issues. I changed the oil at 600 and 1k and both times it was very clean. I do use one of those powerful earth magnets the size of a quarter on the filter all the time, I figure it can't hurt.

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  6. crash helmets


    Awesome!
    Your article is very beautiful and your bikes pictures is also cool and nice. I really like and love it.

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