On the road again...

[liablemtl]

I'm finally back on two wheels! I've been negotiating the price on an old '83 Virago for the last few weeks. The insurance company finally settled on the FJ so I picked up the mighty virago this week. The tags were expired but I rode it home from my friends house anyway. I got to put about 40 miles on it. What a different bike it is compared to my previous bikes.

First of all, the power band was completely different. I went from a bike with a redline at 9500rpm to a bike with a redline at 7k. The FJ made the best usable HP between 4k and 9k... the virago seems to make it's between 2k and 5k. It was weird shifting at such a low rpm, but the bike didn't seem to make much power after 6k. Not to mention, the bike makes about half the HP my FJ makes so that was a little strange too.

The gearing was totally different too. The FJ would settle in at about 4.5k on the freeway and the gearing was fairly close togther. The Virago settled in about 3k on the freeway and the gearing was pretty long.

The engine was almost vibration free. The FJ was a damn buzzy bike... at certain rpms you could feel the blood leaving your arms and feet. The Virago had almost no buzz at all.

The drivetrain was interesting... it was a little weird riding a low powered shafty. Down shifting and getting on the throttle was smooth. It lacked that initial "bang" that you get with a chain driven bike. On the other hand, it was nice when down shifting coming off the freeway because it didn't feel as jerky.

The seating position was a little hard to get used to. My old CB and KZ both had drag bars so the seating was pretty far forward, the RD had clubmans so it felt like you were riding with your hands down by the front wheel and the FJ was pretty sporty as well. Those damn curly stock bars make you sit fairly far back and turn you into a sail. I think a set of straight bars or drag bars will be making their appearance on the Virago soon. I hate feeling like I'm just a sail along for the ride... I prefer to meet the wind charging forward. Fortunately, the foot pegs aren't terribly far forward. I may get a set of rear sets for it though... go for more of a "street rod" riding position.

The bike was damn quiet. The FJ had a Supertrapp and while it was not terribly noisy at idle, it did have a sweet note under hard acceleration. I may try to find a two into one exhaust for the Virago and steal the Supertrapp off the FJ. While it won't necessarily make the bike perform any better, it may make it sound a little beefier. Either that, or I may just core out the old exhaust to annoy the harley guys at the coffee shop...

Overall... the bike is in good shape. It has about 32k on it and it seems to run fairly strong. There don't seem to be any oil leaks or any smoking problems so far, so I think I'll be mechanically ok for now. The gas tank is freakin' small, though. It looks like I'll be stopping every hundred miles for petrol whether I want to or not. With a change in bars and my harvesting the bullet fairing off the RD, it may be a great rat bike. It's not a tourer by any means... but I think it will be fine for the summer or until I settle on my injuries and can afford a real tourer.

For $400 dollars I ain't complaining! It's just nice to be back on two wheels!!!

[Gadjet]

sounds good. glad to have you back man.

try not to wring the new ride out too quickly

[BuzZz]

Glad to hear your on 2 wheels again, Dude. I just read this, after I PMed you. But I still want your take the FJ........ I knew about the vibe issue, how bad is it?

[liablemtl]

How did you like yours. I know you and I had similar bike choices when we was younger... loved my RD's.... and the FJ is no RD, but how was it for semi-aggressive riding?

Alay my fears for me please. I plan on test riding it this weekend, and right now, it's my top pick, but I've never ridden one. I'm also checking out a few 84-85 Interceptors, and I know what they are like. I expect the FJ to be a bit slower handleing, just hopeing it's not TOO much slower, ya know?

So what's the deal on the FJ? I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

Thanx for your time.....

Buzz... I hope you don't mind, but I decided to answer all your questions here for others to see. I didn't see your PM until I got home tonight...and I haven't had time to check in here until now. Sorry, bro... I wasn't just ignoring you! well... not completely ignoring you...

Anyway... The mighty FJ. Damn. What a great bike! That was my first real "big bike"... my cafe'd KZ750 was a crazy power beast. My RD was insane from stop light to stop light. But the FJ was by far a superior bike to either one. It did everything well... not great, but well.

With it's 200 mile between fill ups range, it's fairly sporty riding position while remaining fairly upright, it's weight, and it's slightly low pegs, it was very comfortable for touring. I could easily sit in the saddle for 6+ hours only stopping for gas. The fairing offers decent wind protection up to about my shoulders... if it was a long cold trip, then I could easily fully tuck behind the windshield if needed. The bike is fairly long which was nice, considering I'm 6'. Mine has a cushy Corbin seat on it which makes it easy on the ol' buns when spending quality time in the saddle. Mine was outfitted with a Givi 45L Top Case and a Tourmaster Tank Bag, which made long trips possible. I never got around to adding saddle bags or side bags. But I could haul more than enough stuff in the top case and tank bag for a weekend adventure.

Power wise... the bike puts out a little over 100hp and I believe close to 90 ft/lbs of torque. That, combined with it's 5 speed tranny made freeway riding really easy. I found it easy to go from speed limit to felony by just rolling on the throttle in top gear. The only time I had to down shift on the freeway was if I was preparing to give some inconsiderate cager the one finger salute to display my displeasure at them trying to drive their cage up my @$$. And then it went from 55 to felony in an amazingly short time!

The FJ is a heavy beast. That makes it kinda nice for touring... especially in cross winds. But it took a little muscle to get it to move through the corners. It also ground out faster than expected because of the low foot pegs... but again, the low pegs make long distances much better. Overall, the FJ was plenty capable of shooting the corners. I never saw a cruiser that could keep up, and most sport riders are too inexperienced to ride their bikes at the level their bikes are capable of... not to mention, I'm not a terribly agressive rider. While I do enjoy shooting the corners, I try to be conscious of never crossing the center lane and never leaving the other people I'm riding with behind. But again... FJ's are heavy. But they are no heavier than a mid 90's CBR1000F (I rode a buddy's CBR down a steep, curvy mountain... talk about a heavy bike!).

My FJ was a little buzzy... ok, a lot buzzy. They have a tendency to rattle themselves apart. Usually, the parts that suffer the most are the plastics. Especially mirrors and turn signals. I was surprised, though, when I switched over to heated hand grips, I expected the buzz to get worse. It didn't. In fact, the Hot Grips (best damn invention, in my book!) didn't feel nearly buzzy as the previous foam grips that the FJ had. Don't know why... and I don't really care. But the Hot Grips were more comfy!

Overall... I would highly recommend the FJ for a good all around bike. You can tour on it, shoot the corners on it, go pretty damn fast in a straight line on it, and commute daily on it. If you can get one in decent shape for a good price, I do not think you'll ever regret it! Every day I rode mine... I got to where I was going with a big goofy grin on my face. Sure, there are newer, faster, more "awesome" bikes out there... but my FJ made me damn happy! I'd buy another one if I could find one for the right price! Oh, and don't let anyone fool you... A buddy at work bought a brand new '03 ZRX1200R and he had a hard time shaking me in the straights. He hated cornering, so I'd always leave him in the dust, but when he'd open 'er up on a straight, he'd usually only really start pulling away after 100-110mph... but since they're both 140mph bikes, it wasn't like there was a huge difference. Not to mention... mine had 37k on and his was still under 2k.

So... "what are you lookin' at to replace the FJ, Liable?", you ask. Hmmmmm good question. There are a lot of bikes out there I like. I'll likely buy new when it comes time, so here's the list I'm considering:

FZ1: sexy, lightning fast, handles well, can be made into a tourer with little work.

FJR1300: sexy, fast, handles well... is a tourer.

VFR: sexy, really sexy, fast, bloody fast, I LOVE V-4's!!!, great handler, and can be a very capable tourer!

Bandit 1200S: inexpensive, fast, decent handler, can be made into a budget tourer fairly easily.

V-strom 1k: decently priced, does a lot of different types of riding well, can be made to tour. (and I love v-twins!)

SV1k: may be too sporty for really doing quality touring on... but it is sexy, and it is a v-twin.

Superhawk: sexy, sexy, sexy, v-twin, but has a small tank and gets horrible gas mileage. But it is a sexy v-twin.

Sprint ST: sexy, handles well, 3 cylinders sound sexy, Triumph!!!, very capable tourer.

CBR1100XX: sexy... damn sexy, really damn sexy, fast, really damn fast, handles well, can be made into a damn fine tourer.

Concours: very capable all around bike, excellent tourer, decent engine, handles pretty well for being a bit of a pig, loyal following, decently priced.

ZZR1200: good power, strangely sexy - beer goggles?, fast, good handler, very capable sport tourer.

ST3: ducati... ducati... ducati... 6k miles-$700 valve jobs, sexy, smart, waaaaaaaay too expensive for my tastes!

XB12R: can't tour effectively because of tank size or fuel economy or riding position, but damn!!! they are awesome looking... and handling... and I've got a soft spot for an American made sport bike! But an unlikely bike for doing anything more than shootin' the corners.

So... there you have it, Buzz.

I think you'll be really happy with the FJ. And if you're not... then don't hesitate to call your therapist and complain to them. no... I'm serious... don't blame me for your poor choice!

[BuzZz]

Exellent reportLiable. Thank very much. I am now just as torn between bikes as I was before . It looks like it's coming down to 'the deal' more and more. And I can live with that!

[Loonette]

here's the list I'm considering:

FZ1: sexy
FJR1300: sexy
VFR: sexy, really sexy
SV1k: may be too sporty for really doing quality touring on... but it is sexy
Superhawk: sexy, sexy, sexy - a sexy v-twin.
Sprint ST: sexy
CBR1100XX: sexy... damn sexy, really damn sexy
Concours: very capable all around bike, excellent tourer, decent engine, handles pretty well for being a bit of a pig, loyal following, decently priced.
ZZR1200:strangely sexy - beer goggles?
ST3: ducati... ducati... ducati... sexy

Just had to point out your obsession with sexiness. So glad to hear that you're back in the saddle. Hope your next new bike is sexy as ever!

Cheers,
Loonette

[liablemtl]

here's the list I'm considering:

FZ1: sexy
FJR1300: sexy
VFR: sexy, really sexy
SV1k: may be too sporty for really doing quality touring on... but it is sexy
Superhawk: sexy, sexy, sexy - a sexy v-twin.
Sprint ST: sexy
CBR1100XX: sexy... damn sexy, really damn sexy
Concours: very capable all around bike, excellent tourer, decent engine, handles pretty well for being a bit of a pig, loyal following, decently priced.
ZZR1200:strangely sexy - beer goggles?
ST3: ducati... ducati... ducati... sexy

Just had to point out your obsession with sexiness. So glad to hear that you're back in the saddle. Hope your next new bike is sexy as ever!

Cheers,
Loonette

Thanks, Loonette!!!

I've discovered I'm a bit of a bikewhore. If it's got an engine and two wheels, I love it!

[BuzZz]

I'm a brand mean too. If it gets me off, I'll ride it. It's good that there's more of us out there...... I feel so much less dirty now....

[liablemtl]

BUMP!!!

Update: May 01, 2005.

After doing the required house chores this morning, I spent some quality time working on the Virago. If there is one thing I can't stand it is the "cruiser" riding style: lookin' like a sail in the wind, feet forward, arms back, all of my weight sitting back on my lower spine and my tail bone. So, I decided to remedy that first.

I harvested a set of clubman cafe' bars off my dead RD and spent the better part of the afternoon replacing the handle bars on the virago. It took me a little while to get everything replaced because I had to replace the turn signals. The low cafe' bars wouldn't sit properly because the stock turn signals were so freakin' huge. So, I harvested the little after market signals I had on the RD and was able to make the cafe' bars work on the Virago.

Once I got everything swapped to the new bars, I then took the bike out for it's maiden voyage as a ratbike. After letting her warm up for couple of minutes, I turned off the choke and discovered that the throttle cable was too tight and was making the bike idle at about 4k rpm. So, I made the necessary adjustments and then hit the road.

The bike was little hesitant when I opened her up. It felt like it had a bit of a dead spot in the carbs. When I originally brought her home, I was pretty easy on the throttle so this was the first time I had tried to "wring her out". I rode around the neighborhood for about 15 minutes then I brought her back home. I then realized that I forgot I had to go into work for a training exercise, so I showered quickly and then jumped on the Virago for a 25 mile jaunt to work.

The virago wasn't too bad once I hit the freeway. Some chump in a new Dodge Magnum thought he could out run me... he couldn't. The virago was surprisingly quick for being a v-twin shafty. I managed to wring 75+mph outta her before the end of the on ramp... and it was an uphill on ramp. That made me smile. Then I blasted down the freeway to work... about 3/4's of the way to work, I figured out that the damn clubman's were a little too low. I was afraid of that, but I figured I'd try 'em anyway. They put me a little too far forward for comfortable riding. I did get a lot of looks from cagers though... I think the low cafe' handle bars + the slightly forward pegs + the obvious v-twin made them wonder what the hell I was riding. Is it some weird harley? Is it an old cafe bike? What?

Anyway... the trip home from work, the bike seemed to be running great. There was no lag or hesitation when I opened her up. I ran her up to 85+ (speedo only goes to 85 ) and she accelerated fine. She seemed to have plenty of power for passing cars at freeway speed. Though not as powerful and quick as my beloved FJ (RIP), it is still a capable bike.

I'll be ordering either some straight bars or even some superbike bars and a set of rearset pegs for the Virago just to give it a little more of a sportier seating position. I'm also going to see if anyone make a two into one exhaust for it. She's so damn quiet compared to the FJ, it's almost a little disconcerting. When I hammer the throttle, I'm used to hearing a beefy exhaust note from the supertrapp the FJ had. The Virago still has stock exhaust on it... it's quiet. In fact, it's so quiet that I can hear the valves opening and closing over the exhaust note!!! I'm not used to such a quiet bike... the FJ had a supertrapp, my RD had a set of DG's on it, and the KZ750 had a kerker pipe... they weren't totally loud (ok, the RD was loud), but the exhaust was louder then the engine noise. But overall, I think the virago is an interesting change of bikes. I like it... it's quirky. I think I'll keep it for a while.

[BuzZz]

I think that we deserve a pic or 3 of the Cafe Virago..... sounds cool. Coff up a pic.