Farewell to FJR; Welcome to XT

The somewhat dreaded day has come and gone: The FJR has left the stable. The day after my lovely wife and newborn daughter returned from the hospital, I took the sport-touring hooligan machine to the dealership where I (essentially) traded it in for a new 2008 Yamaha XT 250.

Both machines are dual-purpose in their own way.
The FJR (above) is a capable sport machine and tourer.
The XT (below) is a capable on and off road machine.

For most people, this would make absolutely no sense. Experienced riders tend to trade upwards – to bigger and faster or more capable bikes. Many people consider the XT a beginner’s bike. In car terms, I traded in a Corvette for a Geo Metro.Using the car analogy, why would a person give up a sports car for one of “lesser” performance? Many reasons, all practical:

• lower value means less depreciation for resale,
• higher mileage,
• lower maintenance costs,
• lower insurance costs,
• greater utility for practical matters.

All the above considerations came to mind when I considered the switch.

• The XT will likely never drop below a value of $1500 to $2000 (35-50% of original cost). The FJR is currently worth about 40% of its original value with its “high” mileage (60,000 miles young) and nearly six years old.
• The XT gets incredible mileage as it is a small displacement, lightweight bike. The first ride showed over 70 mpg and the bike isn’t even broken in yet! To the contrary, I averaged 40 mpg on the FJR, which varied with use of throttle and luggage.
• There isn’t a single maintenance task I cannot perform at home with my existing tools, and the maintenance parts (and chemicals) are few and inexpensive. A single major maintenance for the FJR puts me back between $400 and $600 every 25,000 miles, not including oil changes and tires. The XT won’t require replacing $400-$500 in tires every 10,000 miles either. I won’t need a special machine to mount the tires, either!
• I now pay one fourth the insurance – full coverage – as compared to the FJR. It’s cheap enough to be a no-brainer. Why not have it? I know people that pay two or three times a much each month for their car or motorcycle!

I had to make compromises for utility:

The FJR is great on the highway and makes an excellent commuter for longer distances. The hard luggage serves as an excellent place to store a helmet and riding jacket. It has a nice luggage rack and back seat for all kinds of additional luggage capacity. The adjustable wind screen reduces rider fatigue by limiting wind blast on the rider. But the FJR has several disadvantages: It gets hot in the summer time and even hotter in summer highway traffic. Having a radiator blast heat onto your legs and a fuel tank simmer in your crotch does not strike me as a good time. It’s top-heavy, making it a handful at slow speeds. I did manage to become very confident handling the bike, but that didn’t make it any more fun on slow back roads. The FJR wanted to be out in front – always, inspiring aggressive riding.

The FJR (above) is a blast two-up on fast roads.
The XT (below) is a blast on trails and unpaved roads.

The XT doesn’t have lockable luggage or the ability to eat up miles easily at 70+ mph. But it can carry luggage on the tank and luggage rack. The seat is narrower, though not necessarily more comfortable. The XT is air cooled but won’t cook the rider even in slower traffic. Its light weight makes handling easy at any speed and can travel on any road, paved or not. Both bikes are “buzzy” in the handlebar, though the FJR offers more comfort and protection from the elements.

The FJR lockable luggage (above) comes standard on all US models.
The XT (below) has excellent grab rails and other spaces excellent for attaching soft luggage.

For an experienced rider to move to a much, much smaller bike requires a certain fortitude of character that says it doesn’t matter how big or flashy the bike is, a rider is a person out on two wheels. For me, I’m moving towards a simpler riding lifestyle. I want to commute more. I want to appreciate the world around me instead of flying by it. I want the freedom to travel down a dirt road without fear. I’m ready for the lower costs of low-tech transportation.

The FJR dash (above) has all the instrimentation you'd expect on a sport-tourer.
The lightweight digital dash on the XT (below) provides the bare necessities.

The FJR and I have parted ways. It was a good run with its share of spills and thrills. I did a lot of things that could not have been done with any other bike. I’m grateful for the experiences I never would have otherwise received. I’m a better rider for all of it. Now I’m heading off to a new chapter in my riding life. The lifestyle which has tested me so much has not gone away, but instead morphed into a new expression. I look forward to the street and dirt roads in my future!

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Thanks and apologies to:
FJR Info
Yamaha Motor Corp