FJR 1300 cross country

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I am posting this for a friend he has a Yamaha FJR 1300 it is a year old with 5,400 miles and he plans to drive across country from MA to CA starting in late June. He would like to know if there is a best oil choice for lots of miles and should he have it changed when he gets there before the trip back a few weeks later? He figures he will be running at some pretty high speeds and high heat so he wants a solid oil choice for the trip.

He is traveling with another friend of mine who will be riding in style with his new Honda Goldwing.
 
I bet Rotella T4 15W40 would do just fine... But a year old bike would still be under warranty right? So maybe stick to the factory recommendations for now..
 
Agree, why not just follow the maintanance schedule?
..and...honesitly.. High speeds are no worse for oil and the engine then low speed stop and go riding. If anything high speed is easier on the engine. My opinion anyway...
 
Mobil 1 10w-40 synthetic motorcycle oil.

Change before the trip, and don't worry about till you get back.

Given the Fj1300 shares its engine oil with its transmission I would tell your friend to buy a high quality magnetic drain plug.

No matter what you think of them on a car, on a motorcycle, or any vehicle that shares trans and engine oil the 20 bucks is worth it.

Nice bike, I had a friend with one and I liked riding his.

UD
 
Get it serviced at the dealer and carry the receipt. If it breaks down (unlikely), he can walk into any Yamaha shop and get it fixed. All records are in order.

Is he an AMA Member? Should be so he can get MC towing coverage, just in case ...

Once out of warranty, do as you/he pleases ...
 
Any of the mentioned oils should be up to the job. Totally agree on the magnetic drain plug. If it was me, as the bike is still relatively new (low mileage), I would get the oil changed upon arriving in CA; call it the final break-in oil change.

Wish your friend good luck and a great ride. He definitely has a great bike for his trip!
 
Im hoping to hear on your question too Jim.
From what I understand (in the reviews anyway) the new FJR1300 is an awesome bike.
Never rode one, just sat on the new ones in a dealer. I would love to have it as another bike in my garage.
My wife would not sit on it with me, *L* says I am not getting rid of the Road King.
 
Even though I`m happy with my Road Star I sure would love to be able to test ride a lot of bikes.
 
Originally Posted By: Jimkobb
How is the FJR for long distance riding?



There are Ironbutt riders that ride the FJR. So it's a good choice for some people.

Long distance comfort is very personal and subjective. I've talked to riders over the years that stated they were very comfortable on their cruiser, with their legs stretched way out in front of them, and all their weight on their tailbone. That same riding position is very quickly uncomfortable to me.

If you like a sit-up-straight riding postion, the FJR should be to your liking.
 
Originally Posted By: 02SE
Originally Posted By: Jimkobb
How is the FJR for long distance riding?



There are Ironbutt riders that ride the FJR. So it's a good choice for some people.

Long distance comfort is very personal and subjective. I've talked to riders over the years that stated they were very comfortable on their cruiser, with their legs stretched way out in front of them, and all their weight on their tailbone. That same riding position is very quickly uncomfortable to me.

If you like a sit-up-straight riding postion, the FJR should be to your liking.


Good advice. There are a number of farkles out there to enhance the comfort for each individual. I had a 2010, stock bars and seat suited me fine. I did install a taller shield for long road trips. I'll probably end up with another one someday.
 
A friend of mine had a older wing that he loved. an '03 I think, he put over 150k on it before he traded it for a FJR. He said the FJR was lighter, handled good and was faster. But on long rides it was like riding a saw horse. He had it for 2 or 3 years before he traded it in for a new Harley. Any motorcycle out there can do a Iron butt ride, not every rider can tho.,,,
 
Originally Posted By: Mik
Any of the mentioned oils should be up to the job. Totally agree on the magnetic drain plug. If it was me, as the bike is still relatively new (low mileage), I would get the oil changed upon arriving in CA; call it the final break-in oil change.

Wish your friend good luck and a great ride. He definitely has a great bike for his trip!
If all oil is filtered, what is the benefit of a magnetic drain plug? Won't that just stop some metal from winding up in the filter? I'd like some feedback on this please.
 
I guess some feel a magnetic drain plug will prevent particles from blocking the oil pick up if there are any. And prevent them from going thru the oil pump if the get that far. And not having any metal particles floating around in there, is better then having them floating around in there. Most if any particles get flushed out in the first or second oil change pretty much. If you have a bike with 15k miles on it and your still spittin out metal chips, you got a big problem.,,
 
Originally Posted By: Gillsy
Originally Posted By: Mik
Any of the mentioned oils should be up to the job. Totally agree on the magnetic drain plug. If it was me, as the bike is still relatively new (low mileage), I would get the oil changed upon arriving in CA; call it the final break-in oil change.

Wish your friend good luck and a great ride. He definitely has a great bike for his trip!
If all oil is filtered, what is the benefit of a magnetic drain plug? Won't that just stop some metal from winding up in the filter? I'd like some feedback on this please.


A magnetic plug will capture very small particles that a filter can not, whether or not it matters is up to you, it's like having an extra super efficient filter. Certain higher end vehicle manufacturers and motorcycle manufacturers include them.
 
I was going to go with Rotella t6 but with reformulation changes I decided against.

I went with mobil 1 10w40 and a k and n filter.

You can change the oil so simple on this bike it's amazing. one wrench all the same size for the drain, k an n filter and gearbox!! No plastic to move or anything in the way.

I would just change it in CA
 
There is no "best" oil choice, because how your friend defines it is going to be different that any and every person.
Best for me is the lube that protects at a safe level, for the least cost. Others will spend silly amounts of money for capacity they never utilize.
Beauty is in the eye of the lube holder.

I will say this ...
It's only 3k miles one way; 6k miles round trip. (give or take a bit based on actual route taken).
There is no reason to think the entire trip could not be made on one O/FCI.
Overly frequent OCIs are a total waste and do nothing to enhance the longevity of equipment.
 
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