FJR1300 Test Ride Having been one of the few people to actually ride a Yamaha XJR1300, admittedly only for 2 ½ hrs. I find some of the comments made about the Yamaha interesting. No I didn't have the time to pack it up and tour with it and I have not seen the bags in person. I have been following the FJR Yahoo site and read all the road tests done in 2 other languages beside English, thanks to my wife. But, I have ridden it. I'm 6'-3 ½' with a 34' inseam, 36" sleeve length and weigh over 200 lbs. None of the following makes me a test rider or an expert motorcycle rider. I've been riding of and on for the last 44 years with about 30 years active. I've had two Concours and have accumulated 117,000 miles on them with 29,000 of that in Europe. In May 2001, I rode the FJR in Germany, where I lived for 3 years, so the traffic and countryside was familiar. The controls all fell to hand and the general feeling of the bike became very familiar almost immediately. You sit on the bike vs. in. This I think is because the instrument panel is lower than the Concours and not all black. I found the visibility, directly in front of the bike better than the ZG. Obviously it "goes" and stops much better than the ZG. A 145-MPH, converted, was easily obtainable and the claimed top speed is certainly within reach. The brakes worked exceptionally well and no fade was noticed. The power/torque was smooth and linear. This sucker pulls in every gear like our Concours in 3rd & 4th. The windshield offered about the same protection as the Concours but the ability to move it was greatly appreciated and made riding at slower speeds, under 35 MPH, much cooler. The rocker switch is on the left-hand side of the fairing and easily reached. At any speeds above approx. 65 MPH the shield offers about the same protection that you would get with the US spec Concours. I tried the shield up at higher speeds and the vacuum created was so great that it started to pull me forward in the seat. No debri was noted coming through with the shield in the full up position. In the rain or under shield fogging conditions I wonder whether cracking it an inch of two would keep the inside clear? My legs felt that they weren't bent as much as on the ZX. The fit and finish appeared to be much better than Kawasaki's. With fuel injection the throttle was either open or closed. It didn't cause me any problems but was noticeable and under slippery conditions could be of concern. Maybe more time with the bike would help. If I was in charge of updating our Concours this is pretty damn close to what I would have done. Maybe offering two engines sizes the current 1300cc and an 850cc version. I can't find my note on this demo ride because I am moving from Washington D. C. suburban mayhem to Asheville, NC area and will not be available for further comments for a week. John Larmon Laurel MD Candler NC COG 775