It's a motorcycle, it's a Super Street Bike and it's AUTOMATIC!!!

I spent the Christmas holidays with friends in Hawaii. I also had the opportunity to make quite a few new friends. Stuart and his wife Lydia being two of them. Stuart and his wife both ride…she rides a little Honda Hundred. It’s a teeny tiny bike that gets her around the island as needed. Stuart rides too and his is a vintage bike as well.

We talked shop for quite a while and one of the topics of discussion were modifications to motorcycles. He’s evidently involved on the front edge of new technology development. The stuff he’s working on is really extraordinary. He is an interesting, passionate, intelligent, engaging man and we had great dialogue talking about all the things he is involved with. Our discussion lasted well into the night!

So, when I read the article about the new Yamaha FJR1300AE, I immediately thought of my conversation with Stuart, Lydia and Ken. One of the things we talked about was a motorcycle with an automatic transmission. Lo and behold…here we are!! I’m excited about the evolution of motorcycles—as the improvements come down the pike it means more riders. More riders mean more bikes on the road and hopefully more awareness that we are out there amongst the cages. Making the ride simpler also gives me more leverage to convince my non-riding friends (male and female) to ride!!!

Here are the specs:

Engine

• Type: 1,298cc, liquid-cooled, 16 valve, DOHC, in-line four-cylinder


• Bore X Stroke: 79 x 66.2mm


• Compression Ratio: 10.8:1


• Carburetion: Fuel Injection


• Ignition: Digital TCI


• Transmission: 5-Speed with Yamaha chip-controlled shift


• Final Drive: Shaft

Chassis:

• Suspension/Front: 48mm Sogi telescopic fork w/adjustable preload, compression and rebound damping; 5.4” travel\


• Suspension/Rear: Single Shock, link-type, adjustable preload and rebound damping; 4.8” travel


• Brakes/Front: Dual 320mm discs with four piston calipers


• Brakes/Rear: 282mm disc, CBS ABS standard


• Tire/Front: 120/70-ZR17 Radial


• Tire/Back: 180/55-ZR Radial

Dimension:

• Length: 88.2”


• Width: 29.3”


• Wheelbase: 60.6”


• Fuel Capacity: 6.6 Gallons


• Ground Clearance: 5.3”


• Seat Height: Not Available

So, it’s an automatic transmission motorcycle. It also has rear anti-locking brakes and heated handgrips. The windshield is pushbutton adjustable. There are also adjustable ergonomics: The seat can be adjusted up and down almost an inch, and the handlebar pullback angle is three-position adjustable over a half-inch range.

This isn’t a little bike either, folks! My friend Kelly rides a Bergman and loves it since one of the key features is the automatic (not to mention the humongous storage capacity she has)……..hmmm…think she’ll convert to a “real” set of wheels (smile)????

Retail is $15,299 (does not include TT&L fees) and will be available May, 2006. Be ready to beat your feet down to your local Yamaha dealer and check it out!! I know I will be!

Keep the shiny side up!!!