38 | ESTVEHICLES the FJR1300 has the electrical infrastructure to support the bike’s features alongside the police specification electronics and radio equipment when stationary. Heart of the matter remains a fuel injected 1298cc liquid cooled, in-line four-cylinder 16 valve DOHC engine, mated to a constant mesh five-speed gearbox. This drives the rear wheel by one of the best shaft drives on the market. This is mounted in a diamond shaped aluminium frame that looks as solid and purposeful as it is. The front end is suspended by solid 48mm conventional telescopic forks that are adjustable for pre-load, compression and rebound damping. At the rear is a rising rate suspension system controlled by an adjustable single shock mounted behind the engine, which also features pre-load and damping adjustments. The machine rolls along on cast wheels shod with 17in wheels shod with modern grippy tyres and it is stopped by twin 320mm discs at the front and single 282mm disc at the rear. This is mated to an anti-lock system that incorporates a Unified Braking System (UBS), which balances out front and rear for controlled braking under all conditions. Comfort is provided via an adjustable rider’s seat, adjustable handlebars, heated grips (as standard) and adjustable side panels to channel heated air to the rider in cold conditions. The electrically operated screen is now bigger and even more adjustable than before, giving even more rider protection against the elements. Police model additions The police model comes with the additional hand guards and foot protectors, along with the new slimmer fit side cases. Steel reinforced nylon fairing protectors are part of the package as well to reduce crash/collision damage in the event of the bike even just falling over. A full factory fitted storage and rear radio box replaces what would have been the pillion seat, looking every inch part of the original styling and gives the rider everything they need for a day on the road, which is easily possible thanks to the 25-litre fuel tank giving a 200 mile plus range. A series of neat integrated blue LED lights along with a small flat rear unit give more light power than ever before and ensure 360-degree visibility to ensure rider safety from all angles. Neat weatherproof switches control the lights after the factory fit switch activates the emergency equipment. (An isolator switch in the rear box ensures no battery drain when the vehicle is parked, although a charging point is standard!) High rider protection Despite the high level of rider protection, in appearance the bike looks sleek and a lot smaller that it actually is, especially in the standard white colour even before the bright Home Office markings are applied. Sitting astride the bike you see the layout is clean and effective with all controls falling easily to hand. The dash is well laid out with the speedometer sitting centre stage and well within the rider’s sight. A side-mounted LED panel tells you all you need to know, including ambient temperature, which is useful in the winter. Other things covered are average mileage, machine temperature, petrol consumption/range and, of course, the time, along with the now obligatory gear indicator.
Once fired up the bike soon settles down to a steady idle within minutes and provides instant turbine smooth acceleration that will leave some sports bike riders looking for a few extra down changes to match the acceleration of the FJR. On the open road, only the odd downshift is necessary to have the traffic move from the front to small mirror images in the excellent vibration free mirrors. Road tests Official tests apparently show the bike has a true top speed of 150mph under such controlled conditions. However, in real terms the bike will easily double the legal limit with consummate ease and run continually above three figures, still returning well over 40 to the gallon. Town use sees the display record up to 45 to the gallon thanks to the lower running speeds. Here, you do get an idea of the heat build up beneath the fairing, although it never compromises the engine response and a quick alteration to the side bars efficiently release it.
Throttle response is always instant and predictable hot or cold allowing you to accurately plan all overtakes on the open road and filtering when in town. Switch into Sport mode and the throttle response noticeably quickens and this will probably be the emergency rider’s setting of choice when responding to calls. The bike’s overall balance is spot on and you can easily come to rest with both feet on the rests and sit there for some time before needing a steadying foot. Despite the bike’s size it is surprisingly nimble and will easily pick a path through all but the most congested traffic. It must be said, for a bike of this size, the steering lock is very good. Away from the congestion of towns or suburbia, pick a road full of twists and turns and you can easily roll from one side of the tyres to the other without concern. Boots can be scuffed at will with no worries of anything upsetting your line through the bends. Set the easily adjustable rear suspension onto the hard setting and the only thing you are likely to scrape is the bottom of the centre stand on a particularly bumpy road, but nothing will dig in! Predictable ride and handling I tested the bike with the panniers loaded up to the 10kg weight limit advised. At no time did the bike
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misbehave as a result of any of these tests, both on fast, open roads or on twisty back roads; its ride and handling remained constant and totally predictable. There was no discernible weave or any shaking of the bars and I felt comfortable all the time in real world riding conditions. Stability under all conditions is vital, especially given the problems a competitor had in this area a few years ago, which ended up with them virtually quitting the big bike market in the public sector. The same can be said about the bike’s braking capabilities, which inspire confidence at all speeds and with all loads. Off the public highway, members of the public agreed that the response lights and siren system were effective. From an operator’s point of view I would agree that both on the move and when static they attract the required amount of attention. At night the twin headlights were effective enough to ensure that poor lights did not compromise speeds. Certainly, coupled with the excellent comfort levels, you can spend all day or night in the saddle without any discomfort or loss of performance.
It certainly has the required physical presence and you had to be constantly aware as drivers seeing it approaching in the rear mirror did have a habit of applying the brakes rapidly, even without the words police being present on the demonstrator. A rider’s perspective My week long test clearly showed that from a rider’s perspective the bike is well up to the task of providing fast rapid response that is above all safe at all speeds. It is comfortable, manoeuvrable and you actually look forward to riding it, something several police riders I talked to said. On the basis of that, it could prove a useful recruitment tool as well for all services! It is a similar positive story when talking to a few of the fleet managers who run the bikes. Very little needs doing apart from regular servicing to keep the bikes out on the road doing the job for which they are intended, unlike their direct competition whose downtime is far greater even for mundane things like clutch changes. The Yamaha FJR 1300A Professional version already seems to be the machine of choice in every respect and this latest version is sure to prove even more popular and cost effective when considering whole life costs! www.yamaha-motor.co.uk
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