By
PETER THOEMING
24 July 2006
To anyone looking at them or even comparing specifications, these
bikes might as well be twins. Their purpose is the same. Their
capacities are identical, and many of their specifications are very
similar. Both have four cylinders, both have shaft drive and both have
fuel injection. Common features include anti-lock braking and linked (or
‘unified’) brakes. Whether you want to call them tourers or sports
tourers, they certainly belong in the same category. They even both have
electric windshields, for heaven’s sake, and identical compression
ratios.
Instead of nitpicking their features, I
thought I’d give you as wide a range of opinions as possible. I called
together a group of variously-skilled and experienced riders who have
helped me assess bikes in the past and got them to ride these two. The
bikes were mixed in with a few others, and I very carefully avoided
asking the riders to compare the ST and the FJR They all did, though,
quite automatically.
Rob commutes on a Yamaha – a 250
Renaissa – but has no brand loyalty at all. He liked the Yamaha –
‘best thing is the torquiness’ but was unhappy with the drivetrain
lash and the height. Yes, he’s a trifle undertall. He thought it was
‘comparable to the Honda, but the Honda is better’. Mainly, it
seems, for its greater comfort, relatively low seat and general
tourability. He did note that he felt the back brake was ‘soft’ on
the Honda while the front brake was a little ‘catchy’, and the front
suspension was soft as well.
Steve gets around on a Harley-Davidson
1200 Sportster. He begged to differ. The Yamaha, he thought, offered ‘bullet-like
acceleration, great handling and fantastic brakes’ plus a ‘comfortable
upright riding position’. Good, huh? ‘This bike has got the lot!’
he said. The Honda, on the other hand, got ‘great torque, very good
overall performance… great handling and clear instruments’ but it
got hot around his shins. Overall, it simply couldn’t match the Yamaha
for Steve.
John, who had been punting a BMW K 1200
GT around at this stage, thought the Yamaha was ‘an easy bike to ride…
very comfortable… smooth gearbox… pulls away in top from very low
speed’. The Honda, he felt, was ‘not as comfortable as the FJR and
not as smooth’ but everything worked together so well that he
preferred it, and pronounced it a ‘great bike’.
Mike used to have Laverda and now rides
our ex-project Vespa GT. He thought the Yamaha was ‘twitchy… a
sports bike dressed up in a fairing’. The Honda, on the other hand,
got his thumbs up as ‘pretty much the perfect tourer, well integrated…
very comfortable and well thought-out’.
Brendan, who now rides a Triumph
Speedmaster after selling his FJ1200 a while ago, swung back the other
way again. ‘This is the bike of the day,’ he said of the Yamaha. ‘It
took me a while to get used to the height, but everything about it is
nothing short of stunning. Crisp acceleration, smooth easy gear changing
and well laid-out gauges…’ The Honda, on the other hand, was ‘a
little closer to the ground… which is an advantage’ but ‘not
nearly as quick, nor does it handle as well’ as the Yamaha. He did
note that ‘passengers would find it a comfortable ride’.
And what about me? So far, the Yamaha is
ahead - and I’m afraid I’m going to add to its lead. While I like
the Honda very much, and find it more practical in many ways with things
like its higher screen and excellent riding position, I also think that
it’s getting a little tired. The Yamaha has had a complete overhaul
and you can tell; it’s just a much fresher bike, and the extra power
does tell. Having said that, though, I also need to pint out that the
bike we had, had an unnerving tendency to stall when the engine was not
under load. It did it to me going through a steep downhill hairpin, and
I did not like it one bit…
Oh, the ST1300 we had was fitted with the
optional radio, and just about everyone loved it. ‘A great innovation
and surprisingly easy to hear whether in heavy traffic or out on the
open road,’ thought Brendan.
Well, if you’re in the market for a
serious tourer from Japan I suspect you’ve well and truly made up your
mind after reading that - and I suspect it could be either bike.
AT A GLANCE
Model: Yamaha FJR1300A
Price: $22,999 (plus on-road charges)
Warranty: Two years, unlimited distance
Power: 105.5 kW at 8000 rpm
Torque: 135 Nm at 7000 rpm
Engine: Liquid cooled inline four, 4 stroke, 16 valves, DOHC, TCI,
electronic fuel injection
Bore x stroke: 79 x 66.2 mm
Displacement: 1298 cc
Compression ratio: 10.8:1
Transmission: 5 speed, multi plate wet clutch, final drive by shaft
Suspension: Front, 48 mm telescopic fork, fully adjustable, travel 135
mm. Rear, link-type monoshock, adjustable preload and damping, travel
125 mm
Dimensions: Seat height 800 mm, dry weight 264 kg, fuel capacity 25
litres, wheelbase 1545 mm
Tyres: Front, 120/70 ZR17. Rear, 180/55 ZR17
Frame: Aluminium, ‘diamond-shaped’ perimeterBrakes: Front, twin 320
mm discs with four piston calipers. Rear, single 282 mm disc with
floating two piston caliper. ABS and ‘Unified’ (linked) braking.
Top speed: 245 km/h
Acceleration:
0-100 km/h – 3.3 sec
60-100 km/h – 4.4 sec
Fuel consumption: Average on test 5.2 litres per 100 km, unleaded
Range: 480 km
Colour/s: Ocean Depth, Silver Storm, Desert Metallic.
AT A GLANCE
Model: Honda ST1300
Price: $24,590 (plus on-road charges)
Warranty: Two years, unlimited distance
Power: 93 kW at 8000 rpm
Torque: 125 Nm at 6000 rpm
Engine: Liquid cooled 90 degree longitudinally mounted vee twin, 4
stroke, DOHC, 16 valves, PGM-FI, digital electronic ignition
Bore x stroke: 78 x 66 mm
Displacement: 1261 cc
Compression ratio: 10.8:1
Transmission: 5 speed, multi plate wet clutch, final drive by shaft
Suspension: Front, 45 mm HMAS cartridge fork, travel 1170 mm. Rear,
Pro-Link single HMAS shock absorber, preload 5 way adjustable, travel
122 mm
Dimensions: Seat height 790 mm, dry weight 289 kg, fuel capacity 29
litres, wheelbase 1491 mm
Tyres: Front, 120/70 ZR18. Rear, 170/60 ZR17
Frame: Aluminium perimeter
Brakes: Front, twin 310 mm full-floating discs with three piston
calipers. Rear, single 316 mm disc with three piston caliper. ABS and
linked braking.
Top speed: 225 km/h
Acceleration:
0-100 km/h – 3.6 sec
60-100 km/h – 4.5 sec
Fuel consumption: Average on test 5.1 litres per 100 km, premium
unleaded
Range: 568 km
Colour/s: Candy Graceful Red, Candy Coronado Blue.
