We can’t say it was unexpected, but Yamaha officially announced the 2015 FJ-09 Sport Tourer earlier today in Hollywood, CA. Yamaha has converted the very popular FZ-09 into a sport touring machine with several significant changes, including much larger fuel tank, larger, more comfortable seating for both rider and passenger, improved wind protection, standard center stand and available touring accessories (such as the saddlebags shown). Following is a press release from Yamaha:
Cypress, CA – November 3, 2014 – The Yamaha FZ-09 has been a huge success, garnering enthusastic praise from riders and the media alike. And now, Yamaha takes the popular FZ-09 sportbike formula and adds even more versatility with the all-new 2015 FJ-09.
The FJ-09 utilizes the FZ-09’s crossplane-concept, liquid-cooled, four-stroke, inline-three-cylinder, 847cc, fuel-injected engine in a versatile package that provides a sporty, agile, and comfortable ride for everything from daily commuting, to spirited canyon-carving, to full-on touring.
With excellent acceleration, response, and handling characteristics, the FJ-09 offers an upright riding position for a stress-free, comfortable experience, whether riding solo or with a passenger. The FJ-09 sports a whole host of position-adjustable components–including windscreen, handlebars, and seat–designed to further accommodate a wide range of riders and riding preferences. And the large, 4.8-gallon fuel tank enables you to log a lot of miles between fuel stops.
In addition, the FJ-09 comes equipped with electronic control technologies that include YCC-T (Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle), ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), and TCS (Traction Control System) to ensure smooth-running performance. And, as if that weren’t enough versatility and adjustability, the bike also features the Yamaha D-MODE (Drive Mode) variable-throttle-control system, which allows the rider to choose the optimum engine character for their riding situation.
Yamaha will offer a complete range of custom accessories for the FJ-09, including a top case, side cases, taller windscreen, heated handgrips, and a comfort saddle seat.
The 2015 FJ-09 will be available in two color options–Matte Gray and Candy Red–and will retail for $10,490, with bikes available in dealerships beginning in December.
For more information on all Yamaha models–including features, specifications, photos, and videos–please visit www.yamahamotorsports.com.
“I hope you ABS guys are happy because it pushed the price over $10K.”
Wow, it blows me away that people think that potentially saving themselves a trip to the E.R. (or morgue) isn’t worth $500……
Just said that so none of the ABS proponents could say, “Oh it’s too expensive”. I’ve been riding for half a century now and have never owned a bike with ABS but I will be happy this one has it and think the price is fair for the bike.
Fair enough!
Awesome looking bike and a great entry for sport touring fans … as someone else mentioned, I hope they fix the fuel mapping issues from the FZ on this version. That will be what I’m waiting to read about in the reviews that I hope will be coming soon. Also, is it just me or does this bike really look like it’s missing a beak? Just say’n 🙂
I ordered one of these in matte gray yesterday. It will be here in 3 weeks. I have a FZ-09 and I had a FZ8… this should be damn near perfect!!!!
Not what I was hoping for when the word of an ‘FJ’ triple leaked out.
This thing looks like a wanna-be ADV bike, not a sport tourer.
And the styling is hideous.
Beautiful engine surrounded by ugly-ass bodywork for the second time.
Oh, well. Maybe 3rd time is a charm!
Why did this bike go from a $8200 msrp to over 10K? That just pushes it out of reality if you ask me. One of the great appeals to the FZ-09 was the low buy in and high performance.
Well, you get a fairing, centerstand, ABS and traction control, beefy subframe, cushier seat and pretty good passenger seat, though I am sure there are plenty of people who would prefer the option of NOT having those things.
Still, I don’t really understand how a $10,500 sport touring bike that weighs 460lbs soaking wet with a torquey, 115hp-engine and those electronic gadgets is outside of reality. It is far more amazing to me that it can be had that cheap.
Well-expressed!
Cant wait for the Strom vs. FJ-09 shootout. If Yamaha fixed its fueling, it will be a close one.
I hope a FJ07 is also planned.
Really? I was hoping for something exactly like this for the 07 motor.
http://motosketches.blogspot.com/2014/09/yamaha-mt-07-enduro-concept.html
My KLR would be up for sale the next day.
Thanks for this Yamaha. My 6’4″ body loves the 33 – 34″ seat height. My Triumph Tiger 1050 is a little too top heavy and the headlights suck. Other than that it is one awesome bike that has taken me through Southeastern Ohio and 18,000 miles in my favorite position, sideways! I never buy first year bikes, or cars, or women for that matter! I will be buying this in three years! Now I don’t have to think about what is next.
Wow I like it… A LOT! My ’04 V-Strom may very be for sale next Spring.
*very well*
Just tell me that the suspension is set up for a normal (american) human being and they fixed the throttle and i’ll buy one.
THere are too many bikes out and not enough money
especially like how the gold fork tubes (on the matte-black version)
stand out as the ONLY item that’s actually not monochromatic on the bike.
just make sure you get some gold(ish) helmet, and, Sir, there’s a lot of
fun to be had for the onlookers as well !
especially interesting is how this bike looks so different with a rider
as opposed to looking at it without one.
anyway, a logical and very welcome comfort-oriented evolution of the
bonkers 09-series.
price seems rather realistic too, for what one apparently gets.
P.S. what a year !
a BIG thanks to YMC for doing this.
Why wouldn’t the “comfort saddle” come as standard equipment and the apparent un-comfort saddle be the accessory?
Mo’ money, Mo’ money, Mo’ money!
You da man!
Curly – you promised it would have the seat height of the FZ-09 — draw a line through the axles you said.
The suspension is exactly the same as the FZ-09. The extra 1.2″ comes from a cushier seat, a taller subframe or combination of both – with the intention of creating more leg room I assume, in addition to a more comfortable platform to roost between fillups.
No, I said the suspension height was the same, which it appears to be, but the seat was thicker. Should not be too high for anyone that has dirt bike experience and if it is as narrow at the front of the seat like the FZ-09 it may not be as bad as you think.
like it.. basically an upscale Versys. decent fairing, nice upright seating, legroom. All more to my liking. Not interested in leaning over or folded up legs anymore.
Don’t understand the “FJ” model prefix. Doesn’t seem a fit with FJ’s of the past. If they had to reuse something, why not TDM?
I owned an FJ(1200), rode an FJ, enjoyed an FJ.. you sir are no FJ.
Hooray it has a center stand!
Is that standard, or an accessory?
Standard. Yay!
Everything seem to be looking good about this bike – no extra fat which is present on FJ-1300 for one thing. What I am not so enthusiastic about is lack of road-sport appearance, in other words too tall built. In connection with it I’d be concerned also about cross-wind sensitivity. I don’t like wind pushing me around and I had plenty of it on FJ-600 I once owhed.
re: “Yamaha has converted the very popular FZ-09 into a sport touring machine with several significant changes”
Yamaha…?
re: “larger, more comfortable seating”
check.
re: “improved wind protection”
check.
re: “top case”
check
re: “large, 4.8-gallon fuel tank”
ok ok let’s not get crazy. but you gotta admit, 3 outta 4 ain’t bad.
http://tinyurl.com/nyxm3ds
Form the latest I’ve heard, the cam-chain tensioner on that engine still hasn’t been made right, even after being on it’s “third” revision. I’ll have to see confirmation that this issue has finally been remedied before I’d buy one.
no beak, that’s a start… now just get away from the ‘styling’ that looks like you finished the fairing, then noticed gaps and pieces missing…. why patch those different panels, with various colors and finishes, all over the machine?
While sport bikes are trying to shave every ounce off the bike (leading to that waspy-tail end of the bike), that just doesn’t fly with touring… notice how everyone says it looks better with bags on it? add some space under the seat for storage, lower the seat while you are at it, and everything will work out.
Otherwise, a solid bike on paper, and worthy of a closer look. bigger fuel tank, more set for long-distance ergo’s… i just wish i knew a good shop to do bodywork…
+1
Ho hum, another “sport tourer”.
To me, if you use the word tourer to describe a bike.
It should at least have cruise control,heated grips,
removable hard bags, and preferably shaft drive.
I remember Yamaha’s triples from 1976-81,they had shaft
drive then.
I agree, but the offerings from BMW, Japan Inc. and Triumph are either too expensive or heavy so I got a GSX1250FA for under $7500, with all three hard bags. It only had 2,000 miles. I’m going to get heated gloves and just suck it up and oil the chain. I’ve never had cruise control so maybe I won’t miss it.
OK, so if you want a shaft drive and cruise control go buy a Super Tenere or an R1200GS. There are other bikes with those features. This bike is different, for people who don’t want the added complexity and weight. Isn’t variety great?
And by the way, the FJ-09 does have removable hard bags.
But you wouldn’t get it for $10.5K like that and it would be over 500 pounds wet with a shaft. Cruise does seem like it would be easy to offer on a throttle by wire bike like this though. Heated grips are a good accessory “opportunity” for dealers to supply.
Everything drives up the price. I agree, get the Beemer if you want all that. Cruise control sounds like a car to me. One more reason not to be paying attention on a motorcycle and even in my car there are times when it gets dangerous. I’m in cruise and some hole cuts me off out of nowhere.
Yawn!!!
I don’t understand the 14 inches of clearance between the tire and seat frame on these new bikes. It isn’t because they have 14 inches of suspension travel, so what is it? Wouldn’t a more level seat frame be just as attractive? It is an attractive bike except for this. And it would take the need for the giant “TAGWART” away.
Styling based on race bike designs where it serves an aerodynamic function for a rider in a tuck. My bike’s not the most extreme I’ve seen, but it’s pretty bad. And the seats slope forward, too, again good for racing but not on the street. Some people do like that look though.
If the seat weren’t sloping up, where would you put the passenger footpegs? With a sloping seat, the passenger’s butt is up high, so the footpegs can be pretty high too, requiring short brackets. If you lowered the passenger seat the brackets would have to be crazy long, or you’d have to come up with a totally different way of attaching them. And then you couldn’t have the exhaust where it is. It would require a total re-design of the bike.
The high seat gives more leg room for the passenger and allows larger bags. Some side panels to balance it out would make it look better though at the expense of a pound or two.
re: “It isn’t because they have 14 inches of suspension travel, so what is it? Wouldn’t a more level seat frame be just as attractive?”
it’s a motorcycle baby not a chopper… (pugilist Butch Coolidge)
To me it looks more like 9″ and it’s about the same amount of space any modern bike has, just not obscured by superfluous body work.
NICE WORK YAMAHA! This is at the top of my next bike list. Subject to a test ride, I will be a early buyer. I can live with the styling, the license/tail light looks like an easy fix, if it is a little too tall the forks will slide up an inch and aftermarket will offer a shorter rear spring. Bags and center stand look good, a optional Cruise Control would be icing on the cake. Light, enough power for most sane people, great ergos (check the knee angle) and hopefully decent suspension. This looks like a great real world, day rider/sport tourer. $10,490 is cheap, if ABS saves your ass just one time it is worth the money. Anybody want a loaded/farkled F800GS?
Nice look, except that rear fender/license plate thingy hanging WAAAAY out to the rear. I am not normally a rear fender kit Kool-Aid drinker, but this example may force me to convert with wide, glazing eyes.
Side cases have never improved a bike’s looks as much as the ones on this.
You are right; that plate holder is outrageous.
Here it is, the Multistrada for the real world. The seat height seems extreme, but otherwise this appears to be the best all-around combination of fast/light/comfortable/affordable currently on offer. Oddly, it actually looks better with the bags on rather than off. Sort of finishes the look, giving it needed balance. Either way, it’s a rather homely bike, but who cares? No one ever bought an FZ-09 for its looks, either.
i asked the yamadork at the IMS show in san mateo about this, and you would have thought i said something bad about his mother. i was really hoping it would be there, the yamaha set up at the show was way to cruiserly.
No cruise control, boo hoo. Nice bike though.
Is it worth the $2300 premium over the FZ-09?
Yeah, I think if it came with the bags standard but that is pushing the price a bit without them. $9990 would have been more like it to me. Still it seems like an OK price in its segment.
With bags, this price would be perfectly in line with the FZ09.
never work…no beak.
Actually for the price and performance and size I like it and I hate these kinds of bikes.
Looks great with bags on it just because it covers up that giant gap between tire and fender and makes the proportions look better. Picture of the guy riding it looks very nice.
It reminds me of my old TDM850. Sure sorry I sold it, but this could be a worth replacement.
http://p1.bikepics.com/2010%5C11%5C21%5Cbikepics-2101828-full.jpg
What a beauty! Too bad more people didn’t “get” what the TDM was all about back in ’93 because if they had sold better here we might have gotten the TDM900 in the States and I wouldn’t be wanting a newer, lighter bike. Still, every time I ride mine I come home with a big smile.
Seat Height 33.3 or 33.9 in ….REALLY???
Not being so tall I guess I will continue looking at Hondas ctx series.
Wow, thank you for the heads-up on that info! I *thought* that seating was stupid ADV high when I saw the leaked pre-release photos, but everyone poo-poo’d me.
Dear manufacturers,
I knew you’d blow it. FJ-09 with 33 to 34-inch seat height, not great wind protection. “This is not an ADV!”, your fans were yelling at the leaked photos; tell that to your DESIGNERS, apparently everything they make nowadays has to match that same profile.
I’d like to say is a quite-ironic “Thank you” to you for helping me make my next bike decision. You’ve pushed me into the waiting arms of a small handful of brands (with fingers left over).
That being: not you.
With love,
Snake
PS: BMW, it looks like you’re the only one with some heads on their shoulders. I can see why your sales numbers are up so high, it looks like I’ll end up a new customer of yours real soon now. The R NineT and R1200RS are bull-eye hits in a market full of very, very blind builders (Indian [Scout] why no ABS available here especially since you offer ABS on overseas models? Moto Guzzi [Griso], about the same with you, why no ABS *still*?!)
There are PLENTY of sport-touring bikes with low seats. In fact, they all have low seats. I have the opposite problem – I’m tall, so it’s annoying that manufacturers seem to think that a low seat is a good thing. It certainly isn’t good when you’re over 6′ tall, and you end up with your knees at a crazy angle because the seat is so low.
Not every bike has to fit you. The adventure-style bikes are really the only class of bikes that cater to people who are tall. Get a VFR, an FJR, or any of the tons of other low-seat bikes, and let us tall folks have a few bikes that fit us.
THIS. It’s hard to find a bike that doens’t kink the knees – I even sat on a new V-Strom 1k and I was like “well, it IS roomiER” (than my standard-from-the-waist-up but sportbike-from-the-waist-down FZ6)….
I think the best answer is bikes should simply have at least 1 adjustment of say 1-1.5″ in seat height – can you imagine a car without adjustable seats?
+1
They screwed the pooch with the VFR, who buys it? Too short fuel range, too low bars for a “tourer”, the largest sales disappointment of the past 5 years. I really wanted to like it, I really did, then you sit on it and grab those bars…
I am NOT LOOKING FOR SMALL. What the h-e-double-l is wrong with a bike with a 31-inch or so seat height? That is COMPLETELY NORMAL and I am just fine with that height; I await hopping on the new R1200RS to see how it fits. Note that BMW has LOWERED the seat of this year’s R1200RT to…31.7 inches, down 0.8 inches from before.
How ironic.
Front page of this week’s Motorcycle Daily, covered in pseudo-off-road pretend ADV’s, all with 34 inch seats.
I’m all for adjustable ergos…but in the meantime there’s this thing called “the aftermarket” (it often builds low seats for tall bikes). And/or another thing called “the shoe store” (it provides riding boots with thick soles).
There’s also this thing called “getting used to riding a bike that you can’t quite flat-foot because it’s the perfect bike for you in every other way.” Ever tried that? It’s really not such a big deal.
If all those fail, you could also just buy one of the DOZENS of other motorcycles with lower seat heights.
Do I wish (for example) that the Tuono V4R had more relaxed ergos? Sure. Do I get on my high horse and yell about how stupid Aprilia is for not accommodating my particular ergonomic preferences? Nope. If there are enough others out there who feel the same way, Aprilia will see it in their market research and adjust. Or become non-competitive.
In the meantime, I’ll climb on one of the many other amazingly capable, reliable other bikes the modern market provides. None of them are *quite* perfect…but they’re still a heck of a lot more fun than whining on the internet.
Speaking of which…adios.
A 31-inch seat height is too low for me, because that means a short distance to footpegs and very little legroom. And I end up with my legs bent at an uncomfortable angle and my knees all the way up. Again, there are plenty of bikes with low seats – if you’re short, you can buy those. Not every bike has to be for short people, some bikes can be for tall people. We should get some bikes that fit us too.
Hmmm that was in response to a comment that apparently disappeared, so it ended up here, not making any sense. Oh well.
To Brian:
“getting used to riding a bike that you can’t quite flat-foot because it’s the perfect bike for you in every other way.”
How ironic – I was going to add, into my comment, “Oh, and don’t bother telling ‘I’ll get used to it’ because NO, I will NOT ‘get used to it’ because I shouldn’t HAVE to get ‘used to’ something I don’t like!”
I’ve heard that comment before in regards to things that **I** don’t like – “you’ll get used to it” – but I deleted that comment before posting as I thought it being too brash. Seems I was wrong.
There. How’s that??
You ADV fanboys miss the point: why don’t you count all the high-seated ADV-style / ADV-lookalike bikes introduced in the past 5 years and counter that with the number of “average” height bikes introduced (with special emphasis on non-‘beginner’ bikes). THEN tell me that there are ‘plenty’ of new bike models to choose from. Go ahead, try it – I’ll wait here.
It’ll be a long wait.
Again, the word “ironic” comes into play: BMW, the long time leader in tall bikes, has been working to *reduce* average seat heights on their roadsters and most street bikes during the past 3 years. From the F800GT, to the R1200RT, to the new F800S AND the new R1200R, all feature…hold on to your hats – LOWER seat heights than their predecessors. And BMW is recording record sales in the past 4 years too, they have become the leader of what the other companies are chasing.
Snake, if you sat down and made that list yourself, you’d see that there are a LOT of bikes that have an “average” seat height of 32 inches or so, and they are far from beginner bikes. I think we are just seeing so many “tall” bikes coming around recently because manufacturers have found there is a good market out there for them that they didn’t realize was there before.
Its hard when you are on either end of the spectrum. I’m a short chunky guy (5’7″ in my boots with a true 26″ inseam) and one of my best friends is 6’2″ skinny bean pole with a 34″ inseam.I need a seat height of 31″ or less, he needs a seat height of 33″ or more. I ride an ST 1300 with a seat shaved 1″ for touring and a CB 1100 DLX around town and for short trips. He rides a Yamaha Super 10 on trips and a 690 Duke around town. We have switched bikes multiple times. I have to ” hang a knee” on his at stops and he says he feels folded up on my bikes. hey it’s nature and we have no control over that. We just buy the bikes that fit us best and alter from there. There is no way ANY manufacturer could build a bike we’d both be comfortable on..and even if they did, it would probably be the wrong color lol
Some of you may be jumping the gun a bit on the seat height discussion. That number is not a be-all, end-all indication of the manageability of the bike. Width at the front figures in, suspension sag does too. Wait until you can sit on one, then determine if it works/doesn’t.
Like it or not, this is the style of bike that seems to be selling. Lowering the seat height significantly would result in a bike with a completely different character. This is best illustrated by the lowered sport bikes that are easy to find out in the world.
Hear, hear! Too bad a widely-adjustable ergo point bike is not available so we all can be happy.
I really want to like it. On paper, it’s exactly what I want, just not sure I can warm-up to the looks of it. I’ll keep an open mind and give it a test ride, when available.
I test rode the FZ-09 and found it a bit too twitchy and hyper. I trust they adjusted the trans and tuning to make best use of the awesome motor.
Awesome. I’ve been eyeing the new V-Strom 1000, so this is another (cheaper and lighter) possibility.
Well, I wans’t a big fan of the styling of the MS1200 when it debuted. There’s no doubt the bike performs even while looking quite odd. In a similar vein, this FJ-09 might prove to be 7/8ths facsimile – if it is, this bike will demand some respect.
As much as I’ve been hoping for an FJ “R”-09, styled like a proper SPORT-tourer…it doesn’t seem to be much of a possibility.
_______________________________________________________
Here’s a question for Norm and the rest; Is it aimed at splitting the difference between the Versys 650 and 1000 or squarely at the Honda VFR800X Crossrunner?
or the “yet-to-be-released” Street Tiger 800
“I get that you are fuming and now busily crafting your responce, just accept the possibility that you were wrong.”
Ring any bells?
yes – its painful
Now if it only had a shift drive…
You do have to shift it, 6 speed manual tranny, its not an automatic.
This looks like it could be a very nice motorcycle in a mid size displacement sport tourer
At last! Yamaha makes a bike for me again. It’s been a long time coming but this could be the bike that replaces my TDM. I hope you ABS guys are happy because it pushed the price over $10K.