NY metro- Test ride saturday

[Unruly Rider]

I have owned a FTR since May 2019. I probably have less than 100 highway miles so far. The bike is capable on the highway but not comfortable. I can’t imagine the wind blast trying to maintain 80-90mph speeds for 20-30 miles at a time. It would be exhausting. All the fun and satisfaction you will get riding the FTR on back roads on the weekend would be erased Monday morning on the highway at high speeds. I agree with ferraiolo1, a sport touring bike is the ticket!

I've been commuting to work in OKC for the last few weeks (just over 200miles round-trip). I typically ride @ 80-90mph... it isn't fun on windy days. I've been looking at swapping rear sprockets for one with fewer teeth to make the RPM's a little more bearable for prolonged duration at those speeds (might help my fuel mileage as well). Then the other option I was looking at is to trade-in for a Yamaha MT10, plenty of power and has touring options thanks to the other international models that are not available here in the state. Though the range wouldn't be much better than the FTR.

 

[mark.lb]

I might be looking at a new Challenger and put the FTR in the garage for weekend fun!

 

[edgelett]

I heard @edgelett never rides too fast

not in front of the speed cameras anyway - i know where they all are

 

[K9F]

‘Horses for courses‘ I find the FTR very comfortable at higher highway speeds. 4 weeks after purchase I did a longer haul trip across Europe, the return journey I did 13 hours in the saddle and 570 miles in a single day. It is a mile eater and on unrestricted autobahn in Germany was able to set cruise control up to 102 mph indicated, 103 wouldn’t work. At those speeds 45 minutes later you need a fuel stop anyway. I find the FTR a great multi-use tool a bit like a Leatherman whether you are canyon carving or straight line mile munching. But that’s me,what do I know before the scoffers and scorners chip in! My other steed is more comfortable on long haul straight line journeys but a complete shitpig in the handling stakes on anything else. If your pockets are only deep enough for a single bike the FTR is a cracking all rounder in my book.

 

[MotoJedi]

Hi guys. This bike just came to my attention a month ago because I live under a rock, and I lost my mind. I've been thinking about making a trade and I saw the FTR and called the local dealer and fortunately they're doing test rides in all this mess. I've read and watched all I can on it, and riding it will answer allot of questions, but it will be cool out and I'll likely not be riding it for long so I'll throw a couple questions to the group if I may.
The 3 negatives I've heard about so far are heat it throws off (apparently on the right side), the vibes in the grips, and the rear wheel slip. Regarding the wheel slip I think that's just part of the funky tire and something you just have to adjust to, but have any of you find you need to curtail how you come out of corners relative to other bikes you've owned? One tester said once he learned to trust the bike that he just let the electronics do its thing. I just want to be sure that I won't have to curb my aggressiveness and the test ride will only tell me so much as I wouldn't push it with new tires. Especially ones I have zero experience with.

As to the heat, I can get stuck in some bad traffic on the way to work in the summer and I don't want to roast my leg. So that wou;d be of concern to me. The buzzing in the grips is the least of my worries as I've dealt with that before with my bmw XR and that seems to diminish with break in and you throw some heavy bar ends on.
Any feedback would be appreciated

Anyway, looking forward to test riding the bike.

Heat is an issue. I have zero issues with buzzing.

 

[MotoJedi]

It sucks having multiple riding needs. If I didn't have to hit a substantial amount of interstate during the commute I probably would have made the trade right then and there. The Covid discount was very nice too.
I could totally believe you could keep up with those bikes on those roads. The FTR was more nimble than my Ninja 1000. When I got on it to head home after the test ride I noticed the differnce in effort needed in the corners.

I've been fortunate enough to always have two bikes. One for long distance and one for short.