#fjr1300

For 2016, Yamaha upgraded the popular FJR1300ES and FJR1300A with a significant internal change while leaving the rest of the motorcycle what on the surface seems basically the same. To discern the 2016 model from the 2015 at a distance, just go by the Cobalt Blue color instead of the Candy Red. You probably won’t be pick out the cornering lights or the LED lights all around – well, maybe the restyled brake light. Oh yeah, or the blindingly bright LED high beam until after dark.

Yamaha released the first FJR1300 as a 2003 model and graced it with its most recent major update in 2013.  A year after that overhaul, the FJR1300ES, with its cool electronically adjustable suspension was announced. For 2016 Yamaha has continued its process of refining this popular, established platform with some upgrades to modernize the FJR and address some owner requests.

Yamaha is bringing the FJR1300A and FJR1300ES back for 2016, and while the bike might appear virtually identical to the previous model in these photos, there are some choice distinctions between old and new.

While the new Yamaha R1 and R1M are stealing the Tuning Fork headlines this year at EICMA, Yamaha also introduced another new model: the FJ-09, or MT-09 Tracer for the European market. Based on the FZ/MT-09 naked bike, the FJ-09 slots in below the FJR1300 as a more Sport-Touring machine for the entry level crowd. To meet the S-T needs for which it was designed, the FJ gets a host of new items like an adjustable windscreen, larger fuel tank, traction control, ABS and provisions for saddlebags, among others. E-i-C Kevin Duke is on hand at EICMA, where he gives us his first impressions of the FJ-09 after its worldwide unveiling.