The Discontinued Touring Motorcycle We Miss The Most

Touring motorcycles are renowned for covering vast distances while offering the highest comfort and luxury. But there are also touring bikes with a sporty side. These can be both a cozy touring machine and an occasional spirited ride companion. And the touring bike that we miss the most today is belongs to this very niche. It has been around for over 20 years and strikes the perfect balance between performance, comfort, and versatility.

It comes with standard saddlebags, features an adjustable rider triangle, boasts an aerodynamically efficient design, offers a wealth of comfort and assistive technology features, and is powered by a powerful four-cylinder engine capable of propelling this over-600-pound land yacht to over 150 MPH. Yamaha shouldn’t have pulled the plug here.

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Yamaha FJR1300ES: A Sports Tourer That Hits The Perfect Chords Of Comfort And Convenience

The FJR1300ES is designed to be a cozy two-up touring bike. The plush saddle is adjustable by over 0.8 inches without the need for any additional tools, and so is the handlebar with three pre-set positions. The footpegs also offer adjustability. A wide, electronically adjustable windscreen with a range of over 5.1 inches comes standard, too. Adjustable side fairings that can direct airflow to or away from the engine are another cool touch.

All these features help the rider find the perfect rider triangle and comfort for those long mile-munching sessions. Further elevating comfort on the road is its electronically adjustable suspension system. With the touch of a button, the FJR allows the rider to choose from four preload and three damping presets. It goes even further by offering seven damping tuning adjustments.

Despite being a hefty touring bike with a curb weight of 642 pounds, the FJR1300ES exhibits a sporty character. This is primarily due to its aluminum frame, which is significantly superior to the steel chassis used by many of its rivals. According to Yamaha, this chassis is designed to provide a balance of stiffness and feedback. The swingarm is also long to improve traction and rear suspension action.

Couple this setup with its adjustable suspension, and this sizable touring bike can transform from a corner carver to a stable straight-line sprinter in a few clicks. The braking setup is also robust with large 320 mm discs up front and a 282 mm disc at the rear. Its sporty and nimble riding dynamics, compared to those of heavy and loaded touring bikes, can also be attributed to a relatively short wheelbase of 60.8 inches and a low ground clearance of 4.9 inches.

Oodles Of Technology Is Standard

The last model year of the Yamaha FJR1300ES (2024) was practically unchanged since 2016. However, you will be surprised to see the number of luxury and convenience features it packs, some of which even modern 2025 touring bikes lack. The most notable convenience feature is its advanced LED lighting, which includes a lean-angle feature. Atop this LED array are six LED units that light up sequentially through turns.

In simpler words, the headlight beam of this Yamaha touring bike can illuminate better through curves. This is very useful when riding along mountain roads at night. The headlight assembly also features tool-less angle adjustment. Standard heated grips, cruise control, and a 12V charging outlet are all present, too.

Moving on, the FJR features Yamaha’s Chip Controlled Throttle system, unique to the Yamaha tourer, as it offers two distinct throttle response modes: T-Mode and S-Mode. The former provides a smooth throttle response, whereas the S-Mode brings out the sporty side. This system also works in tandem with the traction control and cruise control to elevate the riding experience.

Its six-speed gearbox is supported by a slip-and-assist clutch, which allows for reduced clutch effort and smoother, quicker downshifting. The instrument cluster is rather simple yet information-dense. The three-part display includes a dot-matrix multi-functional that can toggle between information with the flick of a bar-mounted toggle. All notable technology features are summarized below.

• Yamaha D Mode Adjustable Engine Mapping
• Traction Control System
• Cruise Control
• Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
• Combined braking system (CBS)
• Advanced LED Lean-angle Lighting System.
• Assist And Slipper Clutch.
• 12V Charging Outlet.

Storage And Practicality Features

The FJR1300ES comes with standard lockable side cases, each of which can hold a full-sized helmet. It also comes with clever storage space in the upper fairing. This glovebox features a 12V output for charging electronic devices, such as smartphones and GPS modules. Additionally, since the FJR1300ESA has been on the market for over 20 years, Yamaha has refined the motorcycle, and its reliability quotient now stands to be virtually flawless.

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Packed A Powerful Four-Cylinder Engine

Power: 142 HP

There are only a handful of sports tourers, even in 2025, with over 140 horsepower. Here we have a 20-year-old Yamaha with 142 horsepower. The four-cylinder mill utilizes sports bike-grade internals to achieve its muscular character. Even its relatively low compression ratio of 10.8:1 doesn’t hinder the explosive power output. The short-stroke engine builds up revs quickly and produces a meaty 102 pound-feet of torque. Additionally, the engine features lightweight forged pistons and carburized connecting rods, providing elevated levels of strength and durability. A slant-block design with stacked, tri-axis gearbox shafts helps keep the engine size concise and balanced.

Engine Specs

You Can Get A Used Yamaha FJR1300ES For Under $10,000

Used Price Range: $8,000 – $18,000

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Here’s The Used Touring Bike That’s Worth Every Penny

A dip in customer confidence makes this a bargain without peer

We know that after reading through all the FJR’s cool features, you will also be bummed with Yamaha’s decision to discontinue it. However, there is a way to obtain one of these beauties, as they are plentiful in the used marketplace. Additionally, due to minimal upgrades since 2016, numerous options are available for individuals with varying budgets. CycleTrader offers a wide selection of used Yamaha FJR1300ESs for sale, including brand-new 2024 models that are being sold at their list price of $18,299. However, there are used specimens (2016 to 2020 MYs) that can be had for under $10,000; and that’s a steal deal.