Yamaha FJR 1300A

Yamaha's long-running FJR1300 sports-tourer has been revised for 2006 with new clothes, some intriguing chassis changes and, for Europe only, an optional semi-automatic transmission .

The new fairing allows a 40mm greater range of adjustment on the power-operated screen that now moves through 135mm vertically and 49.7mm fore and aft.

A new mid-cowl on either side is adjustable over a range of 30mm to micro-manage the climate around the rider's and pillion's legs and a new central sub-screen duct channels cool air into the riding space to reduce wind pressure on the rider's body

The new, larger headlights are individually adjustable from inside the fairing and there's a 12-volt socket inside the glove compartment on the left of the fairing which also now locks when you switch of the ignition.

Heatable grips are now standard and the handlebars are adjustable although you need tools to do it while the saddle can be mounted in a choice of two positions 20mm apart. The footpegs have also been moved 20mm down and 40mm forward for a more relaxed ride.

The previously optional panniers are now standard; for 2006 their mountings have been moved closer to the centreline of the bike so although they're actually bigger than the old ones, the bike is 50mm narrower than the previous model with cases in place.

The 1298cc, 105kW engine and five-speed, shaft-drive transmission are unchanged but the swing-arm has been extended by 40mm to throw more weight on the front wheel

Anti-lock brakes, also previously an option, are now standard, as is form of linked brakes Yamaha has called the unified braking system (UBS).

In this set-up the footbrake pedal operates the rear brake and the lower two pistons on the right-side front calliper while the handlebar lever is responsible for the upper two pistons on the right and all four on the left.

The net effect is that sports riders who do most of their braking with the front brakes won't feel the difference in the dry but riders at all levels will notice that the bike is steadier when using both brakes on wet tar.

Europe-only auto

The first thing you notice about the new FJR1300AS is the clutch lever it's not there; instead, an electronic clutch takes up automatically as you roll on the throttle. This is not a scooter-style CVT transmission, however, it has a gearbox with a foot-lever.

Unlike the standard system, neutral is at the bottom, which takes a little getting used to but even if you get it wrong the worst that's likely to happen is that you try to pull away in neutral, which is embarrassing but hardly life-threatening.

You simply start the bike (remember to hold on to the front brake, there's a cut-out switch) change up into first and accelerate away.

You can change gears either by the usual foot lever or by a pair of buttons on the left handlebar one in front to change up, one next to the hooter for down similar to the paddle-shift system on many modern performance.

Either input will send a message to two small electric motors that operate the clutch and gear lever on your behalf.

In-house initiative

Yamaha admits the semi-auto wasn't introduced in response to riders' requests; its R&D boffins developed the technology as an in-house initiative and decided to introduce it as a limited-edition option on the company's touring flagship to test the market.

Semi-auto transmissions were previously introduced in the 1970's by Honda (the CB750A and CB450A) and by Moto Guzzi (the 1000cc Convert). Each had car-style hydraulic torque converters and proved disappointingly sluggish.

Yamaha's electrically operated clutch and shift mechanisms, however, may prove to be the answer for relaxed long-distance riding.