It started as a typical bar bet over a couple of brews.

“Yeah, that 850cc triple in the FZ-09 is a great engine, but it needs to be in an adventure bike.”

“Well, the new FJ-09 uses that engine, looks adventurish, and I’ll bet it will handle the fire roads to our favorite camping spot in Big Sur, right alongside your big GS."

“No way... bet you a steak dinner.”

“You’re on!”

And so the challenge began. It was a given from the start that the FJ would be shy on ground clearance and suspension travel, but I wasn’t going to make a dirt bike out of it. The challenge was to take a great bike and make it better.

For the FJ-09, Yamaha took its highly successful FZ-09 naked bike and gave it some wind protection along with a more upright seating position. They stiffened the suspension and added a much better seat so it became not only a great canyon carver, but also a reasonably priced and very capable machine for touring, commuting and everyday transportation.

In the big bike ADV world here in the U.S., most bikes probably spend 98% of their miles on pavement. Serious off-roaders will usually have a smaller KTM or something like a DRZ in the garage and frequently have one as a mate to a big ADV bike to use for the technical stuff. Let’s face it, if you want to ride from the Midwest to see Utah's Monument Valley, you’ll be much more comfortable on the big bike and that same bike will easily handle the dirt valley roads.

Then, there's the cost factor. The big bikes will punch a big hole in a $20,000 voucher. What if you could get to the same places for $12–13,000?

Putting together all of these factors, I set out to prove the point that while one bike can’t do it all, this FJ could give the big boys a run for the money—then I could collect on that steak dinner.

The first part of the experiment was to take a stock FJ-09 onto some SoCal fire roads. This foray proved the obvious lack of ground clearance and the marginal bite of the stock street tires in the loose stuff, but the huge range of torque and smooth power delivery made me optimistic about the final outcome.

The next step was to turn it into a bit of an adventure bike while keeping an eye on the budget. A quick on-line search brought me to Moto Machines where they stock Hepco and Becker crash bars and an “engine spoiler,” which would not act as a skid plate very well, but would add a bit of protection to any low frontal impact for the pipes, as well as making the bike look sportier.

My only gripe with the FJ on arrival was the stock windscreen, which seemed to be perfectly designed to buffet the helmet. Moto Machines helped with a taller windscreen from Ermax, which cut out much of the buffeting.

Once the bike sported crash bars, accessory lights were next. In fact, this style of lights has almost become a signature feature for adventure bikes. (The importance of conspicuity was the subject of ADVMoto’s feature on lighting in the September 2015 issue.) Black Dog Cycle Works came to the party with their complete kit of brackets, wiring, and an illuminated switch; also in the kit were Rigid LED lights and amber covers, which make the bike intentionally conspicuous. The lights I selected were the new SAE-compliant Duallys with a crisply flat beam. These lights proved to not only light up the road and make me visible, but the flat beam also kept them from annoying oncoming traffic. Better yet, they’re classified as fog lights, so you shouldn’t be setting off alarms with local law enforcement by leaving them on all the time.

Next was the issue of tires. The 17″ rims on the FJ resulted in a reduced number of offerings. We spoke with our friends at Continental and selected their Trail Attack 2 tires, which are original equipment on some KTMs and some BMWs. Although not available at press time, their 70-30 rated TKC 70 was promised in the FJ’s sizes by the fall. If you really want the character of full knobbies, their legendary TKC 80s are also stocked to fit (but tread life and speed ratings with knobbies remain low). Keeping with the concept of an all-around commuter and light adventure bike, the Trail Attack 2 tires were ideal for our street bias goal.

During its first venture off road, while the bike was still stock, I learned that the limited suspension travel was adequate for graded fire roads as long as they’re approached at a reasonable pace, picking a line carefully, and watching for drops or rocks that would challenge the ground clearance. Yes, I did drag those beautiful triple pipe headers once, but they’re quite stout. If Yamaha weren’t expecting the bike back, I would have added another inch or so to the handle bar height with risers and longer cables. While the stock footpegs were passable for standing, you couldn’t say they were comfortable. Although I didn’t get an opportunity to use them, the only replacements to be found were the pegs from Yamaha’s FZ8, which were similar in shape, but have a rubber insert that should make standing more comfortable. Given more time, I would have fabricated something to weld to the stock pegs.

With a promising first venture in dirt, I assembled the stack of farkles and spent some quality shop time on the feisty triple. I was especially surprised at the ease of installation of the Hepco and Becker bars and engine spoiler.

The one bit of electronics missing was a GPS. I’m also a fan of personal emergency trackers, so an inReach Explorer was drafted into service, which combines both GPS and locator functions. I attached the inReach with the assistance of a RAM mount, using a kit that allows replacement of one of the stock handle bar clamp bolts with a longer bolt which also secures one of RAM's high friction system balls. The mount never missed a beat and held the inReach securely, even over some jarring terrain.

The test bike came equipped with Yamaha’s accessory locking side cases. While it is nice to have locking cases for city commuting, they are too small to hold a helmet. Since I kept the bike upright, the cases weren’t crash tested for durability; however, my overall impression is that they’re designed to be a “value case,” not intended for heavy duty use. For longer tours, I’d pass on the factory panniers but get Yamaha’s rear rack and use some quality soft luggage for side and top positions.

After the installation of all the parts and pieces it was time for the showdown. I agreed to meet up with some San Francisco-based GS riding friends at my favorite Big Sur campground. To get to the site, I would run up the Pacific Coast Highway a couple of hundred miles and then turn up the twisty Nacimiento-Ferguson road. The road manners of the FJ-09 were first class and it carved the twisties like a sport bike. Its upright seating and generous leg room, combined with the broad torque curve and impressive power of the 850cc engine, make the 470-pound bike fun for hours on end.

At last, I hit the fire roads; ahead were 10 miles of rock, silt, sand, ruts, and steep hills. I met this moment of truth with genuine apprehension. My tires were not the knobbies the other guys had on their GSes, but the Trail Attack 2s lived up to their name and melted away my concerns. I picked my way through the ruts to avoid scraping bottom and, happily, never had to test the robust crash bars. The steep hills were child’s play for the torquey 115-horsepower engine, even with traction control turned off for the dirt. I got to the campground at the same time as my buddies.

No one ever waited for the FJ. It earned its stripes. The concept was validated!

Afterwards, I made up a flimsy excuse to keep Yamaha’s bike a few weeks longer, putting on a total of nearly 3,000 miles; a good chunk of that was commuting and zipping around town, averaging about 42 mpg with my best tank in the 47 mpg range. And yes, you could certainly get better mileage, but that triple makes such a great sound under power at high RPM... well, you understand!

So at the end of the day, I won the bet. You can have a great sporty motorcycle for a reasonable price, and, with the right accessories, handle some light adventure touring. Now, there was only one thing left to do: collect that steak dinner!

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