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My favorite route from the Robbinsville area to the Tail of the Dragon is highway 28. One of the best roads in the area.

Instead of just taking 129 to the Dragon, past Santeetlah Lake, turn right on Yellow Creek, left on Old Field Gap, and left on Meadow Branch. It puts you back on 129 across the street from the Tapoco Lodge. All good pavement. No traffic. Much more interesting than 129 along the Cheoah River.

Birmingham AL is only a little out of the way, and a friend mentioned the Barber Motorsports Museum.

as you lot may well know I'm from Blighty better known as uk. I live in the north east,I consider myself lucky to live in such a beautiful place.20 either way either I'm at the seaside or in the lovely yorkshire moors.and hour and a bit I'm in yorkshire days and 2 hrs I'm in the lake district.about 6 hrs I'm in the scottish highlands. hers some pictures of where me and my wife go.

Just picked up this used(!) 2016 beauty. My first bike having passed my full UK license earlier this year. Loving it!

Now have an ANSWER to the original question asked in this thread. Thanks to all who replied to this and left comments. Purchased new 2019 Tracer 900 GT last week in Florida for $12,336 OTD. Very happy with the purchase and the mods are set to begin immediately. Frank.

@wordsmith - Most tyre places should have. Failing that you can try Ebay or Amazon. Amazon.com: metal+valve+stems Amazon.com: metal+valve+stems You can also use those 90 degree stem valves

Good value - about what I have paid in the past. Oz buyers will be eligible to have the European VAT (sales tax - about 19% I think) deducted as non-EU residents. But be advised that none of these BAGSTER seats fits the GT model - new seats for the GT are still in development/ early production. Please form an orderly queue behind me... This rider highly recommends these seats.

I ended up buying a used set from chitown Great seller, thanks a lot!

@wordsmith - Not sure if you are aware but you can't use those on the stock rubber valves. You will need to replace them for metal ones. At speed the rubber valves will vibrate and will eventually tear (because of the higher centre of gravity).

If you have stock tubes then Autosol and a rag. The autosol will go black as you scrub. this is normal. Keep scrubbing and then wipe it off with a clean rag

Others have said here that they don't give rise to any balance issues. Product descripton says 'light weight, no need to rebalance wheels...' Wheel sensors apparently weigh only 50g each. We shall see! LATER EDIT! The sensors only weigh 10g per wheel...

Absolutely, positivity do make time to stop at the Barber Museum. As an enthusiast, it’s a ‘must see’ destination. It can easily consume a full day, so plan accordingly...

Here’s how my 2015 FJ looks on the low beam setting: The little ‘eye brow’ LEDs are illuminated on both sides, but only the left side main headlight is on. I assume the new Tracers use the same configuration, but can’t personally confirm.

so in the normal setting, only one side of the headlights run normally? i thought both ran all the time?? i disasembled a ton of stuff to try to replace the bulb when i gave up.

I have done exactly the same on my current GT and on earlier Tracers, except that the mesh I bought was already black. To avoid the rubbing/ scuffing/ abrading issue, I cut my mesh a little over-width and bowed it out in the middle (vertically) so that it stands about a half-inch clear of the rad surface. This also stiffens the mesh a little. Great stuff, this mesh! Farkle #10 – July 6th. As I’d done before on other bikes, I made a radiator protective screen, using some leftover aluminium decorative mesh from prior jobs. The black-painted mesh cost me about $25 and comes in a sheet 1200mm x 280mm – even now, after two or three previous jobs I’ve enough left for the next bike! The mesh cuts easily with a pair of tin snips or a thin-bladed angle-grinder. Cut very slightly over-width, the mesh slips into and is mainly held inside the shallow ~3mm deep grooves either side of the radiator frame. Being oversized it has a slight outward or convex bow along its vertical plane, with the centre about a finger’s width clear of the radiator surface. This both gives some extra rigidity to the screen and minimises risk of it abrading the radiator’s painted finish. Extra-long heat-resistant zip-ties secure the mesh, and the entire job looks quite OK – as said, this is one of several I’ve made and they hold up very well at about $6 a pop!

@texscottydlooks like a winner to me👍

In my part of the state, they’re not so much tall as massively wide. It’s hard to tell from the perspective of this photo, but that tree is a LONG way from the roadside. And if you look closely, there is an entire herd of cattle hanging out in the shade under that lone live oak tree... Mooooooooo...

When discussing the roads in NC, GA and TN, everyone talks about the Tail Of The Dragon, as if it is the marquis road in the region. Nothing could be further from the truth in my humble opinion. The Dragon is a lot of fun and a unique challenge, but there are hundreds of miles of better roads to be enjoyed in the area where the three states share borders. The good riding also extends well into the Virginias.

Had an MT meet on the weekend, only the Tracers to be seen, we must be the elite ones.

Here are some pics of the Givi SR2122 mounting rack coupled with the M7 mounting plate. This mounting plate allows you to use any Givi Monokey top box. I already had the Givi v47 top box from my other bike, so thought it would be a useful option for the Tracer. I've put up some pics with the top box and then some with the side cases as well. With all cases installed, there's 87 litres of storage.

I too have been super puzzled by this. Got 5K on the factory tires, so another 3-4 K and I will replace them, maybe sooner. I have tried this with, without, top box and bags, all sorts of suspension settings, tire pressures. Wobble happens at 42 exactly when side bags or top case are present. Without, it is there, but barely, seems to have gotten slightly worse, but I am one of those who mentally obsesses over such things, so it could be me. Had the steering head bearing checked (before I took it on the track). I believe, as you and many have said, that when I replace the tires, the wobble disappears. Hope that is the case for me. XSR900 was smoother than silk.

The GT in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Mt Rushmore visible through the tunnel.

Gawd I miss the riding on the West Coast.

An evening run around some local Dams. South East Queensland, Australia.