theog

27 minutes ago, Ride365 said:

I have now had 3 mechanics tell me to check valves when Yamaha suggests, 2 of which are familiar with these engines and claim the valve clearances don't move much. 🤔

They move quite a bit during the first interval. But that’s true of many engines. I’d do the first one early and then take a cooler approach. 

On 11/30/2023 at 1:32 AM, ZigMerid said:

As would the Postie Challenge folk. Not *quite* a race, but still...

 

https://www.postiebikechallenge.org

That looks incredible!  And frankly, I don’t think the cost is out of question. Certainly non-trivial, but there looks like a lot of value … and it would tick a bucket list item for me. You just added a little bit of light to an otherwise dark time of year. Thanks for sharing!

Pull the shims, don’t stack. They are marked, but measuring is never a bad idea. If you’ve owned Ducatis, you know why measuring is best. 

On 11/30/2023 at 10:30 AM, kilo3 said:

Added note, not a lot of people talk about it but those lipos do/should/prefer a full charge outside what the bike can deliver voltage wise now and again.  IIRC some even suggest keeping it on a charger full time but I've seen some get away with not doing it at all so maybe it's just vehicle dependent?

I’ve had mostly good success with Antigravity on my bikes. I’ve used them on my last 7-8 bikes and only experienced one issue, which they took care of. In most cases, I use them because I don’t have to leave them on a tender over winter. Although I ride year round, there’s typically a month or so where the roads are just too salt caked for my liking. The longest I’ve let a bike sit was a 6 months and it fired up without issue. No charger. And, best part, the oil was changed right before storage with the same procedure I used last week. 
 

Anyway, hope you northerners aren’t having an early onset of Parked Motorcycle Syndrome!

2 hours ago, kilo3 said:

What's the voltage on the lipo when it cranks? These ecu's super sensitive to drops.

I can't say what the cranking voltage was on the initial non-start.  However, the resting voltage was 13.1 volts.  After a few more tries at starting over the last two days, the resting voltage dropped to 12.75 and cranking voltage to 11.8 volts.

I had a freshly charged Yuasa on the shelf, so your question prompted me to try it out.  Initially, it gave the same results.  However, it had an ever so slight 'bump' in the exhaust note which gave hope.  After 4-5 more tries on the starter using all sorts of throttle openings, it roared to life.

After it warmed up, I swapped in the lithium battery to see what would happen.  To my surprise, it started up *almost* like normal, even if the first crank was a little slower (which I'll attribute to the state of charge from all the cranking).

Going to give it another go tomorrow AM and see if it'll take me to work.  I'll be bringing along a portable jump pack just in case it fails me again.  We'll see.

24 minutes ago, miweber929 said:

Gotta disagree with your statement. It’s VERY common to flood a modern FI bike by only running it 15-30 seconds and shutting it off. Search, you’ll see, as @RaYzerman said they literally dump gas into the motor to get it to fire straight up, unless it’s burnt off it will foul plugs. 
 

I’d be pulling the plugs and drying them off, or simply replacing them, if it were my bike. 

You're free to check the fueling, timing, and enrichment maps for yourself, but can assure you that they there is no "literal dumping of gas".  This is a good bit of urban legend that stems from days of manual chokes and carbs...which still aren't as sensitive as we're discussing here.  Properly fueled with proper heat range plugs (as most bikes are delivered), they don't foul plugs if the bike is turned off within the first 15 seconds.

If you want proof, go to any dealer, moto mechanic, or auto shop...not every bike is fully warmed up when the engine is started.  That's just not feasible for many maintenance operations.

In either case, I agree that it's always preferable to let an engine warm up to temp after starting for a plethora of reasons.  On that we won't disagree.  

So anyway, good looking out @kilo3...looks like the battery and ECU were at odds with one another.  Will update this thread if the problem returns.

Unfortunately, that trick didn't work.  But it was the first thing I tried when it failed to start, so at least brilliant minds think alike!  No amount of throttle opening or cranking duration changed the results.

Although you're correct that the ECU enriches the A/F at start up, stock bikes designed in this century seldom, if ever, run rich enough to foul plugs if the bike isn't fully warmed up.  If these are fouled, they'll be the first on my watch!

So it looks like I'll have to disassemble the bike when I can find the time to see what's up.  The ease at which it cranks and the lack of sound are interesting...almost reminds me of a low compression scenario.  But I'm getting ahead of myself (I hope).

Still, keep the ideas flowing.  

On 11/28/2023 at 4:49 PM, Jfundo said:

Cancel the King of the Baggers racing, 80mph top speed is pretty boring racing.

The droves of fans who came out to resurrect road racing in the US would disagree with that statement.  Or any MX or flat track event.

Strangest thing happened today…my completely stock Yamaha wouldn’t start!

Changed the oil last week on the 2017 @10k miles. Ran the bike for somewhere around 15-30 seconds (idled, no throttle) to circulate oil. Let oil settle overnight and topped off in morning. As I’ve done on every bike I’ve owned for almost 20 years. Let it sit for a week due to holiday and kiddos school break. 
 

Fast forward to today, no start. 13v on the LiFePo battery, cranks and crank, and cranks. All electrical systems and switches work. Sure enough, I can smell fuel. 
 

Looks like I’m going to have to check the plugs. Anyone else run into this issue?  Totally odd that it worked fine before parking. I’d be shocked if the plugs fouled like this, but all signs point this way…

4 hours ago, Solomookie said:

I think I'm actually more amazed that the FJR is listed at 140. Where were the lawyers that day?

Hard to say, but definitely running late to work!

Came with bike. Previously owner loved it and couldn’t ride without it. I’m the polar opposite. But speaking of polar, it did keep me nice and toasty. So there’s that. 
 

$100 plus shipping. Or local pickup in NEPA or NNJ

Any idea if the seat fits on the first gen bikes?  If so, I’m interested. 

I can’t really claim I did this today, but I remembered today that I did this one day recently. Does that count?

Installed a new chain brain. About damn time. I hate remembering to maintain chains and previous owner did me no favors.  I ended up taking a wire wheel to the outer links to clean them up.  

This is the Scotoiler eSystem v2 with lube tube.

Lawyers. 
 

I’ve cruised with my wider FJR bags well over 100 mph. 

1 hour ago, miweber929 said:

I've written on here a couple times about the Supersport S vs. the Tracer so be sure to search for posts by me to see more details. 

Very shortly I have 3 great sport touring bikes: the '17 Supersport S, the '20 Tracer GT and an '11 Triumph Sprint GT. All 3 are GREAT sport tourers but go about the task differently with the Duc essentially a sportbike with factory bar risers and factory bags available which LOVES a curvy road and a fine way to spend a few days having fun. The S is the one to have with the Ohlins fitting that bike extremely well. It's drawbacks are really the Ducati cost of ownership including services and parts and the lack of a cruise control or it would be almost perfect. Especially the 950 version which tweaks a few things and nails the look a tick better than the 939 which had a few weird angles. A SPORT tourer or gentleman's sportbike; if you've ever ridden a VFR (I've owned I think 5) this is what the VFR should have been all those years. The other negative is outright speed: it's a blast up to 125mph or so but signs off after. I think top speed is boring so it's perfectly acceptable to me; if 155+ mph is in your blood you will be disappointed. 

If Ducati puts a cruise on it I will trade mine in, and keep the new one forever. Otherwise mine stays for days when I want to play. However if Yamaha does a sport-comfy R9 I will sell it and buy that. 

The Tracer GT is in my mind the best only-own-one-bike made. It's fast, comfortable, hauls a passenger fine, decent luggage, is super easy to ride and ride fast, and is lightweight, especially minus the luggage and with a small windscreen. I have a local curvy road I know well and go fast on all 3 of my bikes: the Tracer is easiest to ride and I have to watch my speed or I am WAY too far into non-safe speeds. The Sprint is as well, though heavy and wallowy (it needs a suspension update bad), I can be surprisingly fast on that one, especially with a passenger and is probably the second easiest. The Duc is faster than all, but I have to think about it and want it. Not to say it's hard to ride fast, I have yet to ride a bike that has the mix of flickable and stable like this one does (a V2 steers quicker but not nearly as stable in sweepers), you have to think about it and be "on" it. 

The Tracer just does everything you ask without hesitation and does it all in comfort. When I go to the garage I almost always grab the Tracer. 

Not as much as you'd think. Both are sport tourers good for a day of fun, they are just different in execution. 

I enjoyed this description of the Supersport. Although I’ve never ridden one, I’ve owned a Multistrada 1200 and a Hyperstrada 939, in that order. I ended up converting the Hyperstrada into a Hypermotard with a longer Ohlins rear and forks. The engine was bonkers without being ridiculous, and was a gem when ridden at 8/10s or above; sadly, I never managed a track day on it. But on the street, the chassis could never deliver comfort, the brakes were strong but grabby, and the engine would stutter and cough if ridden like an adult (don’t judge me!). Frankly, it wore me out unless, as you say, I worked for it. The sound and feel was brilliant, but the total experience was lacking for me. I am fortunate enough to do my own service, but the maintenance and wear/tear are silly. And part prices are absolutely insane unless you import them yourself from Europe. 
 

The FJ may lack a little character, but it makes up for it by being comfortable and easy to ride. Ducatis need to have a stable mate…because they will get prissy and have a fit from time to time!

I’m dating myself here, but I remember the good old days circa 2007 when Buell was in business. They had an excellent demo program if you could get past the assless chaos line at the door. They would let you ride anything you wanted and gave out pretty cool swag with each ride. They even had an annual track day tour with discounted rates, catered meals, and any bike you wanted to ride. 
 

Ducati and Triumph were always good about demos, too.  It seems the Japanese bike dealers just didn’t care enough to go along with it.  And I guess it works for them.  I’ve purchased 4 new Yamahas over the years, ordered sight unseen, no test ride.

2 hours ago, Wintersdark said:

Curious really.  The Tracer is generally not a high theft sort of bike, that's more Harleys and fully faired sport bikes.

Sadly, mine was less dadmode (no handguards, small sport windscreen, didn't have the bags on it, etc) so it was more just a big mt09. 

I kind of expect to get screwed by the insurance, but who knows, maybe I'll get lucky.  Then I've got to figure out what to do with my hardcases, handguards, and old windscreen; kind of odd stuff to be left with.

Meanwhile, there's an new MT10 sitting at a local dealership looking like it needs a home.  Hmmm.

Good luck, I hope you don’t get raked over the coals by the insurance company!

I’d recommend a long test ride on the MT-10. It’s a great bike (I had two over the years), but seat was the number one problem for me. Stock, Yamaha comfort, Sargent, Corbin…none of them did the trick and my bony rear end would get sores on longer trips. But it was a hoot with that engine. That bike will pass anything except for a gas station. The Empty-10 as it’s affectionately known…

Somehow I missed all these replies!  Work got the best of me this week...ugh.

Anyway, I took ya'll leads and ended up deciding on these:

https://www.renthal.com/road/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=4204&tag=814-50-BK

They have noticeably more sweep, are narrower (which I'll further narrow up with a set of 120 mm grips), and despite the image, don't have that white logo.  I'll post a pic or two after I get a chance to install this weekend.  

8 hours ago, Wintersdark said:

It's REALLY not common here.  We're in a good part of town, in a residential area, there's bikes on the street all the time - and hell, there's two other bikes on the street right now within a block of where mine was stolen.  

 

Sounds like the bastard had good taste. 

I'll give them a look.  Which bend are you using?

On 9/21/2023 at 6:54 AM, 2and3cylinders said:

Life begins at 140 mph on two wheels.

Only bullfighting and motor racing are true sports, everything else are just games.

If we're going to quote Hemingway, we should do it correctly:

'There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.

Anyone have any suggestions?  I'd like something of similar rise and pullback as the stock 2017 bars, but narrower.  I know this was done on the later years.  But because I'm bougie, I want them in black without markings...no Pro Tapers, etc. with all their logos.

Any suggestions?  If I can't find something suitable, I'll just narrow up the stock bars.  But would prefer black.

This is an FJ kit. There is a plug and play GPR kit, too. 

New without packaging.  Has a minor dent on the corner where previous owner must have mishandled it. Otherwise in like new usused condition. 
 

For 1st and 2nd gen models. 
 

$100 shipped conus 

Thanks to @Heli ATP for a sick deal on a matching luggage set for my 1 month old 2017. Had to pick up some new side case mounts due to Yamaha discontinuing their offerings, but the forum steered me right. Ready to rock for a trip later this month!

Will need to be add a wide load sign and remember that the bars are no longer the whiskers they used to be!

I had a few minutes and got the installed today. Definitely glad I had an impact handy because that thread locker was insane on the passenger foot pegs!

I can’t see needing these in steel or with a crossbar. The factory bags are pretty beefy, even when empty, but I still can’t imagine the plate and peg mount being insufficient. 
 

Thanks for the help finding a quick solution!