keithu

3 hours ago, petshark said:

And are the Ducatisti on the forums as nice as us? 

LOL no.

The FB groups are a shitshow, of course. I got called a wanker for stating I enjoy 1000+ mile days. But to be fair, the Tracer FB groups aren't much better.

I'm still in search of a useful web forum. I joined one, but it is light on value. If you ask about the best exhaust, tires, or carbon fiber bits you'll get dozens of replies. But ask about where to install a Fuzeblock for electrical farkles and it's crickets. I hope everyone appreciates the uniqueness of this Tracer forum.

11 minutes ago, JP3RKS said:

Sounds like your new Multistrada is the best all around bike now.

I'll admit I have some V4S jealousy! 

Yes, the V4S is fantastic. But for the price it better be! And we'll see if it's anywhere near as reliable as the Yamaha through 46k miles. So far, so good at 3k miles.

It finally happened. Since buying the Multistrada in February the FJ-09 has just been collecting dust in the garage. I posted it for sale on FB marketplace Friday, and about 24 hours later the new owner was loading it up in his trailer. He's a nice younger guy from Olympia, WA and I strongly encouraged him to join this forum.

It was truly bittersweet to see the FJ go. This was the best all around bike I've had in 30+ years of riding, and definitely the most reliable. I'm sure it will provide many more years of faithful service to the new owner.

Okay, it took more than a week or two. I finally posted the FJ-09 for sale on FB marketplace and 24 hours later the new owner was loading it up in his trailer. I have to admit I was pretty sad to see it go, as it's been a phenomenal bike. But it's just been gathering dust since I bought the Ducati so it was time to send it on. 😢

On 4/1/2022 at 11:34 AM, 2and3cylinders said:

Are you keeping your FJ?!

Probably not. For above five minutes my wife expressed some interest in riding it, but she has since retracted those statements. So I'll probably put it for sale here in the next week or two. 

20 hours ago, piotrek said:

Will probably just take out the shine and leave it unpainted.

Really nice work! I would be a little concerned about fatigue causing cracks at the bracket bends, but the bends have a gentle radius which should reduce stress in that area. It would be even stronger if you could weld in a brace at each corner, but given the thickness of the material maybe not necessary. 

I definitely think you should powder coat or paint the assembly, however. Contrary to popular opinion aluminum does corrode, and corrosion is often a contributing factor to stress cracking in aluminum. 

I was just being snarky as I also recently bought a large adventure bike with a ~1200cc V-4.

Sounds very similar to the Multistrada. Despite being heavier and more powerful I find it easier to ride at low speeds than the FJ-09 thanks to the balance and power delivery.

Cool ride! But a 1200cc V-4 in an adventure bike? That's just crazy. 😁

On 3/7/2022 at 7:43 AM, CRFan250 said:

Best part is the valves are not desmo and the adjustment intervals are 37K miles!

The long service intervals are a plus. But I'm already sure I won't try to do the valve service myself, and I shudder to think what it will cost. I had the Ducati dealer do the 600 mile service and it cost more than my first motorcycle. 🤪

On 2/9/2022 at 10:31 AM, roy826 said:

I do live in a state where 28% of the people on the road driving have NO insurance at all. That could be a problem in all this.

Yeah, insurance rates vary widely by locale. Prevalence of uninsured drivers, theft, and accident rates all factor into it.

$220 per year for the FJ-09 with 100/300/100, $250 deductible on comp/collision, and towing through State Farm in western Oregon. 

I just added my Multistrada V4S with the same coverage and it was the same cost. Amazing. 

3 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

2 She's going to need a lot of gear, training, and input from you...

 

Yeah, if she really decides she wants to ride again she'll go through a formal riding course like she's a new rider. When she first got her license in the early '90s I was an MSF instructor and basically taught her the course 1:1. But it's been a long time and I think formal training is really valuable.

She has ridden various dirt bikes, an Interceptor 700, a BMW R65, and the main bike that was hers for a while was a Katana 600.

The FJ-09 may not be the perfect re-entry bike after such a long gap, but it's about the same weight as her old Katana and probably a lot easier to ride. I think if she keeps it in B-mode for a while she'll be fine.

And yeah, she'll need all new riding gear. Luckily, my favorite local bike gear shop is woman owned and has a huge selection of quality women's riding gear.

Last night my wife said, "I was looking at the FJ in the garage... Do you think I could ride it?" She had her own bike 25 years ago, but quit riding when she got pregnant with our youngest.

So... It looks like you vultures who want some of my parts may have to keep circling for a while.😎

10 hours ago, PhotoAl said:

Tech on the bike would be great, would love to be able to set the wheel height and let the bike control it. 

Yeah, I suck at wheelies too so I'm pretty interested in this. Gotta get through this break-in period.

12 hours ago, kilo3 said:

Dang that's sharp! Then I looked at MSRP, I'll go hug my tracer now.😁

Yeah, they don't give them away. I got a 0.99% interest rate from Ducati though, which takes a bit of the sting off in this climate of high inflation and rising interest rates. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself. 😜

Getting way off topic here... 🙄

I drive 30+ rental cars per year, and I've also driven most of the compact/mid-size SUVs including the CX-5. Not one of them handles as nicely as, say, a Toyota Corolla. And many of them are not terribly space efficient. Driver and cargo space is usually no better in a crossover or SUV, and sometimes worse. They usually have better back seats than a similar-sized car, which is important if you need to haul passengers. And if you have old knees and/or a back, ingress and egress are easier. But if you prioritize driving dynamics and fuel economy, I'd recommend almost any sedan or hatchback. 

Whatever you do, don't get a Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross. The handling on that thing is hilariously bad. It feels exactly like driving one of these:

4 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

I don't want to seem like a vulture but may be interested in the Barkbusters and Madstad (if it's 22" minimum), like I need to try another screen...  Maybe also the saddle.

 

I'll let you know. Nothing goes up for sale until I have a new bike in the garage.

I just saw recently the MSRP on the Multi S and was shocked that it was more than an RT. 

Yeah, it's expensive. My cage is a Toyota Tundra with 18k miles and it's paid for. At the current rate of 4k miles per year, I could probably go the rest of my life without a car payment. 🤔

BTW I had a newer Mazda 3 as a rental last week on a business trip. I've driven virtually all the compact sedans as rentals and the Mazda is the best driver's car right now. Really nice. If we had to replace my wife's Elantra GT for some reason I'd probably urge her to get the Mazda 3 hatchback.

Not worth it IMO. For all I know that shock is even worse than my original one. I bought a used shock once from a respected seller and it was garbage.

15 minutes ago, 2and3cylinders said:

Sorry to hear and hope you are staying with us regardless of your next steed!

What are you doing with everything you removed?  A forum garage sale!

I'm sure there's things I'd be interested in; unfortunately.

I'm leaving a few things on the FJ: MCCruise; OEM heated grips; SW Motech crash bars and skid plate; Hepco-Becker saddlebags; Öhlins shock. The MCCruise is of course nearly impossible to remove. The Öhlins shock hurts a little since it's only a year old and would probably have good resale value, but the OEM shock is so worn and shitty I can't in good conscience put it back on the bike.

Some farkles I plan to keep and reuse elsewhere. But there are a few items I will probably put up for sale:

Mr. Ed's custom saddle

Adventuretech aux light bracket

Madstad windshield and hardware

V-Stream windshields (med and large) and hardware

Barkbuster Storm handguards

Tentative: Aux fuel system (rack, tank, modified passenger seat)

1 hour ago, 1moreroad said:

Are you getting a BMW?

I dunno. The original plan was to get an R1250RT, and I submitted a custom build order in September. But here we are on February's eve and I haven't even been told a build date yet.

Plus, I've been hanging out in an RT group on Bookface for a couple months and it seems like every other post is about warranty repairs and reliability issues. Not real confidence inspiring.

I'll visit the Ducati dealer tomorrow or Wednesday to look at a Multistrada V4S. Unless I absolutely hate it for some reason that's what I'll get. The V4S groups only talk about aftermarket exhausts and carbon fiber bits and tires, despite some people already racking up serious miles on them. It appears to be a solid, reliable platform that works well right out of the box.

It's just about trade-in time, so I spent the weekend de-farkling. Undoing almost seven years of mods was quite a chore. Today I gave it a final wash. It's bittersweet, this has been a phenomenal bike and the #1 most reliable vehicle I've owned over the last 40 years. My only issue with the FJ-09 has been that the clock loses about 30 seconds per month.

Crap! Condolences on the damaged bike, and I hope the soreness goes away fast.