keithu

Yes, I'm afraid it is. I mount my seat in the upper position but it's still pretty sloppy. Overall fit and finish on this bike is more '79 Camaro than Honda Accord.

Maybe. Some photos show larger, rubber topped footpegs. That includes the photos from the dealership in Holland, so let's hope those are production models and that's how it will be worldwide. But if you look at the 360 degree image on Yamaha's USA website, it shows the crappy little shorty pegs as found on the previous Tracer and FJ. Let's hope the 360 image is wrong.

I could tell some stories about myself. I won't, but I could.

Same thing with PWCs. My wife wanted to buy a Seadoo in June but there were none to be had in the whole state.

My sweet wife is an angel, but she will never understand why I "need another motorcycle."

Probably true. The S1000XR is still on my list, just not at the top of it right now. The Tracer will never have the power of the BMW, but it'll be interesting to see how this new suspension performs. Believe it or not I'm still riding around on the stock suspension on my '15 FJ-09. The prospect of spending $1000+ on suspension upgrades puts another tick mark in the "maybe I should just trade it in on something new" column. I can afford the S1000XR if I decide that's what I want, and I'm not paranoid about BMW reliability despite past experience. But right now it seems like the new Tracer offers everything the BMW has except some horsepower for about $6-7k less.

Man you sound like my wife. Why would I spend that much? In May 2015 I rode my FJ-09 OTD for less than MSRP, and that included title, four years of registration, and an accessory (heated grips). There's no sales tax in Oregon and my local dealer doesn't try to pile on fees like freight/setup. Even without a trade-in I would expect to spend less than $15k for this. As you say.

You ride an F800GT so you might not remember what excitement feels like (😁), but sometimes it's gratifying to get something new. If enjoying that endorphin rush makes me a sucker for consumerism, fine. My dog is the same way so at least I'm in good company. That being said, there are compelling practical reasons (to me) to upgrade. The active suspension, improved subframe, IMU, and better fuel economy are all functional improvements that would be difficult or impossible to retrofit on my old FJ-09.

Are you talking about the Kawasaki's bags, or the new Tracer bags?

Good idea, I'll start drafting the eulogy. "Dearly beloved... we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life."

Obviously this is all dependent on whether our Dear Leader decrees that people may gather in public on Dec 31. Oceanside is a nice destination but it requires crossing the coast range, which always introduces risk that time of year. I actually had to ride through snow on the way home from Oceanside in 2016, which was unpleasant. It's a nicer destination but I think more people are likely to show up in Newberg.

The adjustable seat and handlebars are not new, but the adjustable footpegs are.

I was thinking more like late '70s/early '80s. These were on the 1979 XS1100: Most bikes in the 1990s had beautiful instrument clusters, even as paint and graphics began to look like bad acid trips.

Cruise control is now standard on both the Tracer 9 and GT.

Exactly. To be honest I was interested in the Multistrada for about 1.2 days after it was announced. Then I came to my senses. Back to the Tracer 9, I noticed the Yamaha website says the subframe supports three pieces of luggage. In the past they always recommended running panniers OR a top box, not both. So maybe they've beefed everything up (including the suspension) for more carrying capacity. That would be good for folks who like to ride two-up.

I guess I'm in the minority here but I like it. Okay, I'm not a YUGE fan of the styling, but the feature set and improvements are appealing. I'm thinking I might replace my '15 FJ-09 in a year or so, and I've been strongly considering the S1000XR or possibly the new Mulistrada V4. Or, depending on the day of the week I think I need a Super Tenere or R1250RT. But most days the S1000XR is in the lead. But the new tech, especially the semi-active suspension and IMU, put the Tracer 9 GT back in the running for me. Improved fuel economy and more power are good things. I know some folks are balking at the $14.9k price, but if I'm considering the S1000XR which is $20k+ before I add luggage, the Yamaha still seems like a bargain.

I lived in Manteca in the mid-90s and your route was one of my favorite loops. I don't miss the San Joaquin Valley but having the Sierras in my back yard was incredible.

I have had the gear indicator go blank once or twice after a sloppy shift.

And the SP is actually offered in the USA this time! It's on their website with a $10,999 MSRP.

Is that 20K miles or kilometers? If it's miles, you may have set a record for the longest life on the OEM chain ever. If KMs, yeah it's a little short but not unusual, sadly.

@roy826 awesome, thank you. I may have to consider this for my next farkle.

Can you show a detailed view of the alert light? I've thought about getting a detector but I'm worried about it getting damaged by weather.

I don't think it's too early to start planning this. As some of you know I like to take a traditional "Last Ride of the Year" every December 31. This isn't a group ride, per se, but rather a RTE (Ride to Eat) call where we converge on a scenic location to eat food, kick tires, admire farkles, and swap lies. This will be the fifth time I've called this ride. This year we'll need to consider how best to do this in the Age of 'Rona. I'm confident that regardless of what's going on we should be able to have some sort of safe, socially-distanced meet up. In 2016-2018 we met at a little diner in Oceanside, on Cape Meares just west of Tillamook. Last year we met at Mo's in Florence, on the central Oregon coast. I was concerned that the southerly location would reduce our numbers, being so far from Portland. And I was right, it was just me and one other forum member. First question: Who's interested? Second question: Where should we meet? Let me suggest three options, though I'm open to other ideas: Oceanside: Where we went before; it's a beautiful destination, but getting there could be sketchy if temps in the Coast Range are low. The Blue Agate Cafe is currently open for take-out only. Newport: A longer ride for many, but it should be easy to find a gathering spot. The Rogue Brewery has a huge parking lot in a nice location, and people can go inside for food and beer if they desire. Or just eat a picnic in the parking lot. Newberg: See See Motor Coffee Company has a coffee shop in Newberg now. Newberg isn't as scenic as the coast, but maybe this would be an easier ride for people in the Portland area. Choose your own route there and back. Thoughts?

It sounds like a nice day! I've never been on Vashon either, although I have some old moto friends who live there.

That was pretty good! What tires were on the Tracer?