keithu

5 minutes ago, Your_Boy_Yuriy said:

Awesome, How many miles per fill up, with the auxiliary tank? 

Depending on fuel economy I can go 250-350 miles per tank. On this trip the longest stretch I went was Madras to Arlington via Long Creek, about 285 miles. Arlington to home was 225 miles and the fuel gauge on the dash still shows full.

4 minutes ago, betoney said:

Riding in Oregon NEVER gets old.  I ride there frequently and it always puts a smile on my face. 👍🏻

Unless you're stuck in post-holiday traffic heading into Portland on I-84 and thinking, "Gee, it sure would be nice if I could LANE SHARE right about now." 🤬

2 hours ago, bootsandboots said:

My FJ09 came with soft Givi Bags that are starting to split at the seams so I’m looking at different options. How do you feel about those Junior Hepco & Becker cases after having them for a few years? I really like the look of them.

Get something else.

The seal on the Junior bag is not a good design so it's only about 90% waterproof. Rain and water from washing the bike will seep through. The water then runs down under a fixed shelf where it can't be completely wiped out. In the winter I have to park the bike with the bags open to allow them dry out, otherwise mold grows inside. 

Also, the lids can be tricky to align if the bag is full, meaning if you're not careful only one of the two latches will actually engage. 

I liked the look of them too, they reminded me of the OEM cases I had on my BMW K100RS. The saddlebags were the only good thing about that bike. Unfortunately the Hepco-Becker Juniors are an inferior copy of the old BMW cases. If I had to buy new hard cases tomorrow I would shop Givi, Shad, or SW Motech. 

I had today (Monday, Memorial Day holiday in USA) free, so I decided to go get some ice cream. Long Creek General Store is known for their homemade ice cream, which I've enjoyed many times while deer hunting in the area. It's a long way to go just for ice cream, so I decided I'd also loop up to Maryhill, WA to see the Stonehenge Memorial. Despite living in the PNW for 25 years I've managed to miss this landmark.

The route took me up over Tombstone and Santiam Passes on US-20, Lower Bridge Road to Terrebonne, US-97 through Madras, then various incredible back roads through Antelope, Fossil, Spray, and Monument to Long Creek.

I arrived at Crooked River Gorge just in time to witness some poor suicidal fellow throw himself off the bridge. Luckily there was a bungee cord tangled around his waist and he was saved by sheer luck.

Oh well. Here's some more scenery.

When I finally arrived in Long Creek, imagine my dismay when the shopkeeper informed me, "Sorry, we're all out of homemade ice cream. There is some packaged ice cream in the cooler over there."

It's just not the same.

Well that blows.

On up to Maryhill I rode. I'm pleased to say that this Stonehenge is in far better condition than the rather dilapidated one they have in England.

This Stonehenge was built as a memorial to those who served in The War to End All Wars. Sadly, as we all know, it wasn't.

At this point I was getting rather tired, so I hopped on the freeway and took the quickest way home via the Columbia River Gorge.

As I pulled into the driveway the total trip meter rolled over to a rather ominous number. No matter, I had a devil of a good time.

Here's a good route to take from Crater Lake to the Gorge:

Basically you leave the north entrance of the park, take the Cascade Lakes Highway around Mt. Bachelor and into Bend, Powell Butte Hwy towards Prineville, then up through Fossil, Antelope, Shaniko, Bakeoven Rd. to Maupin, and US-197 into The Dalles. It's 359 miles of insanely good riding and diverse scenery. 

Nice report! I've been through Detroit a few times now since the fire and it makes me sad every time. Almost as sad as this damned cold front we've had for the last week after a month of summer-like weather. ☹️

I've thought about doing an overnight drain too, but I already change the oil and filter ever 3000-3500 miles anyway which is probably overkill.

9 hours ago, Salish900 said:

Well today was the first time I've seen someone splitting lanes here in WA.

When I first moved to Oregon in '96 I had a real hard time getting out of the lane splitting habit.  I spent seven years in California in the Navy, the last four with 140 daily commute miles in the SF Bay Area. It felt unnatural and a bit scary to just sit in traffic waiting to be crushed. I split some that first year but finally stopped because I knew it was illegal and cagers weren't expecting it.

That said, I have done "lane splitting light" a few times when I've been in Portland and encountered traffic. I wasn't truly splitting, per se, just using my signal and frequently changing into small gaps to filter through the gridlock.

That's four states now: California, Utah, Montana, and Oregon. Come on America, we can do this!

21 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

BTW, NJ is the last self pump hold out...

Oregon also bans self-serve for cars. Motorcycles used to be a grey area like in New Jersey, but they formally allowed riders to pump their own about 10-15 years ago. 

Starting in 2018 gas stations in counties with populations under 40k can allow self serve for everyone. Unfortunately this creates a weird patchwork, and many rural stations still have old non-digital pumps without credit card access. So if you're riding in the nicer parts of Oregon after 7:00pm gas can be hard to find. 

I'm not aware of any winglets available from Madstad, but I have previously used both the medium and large V-Stream windshields and now have the 26" Madstad shield. The Madstad is smoother and quieter than either of the V-Streams. The Madstad actually has a large gap at the bottom, which I think eliminates negative pressure behind the windshield to smooth out airflow. 

1 hour ago, wanderer said:

Next maybe they'll get to pump their own gas. 

Motorcyclists are allowed to pump their own gas. That officially changed about 10-15 years ago. 

I'm pretty excited about this lane splitting bill. I actually worked with BikePAC on their lobbying efforts for this ~20 years ago but we never had any luck. We had to contend with ODOT officials lying in their committee testimony and a majority of lawmakers who just didn't want to listen. I'm glad to see they finally made it work. 

NOTE - it's not officially Official yet. The lane splitting bill passed both the Senate and House, and is now on the governor's desk for signature. She previously said she would sign this bill so a veto is unlikely. Assuming there's no veto, lane splitting on roads with 55mph+ speed limits becomes legal on Jan 1, 2022. 

1 hour ago, petshark said:

I got the one in the OP and that 11" extension is part of the socket. So I need to make sure if I can use it or if I need to return it and get another one.

The socket and extension are one piece? Weird. I don't think it'll work on the Tracer, but maybe if you buy a Camaro or something it'll come in handy one day. 

17 hours ago, petshark said:

Thanks. Will this work with the 11" extension that I bought, you think?

I am going from memory as I last did the sparkplugs more than a year ago, but I don't think you will need the long extension. I think I removed mine with just a sparkplug socket and a short extension. 

Regarding the spark plugs... unbolt the radiator and push it forward, or also disconnect the radiator hoses and remove it completely. Might as well do a coolant flush, most people don't perform that task often enough. 

Now that the radiator is out of the way you have excellent access to the sparkplugs from the front, no special extensions or U-joints needed. 

Also, and this may be an unpopular opinion: If the manufacturer recommends a torque value for a fastener, I will use a torque wrench if possible and tighten to that spec in most cases. I used to be an aircraft mechanic where every single fastener had a torque spec, and the QA guy looked over your shoulder while you listened for the click. I agree that some of the specs from Yamaha seem questionable, and no offense meant to anyone here, but if the choice is between the factory spec or sage advice from the Internet, I'm usually going with the factory spec.   

Yep, I lived in California for almost eight years when I was in the Navy and the riding there is truly the best. I love the riding in Oregon, too, but when I daydream about the perfect riding day my mind frequently wanders to the SoCal canyons or Sierra Nevada passes. 

12 minutes ago, draco_1967 said:

It turns out the Barkbuster bracket was pushing on the wires from the clutch switch enough to disconnect the splitter wire that goes to the MCC brain. I quick adjustment of the angle on the handguards fixed the issue. 

 

This sounds like yet another reason to recommend the single-point Barkbuster mount, it wouldn't cause this problem. 

You may want to check that the wire and ferrule are still in good condition. This sounds to me like a problem that will come back. 

27 minutes ago, Ride365 said:

Yikes I bet that makes the front end very light and skittish!!!

Not as much as you'd think. With a full load of fuel the cell and rack only add about 35 pounds to the rear, or about the same as a trunk bag, rack, and some clothes. It's certainly way less load than a passenger. But yes, it is just a little easier to wheelie when the fuel cell is full. 😎

16 hours ago, Clegg78 said:

You think using something like this on a ratchet would help?   (would still take a while, but  was curious). 

I thought about a crows foot, but didn't have one on hand. It looks like it would work, but I think the stubby wrench or @betoney's suggestions are better. 

I think the lower shock bolt would be easier with a stubby 14mm wrench, which I did not have. I've no idea how anyone torques that nut, I just made mine as snug as possible with a box end wrench.

19 minutes ago, Clegg78 said:

@keithu 

Can we talk for a second about what's on the back of the bike?   I see what looks like Aluminum aviation grade fittings and a braided hose?  That an aux fuel tank? I am perplexed, impressed, concerned and possibly scared all at the same time  

Yes it's an aux fuel cell. Details about that project can be found here:

I took the Öhlins shock out for a longer test ride this morning. I rode out to Alsea Falls, then continued into the Oregon coast range on Lobster Valley Road, and finally returned to the Willamette Valley on OR-34. It was a good mix of twisties and sweepers with some rough pavement, and some almost new. 

This shock makes me realize how much I've been riding around the crap stock suspension. I'll definitely have the forks done next winter.

I was glad I refitted the coffee cup holder, it was a bit chilly in the coast range.

I mounted the Öhlins rear shock. Wow, that lower shock bolt is a PITA.

I took a little 50 mile test ride around some local roads, focusing on twisties with imperfect pavement. I wouldn't go so far as to say the shock is transformative, but it's a significant improvement. With my weight and the bike setup I had the OEM at max preload and it would still bottom or wallow while also having no real bump compliance. The Öhlins feels planted yet plush, and I never scraped the bash plate.

I don't have sag set properly yet. My wife is away on a girls weekend and my dog Lily can't hold a measuring tape for shit. But it was still revelatory to have a properly sprung shock for once. Being able to adjust preload on the fly is pretty cool, too; I've never had a bike with this feature.

Now the inadequacy of the fork is painfully obvious. Alas, SWMBO wants to buy a hot tub, so fork work may have to wait a while.

Off topic: During my test ride I got behind someone driving a Chevette. A Chevette! That's two 'vette sightings in the last year. How many roadworthy Chevettes can there possibly be in the world?

We don't have a "What will you do to your FJ-Tracer-GT today" thread, so I'll post this here. Look what the nice UPS man delivered this week while I was away on business:

10 minutes ago, Wintersdark said:

Can you post a picture of them and how they ach?

See:

The thread starts out with a description of the two-point mount, but you can see my photos at the bottom of the single-point version. They just attach with a bolt in the handlebar end.

3 hours ago, roy826 said:

I just took a peek at my 2020 and it doesn't look like that setup.

Good info. I should have noted that mine is a 2015 model.