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kingfisher

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Everything posted by kingfisher

  1. All were stock suspension; the FJ could have used an upgrade, but I never did it. I really don't feel like an upgrade is needed, for me, on the 9 GT. I never have a pillion rider, but with me and a full load for a 9 day trip with side cases and top box on the 9 GT, the stock rear spring with more preload seems adequate. Damping is good. I keep it on the A-2 setting.
  2. FWIW, I've had the '15 FJ 09, a '19 GT 900, and now the '22 9 GT. The semi active suspension on the 9 GT is significantly better in my opinion. I'm approaching 20,000 miles on the 9 GT. I've dialed in a little more preload on the rear for my 210 lbs, and am very happy with it as is. YMMV.
  3. Just coming up on one full year of ownership, so thought I'd offer an update. I just had an enjoyable trip to the Ozarks and Ouachitas in Arkansas and SE Oklahoma this weekend, and turned over 18,000 miles on the bike. I'm on front tire number 2, and the 3rd rear tire, both Dunlop Roadsmart 3's. Have added a set of Denali lights for visibility to others, grip puppies, Givi rear rack, and heated gear lead, and that's about it for add on's. Overall, I haven't enjoyed any bike quite as much as this one after a year of riding it. Bike has been trouble free, no maintenance needed except oil changes and tires. The stock chain was toast on my GT 900 by now, but the chain on the 9 GT is going strong. I've consistently used Dupont chain lube with each ride, and cleaning only consisting of wiping the excess lube off with a microfiber towel after each application. The longer chain life on this bike may be from discarding the ridiculously tight chain adjustment recommendations that Yamaha had for the FJ09 and GT 900, or maybe a better batch of DID chains. Engine: still one of the best engines for overall street riding that I've found. Good midrange and a killer top end that is a joy to explore. Suspension, handling, and braking: great, no complaints. Brake pads have plenty of wear left. Seat: not the best I've experienced, but surprisingly ok to me. I've done 500+ miles in a day on it, and was on it for 8 hrs straight in Arkansas this weekend and it was OK. Have no plans to replace it. Windshield: works fine for me; little buffeting and good wind protection for me. YMMV. Divided dash: Wasn't to sure about this at the beginning, but overall, I actually like the thing. If it was white background with black lettering, it would be more visible in bright light. That would be my one complaint of the dash. The amount of data available at a glance without scrolling something is nice. Personally, I keep ambient temp, engine temp, fuel consumed (which is pretty accurate, by the way,) and trip on the right screen. Dislikes: the wheel for scrolling. Hated it on the GT900 and hate it now. Very touchy to use. Surprises: The quickshifter. My first impression of a quickshifter was on the GT 900 that only allowed it to be used when upshifting; I wasn't too impressed, so was pretty surprised as to how much I've enjoyed this one that can be used for up and down shifting. It is very smooth too, both under heavy as well as light throttle acceleration. It is nice for when you are just cruising around and you are afflicted with clutch hand laziness, but is a hoot when riding aggressively in tight twisties like this weekend. Overall, I recommend the bike highly, especially at the prices that some of the left over '22 models have been going for. Personally, I'm glad I bought it when I did, even though I paid close to retail; I've had a year of enjoyment that I would not have had if I'd waited. I think Yamaha is making a mistake not making both the standard GT 9 and the GT 9+ available in North America, like they are in Europe; I think that there are a lot of people like me who don't need the adaptive cruise and higher price.
  4. Heal up, get yourself cared for, and take a little while to decide on a new bike. Lots of good choices out there. This is a good time of the year to buy one.
  5. I bought a ‘13 FJR once, with 20,000 miles on it previously owned by a gentleman who rode it gently and at lower rpm. It ran much better after a spirited 1,000 miles or so exploring the upper reaches of the tach, as is my custom. Yamahas and other Japanese sport bikes are so well engineered that you could probably keep them in the upper half of the rpm range most of the time, and still last just as long (maybe longer,) than babying it. Of course, with bikes like the Tracer, and FJR, you still have to be cognizant of those pesky speed limits. 😗 It never seemed to make much sense, to buy a bike with 100+ HP, if you are never going to ride it where it makes more than half of that power. If you enjoy riding sedately, which is great, maybe a bike of lower output may be a good choice.
  6. I’d be heading to my local Yamaha dealer to buy another Tracer 9 GT if mine was lost. After having a large number of bikes over the years, I don’t think I’ve enjoyed any of them more than the ‘22 model owned for the last 11 months. I’ve owned a ‘16 Suzuki GSXS F 1000; after electrical problems with it and a previous V strom 1000, I’ve given up on the brand. The Kawasaki Versys 1000 or Ninja 1000 would be close seconds to the Tracer. It’s interesting that some desire more power than these three bikes deliver. It just seems that maybe manufacturers have just gone a little crazy with chasing more and more HP. There is only so much that you can use on public roads. 170 HP BMW 1000 XR’s, Ducati V4 Multistradas, Kawasaki H2’s etc are amazing bikes, but do they really give much more than bragging rights? If that is what someone wants, more power to them; I’m glad these bikes exist, but they are more than I need, and I do enjoy power and acceleration. The Tracer fits my needs well. After 55 years of riding motorcycles, I think that we are truly in the Golden Age of motorcycling.
  7. The FJR is tighter in leg room, but at 6'2", I still fit ok. As far as power is concerned, I heard that the VFR 1200 F was a beast, but the FJR is no slouch; typically about 130 HP at the rear wheel. Test ride one if you can.
  8. Never rode a VFR, but am a long term FJR owner. If it came down to deciding to keep my FJR vs the Tracer 9 GT, it would be a tough choice. The FJR is big, fast, and very stable, but still handles well. Another thought for a VFR replacement would be the Super Tenere, another excellent bike.
  9. Check the exhaust outlet, does the soot look normal and dry or thick and oily. Buying the extended warranty would be fine, but if I were you, I'd get to the dealer before the original warranty is up and open a warranty claim for excessive engine oil consumption. If the claim is made before the warranty runs out, you should be covered for subsequent repairs if needed.
  10. I do what the others have posted; keeping the oil level at the upper line. I remember some have said that the oil light will illuminate under brisk acceleration if the oil is kept near the lower line. From what I recall, the oil light reads the level, rather than pressure per se. In regards to oil consumption, I've never seen that on my current '22 T9GT, or on the previous FJ 09 or Tracer 900 GT. I don't think that these engines fully break in until 10,000 miles or so. Keep an eye on it; it may get better. Also, Check the levels with a repeatable technique, ie cold engine, on centerstand, on same surface each day to see if it really is dropping.
  11. I didn't like the visibility to other drivers from the single headlight either, so installed a pair of Denali LED's that improve visibility. Another option.
  12. I liked the looks of the FJ09 and 900GT better, but this one's growing on me. When riding it though, I couldn't care if it looked like a water buffalo, because it is a hoot. The exhaust isn't pretty, but it sounds pretty good.
  13. When I first got it, I wasn't sure about the styling. The longer I have it, the better it looks.
  14. I’ve never been too sensitive to vibration on bikes, but the Tracer seems pretty smooth to me. I’m also a big fan of grip puppies and have them on all my bikes, not for vibration attenuation, (although they do that,) but more to increase grip circumference. I’ve got big hands, and all stock grips feel too small to me. As far as ride modes, i keep mine in mode one with traction control set on one. The suspension is on A2. I’ve got the rear preload 5 clicks harder than stock, for my 208 lbs. Seems to work well. It is a really good suspension. That price is excellent; I paid closer to retail last year when they were initially available at my dealer. I guess I could have waited a bit for the price to come down some, but I’ve had 10 months of enjoyment since purchase, so it was worth it. I now have almost 15,000 miles on mine. I honestly think it didn’t fully break in until after 10,000 miles. As good as it ran before then, it seems even smoother and stronger since then. I think that Yamaha’s are built so well, that they get better with a longer break in. I’ve noticed the same thing on past FJR’s and the Super Tenere. I think that you will enjoy your new bike. I continue to be impressed by mine.
  15. I’ve had the left one pop out on me a few times too; got pretty good at putting it back after the 3rd or 4th time… Trick is to pull the little back plate off, then feed the rubber mount and light assembly in from the inside. Once it’s in place, replace the back plate. If you get it in right (compare to the other side,) it will stay in place better. I think mine kept coming out because I never got it in right. Some silicone spray lube helps. The right one got attacked by the hawk.
  16. Yes, I did, but a repair rather than a replacement. I didn't think that any glue would hold, but found this Locktite product and decided to give it a try. Amazing stuff. Bonded perfectly and has held up to high windspeeds since.
  17. Yes, the oil change interval has been noted and discussed frequently, and is also different between Europe and the US with other brands such as Kawasaki, etc. Some have postulated that it is due to EPA requirements in the US, but I've never seen a definitive answer. Choose the interval that you desire. Personally, since it is a high revving, high output engine, I go with the 4,000 mile recommendation, and choose to change the filter each time. Your engine would likely last just as long if you went 6,000 miles, etc.
  18. I’ve bought similar ones from Cycle Gear, but these I bought from Amazon, if I recall correctly.
  19. Since you are from the Netherlands where both the standard GT and the GT + are available, I assume that you are buying the standard GT, and not the plus, so my opinion may be relevant. I have the '22 9 GT, and like it greatly. I had a '15 FJ 09 and a '19 GT 900 previously. Great bikes they were, but I think that the 9 GT is in another class, with significant improvements. The new frame and suspension provides significantly better handling and stability. The previous triple was great, but the new greater displacement triple is excellent. Overall a bigger improvement than between the previous iterations. I think that you will enjoy it greatly.
  20. Oh, one other thing; I will never buy a bike/car that has tech installed that I have to pay extra for to open/use. If you buy something, you should be able to use it. There, I feel better now.😑
  21. I’m all for new tech, that is part of the reason I bought my ‘22 Tracer 9 GT. I’m happy to see that Yamaha is bringing the Tracer 9 GT+ to North America for those who want it. My hope though, is that they keep the option of the standard GT 9 available as currently is done overseas. Personally, I do not want the adaptive cruise. I also do not want my bike to augment the amount of braking I choose to apply, and I definitely do not want the bike to begin to accelerate on it’s own when I apply the turn signals to pass when the adaptive cruise is operating. I am all for ABS, including cornering ABS, and the semi active suspension adjusting damping for road conditions, and during braking to minimize front end dive, etc. But all of these things help support actions THAT I INSTITUTE; they do not take action on their own, (ie, braking and accelerating.) Having said that, I personally believe that Yamaha would sell a boat load of standard Tracer 9 GT’s if they simply added the new TFT dash and the toggle switch to replace that infernal selector wheel on the standard model. Until they do, I’ll happily keep my ‘22 model; it’s good enough to overlook those two things.
  22. As recalls go, it looks pretty minor. Beats the transmission recall on my FJR. This one should be a quick in and out.
  23. While traveling down the highway, a hawk decided to commit suicide by Tracer, and neatly broke off the right front turn signal. The oval shaped bracket that the turn signal resides in was broken. This bracket is one piece with the “pilot light assembly”, which Partzilla lists as an $567 dollar part. That’s not an option. I wondered about trying to repair the broken bracket, but don’t think it would be a strong enough repair to allow the turn signal to be placed into it. Was thinking about an aftermarket turn signal set that would be plug and play with the stock electrical connection, and would retain the running light capability. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Was thinking about just replacing the front signals.
  24. The Tracer 9 GT has LED headlights, mine work great. You might first check that they are adjusted properly. No bulb to change. Other option as stated above is auxiliary lights, many choices available. I'm getting auxiliary lights, not for more brightness, but to make the bike more visible to other drivers. The single low beam light is bright, but is pretty small from front end view.
  25. You will enjoy it. I sure like mine (2022 model also.) Great engine, excellent handling, etc. I actually have come to really like the dual screen dash; lots of customizable information at a glance, without scrolling through a menu.
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