stevesweetz

FWIW this is 3 weeks layer and I already have like 95% range of motion on my right arm. Orthopedic surgeon said that I'm already moving so well on my own I probably won't need physical therapy. What sucks is the ribs. They can't really do anything for these and it's just going to be like 2 months of pain until they heal. I can only get about 4 hours of sleep at a time before I wake up in pain. I've already been thinking about what bike to get next year Definitely going to stick with not touring for a while though. I'm leaning towards a Moto Guzzi V7. Always thought they were cool. ~65hp should keep my right hand in check more and I think they're reasonably reliable now. Be nice not to have to do chain maintenance.

I was on the 6th day of a 7 day solo touring trip from the PA to NC. Travelling back north on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. There was a line of 4 cars bunched up from a slow car in the lead. There was a legal passing zone coming up, but also roads to turn off to the right and left. I made the stupid decision (driven by fatigue, annoyance, and a desire to get to the last night of hotel stay ASAP) to pass the whole line of traffic and I initiated the pass a few dozen feet before the passing zone actually began. One of the cars in the line of traffic ahead pulled out to make a left turn. I tried to avoid, but they clipped the right rear of my bike. That pushed the rear tire out to the left, causing the bike to go down on the right; I hit the road hard on my right side. 6 broken ribs, broken clavicle, fractured scapula, partially collapsed lung. Could have been a lot worse if I wasn't wearing gear, but boy are broken ribs painful. 5 days in hospital including surgery to put a metal plate on my clavicle. Bike took less damage that I did. Brand new 2022 Tracer 9 GT had 1000 miles on it when I started, had just shy of 2900 when I crashed. I only saw pictures of it (it's still in VA pending insurance appraisal, family brought me straight back home to PA after being discharged from the hospital) and it's definitely repairable, but insurance appraiser said it's likely to be totaled anyway. He said with parts availability and shop rates being what they are now, it usually ends up costing less for them to sell the bike at auction and pay out the market value to the owner, rather than repair it. OK by me, I'm definitely done riding this year and don't want to have to deal with the bike along with everything else. I don't know if I'm done riding entirely, but I might be done with touring. It kills me that it was mostly my fault. Stupid, stupid choice on my part driven by of multiple long days of riding and getting annoyed at slow traffic and I don't know if I can trust myself not to do it again once I get my confidence back. In a year or two if I decided to keep riding, I think I'm going to get something small and just enjoy day rides around my area. I'm far more chill when I'm out on a weekend ride. Anyway, peace out for now brothers. PS One useful thing to report - I did the seat slope mod before going on this trip and it made the stock seat completely tolerable for me for multiple ~300 mile days.

They're just slot head screws and if you move the gas tank they're very easy to access. I guessing the shop manual probably has you prop up the tank instead of move it, in which case it would be hard to squeeze in a normal screw driver and using an angle driver would be easier. Whenever I did mine I just placed an old towel over the rear frame, lifted the tank without disconnecting the lines, rotated it 180° and sat it on the rear sub-frame where the rider seat would normally be so I had easy access to the whole "engine bay". The fuel lines are near the back of the tank, so if you spin the tank around around there's enough slack in the lines to move it back that far. Speaking from experience with my 2016 FJ-09, but should be the same on 2019 - still had the same frame and internal layout.

I don't see anything in the owner's manual covering panel removal, but I got what I needed from a video covering the seat slope shim install. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzTtIupYESU

Semi-related and apologies for not searching on this right now, but doesn't anyone have a handy link or video to removing all the fairings on the 21+ T9GT? The front fairings are super obvious and easy. However, I was trying to figure out how to get the little painted panel under the seat off and could not.

Noticed that the owner's manual for the Tracer 9 GT calls for throttle body sync on the first (600 mile) service. Who has done this? I did TB syncs on my FJ-09 every 7-8000 miles or so, but I'm not really keen on having to delve into the guts of my new bike yet. FWIW, with my FJ-09 the first one needed minor adjustment. Every time after that I still touched them a little, but it was because I had already torn apart half the bike just to check them; they realistically didn't need any adjustment.

I'm interested in this as well. I've done around 160 miles in a single day on the stock seat so far. It's far more livable than my '16 FJ-09s stock seat was, but I don't think it's going to cut it when I want to do 300 mile back-to-back touring days . AirHawk might be able get me the rest of the way (I had a Sargent seat for the FJ and still used an AirHawk when touring), but I'm interested in alternatives. The Corbin seat looks super high. I'm using the stock seat on the high position for the extra leg room, but I couldn't go much higher (which feels roughty the same height as the Sargent seat in low position the FJ), I'm already in one-foot down only territory.

Oh LOL, wish I had those. I guess I didn't need to take the whole thing apart to remove the lock assembly, you can just remove the top cover. However, what garbage instructions on Yamaha's part that they do not point out that the cylinder stop ring needs to be mounted in a specific orientation.

Just for search reasons, here's the fix for the side case lock issue. It is due to incorrect install of the lock (maybe by dealer, maybe Yamaha - don't know). Bit of a faff to correct, but not especially difficult as long as you have Torx bits

@Bernard Hopefully this helps. Forgive the production quality, I am not a professional videoist

I fixed it. The locks were installed incorrectly. You have to take the pannier apart to correct it. I made a video about which I will try to upload today. I'm guessing those metal rings were just what the lock cylinders shipped in, probably they're shared parts and used with a different bike. This does suggest the lock cylinders are installed by the dealer.

Hey all finally got a 2022 Tracer 9 GT! Love it. 1 issue: I cannot rotate the pannier lock to the "open lid only" position. You're supposed to be able to rotate the key clockwise into a position that allows only the lid to be opened. Counter-clockwise puts it into a position where the handle can be lifted and the panniers removed from the bike. I can go counter-clockwise, but it takes like way more force than it seems like it should. That position does allow the lids to also be opened so I can at least get in them that way. I've jiggled these key to no end, but I simply can not turn it to the open lid position. Are the key cylinders installed by the dealer - is this something they fudged up? Also what the heck are these. They were in my "goodie bag" with the tool kit*, manual, and extra key, but the dealer couldn't tell me what they were and I was so excited to get the bike and go for a ride that I didn't push for him to check with the service guy. They sure look like something that would hold a key cylinder... * I used the term "kit" very loosely as it contained literally a single double ended wrench LOL.

Wow, all these years, I had no clue it was possible to control heated grips through the dash on an FJ-09. I thought even the OEM grips came with a separate controller you'd mount to the handlebar. That caused me to go searching and find these. Here's the pertinent video and thread on wiring aftermarket grips. Seems like that that's definitely your best bet instead of trying to hunt down the OEMs.

Called my regular dealer today and they said they've been allotted one 2022 model. Thankfully it had not been reserved yet, so I put a deposit on it. Supposed to be in by end of March, but I wouldn't take delivery before then anyway

Yes that appears to be the case: https://www.yamaha-motor.eu/gb/en/products/motorcycles/sport-touring/tracer-9/accessories/quick-shifter-kit-for-tracer-9/b5u-181a0-01-00/#/ A little pricey for what is basically a 3 position switch since the computer does all the work, however I guess they're basically bundling in some of the R&D cost there.

Differences between GT and non-GT apart from the electronic suspension and panniers: GT comes with up and down quick shifter (and it works extremely well). Heated grips are still only included with the GT model. The GT has a nicer seat with a stitched suede-like covering, while the non-GT just has the sort of classic cheap vinyl cover. Whether seat padding is actually different or this is purely a difference in cover material - I do not know.

https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/bmws-maintenance-free-m-endurance-chain-put-to-the-test Summary: it needed replacing after 12,000 miles and is now being billed as "low maintenance" instead of no maintenance, but even that's questionable. Ultimately the weak link (no pun intended) is the rubber sealing rings and they're the same as any other chain. Every chain I've had die it was because the O/X rings started to disintegrate and come out.

Nope. I don't ride in the winter and 2022 shipments haven't gone out to dealers yet anyway. None of them are even taking orders because they can't guarantee inventory The dash isn't a deal breaker as said, it was just the only notable complaint I had after a 20 minute test ride. I don't spend much time looking at the dash, but when I do, I would prefer if I didn't have to use binoculars to read it

Yup it's super nice and remarkably improved from prior gens. I came away from a Yamaha demo event far more impressed than I thought I would be. Only thing I didn't like was the dash. The lower seat height was a plus for 5'9" me. I have a 2016 FJ-09 and was considering upgrading to a Tracer 900 GT in 2020. I'm glad I held off as that wouldn't have been nearly as significant an upgrade from my 2016. Even though the price jumped a lot, I think it's worth it. Now if I only they were actually available for purchase anywhere...

If you haven't done anything to the bike recently, you probably just have mud in the tone ring or a leaf stuck to the sensor.

Prevalence of bikes on the used market is more indicative of how well they sell as opposed to any problem with them. I mean there are plenty of MT-07s on the used market and that's a fantastic bike. There are just a lot of them out there in general. That said, at least based on the attendance of this forum, the average Tracer owner skews older than you might expect (I'm nearly 40 and seemingly one of the youngest posters here) and well, it ain't a Goldwing. If you're looking for a sport touring bike that perhaps leans a bit more towards comfort than sport, the Tracer isn't it.

I never really understood why people said the FJ-09 suspension was bad...until I rode the Tracer 9 GT. If you crank up the settings on the FJ-09 stock suspension it will go around a corner just fine. At least as fine as I need it for as fast as I dare ride on a public road. However, when set like that, it's also punishingly hard...which I kind of thought was just a given with a motorcycle. After riding the Tracer 9 GT with it's electronic active damping, I realized that it is possible for motorcycle to be sedan smooth on a bumpy road, without also being willowy in a corner or the front end diving on a stop. I don't know if there's any manually adjustable suspension that get you the best of both worlds like that. I haven't done anything to my 2016 other than putting a Sargent seat and less ugly turn signals on it. So I'm also getting cruise control, heated grips, slipper clutch, quick shifter, etc, etc. Lots of upgrades they made from first gen to second gen bike along with the upgrades they made to the third gen. As far as worth it...I mean a bike isn't a "sensible" purchase to begin with, at least not in the US. It's purely a toy, so in a sense, all money spent on a bike is "wasted". Spending $10K on a new bike every 5 years if it makes me happy isn't a big deal. Actually, bikes have probably saved me quite a bit of a money in the long run. If I never got into riding, I'd probably be looking to buy a $60K+ sports car for my thrills. Instead I'm rather happy with my boring $24K hatchback and a $10-15K motorcycle.

I don't think the marketing is specifically targeting people who just bought a Tracer 900... Listing improvements over prior gen for new models is kind of what is always done when you're selling a redesigned/refreshed vehicle. I rode one at a Yamaha demo and was very impressed by it. Even if the electronic suspension is not the most sophisticated by Euro bike standards, it was still noticeable improvement over prior years of Tracer. Fueling was much improved too. I would not have buyers remorse if you just bought 2019/2020 model, you still got a good bike. However, I have a 2016 FJ-09 and I'm ready for a new bike. The improvements I experienced for myself convinced me it's worth holding out for a 2021+ Tracer 9 GT and paying the extra $2-3K premium vs getting a leftover stock of the prior gen model (all of which are probably now sold out too with the way the bike market has been this year). I would have already bought one, but it seems extremely few were imported last year and every dealer within a 150 miles radius of me that got one in, it had already been reserved by someone else

Yamaha's US site was updated with a bunch of 2022 models today (including the new MT-10 and XSR900) There's a listing for the 2022 Tracer 9 GT. Appears to be a complete carry over from 2021 (including colors), which is not surprising, however the base price increased from $14,899 to $14,999. There's also an additional $100 freight surcharge on top of the $430 destination charge. Again, not super surprising with everything that's going on. https://www.yamahamotorsports.com/sport-touring/models/tracer-9-gt Tenere 700 got a $300 price bump.

Completely normal to have rattle when in neutral with the clutch lever out (clutch engaged). I've ridden every variant of CP3 bike at Yamaha demos over several years and they all have it. It's less noticeable on 2018+ models because they started putting an insulated plastic cover over top of the metal clutch cover which dampens the sound a little, whereas 2015-2017s just have a little plastic leg guard piece. I didn't think to check if 2021 Tracer 9 GT had it when I rode it. It doesn't bug me anyway.