DavidS

@skipperT ....Way late, as just saw this, but the newspaper is for when I oil my chain. Easy to put it down and the next time I take the bike out, I remove the newspaper.keeps the garage floor clean, and the floor from getting slippery

I have the 2020, and it is the same as the 2019, except the color of the bike. I was hoping to get a price break on a 2019 model, but they were charging the same amount for both bikes. Given that, I opted for the newer model year.

Received and installed my new Corbin seat and also installed the GPS mount above my stock display unit. (The GPS install turned out to be much more difficult than I expected) I think my bike now has all the mods that the one I crashed in late november had. I won't say I'm done, that milestone is never reached, but I can commute, ride for fun, or travel with this bike as it is. And the nice weather is right around the corner.....

A have some riding buddies that own Ducati's and BMW's and they are always having to take them to the dealership for servicing. Some folks don't like working on their bikes, so I guess it isn't always a bad thing that they take care of their customers that way. My experience after owning both an 2015 FJ09 and 2020 Tracer 900 GT, is they are super reliable, and almost all the maintenance is easily done by someone who is interested, and has a few hand tools. I know I spend $1000's less in maintenance and repair than my riding buddies, but if you just want someone to make it run good for you, that isn't a bad way to go. I prefer to work on my bike, but I recognize not everyone does.

Does anyone know if the Yamaha FJR cases will fit on the mount that comes with the 2020 Tracer? I might be willing to pay for the side bags if my existing mounts will still work.

plasti-dip is your friend, You can make it whatever color you want, and it is easy to do the matching parts on the other side of the bike too. Bonus: if you don't like it, peel it off and try again with another color. You can change the color of your bike every 6 months if you like.....

I have been riding Michelin PR's since my first tire change on my 2015 FJ09. When I got the Tracer, I was like Oh NO, I have to go back to the stock tire? But fortunately, (and Unfortunately), I caught a nail which ruined my rear tire on my new Tracer. Made it to the dealer (which was where I was headed at the time anyway) and they promptly put a PR5 on the rear. (I thought about patching it for about 2 seconds, but quickly decided I was better off spending they money and getting the PR5. Sucks I had to buy a new rear tire for a brand new bike, but at least I have the tire I want....

Two Steps, 1) replace the tail light with the Blaster-x, 2) install the Yoshimura Tail eliminator Step 1 Swap out the stock rear brake light with the blaster-x Connect the Blaster-x wires where the stock wires were connected Program the blaster-x to select the pattern of the blinking you want. Blaster-x recommends using a relay, but I didn't find the flashing that much faster than before, so I just didn't install the relay to slow it down. (Something about LED vs standard flashing that someone with more electrical know-how can weigh in on) Step 2 If you want the Yoshimura tail piece, you will have a few more steps: install the Yoshimura tail eliminator, which allowed me to mount the license plate holder back under the seat. I did have to connect the license plate lighting wires to my fuze block. (You can also just splice them to another switched wire on the bike as well) Another note, there is a 1" x 1"square hole right where the old tail piece bolts to the bottom of the seat. This provides access to the stock electrical connections for the license plate light. Without the old tail assembly, I found that lot of water was being sprayed up into the seat, especially if it was raining outside. (An almost daily situation in Seattle) My solution was just to tape both the bottom and top of the seat over the open square with waterproof tape. The tape keeps the wires from moving around, and everything stays dry. Honestly, it was a very simple modification.

Visibility of the turn signals is very good, the Blaster-X has the turn signals (yellow blinking color) on the left and right ends of the tail light. The center of the light is still red. My riding buddies all say it is hard to miss when I"m braking and turning. I have to take their word for it, as I can't see the lights when I'm riding...... Might be the actual size of the rear brake light on other bikes, I can see if your tail light is smaller than the Tracer it might be an issue, but it looks pretty good to me on our bikes. Blaster-X also allows you to customize the brake light pattern which also increases your visibility. Many people have commented that the pattern really catches their attention. This is my second Blaster X unit, I had one on my old FJ 09, and re-purchased when I bought my Tracer 900 GT.

I gave up - I ordered my Corbin seat yesterday, expect it to arrive in about 3 weeks. I had a Corbin seat with my 2015 FJ 09, and loved it, hoping they haven't changed a thing.....

Well, I have been commuting to work on it daily, but still haven't had a chance to get out and ride the mountains, or even seriously twisty roads. As everyone in the Pacific Northwest knows, it has been raining pretty much every day since last December. That being said, here are my observations.... The bike is very familiar, and yet different all at the same time. The longer wheel base is welcome, the bike feels more stable, and handles corners better than the old FJ 09. Wheel turns in quicker and is very stable in the corners. I think some of that is the improved suspension. The suspension is much better, but still not as good as other bikes I have had. I plan on bringing it in to my favorite suspension shop and have them tune it for my weight and riding style. I think once that is done, it will be fine. The stock seat still sucks, I have been trying to make it work, but I've just about given up. I'll likely be getting another corbin seat in the next month or so. The bike comes with many of the features I had added aftermarket to my old 2015 FJ, but it also has some newer features too. New windscreen still isn't as good as the Madstad I had on my FJ09, and I now have a new Madstad on my Tracer. Grip Warmers and Cruise control are standard on the Tracer, I could only install one or the other on the FJ. Most importantly, the engine feels the same, which is great news. The reason we all buy the FJ/Tracer is because of that engine. I still can't get off the bike without a smile on my face, and I've been riding this engine since 2015. Every time I get myself worked up to go buy another motorcycle, I get all excited about one model or another, go on a test drive, and realize I like what I have better. Nothing compares to the Tracer's triple. So to answer your question, the longer swingarm provides a bit more stability, but I really need some dry days to run over the mountain passes to see how it handles on a more technical ride. I don't really have any concerns, and I'm anxious to get the chance, it's just been raining every day here for a very long time....... Hope this helps, and feel free to ping me with specific questions....

I have always hated the hideous monstrosity of a tail end that Yamaha created for the 2020 Tracer 900. It sticks out too far beyond the side bags, and looks dorky. I replaced mine with a BlasterX tail light (multiple flashing options and seriously better visibility for cars coming up behind you) and the Yoshimura tail tidy to tuck the license plate under the seat, and clean up the look of the rear of the bike.(last picture is my bike End

You can flash your ECU Flash and adjust the temperature that the fan turns on - although if you are going to get the flash, you should probably do a lot more than that - lots of info on the forum about benefits of the flash, but that could solve your problem.

I had the same experience with my 2020 Tracer when I bought end of 2019. I called every dealer within 100 miles and no dealership had them on the floor. They all said they had them, but after going to a dealership and finding out they lied, I started asking for VIN #'s. When I finally got a dealer with a VIN #, I did a test drive, and purchased same day. A lot of the dealerships here in Seattle area don't even carry the bike. They will order it for you, but don't seem to have them on the sales floor.

I had the Shad top case and side cases with my FJ 09, and currently have the Yamaha top and side cases with my new Tracer 900 gt. The Shad's were larger (both top and side cases) and you can fit a full face helmet in either side case with the Shad. The Yamaha will fit the full face helmet in the top case, but not the side cases. From a fit function perspective, the Shad's seemed a bit more sturdy to me, but the Yamaha cases work fine. Both required a rack to mount the top case to, and mounting brackets for the side cases. The Tracer 900 gt comes with the side cases and mounting brackets, but the top case requires you to purchase the Yamaha rear rack. I commute daily with my bike, so they get a lot of use. I actually prefer the Yamaha bags, but would have loved to be able to fit the helmet in the side cases. Not sure what they were thinking, it just needs to be a bit wider and it would have fit fine. The benefit of the yamaha cases are they can be set up to use the same key as your ignition. I had to have a separate key when I had the Shad bags. Both bags are good quality and perform well, but the Shad's provide more room for travelling, something I'm worried about missing when I take off this summer.

I have oem on my Tracer, but had aftermarket on my old FJ 09, the heat is much more consistent, and even on the OEM. The aftermarket heat seemed to burn my hands, even through the gloves. ymmv.......

When I did my old fj09 and it was around $500, as others have confirmed.....

The washers are very cheap (<$1), so I buy a handful and replace them every time I change my oil. Honestly, I would feel really stupid if that ended up being what caused me to get stuck somewhere.

Yep, not sure it actually helped, but made me feel better. Oil is cheap, engines are expensive, If the bike sits for ~3 months or more without turning on, I would change the oil and oil filter. That also forces me to look around the bike and potentially spot any other issues that I might have missed if I had just climbed on and started riding. I'm not suggesting everyone should follow my routine, just describing what I feel comfortable doing....

I had the same experience, only replaced my plugs when I did my valves.....

Oil and filter change is a cheap thing to do at home, so I do mine every 3000 miles. Yes, it is probably overkill, but clean oil won't hurt your bike, and I always feel better running with fresh oil and a new filter. Before I started riding year round, I would always change the oil when I put the bike down for the winter, and change it again before I took the first ride in Spring. Now I just change it first weekend after I hit 3000 miles since my last change.

I've hit 200 miles a few times, but get too nervous to go further than that. I know the bike has more range, because when I fill up after running 200 miles, I don't even come close hitting the fuel capacity of the tank (as stated by Yamaha). I bought an extra fuel container, when I first got my FJ 09, but stopped carrying it about a year after I got the bike. I know I can go 200+ miles, and when I get to 150 miles, I start looking for gas. I haven't had a situation where I couldn't find gas with 50 miles left in the tank. I also have an AMA membership which will get me a fuel delivery if I do ever run out. My 2 cents....

Just a shout-out and thank you to the folks who responded and helped me with my project. I completed the work and am very happy with the results. I installed the yoshimura fender eliminator kit, and the Custom LED integrated tail light replacement. I also added a FuzeBlock for adding additional electrical devices down the road. (And I got rid of that hideous tail section Yamaha keeps shipping with these bikes) The hardest part was splicing the wire for the switched circuit. Not really all that hard, but I was very nervous about cutting into the wires of a brand spanking new bike. No issues, as I had plenty of help from members on the forum to make sure I was successful. The brake light is super bright, and has multiple patterns you can choose from to increase visibility as you are slowing/stopping. (I had one of these on my 2015 FJ 09 too) The tail tidy required me to connect wires for the light over the license plate somewhere for electricity. I opted to just run it into the fuze block for simplicity. Of course now that all it set up, weather forecast is for 2-4 inches of snow, so I likely won't get a chance to ride much for the next few days. Thanks to all who responded to my questions, you were all a huge help!

I use the blaster x in the rear, it integrates the turn signals into the brake light, I haven't found a solution for the front signals yet.....

I always find things I need to do with a new bike. When I got my tracer, I added the following items: Yoshimura Fender Eliminator Kit to remove the hideous tail end piece Blaster X tail light with multiple flashing options to make me much more visible from the rear Fuze Block to add electrical pieces easier Electrical connection to run my heated jacket/gloves Radiator screen Denali sound bomb horn Denali Lights Garmin GPS Mount Madstad windscreen