DavidS

Wow, sorry you had such a bad experience! I've been going there since 2015 when I got my first FJ-09, and all of my experiences have been very positive. I have referred them many times to friends, and they have all been very happy. Alan, the owner is usually in the shop. He is very active in track days and the rider communities. Obviously your experience was very different, and I'm sorry you had such a bad experience.

Yep, Optimum Motorsports, I have been using them since 2015.

As a former dealer employee, I don't bring my bike in for service at the dealer. At least in Seattle, there are plenty of good independent mechanics and I have found one I really like. Not the cheapest, but less money than the dealers, and I can trust what they tell me. Even get old parts to inspect when they are done. I only use them for things I don't want to do myself, normal maintenance and replacement parts I do myself.

I know folks will have a cow, but I use kerosene, and once the grit is gone and it is clean, I wash the rim with water to remove the kerosene residue. Honestly, it only takes about 5 minutes and you are done....

So true..... I have been riding my bike down this obscure road which starts at the end of a residential neighborhood and continues for about a mile until the road turns to gravel, just as it starts a slow curve to the right. I rode it hundreds of times, and always just stopped at the gravel and turned around. One day, I decided to keep going and see where it ended, and OMG, was I surprised. The gravel road goes for about 20-30 yards, and then curves to the right. Just after you get to the end of the curve, the road is adorned with fresh asphalt, and goes for around 20-25 miles following the Snoqualmie river back through some of the most beautiful country in Washington state. I do see some hikers and a few other folks back there, but typically very little traffic, a good freshly paved road, and miles of twisties and curves, both out, and back. Unfortunately, there is no cell phone coverage after the first mile or so, but that is where riding with a friend comes in handy.

+1 on loving the Center Stand, I use mine all the time for maintenance, and usually put the bike on the center stand when I'm done riding as well. Not sure why, but it feels more stable on the center stand than the side stand (and easier access for lubing and maintenance items.

I bought the Yamaha 50L top case to fit two full face helmets, the Yamaha side cases don't fit a full face, I frequently stop or park in Seattle where it isn't safe to leave anything not secured, so it is pretty much mandatory. On trips just for riding fun, I could remove them, but it's just easier to leave them on, and the space comes in handy.

That is indeed a great ride. Another route, that is very close is NFD 25 (National Forest Road), from Randal south to Carson, right at the Columbia river. It is closed during the winter, but Spring to mid-Fall it is a great ride through the mountains on some fun super twisty roads.

IMHO, having the dealer replace the crappy chain under warranty with another crappy chain isn't a very good solution. I haven't seen very good mileage out of the original chain. In fact I replaced the chain on my 2015 FJ09 at about 10K, and my Tracer GT at 12K. Neither were toast, but had links that were tight and the chain didn't work smoothly anymore. The after market chains both lasted much longer (~20K miles) and I had less issues with them. Maybe ask the dealer to give you a deal on a new aftermarket chain? or ask for free installation if you pay for the new chain?

Actually, on second thought, I remember the oil plug does a pretty good job holding the oil in the case with just finger pressure. I wonder if loosening the bolt so you can move it with your fingers would enable you to hold it in place to keep the oil from dripping until the plug is not held by any threads anymore. This would allow you to quickly move the bolt away and "Hopefully" most of the oil would drip straight down through the crash guard and into an oil pan. Sounds like it would work, but we won't know for sure until someone (hopefully Keithu) tries it.

Alrighty then, we wait for @keithu and see what happens.

Great Idea, and something I have been thinking about for a long while, but I do have a question. One which has kept me from doing something similar. I assume that to remove the oil plug, you will fit your socket, with an extender, so it can fit all the way through the cage, and fit over the oil plug screw. At this point, you can remove the oil plug screw, and the oil will start running out of the engine. My question is, How do you keep the oil from just spilling on the top of the engine guard? Seems like it would hit the top of the guard, and just make a big mess. Does it really just drop down the hole you use for the wrench to unscrew the bolt? I'm curious how much oil gets on top of the guard vs how much cleanly drops down through the hole into a bucket. And it seems like you would have to be pretty quick getting the wrench out of the way once the plug comes off the pan. Let us know how it works when you do your first oil change.

My perspective, worth every penny you paid for it....... From his footage, it looked like he started in the right portion of his lane. moving toward the inside of the blind turn, but inexplicably, once he saw the oncoming vehicle, he stood the bike up and drifted left across his lane into the oncoming lane and hit the vehicle. It looks like target fixation was the cause. If he had just continued the line he set initially, he would have been fine.

Am I the only one who uses the kill switch to turn the motorcycle off? If I' done riding for the day, I pull the bike in the garage and flip the kill switch. I get off the bike and THEN turn the key (actually remove the key from the bike, as I don't think leaving the key in the bike is a smart move, even in my garage) I'm not saying this is the best way, but I started this routine when I got my 2015 FJ09, and still do it with my 2020 Tracer

You got your money's worth on that chain, replace it before you get stuck somewhere. IMO, that chain is already past its normal life expectancy.........

As a resident of the Pacific Northwest, I have ridden my Tracer and my old FJ-09 in similar conditions a few times, and in water a whole lot of times. I have never had an issue after riding in the wet stuff, and now I don't even worry about it. Wheel bearings should be fine, but you can give them a visual inspection if you are worried. One thing to help is think about where the water came up to on your riding boots or leg. That will give you a pretty good idea about how high the water level actually was. In situations like this, it always seems higher than it really is, and I can't think of anything at the bottom of the engine that would be negatively impacted by riding a short distance through water. If the bike was that susceptible damage from going through water, riding in the Pacific Northwest wouldn't be possible....... Although lubing your chain would be a good thing right about now........

I have the Yamaha rear rack and top case and it have held up well. Material is sturdy, and it holds a lot, which is helpful for when I tour. I regularly store my full face helmet in the top case, with no issues. As for the locks, you can re-key the provided cylinder to your existing keys at any reputable lock smith. Cost for me was < $10 USD.

Here is my list of must have mods: (items with a * are key improvements that I couldn't ride without) *Corbin Seat *ECU Flash *Madstad Engineering wind Screen Accessory mount for phone Shad Side bags and mounting brackets Shad top case and mounting bracket Garmin 595lm GPS with mounting bracket Sena 20S for helmet *Heated Grips *Radiator guard *Fuze Block to allow additional electrical items to connect to the bike Barkbuster hand guards Extra lights mounted to front forks *Blaster-X tail light replacement (much brighter than stock, and flashes insane patterns that make you very visible) Ram handlebar mount *Cruise Control USB LED Charger socket (to fit into the cigarette adapter) Many of these are included in the Tracer I upgraded to in 2020, but I still had to re-buy the Corbin Seat, Madstad screen, blaster-x, phone mount, and fuze block)

I agree with the others, replace them. I always replace the chain and both sprockets at the same time. You can get unusual wear on either of the sprockets, and putting a new chain on the old sprockets can cause noises and vibrations. As long as you have to do the work to replace the chain, the sprockets are easy to remove and replace at the same time.

Betoney - And now you just jinxed it, you are sure to have a breakdown this week. Don't worry, just call me and I'll come pick you up.....

I use K&N Oil Filters with Shell Rotella T6 5W40 motor oil. Have used the same since I got my initial FJ09 in 2015 and have only positive experiences with both. That being said, this is a highly charged topic, and you will be lucky to find 2 people who agree to anything related to Oil Filters and Motor Oil......... Let the fun begin!

if this is truly your goal: When I retire, I want to travel the USA with this rig where I expect to find better riding roads than the Houston area. That should be easy to find. You would be better off with something that is designed for towing. No doubt the Vette will tow the bike, but going across country, you will put some serious wear on the car, and stress it in ways that won't be good. Used tow vehicles are easy to find, and will hold their value, and you won't have to ruin such a nice car....... My 2 cents, worth every penny you paid for it.....

and that is all that matters...... Congrats!

For those not familiar with T-CLOCS here is a link: https://www.msf-usa.org/downloads/T-CLOCS_Inspection_Checklist.pdf

Well, back in the day (~40 years ago) I took a job at a motorcycle dealership. My job was to put the bikes together from the crates. I got started on small bikes, and that went fairly well, and then they started giving me larger, more complicated bikes. After a few days of struggling to meet the standard times for bike setup, I asked one of the other mechanics how he was able to get the bikes set up so quickly. His response was two fold, 1) specialize on one or two models, it's easier to do the same thing over and over again vs learning a new bike each time and 2) after a while, you figure out which steps you can skip and that makes it faster to finish. After that experience, I always check every new bike I purchase new very carefully before I do any serious riding. And yes, I almost always find things I need to tighten, adjust, or correct.