mike

Try 303. It is a UV protection product I believe was developed for the military and works great. Not cheep though. Come to think on it, this product will keep things from sun damage but I don't know if it will restore the color.

You can also use a coupling nut. I can't remember the size exactly but is is something like 5 or 7/16 inch.

I haven't followed the full thread so I don't know what has been used before. How about a pic with a sunrise or sunset?

Another set of sweepers

This was my favorite place today. I'm on the road , in the RV, .and always looking for a good ride wherever I land. Today it was Minnesota 1 from the coast to Ely. Excellent to brand new road surfaces, extremely light traffic and 80 degree temperatures. The total ride was 245 miles to reach about 90 miles (45 miles one way) of perfect sweepers. All in all a great day

My GT did the same thing for about a week last month when I was riding it every day. I was just about to look into doing something about it and it reverted back to normal starting. I ride almost every day and it hasn't happened since.

In the back of my pickup, pulled behind my motorhome. Front wheel in a good chock, motorcycle tie downs with built in soft ties around the lower triple tree (watch the cables and wiring) and two tie downs on the passenger foot peg brackets. This setup has worked like a champ for both my Versys 1000 and the GT for the last two years and 15,000 miles

If you are only concerned about the noise, grab one of the small $25 Chinese deflector screens and give it a try. I'm 6'3" and the stock screen is fine for air protection but way too noisy. The little screen takes care of the noise beautifully. To test if this would work for you, get up to speed and hold your hand above the stock screen. You'll be amazed at the drop in turbulence and noise. I also bought a Puig racing screen for the warmer months to allow smooth air flow to my helmet and to keep cool.

To remove the adjusting plate, take out the two allen head fasteners at the bottom and then drop the unit to the lower position to access the third one behind the hole in the middle. If you raise and lower the plate you will see the three screws. Behind that is one more plate with four screws which has to be removed to access the wiring. I bought a light mount designed for an FJ09 and had to modify (lengthen) it as the front Tupperware is lower than the earlier bikes. The unit I bought mounts to the long slot on each side just in front of the forks looking down behind the light assembly. There are mounts available that mount to the upper part of the forks and others that use the reflector brackets as a location.

I traded a Versys 1000 for the GT last Feb. The Versys has a much smother engine and can handle longer stints on the slab with fewer revs and a more relaxed feeling. It is more stable than the GT, 120 mph with not a hint of instability, even with at large windscreen.It will easily play in the twisties but with more effort on your part than the GT. It is a great bike and I had no issues with it. If you are looking for a smaller bike for long stints in the saddle, the Versys would be a great choice. I traded it for a bike with 100 fewer lbs and more features (cruse, quick shifter and the fully adjustable suspension) and found that I am having a lot more fun on the back roads. The Versys could be left in 5th or 4th gear and the torque would pull from way down low which I am sure you are familiar with. The GT will pull strongly but I do have to row the trans more which I am enjoying as it fells like I am more a part of the bike. Yes, i know you can leave it in a lower gear, let it rev and not shift but I love using the quick shifter coming out of the corners. If you want a playful bike for back roads and shorter jaunts, the GT is my choice.

I do my best to stay off the superslab. Any ride I take, now that I don't have any deadlines due to retirement, is based on the maximum number of curves between origin and destination. '' The City has enough slope away from my over-sized gut that shifting my body and leaning into the corners is not an issue. I have even been known to lay on the bag to get down behind the Puig racing screen to dodge a few bugs and birds. I have used this bag on three bikes and maybe 70,000 miles and it is still in great condition. Highly recommended.

I'm 6'2" and use a Puig race screen during warmer weather. The stock screen blocks enough air for me but is extremely noisy. I installed one of the small $25 Chinese lip type screens which quieted the system and allows open helmet shield riding in the colder months.

I use the City and have WAY too much belly. It hasn't been a problem at all. The bag also makes a great support for your knees when standing.

Yes

You can also rotate the handlebar mounts to give you more reach to the bars

OK, This may be my last post on this issue. "Sp0okz" appears to be a fairly new rider asking for advice setting up the "stock" suspension for someone around his weight. I answered with the settings that have worked for me after adjusting over the last 5,000 miles or so. I am not an expert rider but I ride fairly rough roads at a pace that the Chicken Strips on my tires are fairly narrow. I have a feeling that he is not going to run out and install $1,000 in improvements to his suspension at this stage of the game. He may very well find that he pushes the bike hard enough in the future that those improvements are needed. After a test at these settings , it would be pretty easy to return to the stock settings and start over if that is desired. I have ridden the bike with these rebound adjustments and found them to work. Anyone who thinks I am delusional might want to set things up the way I have and test ride a bike with "stock" suspension and give it a try. I do understand that anyone much lighter than me will probably find things too harsh but I don't think they will find the bike unrideable. Once again I am not dragging a knee and don't ride with a lot of extra weight on the bike for trips or camping. I am sure there are many things I could do to make the bike handle better but it suits my purpose just fine the way it is. That may change in the future but only time will tell.

If the shock would not work at the settings supplied, why in the world would Yamaha give you the option?

No disrespect taken. As I stated, I have no problem with the stock suspension. It works just fine for me and my ability. I am not babying the bike and am using most of the tire.

You seem to think that setting the rebound on maximum will literally stop all movement in the forks and shock. If you think about it, Yamaha has designed the rebound circuit to work in a range they feel comfortable allowing a rider to use. If they designed a system that would not allow sufficient movement when set to the max or gave no resistance when set to the minimum, the layers would be lining up for a piece of the pie. The shock and the forks have max and min settings that can be used or that range of adjustment would not built into the design. For someone my weight, the shock and forks move quite a bit in compression when riding and the slower rebound prevents the pogo effect. When custom suspensions are set up one thing that is often added, as I understand it, is more dampening in the rebound circuit. As long as the rebound does not cause the spring to pack up and will allow the spring to unload before the next compression, all is good.

I weigh 250 lbs and have the bike set up with the stock suspension well enough for me. I am not a racer but do ride spiritedly and usually wear out my front tires on the sides not the center. Unfortunately the rear wears out in the center due to my obsession with that thing my right hand is operating when riding. I have the rear shock preload a couple of clicks below max and the rebound set a max. The front rebound is set with three rings exposed including the top one. Compression is set about at midpoint and the rebound is at max. I had a little issue with minor headshake at speed, 80-90 mph, in sweepers but it seems to have been corrected with the settings I have now along with the removal of the bags and the addition of a Puig race screen. The ride is fairly plush when hitting a dip but does not bottom out with hard hits and bumps at mid corner don't upset the bike at all. I'm an old fat guy and I know that there are people out there that ride better and harder than I do who will tell you that the springs aren't up to the task. They may be dragging the footpegs and I only drag my boot on occasion. This bike is without a doubt is better than I am and has pulled me out of a few OH SH-T moments in corners without a hitch. I love this bike Mike

I don't know how you guys get that mileage out of a tire. I hoped the lighter weight and lower power of this bike, compared to my Versys 100 and Tiger 1050, would translate to longer tire life. It doesn't appear to be happening. I got 3,100 miles out of the original Dunlap rear and an amazing 1,600 out of a Shinko 005. The front Dunlap was toast at the same time as the Shinko. I'm trying a pair of Bridgstone T31's now. We'll see how these work. The best mileage I ever got out of a sport touring rear was from a Dunlap Roadsmart II that I babied to stretch the mileage and reached 4,500 miles. I'm no Ricky Racer. I am 68 years old and weigh 250 lbs. I don't commute and spend as little time as possible on the main highways. By the way I am having plenty of fun, even at my elevated weight, with the stock suspension. Here are a couple of pics of the original front and the Shinko rear.

I'm using non-ethanol 91 octane here in Wisconsin while visiting and the MPG reading on the bike is still 5 - 10% off.

I have used his services in the past and have always been completely satisfied with the service and quality.

I've been charging my phone from the stock power port with no problems.

I have rebound at max front and back. I added preload at both ends, added a couple of pounds pressure (38psi) in front, and removed the panniers. The bike was much better with very little movement up to 95 mph in turns. I am going to keep playing with things to find the best setup for me (250 lbs) with the stock components. I definitely want the side boxes installed for most rides.