piotrek

I installed the NOCO NLP14 (LiFePO4) battery just today (FJ-09). The YTZ10S was roughly the same price, but I decided to try lithium... partly for the 4.3 lb weight saving, but mostly out of curiosity. I also picked up a new NOCO charger/maintainer (Genius2). We shall see how I get on with this setup. Interestingly, I found this same battery on the Yamaha Motor website...here. I suppose I will take that as a good sign. The terminals on the NOCO are rather odd... so the installation was not a simple drop-in. I had to modify cable ends, flip the foam spacer from back to front and a tweak the side of the battery tray just a bit. The boot on the (+) cable had to go, so I'll get something else on there. I am happy with the installation overall. I will update as/if i run into any drama during the course of the season.

https://obradvgear.com/

Another speed bleeder user here. I had limited success with an in-line check valve, but I suspect that it was defective (the valve didn't hold well). I have on occasion used a large syringe. 😁

I found this piece here an interesting read. No relevance to the maintenance aspect of the filter... and for that I apologize. 😛 Sounds like you already have it in hand... so might as well give it a go. 🙂

The experience of driving or riding a manual gearbox is the attraction for many, in spite of all the speed, perfection and efficiency of the alternatives. These technological advancements won't always scratch the itch. 🙂 Apparently there is a mod available for the NC750X to convert/map DCT thumb controls to a modified foot shifter. A fellow on the NT1100 forum is looking to do just that to his bike. It sounds like a good compromise for someone wanting/needing a DCT, but with a more conventional feel to shifting (sans the clutch of course).

They're not the softest compound, so not really in the 'sport tire" category. The tread may look more aggressive, but these aren't anything ADV. The design is mostly to aid water channeling, and it works well there. They're okay on packed gravel/dirt, but will clog in the mud/wet dirt (read slide). It's a good pavement/road tire. This tire is at 9,000km. It is just slightly squared from touring, but it's not bad. The front is cupping/scalloping a bit, but none of this is bugging me just yet.

...just for clarity, that mechanical linkage is between the throttle tube and the APS. It in part controls the opening of the throttle, indirectly via ECU. The TPS is mechanically linked to throttle plate shaft and reports to the ECU on position. 🙂

Many have done this. Forum search for "aux lights" returns pages of stuff that might be of use. You could browse through that maybe? 🤷‍♂️

I am hoping that it will make a difference enough. Induction became noticeably louder when I removed the foam, so it stands to reason this should work in reverse. It is obviously most pronounced at roll-on, but I suspect the rest of the time it is just louder enough to tire me out quicker. We shall see.

The foam thing is back under the tank to dampen the roar coming from the air box. I enjoyed it on shorter rides, but I found that it wore me out on long trips 😒. I initially suspected the slip-on, but I think the air box is the more likely culprit. Fingers crossed anyway.

They are very good tires in my experience. I took them to Florida specifically for wet weather performance, via Appalachia / The Dragon etc., tour-loaded. I rode some more in the cold/wet weather later in the year and they performed very well there too. I would buy again if they went on sale, but they don't seem to be as well priced this year, here in Ontario anyway.

I bought the bolt-on version of the MRA X-Creen Tour. I had the clamp-on eBay cheapie for a bit, but found it too flimsy. The MRA screen was on sale for some £100 out of UK and came with the bolt-on and clamp-on hardware in the kit. Everything fits, feels and works well.

Re-installed the dash stay and assembled the rest of the front end. Finally looking like a motorcycle. I threw in new brake pads while at it. Forks were re-valved/serviced late December. Exhaust went back on last week sometime. Waiting for the shock now to come back from the shop. Not much left to do. 🙂

Nice photos... and some lucky breaks with the weather you're having. Noticed the FJ is missing the front sprocket cover. I am guessing this is intentional?

You can test it w/out pulling the sensor. I did this while chasing a gremlin a few years ago... this chart may be of help, at least as a reference.

The dash stay is all fixed up. Three different shops to blast + weld + coat... so it took a bit of time with the holidays and all. Added beads where the factory cut corners, and a new brace behind the connector 'cage'. All this should greatly reduce forces acting on the upper tube. That's where the twisting/tearing occurs. I will assemble the front end over the weekend.

@bwringer... yes you have that about right. For anyone interested, I have some thoughts on my experience with Race Tech DVS documented here. This thread is really meant for those who have done mods, either DIY or by a suspension shop, to share valving information... and for those who might be looking for reference data points when planning a project. Whether you're getting a piston kit in the mail to DIY, or getting a suspension shop do it for you... the kit probably came with a shim stack config. It's that bike/rider-specific information that can be very useful to someone who might fit the criteria, even if at least as a sanity check. A great intro into how suspension valving works can be found in these two YT videos: Much of the math and fluid dynamics behind suspension valving/damping is over my head, but the principles and variables aren't hard to understand. Once you have a proper baseline from a pro shop, like say Race Tech or K-tech... some experimentation is possible. Race Tech, for example, had on their DVS sheets a chart with a range of configs based on the user's baseline, from softer to firmer (example below). It basically involved removing or adding a face shim or two (closest to face of piston), and sometimes others. That isn't hard to do. It's a pretty popular topic on dirt/mx/enduro forums like ThumperTalk, so I figured we could start something like this here, specifically for the Tracer family of bikes. Clearly it might take time to gain traction. 😁

Good info @dazzler24. That could all be very useful to anyone looking to install these. I have seen plenty of posts from people buying these (because... price point), only to find the ride too firm. Glad the fix worked for you. 👍

Cricket on here I see. 😒 I managed to get Race Tech to re-calc my compression stack based on revised criteria. The 2018 setup was built for street + standard stiffness, while the new one is built for touring + prefers soft. Rider weight remained the same. With this change, the DVS returned a softer spring, one much closer to what is on my bike (0.90), and a two-stage compression stack rather than a single stage in the previous build. Rebound stack remained the same. I will give this a shot in the Spring. New config below. Thank you @duhs10 for moving the thread!

Got the exhaust plumbing all clean. Easy enough to do with it off the bike... but that extra step to make it all shiny just ain't in the cards. Not too bad for 9yo headers anyway. New brake rotor on the rear. I checked my front rotors and they're still within spec, thankfully. I bought two R1 rotors for USD $220 in 2018 for the 320mm upgrade... they're USD $320 now for the pair at Partzilla... ouch! All the routine stuff has been done over last few weekends. Waiting to get the dash stay welded up, the shock serviced and the fork valves put together... than the sad-looking contraption will be ready for re-assembly.

That is a great data point 👍. Do you recall the cSt@40C spec, or the oil brand/name? The "wt" numbers aren't that telling on their own. Your weight and spring rate would be great too... 😁.

I had the Oxfords early on, but switched to Heat Demons when I changed the handlebar. The Heaterz worked well, but I agree with @skipperT... the wiring system is terrible. I can control the Heat Demons via the dash menu (2015 FJ). Yamaha grips are way expensive, and you're stuck with them. You've got the same issue with the Heaterz... but at a much lower cost. If you really want to use the Heaterz... find out how @OZVFR got his connected to dash controls. That sounds like a much better option than using Oxford's wiring/controller. One thing to note... I recall that Oxford's controller will turn off the grips when the bike is turned off (say at a gas station), and you will have to turn them back on when you re-start the bike. Withe the dash control, the bike ECU remembers previous state.

They are... but you have to get the kit. The plastics are replaceable, so they're available/sold on their own. The kit (here) will work as-is, but you can also get bar-end adapters (here) to replace the OE hardware for a more secure/cleaner fit.

I imagine it took some effort, but the bike looks sharp. 👍 You will need to get the guards/plastics, mounts/spines, and the bar-end adapters for a complete solution. I suspect the $45 will only buy you the plastics.

I have pulled my compression valve to remove a face shim or two to soften the ride a bit, and while poking around the various forums, I noticed several where users share their shim stack information. Some users will mod with factory pistons, but most with the Gold Valve pistons. We don't have anything like this here, but I think these data points would be a useful reference / guidance for anyone modding their factory forks with Race Tech Gold Valves. Typical info would include (DVS snippet or a list): Bike model / year Rider weight Springs used Shim stack information (compression and rebound) Suspension oil used Observations Anyway... I am pulling face shims to reduce damping, per Race Tech guidance. Share your DVS setup (or another) if you have it. Here is mine: I commented in the past that I found this config a bit on a firm side, and had to reduce oil viscosity to compensate. I am going to try and not have to do that anymore, and stick with something off-the-shelf 15~16 cSt@40C. Will update in the spring.