daboo

FWIW, the Dunlop Roadsmart 3 and Roadsmart 4 tires have a rebate through the end of November.

I'm still liking the Continental Roadattack 3 tires.  I have almost 10,000 miles on them and they look good for another couple thousand.  The Dunlop RS3 and RS4 tires would be my next choice.  I'm a bit wary of the manufacturer's press releases.  I bought two sets of the Metzeler Roadtec 01 tires and the claimed longevity didn't work out...they lasted half the miles of the Metzeler Z8 tires.

Chris

Thank you for the kind words.

Chris

James (jtvisions) got the same itch I had, except he invited me to join him before I could invite him to join me.  But actually, it is far more fun to follow him, than for me to do so.  He's explored the back roads between Everett and the Canadian border more than anyone else probably has.  And so as usual, we went off on a delightful day's ride.

I have to admit the thought crossed my mind to call him up and ask if it would be okay if I showed up in my Subaru with heated seats instead of my F800GT.  One place was down to 37F.  I think I'm becoming a wimp in my old age.

So here's some pics from the day's ride.

We headed north on Hwy 9 and then turned off to some side roads James is familiar with.  This was a delightful place to just sit back and each lunch.

We skirted the south side of Bellingham and spent some time hiking at Waterfall Park.

This waterfall fascinated me.  Why are those irregular black shapes there on the waterfall?  Normally, you'll see something like the right half, but that left half was very unique.

The tour guide.

Some kids doing what kids do best.  Playing next to the water and showing adults how to enjoy life.

A bit of autumn colour.

We headed south along Chuckanut Drive.

James wanted to take a detour and head over to the Swinhomish Indian Tribal Community.  I hadn't seen it before, so I followed along.  (This is why I want him to lead, and not me. )

A great day.  A little cool, but heated gear helps keep things enjoyable.

Chris

On 10/22/2020 at 8:38 PM, Bossanova said:

Are the seating positions really that different? How so?

The motorcycle ergonomics web page will answer that question for you.  You can play with lowered footpegs, handlebar risers, where you sit on the seat, etc.  One of the things I picked up in seconds is the GT starts with a far more comfortable position for putting on hours and hours of riding.

Maybe I missed it, but one of the reasons I would not consider a naked bike for "sport-touring" is the lack of any fairing.  A bolted-on windshield is not the same.  I would think even the minimal fairing of the Tracer GT in comparison to something like an FJR's full fairing, is still far better than a naked bike on a 400-500 mile day trip.

Let me offer you a little story that may help you decide.  I have a favorite ride that goes up to a very windy road on Mt. Baker.  I've ridden it on three bikes.  On the first bike, I'd come home at the end of the day, and while the ride was very enjoyable...a nap was too.  That nap felt soooo good when I got home.  The second bike was better.  It was more "touring" than "sport", but still enjoyable on the twisties.  But the nap was still wonderful at the end of the day.  The third bike and the one I have now, when I took it on that same ride, it was very enjoyable.  As I was coming home, I was thinking about that nap...and realized I wasn't tired at all.  Instead...why don't I mow the lawn for the next three hours.  I was feeling that fresh.

The cost of the bikes, would be immaterial to my decision.  What I intended to do with the bike, would be the top consideration.  In the end, the cost differential is small.  As others have said, you'll get more $$ for the Tracer GT than for the MT in the end when you sell.  So the upfront extra cost, is moot.  

You don't like side cases.  Okay.  This is personal opinion...and you can do what you want with it, like totally disregard it   ...but a bike without storage, is a toy.  Nothing more.  Just an expensive toy.  I have 37 liter side case on my bike.  They give me the ability to stop at the grocery store on the way home to pick up a dozen eggs and a half-gallon of milk.  Going home to pick up the car to make that stop, again tells me the bike is a toy.

If you're serious about "sport-touring", then buy the sport-touring bike, not the toy. 

 

Chris

1 hour ago, peteinpa said:

STILL?? pull that wheel, fill the bathtub, dunk it.  15 psi in 24 hrs you will find it!

Don't ignore that the rim might be cracked.

 

I'm reading through this and thinking the same thing.  This is potentially dangerous.  That amount of leakage...during a ride???  Not just sitting in your garage?  Not one of those people at the dealership would put up with this on their own bike.  And you shouldn't either.

There are two routes you can take (and many more, actually  ).  The non-mechanical one is to start elevating this issue at the dealership...and then to Yamaha.  Everyone has a boss.  And no one wants their boss to hear how they have been treating the customer badly.  

Service managers are usually mechanics that have moved up ...but not always.  I went to an Audi dealership in Syracuse, NY to get my oil changed.  When they were done, I went out and checked the oil and the dipstick showed it was overfilled by a quart.  The "service manager" in this case was a young guy who didn't even know how to check the oil.  All he knew how to do, was to take service orders.  He checked with the mechanic who said it was fine.  I told them I wasn't leaving till the oil level was made right.  They took care of it.  

So take it back.  If the service manager tells you that there's no problem, ask to speak to the owner.  If neither will help, ask for the name and number of the regional Yamaha representative.  You shouldn't have any problems.

 

The other route, is to do a couple things yourself.  YouTube is your friend.  Someone out there has a video showing you every step of taking your wheel off the bike and putting it back on.  You might have to look at a couple videos, but it is all right in front of you.  The hardest part of this whole process is to pick up the tools.  It goes pretty easy after that.

This isn't rocket science.  The air is held in there by the wheel on one side, the tire on the other side and the bead where the two parts meet.  You put air in through the valve stem.  That's about it.  One of those is leaking.  This is a brand new bike, straight out of the crate, so you don't have to worry about things like corrosion on the wheel rim.

The easiest thing to do, is to check the valve stem for a leak.  Fill the tire to about 45-50 psi.  Enough that air has a lot of pressure on the inside and will be leaking rapidly.  Put some spit over the valve stem.  Sit back and wait.  If it is leaking, you'll see your spit start to bubble up.  If you don't see anything, depress the valve stem momentarily and reapply a good amount of spit again.

If that doesn't show a leak, then the only place you could have a leak is in the tire, at the bead, or in the wheel itself.

Take off the wheel.  Put it in the bathtub and get enough water in there to cover all the way up to the "spokes"...probably about 9 inches at least.  You want to make sure every part of that wheel/tire that is holding air is submerged.  Make sure you still have about 50 psi in the tire.  With that much air loss in 24 hours, you should have a steady stream of bubbles coming out.  You'll probably want to turn the tire around 180 degrees to make sure you haven't missed anything.  

Don't take it out till you find the leak.  It's there.

It's easy to do a quick check on the tire itself and say that all is good.  But you could also have a cracked rim...which would be very dangerous.  Rare, but possible.  Also, having the tire bead torn, could cause a leak like that too.  And if there's a crack or tear that leaks that much air already, what would happen if in the middle of a turn at high speeds, the forces on that tire/wheel cause whatever it is to get worse?  You'd be contacting your insurance agent from your hospital bed.

Chris

 

1 minute ago, Wintersdark said:

Not using the premium that's asked for by the engineers who made it can result in increased engine wear or catastrophic failure.  That's kind of a big deal, and definitely not somewhere I'll risk saving the price of a cup of coffee once per week.

Ethanol vs. non-ethanol is different, however.  ...and also - with the potential exception of if you let your bike sit - there's no wear/damage issues with ethanol.  

Regarding the first point, it amazes me that us buyers know better than the engineers. 

I've found my lawn mower and generator have issues sitting over the winter with ethanol gas.  So since that's about all I can find for gas, I make it a point to ride my motorcycle almost daily in the winter, just to keep the gas fresh.  

It's not for feeling the air blow across my face, or to feel the bike respond as I lean into a corner.  It's just to keep fresh gas in it as preventative maintenance. 

Chris

I'll buy the E0 91...but only if the price makes sense.  In some places this summer, I found it for the same price as the E10...but usually, it was another dollar or more for the non-ethanol.  There's no way it makes sense economically to pay that premium.  

Chris

Great review.  I have the original Neotec.  Washing the inner pads seems to make it feel like new, so it'll be around for awhile.

I think the reason you feel no difference in ventilation from the chin vent or upper vent, is you have the chin curtain off.  The amount of air coming up inside the helmet will overcome the smaller amount of air coming through the vents.  Also, on the original Neotec, there's a rear vent.  That makes a difference too, because especially in the case of the upper vent, if there's no way for air to escape, it'll block the ventilation too.  Mine makes so much of a difference, that I have to close it in the cooler months.  

Regarding the Pinlock, if you look at the posts it fits into, you should see that they are elliptical or egg-shaped.  That allows you some adjustment to bring the Pinlock edges closer to the visor and prevent fogging.  The side that fits against the visor has a silicon seal.  If that is not touching the visor, you'll get moisture between the visor and Pinlock...and it is impossible to see out of it then.  Bottom line, if you're getting fogging, then the Pinlock is not sealing fully.

Chris

Just to toss in another variable to your discussions on octane...when you put regular gas into the tank and evaluate performance...how much gas are you putting in?  Chances are, unless you're consistently putting in regular gas, you're diluting it with the premium fuel you put in from the last fillup.

I grew up with gas being 19 cents a gallon.  We thought 23 cents a gallon was outrageous and would drive across the street to the cheaper gas station.  Fast forward to recent years when gas prices have varied from over $4 a gallon, and down to $2.xx a gallon.  I quit worrying about price, simply because whether it is higher this week or lower, I've paid that amount before.

The Tracer GT has a MSRP of $13K.  You also paid sales tax, transportation and dealer prep probably.  So you have over $15K invested in this bike.  You added numerous mods to the bike for probably another thousand or more.  

And yet you're worried about saving a few cents per gallon by buying regular gas instead of premium?

Chris

38 minutes ago, nhchris said:

It is a bruiser for sure.  I wonder how much of that 750 lbs the head assemblies account for.  They are MASSIVE!

Upside... low center of gravity!  (as long as they don't touchdown before the foot pegs.

BMW saves weight by getting dual functionality out of those engine head assemblies.  They also double as frame sliders.

Chris

That's a wonderful place to visit.  Looking at betoney's map, it takes you by Capitol Reef National Park.  Out of the five national parks in Utah, that was my favorite.  If you get a chance, take a walk through the dry stream beds.  The rock walls tower above you, and the patterns in the rocks are simply amazing.  Often, the rock on the left side of the trail is totally different than the right side of the trail and the rock patterns are at a different angle.

Hickman Bridge is well worth a couple hours to hike to.

Chris

12 hours ago, daboo said:

Yeah, just found out about the Roadsmart IV also.  I don't think they are for sale anywhere yet.  From what I understand, the Roadsmart III is still staying in production, so you're right...expect a price difference.

Metzeler is doing about the same thing with the Metzeler Roadtec 01 and Metzeler Roadtec 01 SE.  There's over a $100 difference in a set of tires...and will they give any improvement?  I know the marketing hype says they will, but the marketing hype promised better longevity than the Metzeler Z8...and it actually gave me about half of the older tire for miles.  (6000 miles vs 11,000+ on the Z8)

So I followed the link fddriver2 provided to the Dunlop Roadsmart IV tires.  It's about what Metzeler is doing with their "SE" version.  And actually, Pirelli did the same with the Angel GT and Angel GT II.  There's a hundered dollar difference there too.

So you have a $100 difference between the old version and the new version.  Is there $100 of performance gain?  If you look at the pics, the tread design looks almost the same.  It's like they rotated the tires about 20 degrees to give a different look.

BTW, the Dunlop rebate was extended.

Chris

 

Yeah, just found out about the Roadsmart IV also.  I don't think they are for sale anywhere yet.  From what I understand, the Roadsmart III is still staying in production, so you're right...expect a price difference.

Metzeler is doing about the same thing with the Metzeler Roadtec 01 and Metzeler Roadtec 01 SE.  There's over a $100 difference in a set of tires...and will they give any improvement?  I know the marketing hype says they will, but the marketing hype promised better longevity than the Metzeler Z8...and it actually gave me about half of the older tire for miles.  (6000 miles vs 11,000+ on the Z8)

I'll stick with the Continental Roadattack III tires this next go around.  I have 9000 on them now and they look good for another 2-3000.  Plus, they handle the best I've encountered.  They're smooth.  I just can't find anything negative about them.  So why change?  And if they do like they did in 2019 and have another $60 rebate...that makes them one of the least expensive tires on the market.

Chris

Thanks.  I hopefully fixed the links.

Chris

So with a week of unexpected warm dry weather after several days of rainy weather, James (jtvisions) and I headed off in search of the elusive fall foliage.  Our destination was the North Cascades Highway.  Getting there requires some riding along two-lane country roads that are a delight in their own right...and a chance to see the leaves turning.

Hwy 530 takes you by the site of the Oso landslide.  https://www.slidememorial.com/about  It's hard to get a feel for what happened by looking at the picture I took.  It doesn't give a feel for having a huge portion of the mountain bury a town under 70 feet of debris.

This one off the Internet gives a better perspective.

Some other pics along the route.

This is on Hwy 20.  I love the peaceful tranquilty of this valley with the sight of snow-covered mountains in the background.

Nearing Newhalem.

James is walking toward Diablo Lake dam that you can see between the trees.

Down the road past the lakes.

Washington Pass Overlook

Liberty Bell mountain.  I never get tired of looking at this mountain.

James took me on a short detour in the town of Newhalem to visit the "Gorge".  An interesting bit of info about this picture, is those trees up there above the town were on fire a few years ago.  The fire came that close!

Behind the Gorge powerhouse, is the Ladder Creek Falls trail.  I believe the area was created by the first superintendent and served as a play area for his two daughters.  It's lit now, and in normal times, there are ranger tours.

Near Arlington toward the end of the day.

Cool pic of the Cascade mountains and the moon rising.

Not easy to see, but if you look on the horizon, you can see Mt. Rainier.

Chris

21 hours ago, crempel said:

...Somebody who rides 10 to 15,000 miles on a single set of tires simply cannot comment on the handling or traction with any authority. Because a ride on almost entirely windy roads at a brisk pace, I cannot comment on straight line distance distance and ultimate mileage potential with any authority. What I can guarantee you though, is that if you’re finding the ride harsh, don’t  try to fix the problem with tires, fix your suspension which will open up your whole world to different tires. I will freely admit that I have not put the Michelin’s on this bike because no tire that I have found will go more than 2000 to 3000 miles with my riding style and the roads that I write on. Given what they cost there’s just no justifying the expense. Even at online pricing, the Michelin’s cost 50% more than the Dunlops. 

I won't take that personally.        I've been getting about 9-11,000 miles per set of tires, usually changing the tires early because I'm headed out on a trip and the tire life would be iffy to last through the ride.  My worst nightmare would be to be hundreds of miles from home and needing a tire change.  Out in my area, I need to ride quite a bit upright to get to the twisty areas.  Two summers ago when the Canadian border was open, I rode with some riders from BC down to Central Oregon and Northern California.  We got through Washington as fast as we could (center wear on the tire) till we got to the great twisty roads (side wear on the tire) in Oregon and California.  By the time my tires came off, yes, the center wore first, but the sides were shredded.

I have a different bike, but the tire sizes are the same and for the most part, I believe the riding style is similar for both bikes.  So far, I've gone through two sets of Metzeler Roadtec 01s, two sets of Dunlop Roadsmart IIIs, two sets of Continental Roadattack IIIs, plus the OEM Metzeler Z8.  I'm done with the Metzeler Roadtec 01s.  They just don't perform any better than the other tires, and wore out quickly.  The Dunlop RSIIs were a good tire.  I had no issues with them at all, and they didn't even cup.  My favorite out of the bunch, is the Conti RAIII.  Warm up time is immediate.  Traction out to the edge is great.  They are confidence inspiring and strike a good balance between comfort for touring, and responsiveness for sport.

FWIW, I'm attaching the prices from a couple days ago.

Chris

 

I've had Garmin tell me there were gas stations when there weren't any too.

Chris

The inReach tracker is good insurance.  I've traveled some places out west where there is no one around.  Luckily, I've never been broke down.

In the local area, there are places where you can go off the road and there's no cell coverage too.  I heard they found the body of one motorcyclist and his bike ten years after he went missing.  At least my wife would be able to tell the police where to go looking.

I recently had an opportunity to use my inReach SE for more than motorcycling.  I was hiking near Mt. Rainier and my friend started getting totally out of breath and over-heating.  He could barely stand up for over an hour.  We couldn't get in touch with rangers to get him out either.  I went back to the bike to get my inReach with the intention of using that SOS button.  In the end, we didn't need it...but it was there in case we needed it.

Chris

I'm not going to be the person to help you here.  I joined the forum because the Yamaha FJ-09 was on my short list, and the Tracer GT still is on that short list if I replace my current bike.  Plus, there's a lot to share and enjoy from one motorcycle forum to another.  There, I said it...I'm a forum junkie. 

I hardwired mine directly to the battery.  I'd suggest getting something like a "fuse box" where you connect it to the battery and have everything else connect to it, whether switched power or not.

As for keeping it out of rain, I've invested in a stock of zip-lock bags.    If you think about it, during the wet weather, you probably dial back the throttle a bunch anyway.  (If not, you'll probably not be riding for long anyway.)  In town, I ride with the traffic and really the radar detector is an expensive toy at those times.  It's when I'm out riding country roads that I'm more likely to exceed the speed limit...and I'll be doing less of that in the next several months anyway.

Chris

I have a Uniden DFR9 I bought from Costco a year ago.  I've been using the RAM magnetic mount.  I put the detector where it had a nice clear view of the road ahead.  Uniden doesn't offer a "concealed display", so I figure that if I get pulled over, not only will I deserve it, but I'll get the performance award.

The problem you'll get is trying to keep it out of rain.  The Valentine One is like my Uniden in that they are designed for use in a car.

I found the double-sided tape for the metal piece that sticks to the underside of the detector, needed some help.  The paint on the metal plate needed some sandpaper applied to it to scuff it up and help the tape stick.  Before I did that, it was actually coming loose on a hot summer day with the vibration.  Since then, it hasn't budged.

If I understand it correctly, the Valentine One has a nice feature in that you can get a verbal warning in your headset.  My assumption is that it is using the smartphone app to do this.  For those who don't have that capability, Marc Parnes will add LED lights to your detector that will get your attention if you're picking up an LEO.  I've been using it for most of the riding season and it works great.

Chris

Battery technology is not rocket science. 

Chris

A $30 battery will probably be okay.  Batteries are commodity items.  In other words, the difference from one to the other is minimal.  Spending more money doesn't guarantee you'll get any more performance out of the more expensive battery than you'll get out of the far less expensive battery.

I recently replaced the battery in my bike.  I looked to see what the OEM battery was and the specs in CCA.  Then I did a search on that model of battery and the equivalent CCA.  Once I had some sources narrowed down, I looked to see what the customer ratings were.  That will give you a good idea of their quality.  I ended up buying a replacement battery for $50.

Same specs as OEM.  Great quality.  Starts up better than before.  I'm happy.

Chris

 

My bike has the gas tank under the seat.  The "tank" is plastic and covers the battery and air box.  I ordered some rare earth magnets and used double-sided tape to hold them on the underside of the plastic "tank" panels.

Chris

On 9/11/2020 at 10:17 AM, keithu said:

Is that Upper Middle Fork Road from US-395 to US-26 paved all the way through? I've been on many deer hunts in that area, but always south of Keeney Forks Road which is mostly gravel. It is beautiful country around there. For some reason I never explored the area up around Upper Middle Fork Road.

All the roads were paved.

It's a shame about the fires.  We went through at about the last possible time, not realizing how much it would change in a matter of days and even hours.  Detroit Lake was beautiful.  I hope it isn't totally destroyed.

In many areas, I saw old dead trees piled up like someone was planning on having a huge bonfire.  Hundreds of them.  I'm sure that contributed to the fires getting out of hand.

Chris