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texscottyd

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Posts posted by texscottyd

    Alternative Transportation for the "New Normal"

    in Other bikes

    Posted

    I helped a friend this weekend with an MSF class, and they had a fleet of mostly TU250 Suzukis.   I knew nothing about them previously, but they were actually much nicer than I would have expected…  conventional bike, upright riding position, decent fit & finish, apparently very durable (MSF student bikes lead a very hard life).  If I was looking for cheap transportation, that wouldn’t be a bad choice.  

    Error Code indicates TPS problem and my settings is locked

    in Tracer 900 GT Discussions

    Posted

    53 minutes ago, Milkcartonkid said:

    Not worth it if I can't "key in and go" IMO

    100% agree, and that’s a completely reasonable expectation for any modern motorcycle.   

    I hope this one is a quick and easy fix to get the bike back in order.   They seem to be great bikes when they’re running well, so I totally understand your frustration.   It’s really inexcusable that a dealership service department would let it leave with those kind of ridability issues…  

    • Thumbsup 1

    Jumpy throttle cable at 30,000 miles

    in FJ-09 Known issues and solutions

    Posted

    20 minutes ago, coachluciano said:

    I thought there was a known problem with the "original" cable and it was quickly replaced with a newer revision.  So much in fact, I swapped out mine just on that fact..

    I believe you're talking about the clutch cable on the early FJs, which was prone to breaking up near the bars due to an odd shape of one of the bends of the cable...  it was superseded on the parts list with an improved replacement, and many (most?) FJs have already been retrofitted with the new part.  

    This is the throttle cables that he's discussing; the mechanical end of the ride-by-wire fuel injection system.   I don't recall this one ever coming up before, but it may be that I just missed it at some point in the past.  

    Jumpy throttle cable at 30,000 miles

    in FJ-09 Known issues and solutions

    Posted

    1 hour ago, bwringer said:

    Anyway: are throttle cables a known issue or am I just experiencing a bit of bad luck? 

    I'm not aware of any issues with the cables on these bikes, and don't recall having seen anything about this pop up on the forum before.   I honestly haven't looked at the details of the setup on mine (so not familiar with the adjustment options), but the first thought would be making sure they're adjusted properly.   I remember two cables, so it must me a 'push/pull' setup, and those can start to bind up if they're too far out of adjustment...  basically they'll start working against each other in light-pressure throttle controls.

    That said, for less than $35 to replace, it's probably not worth spending too much time trying to troubleshoot the existing parts.

    • Thumbsup 1

    Chain and sprocket life

    in Tracer 900 GT Discussions

    Posted

    On 6/8/2022 at 6:12 AM, Suu Kyi said:

    Means I only got around 20k kms on the new chain and sprockets. Is this normal?

    That translates to about 12.5K miles, which is in the range of what we've seen for the factory chain.  I nursed mine to about 18K miles, but it was way overdue by that time.   Any good aftermarket chain will be of noticeably higher quality than the DID chain that is supplied to Yamaha as OEM for the bike, and you should get significantly more miles from your replacement.  

    • Thumbsup 2

    Alternative Transportation for the "New Normal"

    in Other bikes

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Ride365 said:

    I spend enough in gas now when I take a good 200 plus mile ride, that I could easily buy a nice bottle of bourbon......RIDICULOUS!!!!

    Now you’re thinking of the opportunity costs of non-essential riding.   Those economics almost never work out well, so my advice is to stop thinking rationally about our irrational passion.  😀  

    • Thumbsup 2

    What did you do to your FJ-tracer-gt today?

    in FJ-09 Tracer 900 General Discussions

    Posted

    15 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

    But are you still an entrepreneur?

    Maybe a little…  I work for a big tech firm now, but I ended up here when the software firm we founded was acquired.   I can legit say that I’m going to retire in a couple of years without ever having had a ‘real’ job…  

    My sons & I do dabble in buying & selling motorcycles and cars as a little side hustle.   Nothing serious, but it keeps us entertained & provides a little supplemental recreational income.  

    CB750 to a Matchless?  You are a glutton for punishment, Bret!  😀

    • Thumbsup 1

    What did you do to your FJ-tracer-gt today?

    in FJ-09 Tracer 900 General Discussions

    Posted

    3 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

    I was in San Diego during the 2nd oil embargo and it was more organized this time as they got into the even - odd plate system.  But again because I only had a motorcycle it wasn't that big of a deal for me.

    A bit off-topic, but the second round in 1979 prompted my first venture in entrepreneurial business:   14 year old me instantly saw the opportunity to take advantage of the long lines of tired, frustrated, thirsty, and hungry drivers.   It started with selling cold drinks out of a cooler pulled along in my Radio Flyer wagon, but quickly evolved into a pretty sophisticated enterprise:   Way before Uber Eats, my 'team' would take orders for McDonalds, and deliver to your car for an appropriate service charge.   Suddenly the Value Of Convenience became VERY apparent to me:   It was about a 70% margin business, fully burdened, when it was all said and done.   The real breakthrough was having a secret 'off menu' option for beer, which I pretty quickly figured out who to profile as the perfect 'Hey buddy, you want something special?' target.   Probably illegal, but hey... I was a kid in Southern California.  

    My first street bike was a nice 1976 CB400F, purchased with the money I netted (tax free, of course) from this little venture.   Good times... 

    • Thumbsup 1
    • Haha 5

    Fuel Gauge last 2 blue squares !!!

    in Tracer 900 GT Discussions

    Posted

    27 minutes ago, petshark said:

    FWIW I wouldn't mind an accurate fuel gauge but I have no problem with the design as it is. It's weird but rationally there is no reason for me to wonder if I am above or below 3/4 of the tank. One less stat to fret about is fine by me. With a glass-half-full mindset I even find it pleasant to have a nice full tank up until it's half and it's time to start keeping an eye on it. I'm weird like that sometimes. 

    The humor I find in all this is the extraordinary effort that Yamaha put into explaining the design and why it registers like it does.   There's a highly detailed service bulletin that details the shape of the tank, the float position and shape, sensor trigger points, etc...  It perfectly explains how it works.   But it doesn't explain WHY Yamaha went with the old school mechanical float arm to begin with...  There have to be other (arguably even simpler & cheaper) methods of designing a fuel level sensor that is at least semi-linear.    

    My FJ has three fuel level tranches:   All Good; Not So Good; Oh No!!! :)

     

    • Thumbsup 3
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