wordsmith

Removed the orange/ black/ white [strong]fuel advisory[/strong] [strong]sticker[/strong] from the upper rhs of the tank. My Dog, it’s applied with Kryptonite I think! Having done it before I found the quickest and easiest way is to heat the sticker with a closely-held hair-dryer to soften the underlying adhesive, then slowly and carefully peel it back from one corner, a bit at a time. Keep the hair-dryer there for long enough to thoroughly heat both the sticker and the underlying tank material – too long and too hot is scarcely enough. The sticker is very brittle and breaks easily, so the process is one of peeling it off piece by piece. I found the best ‘tool’ was my thumb-nail (bad luck if you're a nail-biter!). It would be unwise to use anything metal or sharp-edged lest the precious tank paintwork gets scratched. A quick rub over with some solvent - petrol, metho, turps, etc., - then easily removes the adhesive residue. Again learning from past experience, I removed the lhs [strong]'hero-knob' [/strong][em](highlighted by pink arrow in pic)[/em] as I find it is too close to the lowering-peg on the side-stand, which interferes with quick/ easy operation of the stand, especially if wearing chunky boots.

Installed the new [strong]Stebel Magnum horn[/strong], a five-minute job putting it in the same location on the original bracket. This is always one of the first things I do on a new bike, along with fitting Grip Puppies. OE horns on just about any new bike these days are about as attention-grabbing as my doggy’s squeaky toy, but the Magnum, while not obnoxiously loud, does have a very deep cut-through two-tone note that demands attention. A great buy for AUD$22 couriered me within 18 hours of ordering… Made in Italy too!

Moved the rear [strong]number plate[/strong] up by about 1.5”/ 35mm, so that it now sits neatly immediately beneath the rear plate light. Looks better, but I didn’t want to go the whole hog and move the whole untidy-looking tail light assembly even further forward and up – as many have done here successfully – lest that hides the blinkers from side-on when panniers are fitted.

Using those tiny 10mm diameter silicon furniture protector ‘dots’ (the half-spherical ones) I stuck one onto the indicator button, making it easier and more ‘fumble-free’ to locate with a gloved thumb. The other two went (one each side) between the inside of the windscreen and the upper metal ‘tongues’ that gives the screen a bit of rigidity. [em] See pic[/em] [em]with dot highlighted.[/em] These dots add a little more support nearer the top and minimise the distracting to and fro oscillation of the screen. Tiny tips learned on my previous Tracer!

Is this handlebar recall a global thing, and if so are there VIN or engine numbers to look out for? I'm collecting my 2016 today and I wouldn't trust the dealership to identify and fix any recall issues before I take delivery!

Thanks, kimmie (nice to catch-up again). I'd like to have the LEDs ON all the time (to supplement to always-on half headlight), so a switch is not necessary, but I'll put one in if it seems desirable. Like you - with a similar set-up in the past on other bikes I've sometimes forgotten to switch the LEDs on or off - [em]bummer![/em] Your offer to put me in touch with your savvy friends might be just the salvation I'm looking for: if so I'll PM you here.

Thank you, xlxr, but your first sentence was a bit unnecessary if aimed at me! No point me or anybody else here claiming to be an expert, or even reasonably handy in any given field, if they're not! But your post was useful overall...

Did you buy this on-line, S/C - and if so how much in Aussie dollars please, incl postage?

Nice write-up and pix. Great Aussie-made quality too!

Thanks for all the inputs on this, guys. I understood about 10% of what was written, but that's my fault, not yours. I was born ('39) about 40 years too early for all this electronological stuff to really sink in! I might do what I've done before and found perfectly satisfactory (and easy to install), which is to go with the AdventureTech light-bar (to mount the LEDs) and their wiring harness, which incorporates an in-line fuse, switch, and relay. Even I found that OK! Looking at their website I see they are out-of-stock of the harness until some time in June - no biggie, as they say. Or I may again use the shaped FJ-specific LEDs ex Korea/ E Bay that are fitted to the front of the knuckle-guards. Used those before - they are both neat and effective and being mounted high up are readily seen. Again, thanks. Lots of super help to be found here!

Thanks, koth. Where can I find the wiring diagram please?

Thank you. It looks an impressive piece of kit suited to a novice like me - but I cannot find its cost anywhere. Any ideas? LATER EDIT - USD$89.99 plus presumably shipping. Thank you...

Can someone please tell me how to wire-up my inexpensive but effective (on other bikes) front LEDs. Unfortunately the 'post image' function doesn't seem to want to work for me - but each LED has a red and a black wire attached. I don’t want to bother with a switch or (if possible) relay. I’m totally lacking in electrical know-how and don’t have any equipment that might help, such as a multi-meter (whatever that may be). So if I may – guidance should be targeted to an eight year-old with learning difficulties! KIS and all that… All and any help will be much appreciated.

Could you kindly provide a link to the vendor's site?

Almost certainly [strong]not.[/strong]

On the FJR, they would be applied to the rear fender Body work, which is painted the color of the bike. They put them on the FJR so when you are fussing around trying to line up the bags in the upper mounting slots you don't scratch the paint.Slightly OT, but... speaking as one who has also struggled greatly to remove the panniers on my FJ/ MT-09, the solution offered is simply to insert a spacer of about 12 to 15mm (roughly ½”) between the pannier rail and the 4 x holes into which the securing bolts are fastened (into the rear sub-frame). This seems to correctly align the various lugs on the panniers and bike, and if you also smear a little Vaseline petroleum jelly onto each lug it eases things considerably. I was initially literally lifting the rear of the bike off the ground (or so it seemed) when removing the panniers, and the force needed was certainly excessive, but this tip works! [em] See pic - spacer highlighted.[/em] [em] [/em][em]http://i.imgur.com/RRYDddP.jpg[/em][em] [/em]

To complete the job of putting a bit of life into the appearance of the OE hard panniers I added a Yamaha emblem - same as at the front of the bike. Hopefully, that's about it! http://i.imgur.com/PV8Dope.jpg

FWIW - the AdventureTech light-bar that I have fitted would make an excellent and very strong mounting base for such horns.

Around here (in Oz) I reckon the local pleece would have something to say about that! And if an emergency stop takes place...WTF???

Today I installed a decent [strong]rear rack[/strong] to take the mounting-plate for my 23L top-box (and smaller alternative 7L rear case too, as needed). It’s very nicely made – the plate is chunky 4mm anodized aluminium and the support struts 19mm diameter steel. Welds are very neat and the struts thickly powder-coated in gloss black. The struts simply bolt into existing holes that secure the pannier rails into the bike’s rear sub-frame, the front of the plate is secured into the two pillion hand-hold bolts, and the whole appears as strong as the Rock of Gibraltar. The plate comes unpainted and I think I’ll leave it like that, at least for the time being, as the silver colour doesn’t clash with the bike, and in any case it’s largely hidden when the top-box mounting plate is fitted. A useful if minor plus with the new rack is that it has ample elongated slots around it to secure various straps or whatever if needed to carry camping gear and the like. The kit includes 4 x 12mm/ ½” spacers for the new bolts that go into the pannier frames. It’s a lot easier now to fit and remove the panniers as they are shifted outboard by that amount… a light smear of Vaseline on the mounting lugs also helps. Installation was a bit iffy to start with, thanks to no instructions, but a quick glance at the vendor’s website showed a number of views of the set-up, and from there it was easy. My thanks to fellow Queenslander [em]suncoaster[/em], who ordered it for me, as the cursed AliExpress site would not accept my own attempted order. Link: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/272239494148. http://i.imgur.com/Ymh9nWE.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/tvpm416.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/OdfoJFR.jpg

[strong]Decorating the pannier lids.[/strong] OK – so it’s not at all innovative or creative, but to enhance the appearance of the pannier lids I had a pair of simple [em]‘MT-09 Tracer’[/em] decals made up by a local supplier, as in the [em]pic below.[/em] Each decal size here is 24mm x 208mm (1” x 8”). There are numerous choices of typeface, size, and colour available – my choice was [em]Arial Bold Italic[/em], which suits the other lettering on the bike, and the chrome letters make it stand out. They also unexpectedly chime quite nicely with the silver stitching and piping on the adjacent Bagster seat! Ordering from the many options could not have been easier as a ‘mock-up’ of the desired lettering appears as you go. I had excellent service from the vendor, and the decals were shipped within three days of my order. For my Aussie mates, the vendor is <letterstickers.com.au>. Adding a final touch when they are delivered I’ll shortly be placing in front of each decal a pair of inexpensive but nice quality Yamaha tuning-fork badges, each 1¾” (45mm) diameter, bought on-line from E Bay, and matching those at the front of the bike. I think the combination will then be quite effective in lifting and lightening somewhat the blandness of the dull matte finish of the panniers, which is all I wanted to achieve. When the job is finished I’ll add a final post and pix here. With postage the pair of decals cost $22 and the badges cost $13, for an all-up investment of $35. When applying the decals – easy-to-follow instructions were included – I went to some trouble to align them with nearby downward-sloping elements of the bike so that everything lines-up visually. Some strips of easy-peel masking tape made this very quick and simple. I did think momentarily about buying the rather neat 3D-effect OE decals (red ones from the Lava Red bike) that are positioned on the front mini-fairing, just behind the turn-signals, but at an eye-watering $124 for a pair I figured it wasn’t quite that important! http://i.imgur.com/JCpw66v.jpg

My recent effort to lower engine revs somewhat at cruising velocities has not worked out too well – despite a minor effect I think I’ve lost more than I gained in fitting the smaller 43T rear-sprocket. Acceleration in all gears was still good enough with the after-market sprocket, but not quite as ‘startling’ as originally, and since that aspect of the bike’s overall performance is one of its strongest points I’ve reverted to the OE gearing. Short-ish day-rides are for me much more frequent than longer day-in-day-out distance touring, so I guess that in the long run I’m not losing much – but I’m sure that at times I’ll still keep looking for that seventh gear!

Good idea, sunnie: those large (in your case, a bit less so) red lens are custom-made for putting lights behind them, inside the case. I did so on an earlier BMW and it worked fine, giving even more visibility, of which we riders cannot have enough!

I too would like a taller gearing for 6th, but I am sure as shet not going to do it through the final drive, I do way too much first gear traffic crap and couldn't stand a even taller first... really wish first was shorter and sixth taller. The motor can handle it! I think the taller gearing will really help fuel economy though, keep a eye on it for interest sake.After a deliberately-chosen very mixed 320km circuit yesterday, taking in everything from long stretches on 110kph Freeways to country lanes, I've got to say that I now don't think the desired effect has been achieved, or if so only marginally. The very short and traffic-congested ride home from the dealership after the job was done earlier this week wasn't really long enough to get a good handle on the result, but I now have it. The minor improvement in the 'feel' of the bike is offset to a greater degree by the reduced rate of acceleration - it's still potent enough, but I do miss that 'rush', especially in the lower gears. I have to be very honest and tell myself that I think I'm trying to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse - so far unsuccessfully - in hoping to build on the Tracer platform to get a halfway-decent touring bike, instead of an out-and-out sports bike with touring pretensions. While the improvements to suspension, alleviation of transmission whine, and superb Bagster seat have vastly improved the comfort, the search for that 7th or 8th gear continues! I think I'll give up now and just concentrate on the fun aspects of the bike and stop bothering about other characteristics that cannot be readily changed. I'll leave the 43T sprocket on for the time being - it's a disappointment, not a disaster - and do my upcoming long trip with it before probably reverting to the OE gearing.

[strong]New 43T rear sprocket fitted. [/strong] As others here have also reported, I find myself searching for that 7th, or even 8th gear when in cruising mode at reasonable velocities. I know the Tracer’s engine – its finest attribute, I believe – is pretty much bullet-proof, but it does often seem to be revving too hard for my liking. It sounds kind-of stressed though it probably isn’t – but it makes [em]me[/em] a bit less relaxed than I like to be when on longer rides. The recent loosening of the chain slack has reduced appreciably the whining noise from the bike, so I am a now little more accepting of the remaining mechanical noise at speed, but even so a reduction in rpm was next job on the list. So today my dealer fitted a new 43T rear sprocket for me, at a cost of $60 for the part and a reasonable $55 for fitting. It’s hard to be precise about the effect, given the rough tacho graduations, which rather resemble the teeth on a coarse comb used to groom horses, but I think it has reduced top-gear revs by about 300 - 350rpm at 100kph indicated. Maximum posted speed limits here – often strongly policed with fixed or mobile radar – are usually 100kph or 110kph, so 100kph is a typical highway speed. The bike certainly sounds and feels as if it’s working a little more easily now – it's highly subjective, I know, and not very scientific, but it’s a bit ‘softer’ and ‘smoother’ perhaps: not a huge difference, but I didn’t expect more. From a brief ride home, higher-gear roll-on acceleration seems somewhat reduced, and acceleration in the lower gears is perhaps a bit like in B mode. It’s all rather more subdued compared to the frantic – if exhilarating – previous performance, but still acceptable to this no-wheelies/ risk-averse old rider. If I need more I can easily slip briefly into A mode, and if over time I feel the bike has lost too much ‘edge’, well, the OE sprocket can quickly and easily be re-installed. Time and more kilometres will tell… So along with recent tweaks to soften and improve the suspension, removal of the annoying and distracting transmission whine, and the excellent new Bagster seat, I’ve managed to nudge the bike a bit more towards the desired touring end of the performance spectrum, so I’m happy. With at least one and maybe two long-ish ~4400km tours planned for later this year, on both of which there will be long, straight sections of highway calling for sustained moderate- to high-speed cruising (but within the posted limits, of course!) this small and quite cheap improvement may be worthwhile.