wordsmith

Dazz - and I mean this honestly and seriously - I doubt very much if you could/ would intentionally offend anyone in any way.

This grossly intrusive question from Dazzler is not one that any gentleman would ask, and despite being taken 'off-line' still appears here. I am shocked, shocked! (As spoken by Capt Louis Renault (Claude Rains), the crooked but likeable police chief in 'Casablanca' as he walked out of the gaming room stuffing money into his pocket. My fave scene in my all-time fave movie).

Ditto - in spades! Who'd have thought it? And bonus if you have to ride through flooded roads!!

Thanks a lot for this quick reply, Kevin R. I had a look at the SW Motech website (local Oz distributor) but could not find a model-specific rack, nor did the site want to recognise the bike! To re-emphasise, the bike is/ will be a GT, and thus quite different at the rear to earlier Tracers, which affects the means of securing the rack I think. If yours is a GT I'd be very grateful to see some pix posted here - as I'm sure would others. And maybe a couple of critical measurements - overall width immediately behind rear of pillion perch: and overall length. Asking a lot, but thank you in advance! No issues with a pillion with me, for no pillion - ever! LATER EDIT: I found the rack itself on the German SW site, but it appears that this is only the plate, and that the tubular mounting 'arms' are a separate item, which again I cannot find! Here's what I saw: and from this pic I understand why you found it a bit 'tight'. Also from this pic it seems that the 'arms' replace the bike's OE pillion grab-rails, which would be a bonus for me if true as it would reduce the width of the bike there where I have difficulty getting my leg across. Helpful if so!

Thanks, keith! That looks like a bit of our Sydney Harbour Bridge - but perfectly functional I'm sure, though I have never seen that particular T-slot tubing here, or indeed anything resembling it!

I had a Yamaha aftermarket rear rack on my last GT - it was fine, but pretty heavy, and quite expensive. I'd like an alternative should I proceed to a newer 2019/ 2020 GT - any ideas and links, please? TIA as always...

You could've gone the longer way round!

Me too - but I am too well-bred to dare ask! The giveaway, I think, is in the above reference to knackers being pushed into the tank: or Crushed Nuts to coin a phrase!

Will certainly do! I also plan to call into my K-tech suspension guy on the way back home from the Coast on Friday to pick his brains. I also have an enquiry in to LUST RACING (dog-bone breeders) in the UK. Good job I'm retired!

Yamaha are at times their own worst enemy. I'm currently interested in another 900 GT. Looking at the (Oz) Yamaha website they refer to two colour options for 2020 models - Icon Black and Tech Black. One has the now-familiar 'blurple' wheels and a 'blurple' flash on the tank, with silver fairing and side panels: the other has black wheels while the side fairing panels and rear panels and tank flash are in a kind-of Tomato Red. I rather like it for something different. But which is Icon Black and and which Tech Black? Could be very confusing - in fact, is! But the current Yamaha website here has no pix of the Tomato version, just the 'blurple' bike (which was my last GT, and which I still like). Next comes dealer support. Not one of many local dealers (up to 100km from me) has the Tomato version in stock, nor judging by the response have they even seen one in the flesh. This is hardly encouraging and can only result in lost sales when tyre-kickers or even serious buyers like me come in to browse and have nothing new to see. Colour me cynical.

Thanks, Dazz. I'll be riding down to the Gold Coast on Friday to see the new Triumph 900 GT - tho' not the low version - on Friday. Sales guy there seemed to understand my problem and seems anxious to help. We shall see. On the basis of the above info, the 810mm seat height on the 'standard' model would undoubtedly do for me.

Thank you very much! The centre-stand issue wouldn't be of major concern to me, I feel - after all my current bike has no c/stand. I'm not sure that I'd want to go hacking into a new OE seat, and given Yamaha's history with the seats on the Tracer family again I'm not sure that I'd want to buy the optional/ lower seat, but am prepared to look at if later if necessary. I await further advice and info from a dealer I have challenged with the issue...

thanks, Buggy! How's the pleece force? Someone has suggested a look at Triumph's relatively new 900 Tiger GT, which has a low seat version with seat height of 760 - 780mm. I'm looking into it. Looks quite similar to the Tracer GT, with similar specs, etc. (but no std panniers on the Triumph) and quite affordable at $20,950 before haggling! TBH - I think I marginally prefer the looks of the Tracer GT, but probably only because that's what I'm most familiar with.

Add 'value for money' and I think you've encompassed it all, Betoney!

Unhelpful.

With the possibility of my returning to the Tracer GT fold (oooh! – don’t get too excited, chums!) I have to address why I moved on from my last GT late last year. Great machine, good value for money, and all that – but it was becoming increasingly difficult for me to mount the bike (side-stand down) with any degree of dignity: dismounting was equally tricky for me. As for getting on or off with panniers fitted – might as well ask me to climb Everest, with or without oxygen! Reasons: old age (now nudging 81yo) which has over time brought with it increasingly stiffening knee, hip, and ankle joints, all of which interferes with easy access. And – shamefully – I simply cannot do the trick of standing on the left-hand foot-peg and swinging my right leg up over the bike that way. Maybe practice makes perfect… My question then is – what solutions proven and tested by others here can I consider to reduce seat-height? I found the GT seat perfectly acceptable in terms of comfort and support, and would not wish to have it modified in any way, nor purchase another supposedly lower seat lest I leap out of the frying-pan into the fire. Aftermarket ‘dog-bone’ suspension linkages have been suggested as one means of achieving some seat-height reduction: can anyone who has gone down this road kindly offer their experiences? I understand that Yamaha has available after-market dog-bones, and a UK specialist – Lust Racing – seems to have a range of high-quality suspension-lowering components too. I had excellent K-tech suspension installed on my last GT, and the rear shock could be adjusted in length, which gave me a seat-height reduction of about 10 – 12mm (half an inch) from memory, and also allowed me to flat-foot at rest, so I would probably go this route next time, if only to improve the overall ride quality (which K-tech did in spades). Knowledgeable advice seems to say that raising the front fork in the clamps can also lower seat height as it lowers the front of the bike, but is not especially recommended as it can also affect the steering etc. So, chaps, what say ye? All contributions will be gladly accepted.

I too was out today, first time in about five weeks, which has at times seemed like five years! Many, many bikes out, many giving a delighted 'thumbs-up' as they passed others, all thrilled to be free. In fact, one guy was so blown away he forgot to ATGATT and was decked-out in tee-shirt, shorts, and soft runners - plus helmet and gloves! Nice weather, sunny and bright and about 22 deg C, though a bit blustery and chill out of the sun thanks to an unseasonably early Antarctic blast working its way up the east coast. Being retired, I am already planning some more outings this week so as to get myself match-fit again after a long layoff.

Good work indeed!

Same story here. Long ago I started wearing waist-to-top-of-knee spandex-type compression shorts, to keep the flesh of my butt and upper thighs nicely under control in a way that conventional jox or boxer shorts do not. No more chafing, and they add greatly to on-the-bike comfort. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Unlike the ones below...!

Something as useful is this carry-rack that mounts on top of a hard pannier - I don't have one but have considered it for carrying a rather bulky two-piece wet-weather oversuit. The cargo net would go well with this, and together leave more space in the box and panniers...

All my tools - especially my electric drill - have legs, and move elsewhere when I put them down part-way through a job. I'll be working - let's say - in the garage, put down the drill (or hammer or rule or screwdriver) while using another tool - and then have get get up and find the first tool in the garden, or bathroom, or whatever. I swear this house is spooked!!

Give it a little time to break-in, and for your bony bum (mine's the same!) to get used to it. 45 miles is bugger all really...

Don't go spending it all at once, keith!

I'm not at all sure that I'd be using Plasti Dip on wheels - it is pretty soft even when cured. Elsewhere I have recently seen some pix of BMW cast wheels that have been powder-coated - brilliant finish, better than new. FWIW...

Knowing dazzler as well as I do - we are on each other's Christmas cards lists - I suggest pink...