betoney

With stock 16/45 gearing, the FJ09 chain length is 110 links.

I couldn't have said it any better myself. I feel like that every time I am out on the FJ and pick up the pace in the twisties. 😎

Before you start losing sleep or throwing time and money at this, what are the symptoms of "overheating" that you are experiencing? Is there a CEL light or "HI" temperature warning on the screen? Is it steaming or puking boiling coolant out of the overflow tube onto the ground? If its just reading warmer than normal, it might be nothing serious.

Is the bike overheating or just running at a higher temperature than you are used to? Is this something that just started happening or has it been going on for awhile? To be honest, if its not overheating or getting a HI temp error on the screen, I wouldn't lose sleep over it until something actually goes wrong. Here is a recent thread that may offer some help.

On hot days in the Summer my coolant temperature reading is almost always 100-110F above ambient temperature reading under normal riding conditions. Sitting in traffic or slower city riding it can get higher.

Does the oem 39L case have a Yamaha part number? If so, type it into Google and see if any other resellers, or even ebay might have one in stock.

I use the K&N filters in all of my bikes as well as my truck and have always used their maintenance products. They sell several different types of bottle or container types for both the cleaner and oil, I personally prefer the Trigger Sprayer for the cleaner and Aerosol Can for the oil. The filter in my truck stays relatively clean but I clean the filters in the bikes about every 5,000 miles and am always amazed at how filthy they can get in that mileage. After using the spray cleaner I wash the filter in a utility sink and it looks like brown, dirty water flushing out of the filter, not to mention all of the bugs that get stuck in the filter pleats.

Depending on what you are needing the tool for, a vacuum pump might be overkill. If you are just doing a routine fluid flush (I do both bikes annually on January 1st simply as a reference point) all you need is a bleeder with a check valve and some clear tubing. I have used this simple Hydraulic Brake Bleeder for many years. I hook it up to the brake bleeder and pump 3 full reservoirs full of fresh fluid through and done - single-handedly. Both front and back complete in minutes. Now if you have completely emptied the fluid or are replacing the lines onto an empty system then it is easier to get the fluid moving with a vacuum pump but for a simple flush, your master cylinder is already a pump, just squeeze the lever or press the pedal.

Correct, the top and bottom the forks might not be true if the triple clamps aren't 100% in alignment but that's all in the top triple clamp area, loosening the axle wont change that.

I don't understand that idea either. Whether the axle is loose or tight the wheel will ALWAYS be correctly aligned in the forks unless the wheel bearings are completely destroyed, its physically impossible for the wheel to be mis-aligned in relation to the fork bottoms and axle, however it is possible for the top portion of the forks in the triple clamps to get slightly tweaked as the top triple clamp moves independently on the steering stem. As mentioned above, I would try the method of holding the wheel between your knees and giving the bars a quick jerk (as I wrote above, I have used that method on bicycles and my dirtbikes for over 40 years), you just might tweak it back in place in less than 10 seconds.

I feel the exact same, most of my past vehicles have all been manual, everyone in my family has owned manual vehicles, I taught my kids to drive on a manual and my current truck is a 5-speed. At times I enjoy setting the gear and rpm for the situation but other times, like stop and go traffic I curse it to no end, I just want to drive. I don't ever do any sporty driving any more, I save that for when I'm out on the bikes.

I agree with the visceral experience of shifting, when the mood calls for some shenanigans I am more than happy to rip and tear through some twisties on the FJ, other times I enjoy a bit more of a leisurely ride over long distances and the DCT definitely fits the bill. Reason enough to have one of each in the garage. 👍🏻

I would highly recommend test riding a DCT just to see what it’s like, a lot of riders love it while others say it’s not “real motorcycling” if you don’t shift yourself 🤷🏻‍♂️ when I first bought the bike I went on a week long trip to bond with the bike and discover it’s pros and cons and really like what the DCT has to offer and am glad that I have both parked in the garage. I am very grateful for the riding I have been able to do over the years, if it all ended tomorrow I have nothing but amazing memories and photographs of my adventures. I encourage anyone to get out and enjoy your bike as much as possible while you are still able.

I understand and appreciate the desire for "smaller and lighter" and was a little apprehensive when I first bought my VFR1200X - the DCT model is 630lbs wet. I have to say I very much enjoy the larger bike on the highway during road trips, very planted feeling, doesn't get blown around by wind gusts and turbulence from large vehicles and it is shockingly agile on twisty canyon or mountain roads. Of course the weight is evident when pushing it around the garage but seems to disappear the second its in gear and rolling, riding it back to back with my FJ makes the FJ feel like a toy, a comparatively small bike. I have owned the VFR for 2 seasons and while sharing equal riding time with the FJ, I have put 15k miles on it. Several trips to California; Mt Shasta, Lake Tahoe, Mammoth Mountain, Inyo, Death Valley, Yosemite, Golden Chain Hwy/Priest Grade, PCH, Monterey and several of the Sierra Passes, PLENTY of very steep and twisty highways and never felt that the large bike was a hindrance or a burden and I never felt fatigued riding it all day long for a week at a time. As a bonus, that 1,237cc V4 pulls like a freight train and cruises effortlessly 70-75mph at 4k rpm while getting 42mpg.

They offer additional illumination on the inside corner, triggered by the IMU when a specific lean angle is reached. From Yamaha - "Lighting is a full LED system, and Yamaha’s sophisticated cornering lights are standard equipment on the Tracer 9 GT+. When lean angle exceeds seven degrees, the cornering lights automatically illuminate the inside of the turn—whether low or high beam is being used—giving a larger illuminated area of road."

You beat me to it, this was my thought as well.

I would add auxiliary lights regardless, about a year ago I almost pulled out from a side street into an oncoming Tracer9, IMO the single light is too small, I didn't notice the bike with the small light, black front end and rider in black riding gear, similar to this photo. I don't like the trend of manufacturers making headlights smaller and smaller. Personally, I ride with the high beam on (aimed down) have additional LED lighting on the front, use hyper bright LED running light/turn signals, reflective rim stripes on the wheels, brake light strobe and wear a white helmet and a multi-colored black, white and red jacket, anything to be more visible.

Instead of altering the bikes wiring or factory lighting you could always add accessory lighting. Depending if you need to be more visible during the day or see further at night, you could add various types of lighting.

Because then Yamaha would have to change their name from 'cornering' lights to 'always on' lights... 😄

Making recommendations on your lighting needs would be based on how you plan on using them. Do you only need additional lighting to be more visible to other drivers? ie daytime running lights or will you be doing a lot of riding in the dark and need highway illumination via driving lights? If you type "motorcycle auxiliary lights" into a Google search you will get plenty of options. https://twistedthrottle.com/product-category/lighting/auxiliary-lights/

Report back with your findings, I would be surprised if that strip of foam considerably dampens the intake noise. That's great for you if it does though. Honestly, the only time I hear the intake roar is when I am heavy on the throttle like riding in the twisties or making a quick pass, I don't notice any roar with normal riding or highway cruising -steady throttle.

Yikes!! Those wind chill numbers are brutal. Stay inside.

At 15F (before wind chill) on the other side of the mountains from you, we don't have it nearly as bad but still WAY too cold to even think about riding. I was lucky to have ridden 3x last week so I don't feel too bad. A week from now we are forecast to be back near 50F.

Now that the break-in is finished are you now operating the bike at higher rpm's? Different motors react differently at various rpm's, if you are now riding at higher rpm's than you did before you may be discovering a different characteristic of the motor that you weren't exposed to before, possibly more vibrations at a certain rpm range? As @whisperquiet mentioned, make sure you have plenty of chain slack. I'm not sure what the newer Tracer9 models recommend for slack, but previous models owners manuals recommended VERY tight chain tension and some overly high bolt torque settings.

Check the bolt head for damage or deformation to see why the 17mm socket didn't fit, Yamaha didn't put an 11/16 bolt on your bike, the threads wouldn't fit in the oil pan. Use a caliper and check across all 3 faces of the bolt head to ensure 17mm.