jthayer09

2 hours ago, johnmark101 said:

Looks like a fantastic motorcycle.  Love the K5 motor.  At about 511 pounds it is heavier than my 2019 Tracer GT by about 30 ~ 35 pounds.  Not much but lighter is always better in my opinion.  A shame the luggage is not standard.

Good news: the GX+ trim comes with side cases standard which is the only trim to be sold in the U.S. for now.

 

Great value at $18,499 too with the full suite of electronics and luggage; auto leveling suspension is so nice when fully loaded, have tried that feature out on my buddy's Super Duke 1290 it's one of those things where you think "eh whatever" until you have it. Only missing a center-stand and heated grips.

I do wish there was a base model without the electronic suspension for around $14K but I guess that's the slot that the GT fills.

I really the attention to small details like how they designed the exhaust to be one continuous line with the engine bellypan/fairing, and the Shadow Green is really slick:

The entire new Suzuki lineup for 2024 looks really good, definitely upped their fit and finish across the board. GSX 8S/8R, GSX S1000/GT/GX all look great.

3000mi update with some cold weather riding.

These things are meaty, they're very slowly showing wear:

I did forget to mention in my initial post that they have a lot of rubber on them, so much so that I had to remove my rear Givi guard to mount the tire - notice its absence from the photos 😅

A VFR forum user got 14,000mi out of their set. They took wear photos at 3K, 5K, 8K, and 10K if anyone is interested:

https://www.vfrdiscussion.com/index.php?/forums/topic/110057-kenda-km1-153-tire-set/

My thoughts:

They're good in the wet, caught in two rain storms and they're nothing special. Just on par with every other sport touring tire that isn't the Michelin PR series.

They seem to warm up quickly, I can start getting aggressive less than a mile away from my home. As mentioned previously definitely a softer compound and a lot of it to extend the lifespan. I have noticed that they greatly like lower PSI. I played around with pressures and found anything above 38PSI in the rear starts to get a bit squirrely as the contact patch becomes tiny due to the V shape of the tire; braking really suffers, it is easy to slide out the rear when the roads are cold it's almost like off-roading on a dirt bike. 36PSI is good with trunk and saddle bags but 34PSI rear for hooning around is *chef's kiss*.

No issues outside of minding over inflation due to tire profile/shape.

Speculation as to why these tires are cheap: someone else's old molds/expired patent + compound you're already making and own the materials for + facilities you own (Taiwan and Columbus, OH) = minimal cost to bring products to market. That's just my hypothesis as someone with a career in supply chain/logistics in the CPG industry.

I think someone on the CBR forums did some track days with these tires with good results (after some suspension tuning from Dave Moss) but I'll have to find that post again.

On 10/27/2023 at 7:13 PM, TomTracer said:

So, all we have learmed anout chain quality, o-ring, adjustment, etc has been for naught? Nah.

indeed, I'm pretty sure we've already had this discussion on this forum (or maybe the FZ09 forum). It's marketing BS is what it is, BMW even had to walk back their claims of a "no maintenance chain" to "low maintenance".

https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/bmws-maintenance-free-m-endurance-chain-put-to-the-test

So you still have to adjust to keep slack in spec. Whether it's worth the 100%+ up-charge on a standard DID chain will be up to the rider, but if I'm down there doing the slack I may as well do the clean and lube too.

On 10/27/2023 at 7:10 PM, The Pilot said:

With the M Endurance chain all the usual chain problems are gone. I have a friend that is putting pretty serious mileage on his S1K and he says it’s legit… no lube, no adjustment… just ride it.

https://www.shopbmwmotorcycle.com/products/bmw-m-endurance-chain#:~:text=With the M Endurance chain,%2C enclosed by X-rings.

Do you know for a fact your friend checks his bike and keeps it to manual spec? Or just says it's legit because he doesn't know any better: "bike runs so everything is good" mentality.

My .02 on the Rotella T6 because I love the stuff. However, I haven't put it in the 2021 T9GT yet for a few reasons which I will get into.

T6 is cheap and great for winter, has high zinc content which leaves the engine clean. However as one poster pointed out it is a little bit more clunky when shifting compared to normal synthetic motorcycle oils.

I've also found it to be kind of fragile/thin, in that it shears down a weight after a few thousand miles and you can definitely feel the difference when it happens. T6 5W-40 is a synthetic class 3 oil and doesn't come from PAO; it is only able to be called "synthetic" for marketing purposes, and it does not carry a very good shear stability rating in many applications. This is fine for winter riding but shearing down from 40W to 30W is not what you want in the hot season.

I'm not bashing T6, it has gone in every bike of mine for the winter season for as long as I remember. However there has been some mumbling on forums about T6 damaging catalytic converters that seem to have only gotten worse since motorcycles are now on Euro 5. Admittedly most of this seems like speculation or anecdotal evidence from usage of Rotella in gasoline cars, but it is worth thinking about as EURO 5 bikes start saturating the market and we get into EURO 6.

As for why it hasn't gone into the my '21 T9 is less about the shortcomings of Rotella pointed out above and more to do with my local Family Farm & Home selling Mag1 full synthetic 10w-40 for $7/Quart. Mag1 comes with the JASO MA2 stamp on the bottle and is on the monthly published list of approved oils from the certifying organization.

If I still had a EURO 4 or older bike I'd dump T6 into it every winter without a second thought.

Rode to the dealer this morning to have the tech look at the bike to see what was going on. He plugged in my ECU to have a look, and his explanation makes sense and I'm sorted out now.

According to the tech:

When a dealer flashes the ECU with an Yamaha updated map it replaces the old fuel map. Which I think we all know and makes sense. However, what I didn't consider and what was explained to me is that it also resets any adaptations/learning the ECU has done through the narrow band O2 sensor.

In my case I have a full Akrapovic system, so by doing the Yamaha recall I got flashed a fuel map which is designed for stock exhaust, and then had any prior ECU fueling adaptations/learning wiped. So my bike obviously ran like crap compared to someone with a stock exhaust who would have a proper base fuel map to start with after the recall ECU flash.

According to the tech the solution is to let the bike heat cycle at various ambient temperatures so the ECU can build a proper fuel map off of the O2 sensor, then turn it off. He also stated to tell everyone I know as he believes this is applicable to not only Yamaha, but any Euro 5 bike and newer.

Sure enough, we let the bike idle until the fans started spinning then waited another minute and turned off the bike. We talked some more and had me sign the recall paperwork. He advised to do another heat cycle either at night or in the morning so the ECU can learn some more when the ambient temp is cooler and drier; combined with some more variable riding ECU should figure it out, verbatim he said "just play with it". When I rode home the idle seemed proper with no hesitation on launch and the deceleration hiccups are mostly gone. Completely different bike than what I rode an hour earlier to the shop.

Of course he also stated an ECU tune specifically for the exhaust is the end goal and the best solution; I gotta find some downtime and send mine off to Vcyclenut.

Funnily enough, the tech also brought up the undesirable clutch behavior that has been mentioned by a few in this forum. He says he's found that the 2021+ CP3 bikes should ignore the manual spec for measuring at the lever end with 5mm-10mm of free-play. He stated to measure at the clutch perch for free-play of 3mm, or two sandwiched US pennies. We made this adjustment at the shop and it definitely feels better to me.

12 hours ago, KrustyKush said:

I had both recalls done yesterday Malcolm Smith in Riverside CA. I’ve put about a hundred miles on the bike since then, and must say I like the new firmware. The bike seems to run better in most every way. No more irritating surge during decel. And it has also gotten rid of the exhaust pop I was getting between some shifts. 

I'm glad that you mentioned after the flash your bike rides better because I thought I was going crazy. I got mine back this past week and have put roughly 150mi on it and it rides worse. Noticeable surge on decel, and I had one startup where the engine stalled when I opened the throttle to start moving... which is what this current recall is supposed to fix.

It's so bad that I'm sure the dealer flashed the wrong file into my ECU, definitely taking it back.

I'll echo what everyone is saying here:

Had roughly 30K miles on my 2015' FJ09 and never had any noticeable oil consumption.

Now at just over 7K miles on my 2021 T9GT and no noticeable oil consumption.

Are you sure the dealer didn't fill to the lower line at 4K and you never noticed it until you looked again at 7xxx?

-OR-

There's also the possibility that they didn't put enough oil in for an oil + filter change. Did they also replace the oil filter?


With an oil + filter change the oil level will be inaccurate until first startup, which at that point the oil gets distributed through the engine and filter. There will always be some oil that sits in the filter, this will cause the oil level to be lower at the sight glass after you let the bike settle until you top it off to the correct amount.

The oil level would've looked properly topped off at first glance. Then first startup and subsequent rides would've brought the oil level lower as the filter now holds some of the oil, and you'd need to top off to get back to the upper line.

Just my ideas. You said stated that you have No smoking or visible leaks. Oil doesn't just disappear that fast without an easy to see symptom. In this case the obvious answer is that someone made a mistake.

Unfortunately, despite all the wonderful things about the Dominator HP8 EX it has a fatal flaw for me in the volume and drone below 5K rpm. Even with the DB killer in it's a loud one, and the drone makes it not enjoyable in town while running errands or just going out and never going more than 40MPH.

I've replaced it with the Akrapovic Carbon Racing, which is noticeably more quiet below 5K rpm:
 

I really like the Dominator's looks and performance, the quality is fantastic, and sounds amazing when going for purely recreational rides. A bit sad it couldn't quite nail down the low speed acoustics.

If anyone is interested in purchasing the Dominator exhaust feel free to DM me, I will also clean it up and make a post in the classified sections with pictures.

I had 2 Wheel Dyno Work's ECU flash on my 2015 FJ-09; benefits across the board:

Smoother throttle with better response
Cooler engine running temp (fans turn on earlier)
Top speed limiter removed
Smoother engine braking (this one was probably the largest difference)
Startup on A mode

As far as a quiet exhaust note the stock exhaust is going to be the quietest. However, I had the LeoVince LV1 full exhaust system with the DB killer in, and it was not much louder than stock but had a better bass sound that I found very pleasing.

Finally picked up some protection and decided on an aftermarket exhaust.

Evotech engine and front axle sliders, radiator guard, and a Denali Sound Bomb mini.

Dominator HP8 EX Exhaust with medium silencer:

I'm pleasantly surprised by the quality of the Dominator; especially at the price of roughly $620 delivered. I've always had Yoshimura or LeoVince on my bikes and was expecting a 2nd class product for what the Dominator cost. But the welds are great and the install is super simple. Noticeable improvement in acceleration above 7K RPM.

I'm past due for 6K service so now I'm trying to decide between sending my ECU to 2WDW or Vcyclenut for the flash when I have the bike apart to check throttle bodies.

2 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

then you were in a different Hell than I rode from.

If I ride in a catatonic state, maybe he gets 42 or so

with pants on fire, he maybe can manage 39

this has all been well hashed before

I do need to change the air filter and plugs as he seems a bit short of breath...

Do you ride with a top box or the sidecases? With the sidecases I average about 40 MPG.

Taking them off and riding with the top box only shoots it up to 45mpg average.

The sidecases definitely have a significant amount of drag that impacts MPG.

Ugh, RevZilla again publishing in their review that the side cases can't fit a full face helmet when it's just user error. They did the same with their previous Tracer 9 review and Daily Rider video. Lazy journalism.

My XL HJC RPHA 70ST fits no problem; helmet goes in the sidecase upsidedown.

11 hours ago, Ride365 said:

Install proper weight springs in the front and a proper spring swap for the rear.........PRESTO!!!!! 

That is going to ultimately be the solution. But I'm of the opinion that a $15K motorcycle shouldn't require new springs for a 185lb rider, that's within adjustable range. I think my takeaway is that it feels like Yamaha is artificially limiting the suspension performance of the bike by only giving us two electronic presets; there should be more range of adjustment.

I never had an issue with the FJ09. Sure after installing a custom suspension setup to exactly suit my weight was much better. But I didn't have an issue using the stock parts until they were worn by just dialing everything up.

Sidenote: I'll be in your neighborhood to do OH-555 the first or second weekend of September 🤘

After 2 years with my T9GT I still stand by my statement about the suspension that "it's the best compromise you'll ever make". It's 90% of the performance of the Ohlins setup I had on my 2015 FJ09 but the addition of being able to change damping at the press of a button is amazingly convenient.

However, I cannot get the front sorted out to my liking. I am 185lbs so I'm not much heavier than who these bikes are designed for. Sag is set properly, the rear is compliant, but like @The Pilot mentioned from Motorcyclist magazine above, the front does start to squirm a little bit when you are really pushing hard. The problem with the GT is that there are only 2 presets for damping: "comfort" and "sport". Comfort is fine for what it's designed for, but sport isn't quite stiff enough when you really want to carve corners. There needs to be a 3rd "track" setting at the very least or there should be granular control over damping instead of just 2 presets.

That being said, if the base model Tracer 9 were offered in the US I would have bought that instead of the GT and put my own suspension and luggage on it.

My primary riding buddy has a '22 Superduke 1290 with the fully active suspension including auto-leveling, anti-dive, full electronic adjustment of preload, rebound, etc; I envy him.

I looked at the manual and service of the shocks and forks don't look any different than a traditional setup other than disconnecting more wires and then running the calibration tool from the settings on the bike.

On 7/27/2023 at 12:20 PM, Lone Wolf said:

Have you tried a "Lip"?

There are knockoffs for $30 on Amazon and Ebay that clip onto the windscreen and work well for me. They pull the air up and over your helmet, I have clean air yet the windscreen remains low enough that it is not in my view beyond 30 to 40 feet of the bike.  I am also 5' 8".

MRA makes a good deflector for more $. The knock-offs can require modification.

Adding to this: Lip/spoiler may be required when riding with a passenger. In a recent experience the turbulent air from my taller windshield just gets dumped behind me into my lady's face; she complained a lot over the intercom anytime we got up to highway speed. Obviously this will be dependent on your passenger, my lady is the same height as me. So if air is clearing my helmet it is basically just striking her in the face. The lip seems to move the stream of air so it just barely hits her forehead and also breaks up the air enough it is has less force by the time it reaches her.

I've been using a $20 eBay knock-off for the past few years and just swap it between the windscreens when I need to change based on the season.

On 7/19/2023 at 5:24 PM, robzilla said:

I've been a huge supporter of Peak Design's mounts and cases when it first Kick Started including this motorcycle RAM mount. I've had it on my T9GT as well as the ever so vibration heavy C14. So far my iPhone 12 Pro has been solid.  The whole eco-system of case + various mounts works seamlessly. Definitely would recommend over the quadlock.

+1 for the Peak Design mount. The case for my Pixel 7 is perfect and has full compatibility with Apple's Magsafe line and other magnetic accessories if you're into that.

Placing the phone on the mount doesn't require anything other than letting the magnets pull to "connect". No twist to lock, no rubber bands, no adjusting a tension spring; just place the phone. The mount itself has a latching mechanism that locks the phone in so we're not just trusting the magnets. The release is two buttons on either side underneath the mount, easy with one gloved hand.

It's the first mount I've ever owned that requires zero fiddling with. Only problem is cost of entry, but all Peak Design products carry a lifetime warranty.

Sounds like something might be off. While the brakes on the FJ09/Tracer aren't the absolute best they shouldn't be noticeably bad outside of a 2-up fully loaded situation. Stock pads are perfectly capable for the machine.

I'd bleed the lines to be sure there's no air in the system and replace the pads without a second thought. Piece of mind for your brakes working and your safety is priceless.

Dropping a quick update after 500mi on the Kenda KM1s.

They're solid, and remind me a lot of the Bridgestone T30 Evo in performance. Definitely leans on the sport side of "sport touring" with soft and grippy rubber, and they seem to be more v-shaped than the T32s with easier turn-in. Chicken strips are acceptably lean from riding public roads, on back roads I'm able to corner with my personal rule of signage speed limit x2 +10mph with full confidence:



I hate using chicken strips as a measure, but short of making a video with a lean-angle tracker this is probably the only quantitative way I have to show these are acceptable tires.

Haven't been caught out during a rainstorm yet, but no issues riding wet roads after.

As of this writing they're at 4.7/5.0 stars on Amazon out of 234 reviews and the price is up to $178.96 for a set.

Nothing bad to say about these right now. Will see where we're at after I get a few thousand miles underneath these.

Perfect timing, was just cleaning out my garage and I have my leftover top case + sidecases from the old FJ09:

I have a V47 top case with the brake light kit installed. NOTE: I don't have the wiring harness that connects to the wiring in the bike, you'd have to find that or email Givi and see if they're willing to send you out that piece of the kit . Keyed to match V37 sidecases below.

A pair of the V37 sidecases that are keyed to match the V47 top case. NOTE: I have and will include the inner liner bags in sale.

Also a Givi Outback 42 for if you want the guaranteed waterproof on a rainy day.

The V37 use Givi's rapid release holders which I think are pretty snazzy: you can take the entire racks off the bike in a minute with a single tool when you know you're just going out for a joy ride.

For the Tracer 900 the side case holders are PLXR2139, rear rack for is SR2139.

DM me if you you're interested and want pictures. The Outback 42 has some stickers from my travels, the V37 have a little bit of wear on them from catching bugs and small stones. The V47 is pretty clean.

I know I'm not technically in Canada but I am about 90 minutes from Detroit so I thought I'd mention it if you felt like making the drive to meet up or if shipping ends up not being a huge cost since the distance isn't that great.

18 hours ago, RaYzerman said:

Tracer 9 GT - 117 HP, 69 ft. lb torque, 213 kg., 31.9" seat height

Tracer 900 GT - 114 Hp, 65 ft. lb. torque, 227 kg., 33.3" seat height

Versys 1000 - 120 HP, 75 ft. lb. torque, 257 kg., 33.1 seat height.

Ninja 1000 - 142 HP, 89 ft. lb. torque.

 

Just some rough numbers.  I'm not a convert yet, it will take some convincing to get me off the Versys, but open to the idea of a 900 GT...... If I had one, I see no compelling reason to go to the 9 GT.  I personally prefer the 900 GT.

The Tracer is lean compared to other sport touring bikes, less than 500lbs wet weight; I think that's what most of us Tracer riders took into account vs other options. Also, the new 2021+ CP3 engine makes torque super low, like 3000RPM it comes online and is very convenient vs having to wring out an inline-4. I think those two characteristics are something a spec sheet can't tell you, gotta ride it and feel if it's for you.

The Ninja 1000 is lovely and would be my bike of choice but insurance still classifies it as a super sport/liter bike instead of sport touring... ends up being like $1600-2100/year depending on provider for me to insure vs the $300/year I pay for the T9.

If Kawasaki could work with insurance providers to properly classify the Ninja 1000 I think it'd be the dominant bike in the segment.

On a motorcycle I'd be inclined to believe how we interact with/toggle ACC is going to make or break it. There's already varying opinions of buttons vs scroll wheel on motorcycle forums - including this one - and it's going to be yet another thing to fiddle with. I think it's a good feature; and I use it when available when traveling for work in rentals, but there's definitely a "I can't be bothered" aspect if it requires multiple button presses or scroll wheel selections to turn on and adjust the gap/follow distance.

Nissan's ACC is pretty damn simple to use if I remember correctly: dedicated steering wheel buttons for each function so you didn't have to navigate through menus or highlight different buttons on the dash. Never had to take hands off the wheel or eyes off the road.

On 11/3/2022 at 9:52 AM, Farzad Parish said:

Yeah, the fact is i just don't like the OVAL mufflers < LOL anyway Dominator just releases a several types of mufflers for the new Tracer GT which is around $500 

Wow, that's a great price on the Dominator, and it sounds good in their video. However, the header pipes hang lower than other vendor's exhausts though. Noticeably lower than stock and MIVV:

I really like it, but it could mess with skid plate fitment. Also didn't realize how much clearance is actually gained by the Mivv system; not only vertically but the header pipe slant is nearly flush with the front fairing angle.

Might wait to buy after this winter season, see what other designs come out.

14 hours ago, Farzad Parish said:

Hello,

 

I've been looking for a exhaust system for my bike but mostly are expensive like akra,mivv,arrow im looking for reasonable price ($500) please let me know if there is any other option or used exhaust if anyone selling

 

Thank you 

As others have stated unless you're willing to cut and weld yourself you have to purchase a full system which costs more and usually is accompanied by getting a tune.

However, what's your definition of expensive? Because the Mivv is very affordable for a full system:

https://www.motostorm.it/en/accessories/exhaust/kit-exaust-mivv-oval-titan-euro-5-tracer-9-2022.html

I was supposed to take the bike into the dealer today but the CEL turned off when I took it for a ride this past Sunday on the weekly start up and ride around the town.

Bike runs perfectly now, 3 hour round-trip jaunt and nothing noticeably wrong and the CEL didn't come back on. I'm going to leave the code in in case the CEL comes back on again and I do need to take it to the shop; they said hold-off on bringing it in since without the CEL on they can't warranty anything.

Seems weird to me. If I had left the bike on a tender/trickle charger then I would've chalked it up to low battery voltage throwing a sensor (throttle position sensor specifically) off. But I let the bike sit on it's own except for the weekly ride to keep fluids moving; I haven't charged it at all.

So I have zero frame of reference for why the issue happened and how it fixed itself. I am hypothesizing static build up somewhere in the harness or at the throttle position coupler. I previously read either here or on the MT09 forums someone said detaching the throttle position coupler and spraying some contact cleaner onto it turned off their CEL with the same code I posted. This was actually the same cure for an amplifier I own with a very noisy pot that would build up static over time.

Might do that when I open the bike up for 6K check.

Strange things.