jthayer09

More frequent oil changes and filter changes can only benefit the bike unless you're making some sort of huge human error while doing it. My two cents is that oil filters for these bikes are so cheap that why not just change it every time you change the oil for peace of mind?

That being said it's not required if you're trying to pinch pennies, or have the oil but didn't order the filter and don't want to wait. It won't hurt anything to change the filter every other oil change per the manual.
 

1 hour ago, robzilla said:

US dealer available to avoid the big shipping fees => https://www.motomachines.com/shop-by-bike/yamaha/tracer-9-gt

I ordered an Evotech radiator guard, Pyramid front fender extenda and shock shield for now.

I saw that previously. However, many of those prices have been jacked up to the point it costs more than shipping from the UK:

Rear hugger for $99.95?

vs.

$49.52 USD direct from the UK via Royal Mail:

Over 100% markup... 😲

Even if you order something that requires Parcelforce it's still cheaper from the UK:

Spray guard for $228

vs.

$215.13 USD direct from the UK via Parcelforce:

EDIT:

Yeeeeesh the shock shield is $100 on motomachines vs $49.52 USD direct from the UK:

Not sure where Motomachines went wrong on their pricing agreement with Pyramid Plastics. It almost seems like they're ordering retail and just reselling rather than being an actual distributor with a vendor agreement.

15 hours ago, Ride365 said:

I went to my local MEGA motorcycle superstore and dealer today to pickup some new gloves, finally got to see the latest Tracer 9GT. I like the pretty red paint job, and the new location of the key.........THAT'S IT. Feel my 20 looks overall better, certainly don't like the new hard bags, don't like the dual gauge clusters, and yeah there has been some teething issues with this new model. Kudos to those of you who like this model, but have a feeling that Yamaha will be making some more changes sooner than later, and to fix their out of the ordinary QC issues.

Trend has been revision every 3-years yeah?

2015-2017 was 1st gen FJ09

2018-2020 was 2nd gen Tracer 900

2021-curent is 3rd gen Tracer 9

I'd expect the next revision to be 2024 as this generation would run through 2023 mechanically. I might be misremembering but I think 2017 got the slipper clutch upgrade so we can hope maybe an incremental upgrade for 2023 happens to fix some kinks.

12 hours ago, PhotoAl said:

Not good to have problems at 4,500 miles!  I’m on a long trip and near 4,500 miles but 2,000 to get home.  I’ve toyed with trading my 2020 900 GT for. 9GT but stuff like this spokes me a bit.  I’ll be nearly 27,000 miles when I get back and only had the bike 2 years.  Riding across Montana for last 2 days with 2 more to go before I hit the Black Hills.  Bike works very nicely when loaded with me and my stuff.  Soaks up the undulations and bumps nicely and yet still stable in the corners.  Unfamiliar roads so running a brisk but spirited pace.  At this pace I figure another couple of years before I need to start thinking about a new bike.  I have no doubt the bike will last much longer but with 50,000 plus miles I would not be as comfortable on a 3 week trip.

Wonder if the T9GT seeming issues may be more COVID manufacturing issues rather than design issues, if so newer models should be better.  I still believe Yamahas to be height quality and reliable bikes.

Right, that's how I feel too. The bike is wonderful on paper but it feels like QC may not have been up to usual JP standards. Unfortunately clearing my code and going for a ride did not fix; it came back almost immediately.

P2135 code in the service manual has the possible cause of malfunction: defective throttle position coupler --> short in the harness between coupler and ECU --> improperly installed throttle position sensor --> malfunctioning ECU.

Normally I'm one to do all of the work on my machine except valves, but at 4,500mi it's the principle that this should be on Yamaha, especially since the last time (and only time) my bike was opened up was to get the 2 recalls done at the dealership: ECU flash and throttle.

The ECU recall specifically: "Improper electronic control unit (ECU) programming may limit the throttle response, cause an engine stall, or fail to illuminate the engine warning light when a system error occurs".

Hopefully Yamaha owns this, I just had a great experience with Honda in that they replaced the AC on my '17 Civic at no cost to me with a 10-year warranty.

On 8/30/2022 at 1:30 PM, duckie said:

FWIW…….getting the cable and economical OBDII scanner is a wise investment. 

This way you can read the code and it just might be a simple fix not requring a trip to the dealer. 

I left my key on recently and drain the stock battery. Got a replacement and the check engine was on…no QS….no menu access….seems a pretty common failure.

Got a reader and read the code….It was related to throttle position voltage calibration. Cleared it, all was well and no trip to the dealer.

 

Funny... I got code P2135 which is also throttle voltage related, I cleared it and will see if it comes back.

On 8/30/2022 at 2:11 PM, robzilla said:

Interesting, good to know! I saw a YT thread saying something about this, so thinking of getting the cable since I already have an old OBD2 scanner from awhile back.

Looks like Amazon has this cable...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088YNT9WL

 

PSA: the '21 and newer Tracer models use the new Euro5 6-pin connector: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09T98XMLX?psc=1

If anyone is curious this $25 scanner from Amazon is what I used to read and clear my code: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005NLQAHS?psc=1

I used Torque Lite (free) on Android but it looks like it hasn't been updated in a while - maybe the paid version is up to date? I may fork out the $5 to buy OBDFusion which gets great reviews on some car forums I frequent.

9 minutes ago, maximo said:

I'd say you'll likely never turn this bike into a comfy two up bike, regardless of how many mods you make. You're probably better off focusing on what you want in a two up bike, then chase down the models that fit your needs. 

Agreed, there are compromises made with the Tracer that will never make it a primary two-up machine.

The new Tracer 9 revision gets more payload capacity and a little bit more leg room for the passenger the expense of the driver.

But ultimately if 2up riding is your priority there are longer and heavier bikes that'll do the job with comfort to spare.

23 hours ago, Ride365 said:

Check battery/ground connections yet?

Was hoping it was just a loose connection but no. Checked everything, negative terminal was slightly loose, tightened it and went for a ride and I still have the sputtering/hesitation.

I'll be getting a an OBD2 reader and the adapter cable and see what I can do on my own before I hit up the dealer. My butt tells me it's a misfire so I may just go ahead and order new spark plugs anyway.

Getting back into the spirit of the thread topic,

Did a 500mi round-trip yesterday and I'm unhappy to report that my check engine light came on and I started getting hesitation/sputtering between 3,500-5,000 RPM. I'm at 4,500mi currently so haven't even made it to the first service interval... to the dealer she goes 😟.

8 hours ago, motoontheweekend said:

Can I ask how tall you are? You've sold me on "zero air hits me" 😁

5'10 or 178cm.

2 hours ago, betoney said:

To each their own, not criticizing at all but I cant even imagine "zero air" unless it was icy cold or pouring rain.  That's one of the joys of riding; being "in the wind", as long as its not turbulent.

Yeah, it's for sure a 1-season cold weather windscreen. I only had it on this past winter from November to first week of April, and honestly it only stayed on that long because I was away from home in March. I 100% agree it's much more enjoyable having clean air hit you while riding.

@motoontheweekend Your profile says you're in CA, so I assume you don't have harsh winters? You you may find it more enjoyable (and economical) to give a cheap windscreen spoiler a try. I snagged one from eBay a while back and put it on the stock windscreen and it's what I ride with spring, summer, fall. The spoiler calms the air nicely reducing the buffeting greatly, but I still get airflow.

14 hours ago, motoontheweekend said:

On that same note, is the Yamaha touring windscreen the same for 2019-2020 Tracer 900 and Tracer GT? They have the same product page (https://shopyamaha.com/product/details/tracer-900-touring-windshield?dealernumber=), albeit with different product IDs but wasn't sure if they were identical as sometimes only the IDs are different.

B1J-F83J0-V0-00

TRACER 900(2020, 2019)

 

B5U-F83J0-V0-00

TRACER 9 GT(2022, 2021)

You aren't the first person to notice this 🙂:

Lots of good information in that thread on windscreens for the '21 and up models.

11 hours ago, robzilla said:

^^ Exactly, someone else was paying attention too. 😊 Although I’m thinking of going with a different brand of windshield (National Cycle’s VStream windshield).

So am curious if the install holes at least match between any and all years. I don’t mind doing a little DIY to fit the hand guards.

Correct, the install holes match. Just need to adjust for handguards.

Yes, but you may have to trim the windshield to accommodate the handguards at full lock on the '21 and up models.

5 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

I've bought T32 and S21 for $210 shipped after the $50  Bridgestone rebate.

Can't beat that IMO.

But your ultimate findings will be noted.

Good luck.

The rebates are the best for sure, I snagged some T30 Evos for close to $160 with rebates once. T32s for $210 total is killer.

Everyone seems to hate on Shinko tires too but that's what I put on my cruisers, both the XJ650 and FXRS. Shinkos were on the '06 Fatboy in Taiwan doing switchbacks in the mountains last time I was visiting family, never had an issue. It's definitely left me suspicious of how much "high-end" tires are just trying to make marketing budget back, or passing the cost of swapping moldings for new designs onto the consumer. Fingers crossed for the Kendas.

That being said I am a total Bridgestone fanboy as I've never had a bad experience with them. Dunlops are the only bad tires I've experienced. I can't justify the price of Pilot Roads as where I live in the US usually means tires square off before tread is worn  

Not a review, but there's not really a "motodeals" section in the forum or a tire section. Just ran across these while shopping tires. $150 for a set, these were released in 2021 as Kenda's entry into the sport touring segment:

https://www.motosport.com/kenda-km1-tire-combo?variant[KDAA015]=KDAA015-X001-Y001&variant[KDAA016]=KDAA016-X001-Y002

Amazon reviews are positive with 4.5/5 out of 84 reviews:

https://www.amazon.com/Kenda-Touring-Motorcycle-70ZR17-Keychain/dp/B09QXLG1Y8

Not really seeing much else in the way of reviews, but their dirt heritage is pretty positive so I've heard. Maybe someone here with more experience in powersports can chime in.

I put my order in, won't mount them right away as I got some tread still left in the OEM T32s. But will drop impressions here once I get some miles on them probably this fall.

After an uncharacteristically hot and dry summer I finally had reason to ride on a rainy day and I'm happy to report that the splash guard works even better than expected!

Splash guard seems to stop almost everything that the rear wheel kicks up unless you're actually going through puddles and making splashes, keeps the topcase clean and a big improvement on the underside of the rear. Thumbs up from me.

I still kind of want the shock shield and rear hugger from Pyramid Plastics for peace of mind against splashes and riding through puddles, but US shipping is steep. 

Quick update:

All of the advice here is great, dead blow + a block of wood + heat when needed worked well. Got the rim back into place extremely close but the inner rim curve must've been bent more than the outer because it did slowly leak air still.

Got a new wheel shipped from Japan (got here in 2 days!) and mounted the previous tire, I was still having handlebar shimmy. I loosened everything in the front end and backed out the preload and pumped the suspension hard to re-align everything, bolted it back up. Wobble 99% gone so whatever I hit must've tweaked the forks. Remaining wobble is barely noticeable but I will be keeping an eye on the front tire to see if there's any obvious deformation that pops up.

Note: the triple tree pinch bolts are a very soft metal, it doesn't take much to round the head after it's snug.

5 hours ago, KellyL said:

I disagree with the comment re: standard port isn't good enough for smart device charging. 24W max from the standard accessory port translates to a maximum 5V/4.8A on a USB adapter, which is well within USB 3.1/3.2 spec. Plenty for a phone (most of which only draw a max of 3A); even the latest iPad USB-C charger is only up to 20W.

I run an old iPhone SE as a ghetto satnav on my Niken via a USB port adapter and lightning cable. The battery never drops below 100%. Never had a problem with an adapter coming loose, but the plug is upright-diagonal on the three wheeler.

Edit: just had a look at that SAE-to-dual USB power adapter on Amazon - it outputs 5V/4.8A combined max, which is 24W - the same as the cigarette lighter port 😂 (And only 12W max per USB)

You're not wrong that the total output of 24W is the same but I think you're missing the context/usage case; there's a reason why different fuses exist and why different charging standards exist. Getting 24W by using 12v*2A is different than getting it with 5v*4.8A (or in this case 2.5v*2.4A = 12W per port).

Plugging my tire inflator into the stock auxilary DC socket does in fact blow the fuse, I've done it; the inflator is designed to pull more than 2A to get to power needed and being a "dumb" device it doesn't stop itself. And yeah, I'm dumb for thinking that it would work.

Nothing wrong with having a second option for a device you know will eat the 2.0A fuse.

5 hours ago, KellyL said:

How about one of these for $10 instead?

The stock AUX DC jack on these bikes is 24W with a wimpy 2A fuse that will be shorted by even a tire inflator, and slow charges most devices, putting in a USB adapter doesn't solve that problem.

I personally use a handlebar USB port hooked directly to the battery via my battery tender pig tail, wiring routed under the gas tank:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072JM3NWG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

From the pictures it looks like @petshark wants even faster charging speeds with a USB PD spec charger 😮

12 minutes ago, 1moreroad said:

Kayak bags are bombproof, but I have had good experience with any good quality, claimed waterproof, roll top backpacking bag. Even the cheap ones - throw your stuff in a garbage bag if you're not sure. Add 2 or 4 Rok straps and you're good!

@draco_1967 is right. Figure out what you need to bring. I bought a 40L Nelson Rigg to supplement panniers, and it's overkill. Way too big. Easily swallows ALL camping and kitchen gear. Should have bought 30L.

What does your kit look like? Fitting all gear + kitchen in 40L is impressive; are you just running a tarp + pad with a low-loft sleeping bag? Does your kitchen include stove + fuel or do you just carry a fire starter? I'm still fiddling with balancing comfort vs. space on the bike for camping.

If I drop down to my 1-person tent I can get that + pad, bag, headlamp, and a lantern in a 30L but that still doesn't include kitchen.

I use the 50L Earth Pak duffel on the bike for moto camping, has easy strap down loops and is water proof.

Can fit a hybrid of my basic + luxury gear:

3-person Alps mountaineering tent including footprint, poles, rain fly

Kelty sleeping bag.

Therm-a-rest neo air venture pad.

inflatable pillow.

Headlamp + two lanterns.

Still has a little bit of room left for something like a jetboil or mini cooking set.

It's cheap and works, not sure about durability as both of my tents have a vestibule where it can stay protected from harsh weather.

On the other end of the cost spectrum: for work trips I have a Baboon to the Moon Go-bag mini that I've found myself using on the bike when I don't need to lug a tent and sleeping bag, IE staying in hotels. I get the the marketing and looks of the bag aren't for everyone, just get it in black if that's the case. But believe me when I say it's possibly one of the best-made products I've ever bought in my life which helps swallow the price.

EDIT: Plus their ads are pretty good:

4 hours ago, Grumpy Goat said:

I will agree that the Yamaha quickshifter is significantly better than the BMW's on the R bikes in the lower gears (shifts 1-2-3). Everything else I tend to disagree with, including the brakes. The R/RS's brakes are better than the Yamaha's by the same amount that the Yamaha's QS is better than the BMW's.

I own/run a forum on the watercooled boxer in the R1200/R1250 R/RS, and am moderator on a larger German-based RS forum, and the issues you mention do not apply. For one, as far as I am aware the tanks are plastic and the ring area has zero rust problems. I also am part of a largish RS Owners group who meet annually and who have bought both the R1200 and then the R1250 RSs. Non one has reported any rusting issues anywhere. I suspect you may be mixing/matching years of R/RS bikes. Based on my 2 minute Google check, the ones with the rust on the "abdeckring" are pre 2014 and the R1200 R/RS waterboxers started in 2015/2016 depending on the market. The 1250 engine only showed up in the 2019 model year. When it came to rust, common complaints on some bikes are the centre stand which gets lots of debris damage from the road, and in the UK people note superficial rust on pannier racks ... in some cases. None of these are widely reported.

The BMW service interval is 6000 miles while that for my Yamaha is 4000 miles so I am confused about this shorter service interval you mention. Never heard of anyone having issues with alternator belts either.

I don't mean to come on a Yamaha model forum and extoll the virtues of the BMW but just thought I needed to correct certain generalizations based on personal experience as an owner of both bikes. The R/RS are not perfect, just like any other bike, and there are some things that I like on the Tracer better, but the issues you raised are not the issues which one should look at if in the market for a present model R/RS.

You are correct: I looked at my deposit correspondence and it was a 2020 MY not a 2018; I rode a lot of bikes that week, mixed em up 🤪

However, while I don't have the manual as I didn't buy the bike I do remember there were shorter service intervals for the valves specifically, it sticks out because I remember it being notably shorter than the Yammaha 24K and thinking to myself "really?".

Also oil interval is also 6000mi for Yamaha as well as most other things:

I do agree with the BMW's brakes being better, I did disclaim that I can't quantify how much better they are as I didn't actually measure anything. They bite harder initially than the tracer and the rear brake noticeably contributes more to the stopping power, but I can't actually say it stops in a shorter distance vs just progressively squeezing harder on the Tracer 9 as I didn't get out and measure it; don't want to mislead anyone in the market to buy.

Nothing is wrong with having an alternator belt, it's just one more moving part that needs to be serviced and potentially replaced over long-term ownership vs a stator. Again something to consider when purchasing.

If they fixed any issue with the gas tank rust then great! The abdeck ring was what, a few dollars? Ridiculous the previous bikes didn't come with it.

On 7/6/2022 at 10:00 AM, psyshack said:

After reading around forums my simple brain is starting to think possible a BMW R1250RS or heaven forbid a evil thug life Ducati Motard. But seeing I've never owned a modern BMW or Duc of the computer age that has some fear. And knowing how awful the Euro bike dealers are in my part of the world are,,, those could be bad purchases.

Funny you mention that, I had a deposit down on a 2018 2020 BMW r1250r after I totaled my FJ09 and was shopping around.

I really liked a lot about the 1250r like the low-down grunt, shaft drive, higher payload capacity compared to the Tracer 900, and the pleasant vibes of the boxer. But I also spent time reading the forums on the 1250 engine bikes from BMW and there are some things that are worrisome such as: shorter service intervals, having to change the alternator belt, and rust protection not being up to par. Specifically the gas tanks rusting is a huge problem; look up BMW abdeckring on Google.

I liked the old CP3 engine and with the Tracer 9 GT's changes to engine and chassis I decided to pull the trigger and I'm not disappointed at all. People who take test rides and do first ride impressions/reviews online aren't exactly wrong when they mention things like the brakes being weak (they have a break-in period). But again it's not the entire story. You'll find people on this forum with 100K+ on their CP3 engine, and I commuted in the winter in Ohio from 2016-2021 on my FJ09 and it didn't have any rust except for the exhaust flange bolts. Zero problems on the FJ09 after a tune to fix the snatchy throttle, and now with the Tracer 9 my only issue is the flat spot in 2nd gear that can be fixed with a tune or ECU flash most likely in the near future. 1 software problem is about as little bit of a hassle as you can ask for on a modern bike.

If you care about my opinion at all here were my key feature comparisons between the T9 and the r1250r from riding both:

r1250r has better brakes but not by a large gap, hard to tell how much this was just better brake "feel" than objective stopping distance.

Yamaha's new quickshifter for 2021 and onwards is WORLDS better than BMW's it's not even a competition, most reviewers will agree it's probably the best in the biz right now, it is very good.

Electronic suspension: they're both great and basically do the same thing. BMW has more "settings" as in you have more levels of stiff-soft to choose from. Yamaha gives us 2 options of: "not quite stiff enough" and "soft enough for everything else".

BMW's media tilt-wheel to navigate the menus is much better than Yamaha's crappy thumb-dial.

I like the CP3 triple a lot, might be my favorite engine ever. The 1250 boxer is wonderful though, it has gobs of power but it is a little bit slower to rev than the CP3, I'd put it in my #3 spot for favorite engine notwithstanding any reliability issues. My #2 is the 1340 Evo if you're curious.

You mentioned BMW dealer network being less available which definitely went into my purchase decision. There's also huge aftermarket support for the Tracers and easy parts availability as there are many shared parts with other Yamaha bikes. There is a big aftermarket for BMW but it seems to be primarily focused on the GS line.

Don't be too bummed about our complaints with the Tracer 9, if anything it's just our standards are high for these bikes and this forum specifically is full of people who actually ride our steeds rather than let them sit and be garage queens.

Cheers,

1 hour ago, petshark said:

I'm sorry to hear this.
On the other side of the spectrum I've now done a few longer rides on my 5 days new-to-me T9 blows my ECU flashed Ohlins equipped 2019 GT out of the water. It's so much better than I had anticipated.

I had/have the heated comfort seat on the 2019 and it's always felt like a gimmick. Sometimes I turned it on but have a hot ass does not do very much to the overall comfort in my case. Heated grips on the other hand make a world of difference but you all know that. 

I agree with you the bike is absolutely phenomenal, the new engine is better across the entire rev range and it is a huge improvement having that torque come online 1500rpm earlier. I've said before the electronic suspension is like 90% of my previous Ohlins setup on the FJ09 when really pushing it but infinitely better everywhere else.

The 2nd gear not pulling issue is not major. I just pin it in first and just blip through the gears when getting rowdy, it really only comes up in weird cases where I'm in a 25MPH zone and I'm too lazy to shift back down.

But it's weird that the issue even exists exclusively in that gear.

The lurching on engine braking I haven't had at all, zero.

But the dead spot in 2nd gear is very noticeable if you try to flog it, and it's definitely not traction or lift control kicking in as no lights turn on the dash and I can pin the throttle in 1st gear no issues.

I've had both the ECU and throttle recalls done.

Seeing as basically all of us have this issue, maybe we start talking about lawyering up?

UPDATE: $380 was the quote from The Wheel Warehouse which is too much for me when japan.webike.net will ship an OEM one for roughly $360 depending on what day you get the shipping quote in 1-3 days.

I tried hammering the rim with a dead blow while the wheel was still on the bike and tire pressure at 0.0 psi and got pretty good results:

Slightly smaller area than before and less distance from the tire, I may take the wheel off the bike and remove the left rotor off so I can get a more direct striking line for that last little bit of bend. When I had just gotten the dent I had serious handlebar wobble from 20-50 MPH on the ride home, now it's almost all gone except for a hardly noticeable shake right at 30 MPH. If it holds air I think I may be in the clear 🤞.

P.S. have at the chicken strips 😅

1 minute ago, 2and3cylinders said:

Looks cool what is it!

Looks like the Honda Adv 150