whistler

On 10/25/2020 at 11:43 AM, mellow said:

Check this out 

 

That is pretty cotton-pickin' cool!

11 hours ago, Wintersdark said:

@mingo To tighten the mirror, you take off the black cap and tighten the nut inside.  You'll need a thin 10mm socket to do it.  Only tighten it a tiny bit, like 1/8th of a turn, and be careful - don't want what happened to @TheBigG happening to you

I've had this Floppy Mirror Syndrome on both the new Yamaha's I've owned (both with the same types of mirrors) and an 1/8th of a turn on that nut has fixed both.  

+1.  Did this to mine, as well.  Just ground down the circumference of a 10mm socket a little on a bench grinder; a Dremel or the like would work fine, too.  The modded socket worked like a champ.  Then got the urge for something different entirely and installed some Puig mirrors.   😉

15 hours ago, betoney said:

@2and3cylinders - The things we do to ride on 2 wheels... 😄 

Every time I have hurt myself riding, my motivation for healing is always to get right back on 2 wheels again.😎👍

Yep, me too.  I've heard "Are you outta your f'n mind?!?!" to "Right on, Dude...keep on movin'!" and everything in between.

We humans did this to ourselves...we made motorcycles so damned much FUN.

3 hours ago, fireman1028 said:

I plan on going with the R&G Tail Tidy and the Integrated Taillight setup from Blaster X.

+1 on Blaster X's tail lights.  Excellent product...my opinion only.

Got this in an email from Motosport.  Sounds like a pretty good deal, if you're in the market.

Motosport ad for Michelin tires

1 hour ago, SKYFLIX said:

My goodness it that rear axle nut on TIGHT from the factory (dealer?). 

Yeah, those rear axle nuts are ridiculously tight.  Do a forum search; you'll find some very impassioned postings...

4 hours ago, Andy434 said:

Hi all, this is my first post after buying my 900 GT a couple of months ago. The tips and advice from this forum have given me the confidence to add stuff to the bike myself that ordinarily I would have paid someone to do. So far I have swapped out the auxiliary socket for a double USB unit. Wired my sat nav into the spare socket under the screen, added an Evotech radiator guard, break and clutch levers, fitted Pyramid Plastic carbon fibre hand guard and rear hugger extensions and yesterday afternoon fitted a Black Widow exhaust system (which for the price £379.99 delivered to my front door) I think is awesome value for money. Happy to do a full post on my buying and fitting experience (with pics if the limits of my technological know how permit) if anyone is interested.

Welcome, Andy!  Glad to have you!

27 minutes ago, betoney said:

Looks good.  Agree with you on the smaller or near non-existent screen, such an improvement. 

It sounds like you are handy with cutting and sanding, If you want to experiment, screens are cheap on Ebay, or modify a screen from a different bike, something that flows with the body lines.  I modified a Winter screen I had left over from my previous FZ1.   

Yep, who knows what can happen during a tinkering session over the winter months, right?  😁

Was poking around in the garage and found my OEM screen.  Just for S&G, I decided to chop it down to a shorty/fly screen (I currently run the MRA sport screen in the hot months and a CalSci medium in the winter months).  The MRA is an amazing screen that produces very smooth and quiet wind, but that's just my uneducated 2 cents.

Measured up from the bottom center 11 1/2", cut straight across with a jig saw, and mitered the corners.  Scratched up the inside surface with some 120 grit and then painted it flat black. 

Took it out for a shakedown ride afterward.  First thing I noticed was the increased breeze, AND it was nice and smooth.  Liked that a lot.  Noticed that in the Low setting, the wind hit me at the chin/throat; the little screen kept the wind off my chest with room to spare.  Very tolerable and enjoyable, especially in this Southern MD heat.

In the High setting, the wind hit me at eye level with a tiny bit more noise, but still very smooth and no buffeting.  I wear plugs, so the slight noise increase was of no consequence to me.  Wind management was still great.

If I could do it again, I'd make it about 1" taller.  Aside from that little adjustment, I'm happy as a clam.  I'll likely continue with the "OEM" flyscreen for the hottest months now, switch back to the MRA Sport in the fall, and use the bigger CalSci in the coldest months.  Here's a few pics...

Low position...

Another Low position...

A High position...

Another High position...

Lastly, a cockpit view in the High position.

Very nice work!

On 7/13/2020 at 11:59 AM, Wintersdark said:

I just use fork clamps personally, and attach my light bar between them -

 

I used fork clamps w/lightbar below the triple tree and some basic fork brackets w/driving lights lower on the forks.  Works well for me.

Just placed an order for a radiator guard, Richard.  Thanks very much for the discount!

1 hour ago, Shizzle said:

It pretty much looks like the rest of them  😁

 

But it comes in that bitchin' new color...  Congrats, Shizzle!

On 7/8/2020 at 11:19 AM, Shizzle said:

By BMI I'm assuming you mean Beer Money Income?  

Exactly...

4 hours ago, texscottyd said:

"25+ years later, it still ranks as one of the scariest things that’s ever happened to me on a bike, because it came completely out of nowhere. My riding partner said it cleared the fence to my right at full run, took one huge leap, and I hit it midair as it was coming back to land... I literally never saw it coming."

 

Ho.  Lee.  Crap.  That is nuts.  The only deer I've pounded was with my Tacoma...twice...3 months apart.  Depressing.

I have managed to survive 3 crashes, though, so I got that going for me.

Ya'll stay safe out there.

1 minute ago, maximo said:

Oh, I wasn't arguing that 3 wheels is a bad choice - point in fact, I'm actively looking for a Vanderhall Venice - I was simply observing that with 3 wheels, one in each track, avoiding potholes is probably difficult. It's just a consideration that should be in the mix. 

If you get that Vanderhall, you GOTTA post some pics!  

32 minutes ago, maximo said:

I've often thought that 3 wheels means that your chance of hitting a pothole increases dramatically! 

We ride motorcycles.  In our world, anything is possible.  We all make our own choices and decisions based on...us.  It's all we can do.  

I've survived 3 divorces, 3 motorcycle crashes, cancer, and a heart attack.  If one day I have to go from 2 to 3 wheels due to age or injury, I'll happily do so.  My choice entirely.  My outlook on life is not exactly what others may share, but that's what gets me through my day.  Gotta keep moving forward...

On 5/11/2020 at 9:41 AM, Matt 2703 said:

so, who is right, the owners manual or the main dealers?

In this particular case, I'd err on the side of the manual.  As BBB stated in his earlier post, 35-45mm while on the center stand is good.  My owner's manual and service manual also state the same amount of slack.  Also as others have stated elsewhere, a little bit loose is always better than a little bit tight.

I made a crude homemade measuring jig out of a 2" x 3/8" plywood strip.  Cut the overall length just short enough to hold it just off the garage floor, picked a spot about halfway between the front and rear sprockets and pulled the chain down until it stopped.  Then using a chain link pin as a reference, I scribed a pencil line across the plywood.  From that line, I measured up to 35mm and scribed another line across the plywood.  From THAT line, I measured another 10mm and scribed another line across the plywood. 

To use, just pull the chain down to the bottom index line, hold the plywood strip still, and then pull the chain up toward the upper 35 and 45mm index lines.  As long as the chain's link pin falls between those 2 upper index lines, you're good.  if the chain doesn't make it to the 35mm line, the chain's too tight.  Conversely, if the chain's upper limit is beyond the 45mm line, it's too loose.  Adjust the chain tension until your link pin reference falls between the 35 and 45mm marks, tighten things down, and go ride.  No need to overthink things.

This is what's worked for me over the last several bikes and 173,000 miles.  As always, YMMV.  Happy riding!

On 5/11/2020 at 12:44 PM, nhchris said:

I driven Spiders and Slingshots and enjoyed em both.  Wind in the face and bugs in the teeth machines.

Yep, totally agree.  

If it can't be 2 wheels, why not make it 3?  Only you can make that call.  The rest of the world's opinions just don' t matter.

On 7/6/2019 at 12:53 AM, hammer said:

Hey Gang,

 Just a quick FYI:

I heard the rumours, so I called the OPP and confirmed on the MTO site...

 Motorcycles ARE allowed in the HOV lanes regardless of the number of people. So single riders are good to pass all the cages stuck in a traffic jam.

 I don't have the link right now, but you can confirm for yourself on the MTO website.

Happy motoring!

+1 in the DC Metro/Northern VA area.  Definitely comes in handy.

Big Congrats, Wintersdark!  Here's to many thousands of miles and smiles on your GT!!  😁

Greetings from Southern MD, JDenkevitz!  Pretty sure you'll be groovin' on your Tracer.  Welcome to the club!

44 minutes ago, johnmark101 said:

What a generous offer.  Thank you Whistler.  However if I do send my seat out it would be during January or February when it is too cold to ride.

No worries, Dude.  If it turns out you do need it, the offer stands.

10 hours ago, johnmark101 said:

May even talk to Sargent about sending them my seat over the winter to be rebuilt to my own specifications.  

If you do send out your OEM seat, JohnMark, let me know and I'll loan you my OEM seat and pillion to use while you get your's customized.  You'll need to keep your OEM rider seat bracket, though, as mine is installed on my Sargent.  If you don't mind paying for shipping from Maryland, you're welcome to use it.  Lemme know...

On 10/9/2019 at 10:13 PM, quaxum said:

Thank you! Appreciate it! Waiting for your detailed ride review! 

Just got back from taking the Sargent out for a shakedown ride.  Within the first 100 yards of street and before I cleared my neighborhood, I knew I was going to keep it.  After the first few miles, I definitely knew it was gonna stay.

The nutcracking crown in the seat is gone.  The lack of that upswept nose on the OEM seat and removing the crown all the way back to the back edge did the trick.  The slightly wider pan at the rear is also a big plus, as is the rounded and narrower front edges; even though the seat is in the High setting, I'm almost flat-footing it on level asphalt (I have a 30" inseam and wear standard-soled Sidi boots).  There is no longer a hotspot where the crown used to be; now my hips are resting on a wider and more level surface with no crunching involved.  That alone is extremely gratifying.  Hard braking affected only the bike and didn't rock me forward into that upswept OEM nose.  What a relief!  This is a very comfortable seat now; nice and stable with no sliding involved.

After thinking on this some more, I'm now wondering if the design intent all along was to make this seat fit the High position only.  As I understand things, the Corbin 1-piece seat is also installed in the GT's High position, which could imply that maybe Corbin never intended to make the seat height-adjustable.  If that was Sargent's intent, I would think they should advertise the seat as such, since this seat's fitment in the Low position is less than what most riders would reasonably accept.  I doubt we'll ever know the why's and wherefore's . . . 

Anyway, this Sargent seat, at least on my GT, is an easy 9 out of 10.  The only negative I can think of is that a rider with a 29" or 28" inseam might find it challenging if they're used to flat-footing a bike.  However, if they're used to standing on the balls of their feet when at a complete stop, they might well be quite comfortable with the height of the seat in the High position.

Don't know if my seat-of-the-pants review will help anyone out, but if it does, then that's a good thing, I guess.  These are just my simple, uneducated perceptions, so please keep that in mind.  Now that I've ridden on it, I'm happy with my Sargent.

Stay safe out there.