fjrpittsburgh

Obviously a Super Tenere is going to have better suspension for rough roads or offroad. The Tracer GT suspension is perfect for road riding. Much improved over the stock FJ-09 or the base Tracer model. The GT has fully adjustable suspension. I find it to be very solid for around town and in the high speed twisties. You do want to experiment with suspension settings for your individual weight and riding style. Surprisingly, the owner's manual has the standard settings listed and how to adjust the forks and rear end. At 180 lbs, the standard settings weren't all that bad for me. I just had to tweak the settings a little through trial and error.

Well, we're a little below the wear bars on the OEM rear tire and it's time for a replacement. I've run a number of tire brands on the rear of my FJR over the last 11 years. PR2's, PR4's, Shinko Ravens, etc. I keep going back to the Shinko Ravens. Other FJR riders ask me why I continue to put such a cheap tire on my FJR. Well, that's easy, because it's a great tire. It may be a low cost tire, but it's certainly not a cheap tire. I've run Shinko Ravens front and rear many times over the years and that's what I'm currently running on the FJR. They perform extremely well in all conditions. I've never experienced a butt pucker moment on them at any speed or weather conditions. One friend of mine in Virginia finally gave them a try. He's a very hard rider and can ride 2 up like you can't believe through some of the tightest twisties. I have to ride at the edge of comfort to keep up with him. His review of the tires was something that interested me since I was such a believer in the Ravens. He said he felt they were up to par with any Michelins he's ever run. So next week I'm going with the Shinko Raven for the new shoe on the rear of the GT. I was going with the Shinko regardless of what he said based on my experience over the years with them. I have a trip planned for next weekend. It may only be 600 to 800 miles depending on the weather, but having a new rear tire will be so nice. New tires always make a bike feel brand new again.

@TorqWrench This is way too exciting. Can't wait to read your review. I hope the flooding in your area wasn't too bad for you and your family and friends.

Maybe it isn't as important as to who does the flash. It's just important to have a reputable flash done to your bike if there's one available. I still think I'm going to go with Ivan, but in no way am I insinuating there's anything lower quality about other companies ECU improvements for the GT. I'm looking forward to a smoother throttle control and full access to the power of the engine.

Be careful. You won't ALWAYS see 200 miles on a tank.

The MPG registering on the display is optimistic and really not all that helpful anyway. When you're low on fuel, you have to fill up regardless of what the display shows. I'm really happy that my speedometer is so accurate. That's something I use all the time and it's extremely valuable. I do reset my "A" odometer every time I refuel. It's nice to see how many miles I ride on a tank. However, the odometer isn't entirely accurate either, but at least it's a constant to measure with.

Thanks for the links. I always buy the full service manual in print for every bike I've ever owned. I may go the PDF route this time. Thanks again @Fat Jeff Much appreciated.

That's great news! I'll give him a call. Thank you. Can't wait to read your review! I wish I could have mine flashed immediately, but I'm going on a bike trip and will have to wait until I return home.

Do you have a GT? The flash isn't ready yet.

Maybe the GT's in the US are the ones that have the spot on speedometers.

All the best @gerdawg. Congrats on the sale. Maybe you'll buy it back in a year or so.

I think the whine is just something this bike does. It's not anything to worry about. Wear earplugs and enjoy. You should be wearing earplugs at all times anyway. Wind noise is what damages people's hearing while riding a bike. Not wearing earplugs on a bike is a very foolish thing to do. Don't be foolish.

Hahaha. Enjoy Coop! Fun bike.

Ignition timing and fuel cut to reduce the on off throttle is the biggest improvement I'm looking for. It makes the bike perform like it has a throttle cable instead of a computer chip turning fuel on and off. This is the first bike I've had that was a little awkward to hold at a steady speed. That is due to fuel cut. The ECU flash would disable fuel cut. It seems all the 900cc Yamaha triples can benefit greatly from an improved tuning of the ECU. My friend has a FZ09. He said after Ivan's flash, his bike is so much better. Like night and day as he describes it. Much easier to hold a steady speed without surging up and down. Like I said, the bike is great as is, but I'm keeping this bike for many years. I've ridden in every state East of the Mississippi and 7 states West on my FJR. I want my GT to be the best it can be. For a few hundred dollars, that's a gift I will enjoy for many years.

It isn't the lack of power that pushes people toward an ECU tuning. The GT has plenty of power. It's the smoothness of the off and on throttle transitions. If you read the websites of the ECU tuners, you can see the changes made which improve the ridability of a bike. Improvements that make the throttle response smoother. If you're happy with the GT the way it is, that's fine. I choose to make mine better. I spend a lot of time on my bikes and appreciate what some of the tuners have accomplished in ridability improvements.

Are we talking FJ-09's and Tracers? I'm talking Tracer GT. I can't believe another GT speedometer would be off when mine is dead on with my GPS. I see many FJ-09 posts in this forum. The bikes are similar, but they're certainly not the same. Again, my speedo is dead on to only slightly off at times to my Garmin 665. It's possible the speedo has to be more accurate due to the cruise control, but who really knows for sure?

Has anyone with a Tracer GT had their ECU flashed. I know Ivan has his coming out in a couple of months. As of now, I'm waiting for his flash as I trust him from his history of improving bikes ride quality through flashing. Vcyclenut has a flash available now, but I would like to see some positive reviews before choosing their update. Please pass on any info you have on an updated ECU flash. Vcyclenut's flash is $100 cheaper than Ivan's upcoming flash.

That's fantastic Larz! You are going to love that machine. All the best to you!

Hey @betoney . I chose Ivan due to his excellent reputation. There's another flash for the GT I've found, but haven't seen enough reviews on it yet to make an informed decision. Here's the other one I am considering: https://www.vcyclenut.com/store/p2/2014-2019__MT%2FFZ%2FFJ-09%2FXSR900%2FGT_900_tracer_custom_flash.html

There is a twitch in the throttle, sort of. It's called fuel cut. Many new bikes have it and it's definitely noticeable while riding the Tracer. When you twist the throttle you get fuel and the bike roars ahead as intended. When you back off the throttle to decelerate, Yamaha designed the bike to cut the fuel for better emissions. When you twist the throttle again the fuel rails get fuel again to accelerate. It's a little on the jumpy side. Once Ivan finishes his ECU flash, the fuel cut will be turned off and the bike will be much smoother. No more semi jerky throttle response. Ivan will be done with his flash within 2 months. I'll report the improvements when the flash is available. The bikes throttle response will be smooth as silk. I have no affiliation with Ivan, but have followed his excellent work for years. A friend of mine has an FZ 09 with Ivan's flash. I have a few friends with FJRs with Ivan's flash. They all say the same thing. Their bikes are improved in smoothness like night and day. I'm an experienced rider who noticed the fuel cut Yamaha designed for the GT immediately. There's nothing wrong with the GT the way it is if you're happy with it. Why not make it better? More info here: http://www.ivansperformanceproducts.com/fz09.htm Please read and learn. His website describes what he does with his flashes in detail. Not that it's all that important, but when he's done, top speed in 5th gear is 145 mph and top speed in 6th gear is 165 mph. Like I said, that's not important to me, but the smoothness and ridability is drastically improved.

As the tire wears, the speedo and odometer will vary slightly. I find the speedo much more accurate than the odometer.

It's very minimal compared to any other bike I've owned. It's almost dead on with my GPS speed. I'd trust it to actual speed under most circumstances.

Hey Larz, I don't think you'll be disappointed immediately or in the long run. The GT has almost everything you need for touring. I only had to add a Givi topcase, a power outlet for my heated gear, and a power mount for my Garmin 665. Everything else is already there. In 2 months, Ivan will have an ECU flash to make the bikes power much smoother and not as jerky. I'll definitely have my ECU flashed as soon as Ivan gets it all sorted out. Nothing all that bad with the bikes jumpiness, but I have a friend who has an FZ900 with Ivan's flash. It's so much smoother after Ivan turns off the fuel cut on deceleration and adjusts the ignition timing, etc. Awesome bike and I also own and ride an FJR. More details about Ivan's ECU flash here: http://www.ivansperformanceproducts.com/fz09.htm Like I said, in 2 months, Ivan will make this bike perfect.

A guy on one of the FJR forums had his side bag damaged when another guy clipped his side case with another bike. He was able to drill out the rivets on the lid hinge and pop rivet the lid hinge back on. He said it was fairly easy to do. I searched everywhere for the actual link for his post and can't find it. I know that swapping the side case lids are definitely doable.

My bet is you'll still see the wobble with the hands off the bars. Just a guess.