harraseeket

i'm sure i will get flack for this, but........ helibars would have done a larger move, but were limited to what cabling allowed. i know this because they used my bike as the mule to create their unit. since then ( i am 6' tall ) i cut off 1.5 '' from each end of the bars. i found that that did not need the leverage of the wider bars at all. the tracer is already plenty quick to change direction, maybe towards the sporty end of long distance cruisers. compared to my friend's v strom which just picks it's line in corners and rolls through, the tracer is ready for you to change direction at any time, it hasn't made up it's mind. anyway, i found that while traveling with the cruise control on, which i use even on back roads ( stops inadvertent criminal speeding ) i usually was just holding on to the mirror stalks base. for my body that was the most comfortable. done, and i love it, and it also would give you more slack in cabling if you needed it. curious if i am the only one who has narrowed bars ????

is kilo 3 correct ? i am no mechanic and may have gotten the terminology wrong. my tracer is a 2019 gt. i did read somewhere on the forum about 3rd and sixth gears. and it absolutely holds true on my bike, they both have a whine that the others don't, 3rd obviously not a problem as you just paddle through, but at somewhere between 50 and 60 mph the sixth gear whine is quite loud. and that speed range where you spend a lot of time on the backroads on maine.

speaking of comfort ..... with big madstad screen blocking wind you don't need to lean forward at all to counteract wind force. i put the helibars on my bike ( they used my bike for the prototype ), but still found that riding around on cruise control i was grabbing the mirror stalks to be more comfortable. i find the tracer plenty quick steering enough for me, didn't need any extra leverage to get bike to turn at all. so i cut off 1.5'' off each end of handlebars and find it much more comfortable

are you sure the whine isn't the fact that 6th ( and 3rd ) is straight cut gear ? i have a big madstad winshield which blocks so much wind noise that i hear the bike better. not a good thing, the whine is so loud i have to shift down to fifth after awhile

How is this different from carrying a 150 lb. pillion which is OK ?

madstad. it's kind of a cheap looking thing compared to the puig ( looks like it was cut out of flat plexi with a skilsaw ), but between the different size screens available and the both pitch and height adjustability it works. huge benefit for me was the ability to move my gps mount above the speedo getting it off my bars for better viewing

i don't like the idea of having the black hinges for windscreen extensions so close to view, i think it would irritate me. had the big givi and it was much better than stock, and well made, but still had buffeting. got the madstad, it looks cheap compared to the givi, you can still the crayon marks where somebody took a saw to a flat piece of plexi, but have decided that looks shouldn't be worried about any more. it has all but eliminated buffeting ( i am 6' ) , a little but very livable, and what has turned out to be a real benefit is it easy to mount my garmin zumo xt above the speedo where it is easier to see,

I have a 2019 tracer gt. i like the brush guards, would just like to lose an inch each side. not sure if i have this right, but could you keep the hand guards with the rizoma? and what is involved with removing heated grips?

i had the givi screen and still got buffeting on the highway even on high position. even though mostly out of wind blast i had a high speed buffeting that could almost blur vision. my nolan helmet has a vent right at the top facing forward, i'm sure different helmets could be different. so i got the madstad - 24" screen, i am 6' - and much better, and i haven't tried all the permutations i could set it at yet. i think that maybe the big space under the screen is allowing more air behind the screen to break the vacuum that can cause buffeting. another benefit is that i can see through screen better if i need to see in front of wheel. it does see like a much cruder assembly , obviously just a plate of plexi cut out of a sheet. liked the looks of the givi more, but i don't care about looks that much anymore. you would think it is a picky complaint, but the biggest downside to these big screens is that since you don't have the wind noise drowning out the straight gear whine of sixth gear at certain rpms ( unfortunately 55 - 65 mph, which is a common speed on our back roads ) , i have to shift down to fifth. it really is an incredibly loud and annoying sound, and for some reason i can't find any ear plugs that work for my ears.

i was thinking of installing the givi crash bars on my 900 gt. has anybody done so and experienced any new vibration or noise issues?

those sidestand big feet the number one best deal in aftermarket buys. i doubt very much sidestand springing. the suspension on most bikes is set up based on the average 150 lb japanese rider ( unless that is apocryphal ). so at 175 lbs that should mean i am set up on the soft side. not a bad thing on some of our rough maine back roads. i don't know what's wrong with me but i am totally happy with the suspension's stock settings. part of the problem is just how competent this bike is. it makes every corner undramatic. halfway through the corner you think you might have gone in a little too hot, the bike is saying more please. a friend of mine who has a v strom described it as - midway through a corner the bike seems to be asking when are you going to do something - slacker. i was surprised to find my chicken strips on the stock tires ( which had a less rounded profile than the pilot road 5s i have now ) was less than 1/8" because i had never felt cornering on the ragged edge. if anything the bike is just too good for touring. it wants you to be doing 30 mph over the limit ( which constitutes criminal speeding ) whereas the the v strom is happy to lazily carve the corners

2and3cylinders - did you ever space out your givi? i have the barn door as well. 6' tall. on high setting i can't see over the screen as well. on low setting the buffeting hit the top 1 inch of my helmet, enough for high frequency buffeting at highway speeds. i had thought the same thing = space further away from mount. a friend of mine has a madstad on his v strom which works really well, and their mount holds it way off mounting plate

i've never understood how larger windscreens lower gas mileage, if so. how is the human body more aerodynamic than a windscreen?

when hitting a dip in road mid corner often surprised to hear centerstand scrape. i am 175 lbs on stock settings and don't consider myself an elbow scraper

i bought one from a place in turkey on ebay for $45 approx which fits perfect