runnerhiker

On 11/5/2021 at 7:18 AM, Grumpy Goat said:

Yes it helps. At least I know not to bother with the Comfort Seat.

So far I have found the Tracer 900 GT's seat to be the worst seat (in terms of comfort) that I have ever experienced on a motorcycle I owned. I installed the slope mod and that helped with the sliding forward issue (although it is never going to be totally eradicated because the seat is shaped the way it is) but still I have this "butt aware" feeling of the seat, where I always have some level of discomfort such that the seat is on my mind while I am riding. I don't want to be thinking of the seat when riding ... got better things to be thinking about. Could be related to the upright position as well as this is the first upright-ish bike I ever had.

I have had a similar experience with the seat on my BMW S1000 XR.  It slopes forward, it's not comfortable, it's always on my mind while I am riding.  I purchased three aftermarket seats, all were better than OEM, none were "ride and not think about the seat".  So I took one of the seat to a seat customizer in the Denver area and he shaped it to my liking.  I recommend you try something like that, there's gotta be somebody in the Houston area that does this.

I went with the Yamaha Comfort seat.  I found it to be an improvement over the OEM seat but not a final solution since it still leaned forward towards the tank.

9 hours ago, flyfifer said:

By coincidence I opened up the "electric box" today to have a look.

I thought I read somewhere there were three SPARE power connectors in there.. I obviously misunderstood or misread.

As runnerhiker's pic shows there is only one.

There is however lots of space so I intend to put my "Fuse Box" in there and use the Spare connector to "Switch On" imy fuse box.

GPS, LED lights and Hella/DIN power socket will get fed from the "Fuse Box".

The black and the grey colored connectors are spare.  The white one is connected to the 12V plug just left of the TFT display.

I used the info and pictures on this thread to find a harness connector for my GPS, this forum is great.  I have one more piece of information I can add so here it goes.

I moved the rubber boot back to have better access to the DC connectors and found my GT has three connectors.  In the picture below, the white connector is used for the OEM installed cigarette lighter connector to the left of the TFT, it has a 2 amp fuse.  The black connector is identical to the white one (the same type of connector, also has a 2 amp fuse).  The gray connector is covered with a dummy end, I don't know what amp fuse it has, and the physical appearance of the connector is different from the other two.  All three connectors are wired to the ignition, they are off when the bike is off, they are on when the bike is on.

I ordered a second cigarette lighter connector part number 2SC-8254B-00-00 and will use it to connect the GPS leads.  I haven't decided whether to clip the wires and just attach the connector to the GPS wires, or use crimp connectors to this new cigarette lighter.  Either way, I am leaving the OEM connector undisturbed.

12 hours ago, Larz said:

 

Personally, I avoid running a tank (on any bike) that low on a regular basis, as over time water&sediment will build up in the tank....

I never understood this comment, isn't the pump always taking suction from the same point as close to the bottom of the tank as possible?  I would have thought that if there was water and sediment in the tank, it would get sucked up like right now, not when the tank is near empty.

1 hour ago, Coop said:

Somebody has been reading too many Yogi Berra quotes.

"Nobody goes to Coney Island anymore, it's too crowded". Yogi

I have three bikes with QS and they all seem to have the same quirkinesses.  They work best in the higher gears than in the lower gears.  They work best when accelerating hard.  And they work smoother the smaller the cylinder bore on the particular bike.

I have a BMW R1200, a KTM 1290 Super Duke, and the GT.  The BMW and the KTM have big cylinders with a lot of bang per stroke and that shows in the QS.  I have test ridden several 1000cc four cylinder bikes and the QS shifter are a lot smoother.  The GT is somewhere in between those two, and in general, not bad, I like it and I use it a lot.

Larz, thanks, I ordered one.

On 7/13/2019 at 8:50 AM, Larz said:

Thanks folks, appreciate the comments 🙂

@wordsmithyeah the colors are fairly close for a cell phone camera ( Google Pixel 2a: pretty decent camera) I imagine you can get Plasti-dip in Oz, there's a nice Metallized black- you might think about it instead of regular paint; more scratch resistant and if it gets mucked up easy redo ( my gloss pannier lids at 5k are already showing some scratches on top just from day- to -day use)

@runnerhikeryeah man, it's got a kinda "Giant Blueberry" thing going on,eh 😆

@StealthAuThanks man. Gosh, I wish it was my idea 🤩 but it's not 🤔 been done by many- I first got into it on my Harley- lots of kids with Dynas on a HD forum were doin' it to their bikes. 

@fjrpittsburghcouple of important things about rattle-can Plasti-dip: shake the can while spraying a lot more than regular paint- like every 3 or so passes. If it's some of the luxury metal series stuff don't try to use the last 20% of the can,  it won't come out the same. It is surprisingly durable, but don't use bug&tar removers or citrus based cleaners on it... 

@Coop Damn coop, high praise from you, man😎 ( I love this bike, haven't ridden my other bikes in a month now. But  Yamaha tried to make it look like an "old man's" bike with a conservative color scheme- I maybe gettin' old at 60, but I don't wanna ride a bike that looks  "age appropriate" just yet 😑 

 

Larz.

I like the windshield on your GT, which one is that?

Too much blue (purple) for my taste.  I would have preferred painting the wheels silver.  But you now have a unique bike and it looks like you did a fine job.

Good report, very similar to my findings, except:  I love the quick shift and use it a lot, and heated grips sure come in handy in Colorado.

The only negative I would add is that the I think the thumb wheel should be in the left hand cluster, I use it everytime I ride.  The traction control, which is on the left and I never use, would be better on the right.

The purple wheels was what I liked least when I first got my bike, but they have grown on me also.

Do not walk, RUN to the nearest Yamaha dealer and sit on the Tracer GT, the seat is high at over 32".  If you are still ok with that, then continue with the discussion here.

I think the Versys 1000 will be more similar to your Gold Wing than the Tracer GT.  For the additional $5k you get a few more things:  electronic suspension, higher load capacity (are you going to be solo?), a few more electronics like up and down quick shifter.

The Tracer is a great bike, but it is not buttery smooth like a gold wing.  The seating position is great for touring, upright and plenty of leg room (probably more leg room than the gold wing).

I also have a BMW R1200RS and it is a fantastic sport/touring bike, 540 lbs, shaft drive, and all the electronics.  But the ergonomics are a little sporty, although there are bar risers available.  The BMW RT would be the closest to your gold wing and probably 200 lbs lighter.

If you plan to travel on the Tracer in a similar fashion as you did on the Wing, you must take one for a test ride to see if the comfort and ergonomics are what you want.

My guess is that there are many people that can ride the Tracer for 800 miles in one day.  But they are not going to do it with the comfort of a Gold Wing.  So where and how much are you willing to compromise?

Some bikes just don't fit some people, but what you mention seems extreme to me.  Do you have arthritis?  or other medical problems?  I had surgery on my left wrist and (I have three bikes) different bikes give me different "problems" on my wrist, but nothing like what you mentioned.

6 hours ago, kingfisher said:

As Ddog and StealthAu said, everyone will have an individual opinion, mine is the Dunlop Roadsmart 3’s. It is my go to street tire on all my bikes. Good mileage and wet/dry traction with good handling even when they get worn. I’ve had them on bikes from an FZ 09 to a Concours 14, and they were great. A lot better than the stock Dunlops on the GT. 

I also vote for Dunlop Roadsmart 3 with similar experience to Kingfisher.  I've had two sets of Michelin PR's with excellent results but they are more expensive than the Dunlops.

I think you should ride the bike for a few weeks before going for a screen.  I had a similar first experience as yours on the demo ride and the first few rides so I ordered the Yamaha touring screen.  But the Yamaha touring screen was not much different and after about 1000 miles I put the OEM screen back and I have forgotten that I didn't like it at first - I can't really explain why it turned out this way for me, after all the touring screen is much larger.  Bottom line, if you must try another screen, try something other than the Yamaha screen.

BMW plug = Powerlet

I agree with chitown, I have used powerlet many times in the past but currently I prefer a coaxial pigtail, with a 15 amp fuse.  The location of the pigtail here is perfect for heated liners, as well as the battery tender.

2 hours ago, joe72t said:

Good thing I read this thread.

  Is there any way to alter the outlet to use this compressor or I should I just keep it in the car?

 

1. For use with 12-volt DC power outlet rated 15 amps or higher. Do not use with older 8 amp cigarette lighter receptacles.

No, don't alter the outlet.  If you try to get 15 amps through an 8 amp circuit, you will blow a fuse.  If you want to run an air compressor, install a pigtail directly to the battery and run the compressor from there.

I have 4500 miles on my GT now and the handlebar buzz is less than when new.  I had a 2008 FJR that also got smoother as the miles piled on. Do a search for Grip Buddies, they are like open ended Grip Puppies that make for an easy installation on a bike with hand guards --> one end has velcro/tape that sticks to the grips, the other end has Velcro.  Clean the grips, attach one end, wrap the Puppies around the grip, secure with velcro, and done.

Fred, what you wrote is exactly my experience.  OEM not good, Yamaha Comfort better but not good enough, and not sold on Corbin.

I have had three Corbin seats and liked two of them and sold the third one.  The one I didn't like was a one piece seat that replaced the two piece rider and passenger.  That's why I am reluctant to get the Corbin for the GT, like you, I think it will move me back too far.

The two Corbins I liked were a rider seat only on an FJR and on a BMW R1200, those were good.

The GT seats I've seen all lean forward and push me towards the tank, this happens because of the narrow front of the seat to reach the ground on this tall bike.

When Sargent comes out with their seat, or when Corbin comes out with a single rider seat, I might go for one of those.  In the meantime, the Yamaha comfort seat is just barely good enough.

22 hours ago, TorqWrench said:

I haven't tried to downshift with the quick shifter and I don't see a need for it... just my opinion. You could ask Ivan about it. 

I have three bikes, the other two have up/down quick shift.  When I get on my Tracer, I have to keep reminding myself that it doesn't have down QS.  I have gotten used to it and I like it, if I could make all my bikes work the same, I would be willing to spend some money to do that.

I am very interested in the cruise control mod where it works in all gears.  What about modifying the quick shifter to work on downshifts also? Does anybody know if this is possible?  Or done by Ivan or anyone else?

I am at 4,000 miles on my D222 and I'll probably run them to 6,000 miles.  They are adequate, they get the job done, good enough that I won't discard them early for better tires.

I live in Colorado, near lots of curvy roads, my chicken strips are about the thickness of a plain yellow lead pencil, not the lead, the whole pencil.  I am not good enough to slide the tires in a curve.  And I am not crazy enough to go down.  I cannot claim to be a good judge of what a sticky tire does, but confidence is in the mind.  If I have confidence in a tire, I will push it more.

10 hours ago, johnmark101 said:

Wow.....have mercy.  

 

OK, I take it back.

5 hours ago, nhchris said:

Jesus, what kind of dealer installs the battery backwards?

God forbid they work on the actual engine.

cb

He is being pretty hard on the dealer, yet, he damaged the bike, the dealer did not.