wanderer

I've got both bikes in my garage ... CB500X was my first bike, and I just got the T900GT in December. IMO both great bikes. CB500X is light, simple and economical. Great gas mileage (I'd regularly get 65MPG if I kept the speed below about 65MPH, but 40MPG at 85MPH). I've taken it on 2000 mile multi-day trips. At high speeds the engine is more rev'd out and not much acceleration is available; eventually it left me wanting more passing power. The T900 is a bit heavier, stable, powerful. It is more comfortable at speed and always has something in reserve for passing. I get about 40-45MPG (premium). If you get the GT you've got all the extra amenities. Personally I really like the sleek narrow side cases I can fit through traffic in California. Either bike is fine for commuting. CB500X is more practical and sips regular fuel. I like it for the surface street commuting. If you have some open road to get more speed, T900GT will ultimately be more satisfying. For some reason, when I penciled out the insurance (assuming I kept one bike) it came out less for the T900GT. My best guess was the safety features like TC and ABS (neither are on my CB500X). With Mode B and traction control and you should be fine with the T900, although I must admit the throttle has surprised me a couple of times!

How many horsepower does that two-wheeler have?

Not sure if you are referring to Yamaha parts for the side cases, or after market. I have installed the side case supports for the 2018 FJ-09 on the 2019 T900GT successfully. It works out perfectly for the 2019 T900GT side cases, and it improves the horrendous foot crowding problem of the stock T900GT given the pilot foot peg to passenger foot peg distance. It changes the pilot's foot clearance from ~7.5" to ~9". IMO that is still a little crowded, but I expect I'll get used to it with my US 9 size feet. I can get on the balls of my feet now. I may leave it with no passenger foot pegs, or add 2018 FJ-09 passenger pegs, or even try FZ-09 pegs.

This might well fix the issue for me. I went for a brief 15 minute ride (before the rains we expect in San Diego today), and while there could be a little more room I think this is at a level where I would just get used to it. 2018 FJ-09 passenger foot pegs could be installed over these, but would still result in some reduction of pilot foot room since they'd fill up the outside of those brackets. I don't carry a passenger, I don't give a hoot about passenger comfort, but it does seem like a useful thing for emergencies. So I was thinking of seeing if the FZ-09 passenger foot pegs could be installed over these side case brackets. We'll see.

The stays end up in the same place and support the side cases. Looks like no problems to me. Here are some pix with the side cases on. 2019 T900GT side cases with the 2018 FJ-09 side case brackets.

Of course this is a riding style thing, some won't mind at all, but it really bothers me that I am not able to move my feet around. I find it a rather nutty design by Yamaha. So, two major things have happened since my last post. 1. I bought the bike! Eyes wide open, with full knowledge that I had to do something about the foot situation. 2. I tried out the previous mentioned idea ... 2018 FJ-09 side case bracket (with or without the actual FJ-09 passenger foot pegs, at the moment I don't have them) It works! and it buys about 1.5 inches.

@texscottyd - thanks!

I am looking for the older FJ-09 set up. But you are making legit connections ... I am really wondering if I could use the FJ-09 side case bracket mounted directly to the Tracer 900 GT frame and remove the T900GT passenger foot pegs altogether. I have posts on the T900GT subforum about how the passenger foot pegs crowd the rider pegs and make the bike a no-go for me. Trying to figure out a solution giving my feet enough room and keeping the side-cases. I never do two-up riding.

Say texscottyd, could you please also show a picture where the side case bracket mounts to the frame, and how that relates to the passenger foot peg bracket mount to the frame? I am trying to visualize how the side-case bracket could be attached to the same holes (I assume) without moving the foot-peg bracket.

Thanks for your reply and helpful pictures. I am amused that your avatar picture is of exactly the structures in question!

I am looking for the instructions for installation of the OEM side cases for the FJ-09. In particular, for the support bracket. The specific question I want to answer is: can the side case support bracket be installed if the passenger foot pegs are removed? Or does the case bracket need to attach to the foot peg bracket?

So far I haven't bought the bike simply because of this issue. In fact, I recycled the whole list of bikes I've thought of (Versys 1000 LT, Ducati MS 950, Triumph Tiger 800,...). My initial parameters, with "fun" presumed as a given, were simple: <500lbs, >90HP, and reliable with readily available parts. I've gone in a circle and come back to the Tracer 900 GT. So I have an idea. Can I use the FJ-09 side case bracket and then either an FJ-09 or FZ-09 passenger foot peg? Does anyone know if these will fit? From pictures, it looks like the FJ-09 side case bracket mounts directly to the subframe, not the rider foot peg bracket, is that correct? If so then it looks like it should work. Then FJ-09 passenger foot pegs would be a compromise (more rider space, moderate passenger), or FZ-09 would be maximum rider space and minimum passenger space (but still able to take a passenger in a pinch).

Can you explain this some more? Do you have a link to the accessory you are talking about? I can't find anything like this. Thanks!

I should have taken a picture of my foot on it. There is a picture 3/4 down in this review: https://www.bike-urious.com/first-ride-2019-yamaha-tracer-900gt/ "My size 12 boots often bumped up against the passenger footpeg mounting brackets. I could never put the ball of my foot on the pegs to vary seating position and maintain comfort during long riding sessions. If you’re solo riding all the time, you can unbolt the brackets." Similar to that picture, my heel hits the big rear bracket, not just the peg or the peg pivet. I can move my whole foot out a little and rest the ball of my foot on the front peg and my heel on the pivot, but then my foot is half way off of the front foot peg. The position is roughly equivalent to what you could get by removing the rear peg and grinding off the pivot; since my foot is then half off the front peg (less secure) I don't find this a solution for me. The FJ-09 is better in this regard, it has a couple extra inches. Perhaps the old FJ-09 foot pegs mounted on a 900GT would work, and perhaps the FJ-09 side-case bracket would also work with this setup (?). It seems likely that a solution will have to include a custom bracket for the side cases. These Rizoma adjustable passenger pegs for the FJ-09 (http://www.rizoma.com/street/yamaha/pe680/en?MOTO=57587068-50462991-R) intrigued me (40mm rearward relative to the FJ-09 starting point, 30-50mm lower). But it says explicitly "Warning: the PE680B cannot be installed with Yamaha OEM saddlebags." Also perhaps some kind of forward adjustment of the rider foot pegs?

I've developed quite an interest in this bike, but I see one major issue which bothers me a lot ... the passenger foot pegs are too close to the rider foot pegs! It is something like 8.5inches / 21cm. From the ball of my foot to the bottom of my heel. I've seen this mentioned in reviews. https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2018/07/17/2019-yamaha-tracer-900-gt-review-22-fast-facts/ "The downside is that the passenger footpeg brackets conflict with the heels of the pilot, making it difficult for them to ride on the balls of their feet." https://www.cyclenews.com/2018/08/article/2019-yamaha-tracer-900-gt-riding-impression/ "the passenger pegs sit too close to the rider’s making it hard for the rider with bigger feet to get on the balls of the foot for sports riding. If you have small feet, this mightn’t prove to be a big issue, but it drove me nuts across the test day." I've finally gotten to sit on it over the last few days, and this one thing I do not like. It is definitely a riding style thing; many people might not mind. But I shift my foot back in curves, and run right into the passenger foot peg bracket. Can you just remove the passenger foot pegs? No, because the side cases are attached to them. I am quite frustrated that such a weird design choice would be the deal killer! I walked around the dealership and no other bike comes close in terms of a cramped rider foot peg configuration. Anyone else have experience with this? Ideas for work arounds? All I can think of at the moment is have some custom build brackets just to mount the side case hardware to. I would think a lot of people may run into this, and eventually some after market thing will exist, like the foot peg eliminator kits (e.g. https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/rg-racing-footpeg-blanking-plate-yamaha-fz-09-fj-09-xsr900).