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I spent today riding in the sweet spot between Woodsfield and Marietta, Ohio. Bike ran well on fresh oil and a used up rear tire (5100 miles on a Roadsmart III and it's on the wear bars). Deer were no threat to me, nor were turkeys. One dog tried like hell to catch me. One cager crossed way over the center line on OH 536 while looking over her shoulder. She never knew I was there until I had slipped past her. If I'd been driving a car, it would have been a head-on collision. Otherwise, no worries. I packed a lunch and ate at the rest stop in Fly, watching the river from a shady picnic table.

Last weekend I got in 300 miles each day in south central Ohio. I rode with two different groups and had a picnic lunch on the same table each day. Rode by the Otway Bridge the first day and had to check it out the second.

I wave or nod when my hands are occupied. I find the wave during overtaking to be awkward, but I try. I drove a VW bus years ago. The Brotherhood of the Microbus always waved to each other. 😉

Speaking as the former owner of a Yamaha Vision, Honda Hawk GT, Kawasaki KLX650 and GPZ1100E I do not see the FJ-09/Tracer as unpopular. It has already had a major revision and been in the Yamaha line up for twice as long as those other bikes. Maybe that's a skewed perspective. 😉

No names. The only time I talk to vehicles is when I curse at them. 🙂

It's been a long time since I had a pet that didn't meow at me, but when I did he was fast. This is Alex, a whippet who didn't make it as a show dog. He would tire of chasing a tennis ball and let my Spaniel mix, Boo, retrieve it. Twenty feet from me Alex would tackle Boo, take the ball away and bring it to me. Smart, funny, fun and fast.

The contact between metal surfaces within the switch could be lost. I've seen it happen in winter when the metal contracts. One of those maddening problems that goes away after the repair shop brings the bike into the garage and it warms up. You might try turning it on and off with the inconveniently located key and see if the problem persists. or... A similar thing happened with the fuse box on my 1982 Yamaha Vision - in the cold the copper parts would lose contact with the fuses. I had to replace the box with inline fuses.

Oil thread? (sorry. couldn't resist)

I know three guys who have done the TAT twice. They ride DR650's. They tell of difficult sections including a rock stair step formation and stream crossings.

I've had that problem a couple of times. (I have an aftermarket cruise control.) More often it is my sticky rear brake switch which interferes. If the brake light is activated, the cruise control won't work. I clean the switch and I'm good for months.

With a running start! No, seriously. When The side cases are on the bike I turn the bars to the right and use the foot peg as if it were a stirrup. The side cases interfere with my leg swing. I'd prefer that the pillion seat were lower, as it is also a bit of an obstacle for me.

Yes. The Tracer would be a good bike for just about any purpose. It's a good all-rounder. If you like the idea of riding it, then you should be happy with it. With a large trunk added, you should be able to go anywhere two-up. I tour on it with space to spare.

Welcome to the forum and my condolences (for the flat land that surrounds you 😉 I invite you to check out the events my club puts on within easy reach of your area. The MSTA rides twisty routes and enjoys hanging out for a weekend at Corydon, IN; La Crosse, WI; and at our national rally in Cape Girardeau, MO. Non-members are welcome. www.ridemsta.com

2006 at a Mid-Ohio track day.

The sport touring tires I'm running did not perform well on big gravel. Lots of tire deflection.

This situation sounds normal to me. I've had 3 bikes with ABS. I've known 2 of them to lock up at walking speeds in gravel. I seem to remember some discussion when ABS first became widespread that this was to be expected at such low speeds.

I looked up my post about becoming a premium member. Mine will be a year old on the 7th of January. I'll put it in my calendar.

Similarly, I considered adding a Super Tenere this year, but I disliked the 2019 color so much I decided to wait. Now they've brought back the same color. I will not buy that color. I always look forward to EICMA. 🙂

I've been wearing a Shoei Neotec for several years. I just got a Neotec 2. Comfort and convenience are it's major advantages for me. It is fairly quiet, but also fairly warm. I have an oval head and the RF1200 is also a good fit for me. I'm lucky in that I live near Iron Pony, a huge motorcycle accessories and apparel retailer. I tried on all the current modular helmets and narrowed my choices down to the Neotec 2 and the Bell SRT Modular. I chose the Shoei based on past satisfaction with their products, but it was close.

The route was ambitious and the daylight was ending, so we cut it short to just 401.1 miles on the odometer (405.1 according to the gps). The pic shows the roads we were scouting. Earlier this year a Harley rider in Proctorville had told us that he'll never ride 775 again, there are just too many curves on that road. He was half right. He should stay off that road and leave it to us. Lunch at the Mothman and Urban Legends Bar and Grille (the 'e' on the end makes it classy 😉 ) was burgers and sandwiches - not fancy, but good.

I haven't told any non-motorcycle friends yet (except my wife). No one has inquired as to the well-being of the deer. They know the score when it comes to hoofrats. A few days ago a friend was riding in VA at around 10am when a deer struck the side of his R1200GS resulting in $4k damage and a sore leg for the rider. He did not otherwise crash. Keep the shiny side up, friends!

Wild wildlife! It was a mixed weekend for me and wild animals. Previously I had never struck any animal larger than a song bird while riding. A couple of near misses with turkey vultures and one with a deer were years prior. The odds caught up to me big time. Early Friday in southern WV one of the many squirrels we saw dodged the wrong way and went under my bike only to be struck by my left foot peg and boot heel. Not long after that a small black snake slithered very quickly into my path. I was unable to avoid running over it. I’m not overly fond of squirrels in the road, but I am a fan of snakes and their effect on rodent populations, an inadvertent benefit to humans. I felt bad about the snake all afternoon until I saw the bear. On VA 311 west of New Castle I topped a small hill within 20 yards of a bear that seemed to have just crossed the road. It was small, about the size of a large dog. I saw the bear look at me, stand halfway and dash into the woods. I was very happy with the sighting, however my buddy Jim behind me saw nothing but the plywood silhouette of a bear in a driveway across the road. I'm not sure he believed me. 😉 The bear sighting was the most memorable moment of my weekend until I hit a deer. Hoofrats! In the twilight of Sunday evening near Lore City, OH, when I still had my sunglasses on and was thinking I should stop and take them off, a smallish doe jumped from the dim verge into the road in front of me. I had time to brace for impact and picture myself flying over the handlebars before the solid BANG of the collision whacked the bars into my hands. The front wheel did not deflect from its course. The forks did not dive. I had the cruise control engaged and the bike did not slow perceptibly. Over the Blue Tooth communicator Jim asked, “You all right?” I said I was and he told me that the deer was spinning in the road as he passed. We both figured the bike had struck the deer’s hind legs – almost a near miss. Under the lights of a gas station a cracked front fender with fur sticking to it was the only damage we found. In my garage I also identified a lost plastic rivet that connects the side panel of the fairing to the radiator. I washed, inspected and rode the bike on Monday and found everything else to be normal. I know I got off lucky.

The roads, the weather and the fun were as good or better than they have ever been. While there was a little scattered rain on Saturday, maybe only one group of three riders got truly wet. Attendance was light, however, especially Saturday evening when the hotel was booked up for a concert. I rode 1400 miles and none of that was on straight roads for long. On Thursday I rode from Columbus on state routes and county roads both new and familiar. I arrived in plenty of time for the Thursday group dinner at Food and Friends. On a sunny Friday two friends and I rode Fall Colors Route 4, 301 miles of curves that included 60 miles of the BRP sandwiched between very satisfying series of twisty roads. Saturday was ghost town day. I led a ride to visit Thurmond, WV which took us through Prince and past Winona, Sewell and Nuttallburg. Saturday evening it seemed that everyone walked across the hotel parking lot to Ruby Tuesday for dinner, where our table was entertained with tales of run-ins with airport security. (Note: if you work with explosives the dogs will smell it on you. Also, be sure to pack chocolate protein powder for your trip, as vanilla tests positive for nitrates and will introduce you to the same folks as the explosive smell does.) On Sunday a friend and I made a long day of the ride home. We went through the Monongahela National Forest, Smoke Hole Canyon - we saw 2 FJ-Tracers just after leaving Smoke Hole Road, and across the North Woods-like scenery from Mt. Storm Lake to Davis, WV before slipping into Maryland and finally going via the curves to Cambridge, OH. There we split up and headed home. Unlike last year with the stock suspension, the FJ with K-Tech forks and shock was the right tool for all the roads we encountered.

I had steel braided lines installed and I felt no difference. I switched to HH brake pads and that gave the brakes some bite.