johnmark101

That does seem a bit odd. Just out of curiosity I looked at mine and do not see this condition. Maybe a thorough inspection of the front end of the bike for any signs it has been down would be wise. It may be nothing to worry about though.

North Georgia has some great roads. Really enjoy going up the south side of Blood Mountain!! Will be in Woodstock tomorrow to drop off my Tracer at Traxxion Dynamics. 👍

This just yesterday while riding my other bike (Ninja 1000). Posted it on another forum so I just did the copy and paste. I was polite, respectful, and only spoke when spoken to. When I needed to get into my tail bag to get my papers I first told him that I had no weapons before opening the bag. He let me go with just a verbal request to slow down. Riding with a friend yesterday when I notice the bike becoming harder to turn. My first thought was a tire going flat. Pulled over and found what appeared to be a very small animal bone stuck in the rear tire. It was about 20 millimeters long and hollow, like a small leg bone. Went right into the center of the rear tire and let the air out of the tire like a tiny straw, as if almost by design to cause me grief. I always carry a tire repair kit and a portable compressor, so I was able to get the show back on the road in about 20 minutes. Fortunately I have a new rear tire in the garage so I can get rid of the plugged tire.Then, not 20 miles down the road I come up behind an SUV on what is my favorite section of twists and turns. Not wanting to miss out on any fun, I pick a spot to pass and what do you know, it's a plain clothes cop and he lights me up. Now I am thinking the world is tryin to tell me that I should have stayed home!! When the officer returned from his vehicle he handed me my license and said "slow down". Okay, feeling like my bad luck turned to good......sort of. The officer pulls away and while I am putting my papers back in my tail bag a voice from about 50 feet away yells, "How do you like that s#*t boy?". I look up and see Root Hog Slim standing in the back of his ratted out pickup truck parked in the field on the other side of the fence. Was not aware of his presence and this must have been the most excitement he has had in a while. (Kentucky back roads go through some sketchy rural areas in some places) He laughs at me and waves his arms in the air in a strange manner. I laugh with him which makes his expression immediately change from elation to anger. I replied that the cop was very nice and did not give me a ticket. He rants, "How would you like it if I came to your house and was riding crazy up and down the road?". I told him that I would probably get my bike out of the garage and join him. This only appeared to make him frustrated as he seemed to want to take some sort of joy in what he perceived as my misfortune. He repeats the question as if my answer would change, and I gave him the same reply. He stares at me like his brain just switched off, mouth hanging open. Just before hitting the start butting I said to him, "I bet all the fat chicks back at the trailer park think you are the boss". His expression was one of disbelief. He screamed "F&%K YOU!", as I pulled away, laughing in my helmet. Somehow, my little exchange with Root Hog Slim made the flat tire and the encounter with the police a bit more palatable. Just wanted to share. 😁😁😁

Sounds like you handled the situation perfectly. It is always best to be polite and cooperative when stopped by the police.

Just ordered one. Says I should receive it no later than September 10th. 😆 Oh well, I am in no hurry.

You mentioned seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. I am also an older rider and we older guys and gals do not heal up nearly as quickly compared to our younger days. Glad you came out unscathed. It can happen so fast sometimes that we do not realize we have crashed until we are already down. For what it is worth, I think going up Blood mountain from the south side is about as good as it gets.

Good luck finding a seat that works for you. I struggled a bit with the stock seat. It was fine for about the first hour then I began to squirm on the seat a bit. Padded shorts helped but still did not extend my comfort much. Add to that the forward slope was still a nuisance. The fit of the Sargent seat to the bike was horrible and sitting upon it did not feel like much improvement. Sent it back right away. Surprised because I had seats from them on two other bikes which were quite good. Terry Adcox has you sit on the bike and take photos, then builds you a custom seat. Yes, it is a bit odd looking on the bike at first but I soon got used to that. The seat is brilliant. All day comfort with no squirming.

Stunning!! I love the mountains. Thanks for sharing the photos.

Have the same issue with my OEM chain. The O rings started shedding quite a bit. I now have 9500 miles and am getting ready to replace the chain and sprockets. With the way I take care of chain maintenance I usually get twice this many miles. Got 23,000 out of the OEM chain on my other bike. It seems as if Yamaha may have gotten a bad batch of chains as several people have reported the O ring issue while others do not.

Nice to learn that Ivan's work is available across the Atlantic. He is well known here as one of the best in the business. I am pretty happy with the results of his reflash as the throttle response is smoother than before. I also have a 2013 Ninja 1000 reflashed by Ivan.

Yes, I agree. Even just getting the rebuild on my Ninja was enough for me to know this as it was a big improvement. I expect what I am doing with the Tracer will be even better, which is why I am willing to pay the price.

Wow.....no need to be rude and insulting to others just because they think differently than you. I have owned many bikes over the years. Even with my first bike I added a fuel controller to improve throttle response and an aftermarket seat because the stock one was not comfortable for me. The changes I have made to the Tracer, ( windscreen, seat, ECU reflash etc.) are all to make a good bike better for me. Professional motorcycle racers will request their engineers make changes to the bike to fit their riding style and make them more comfortable on the bike. This includes things such as fueling, throttle response, suspension, seat placement and even things like how the traction control engages...…….and I am sure they are far better riders than you or I. Seems like most of the guys on this forum disagree with your point of view regarding modifications to the bike. But if you prefer to leave yours exactly as it was from the manufacturer then that is perfectly fine as well.

I don't think Yamaha intended to put a "track only" mode on a sport tourer. Smooth throttle response is even more important on the track where you are pushing the limits of traction and need to be as smooth as possible with your inputs while leaned over and near the limits of available grip. I ride in A mode on the street and find it just fine after the reflash. Before, it was quite abrupt at the point where you crack open the throttle mid corner. It's still not as smooth as I would like, but it is noticeably better. Manufacturers program in a fuel cut off at closed throttle in order to perform better under emissions testing. Getting rid of this improves throttle response. Some bikes will respond better to eliminating this than others. Also, some tuners get better results than others with different bikes...….something to consider. I agree that if you ride the bike only in standard mode, throttle response is decent, but could still be better. Once you have ridden a bike with perfectly smooth fueling anything less is annoying.

For me it was the abrupt fueling that I did not like with the Tracer, mainly in A mode. I have a Ninja 1000 as well as the Tracer and the Ninja had been reflashed by Ivan for the same problem. There was no comparison between the two as the Ninja with the reflash has perfectly smooth fueling that afforded far better throttle control. So, sent the Tracer ECU off to Ivan. I was not after more power for the Tracer and kept the stock exhaust. The main issue was eliminating the fuel cut programmed in at closed throttle. Throttle response is smoother after the reflash. Not quite the results I got on the Ninja, but definitely an improvement. Ivan's Performance Products

Had mine flashed just a few months after purchasing it from the dealer. Yes, I would do it again. I knew I probably would do it before I had even bought the bike.

I did a basic revalve and spring replacement of the OEM forks and shock on my Ninja 1000 and it actually made quite a difference. Drastic improvement in stability and feel with a small but noticeable improvement in bump absorption. The front forks of the Tracer GT feel harsh over less than smooth pavement and are lacking in the ability to absorb sharp bumps. I managed to get everything fairly well sorted on the stock suspension with the exception of the high speed compression, which I could not dial out, even when reducing the overall compression damping up to the point where it was too soft. This is exactly the reason I started contemplating suspension upgrades for the GT. I am pretty certain I would have been happy with just doing the revalve and spring replacement for the forks and shock as I did with my Ninja, but this bike will see more touring duty and I want a smooth ride but not at the expense of excellent handling......so for that reason I bit the bullet and ordered the new rear shock and AK-20's. The cost sucks but I am pretty sure that will be long forgotten after the first ride on the new suspenders.

No, just wanting to upgrade the suspension as I plan on keeping this bike for a long time.

Yes, the AK-20's are going to provide more compliance and a smoother ride while still giving you better handling, feel and feedback than just doing new springs and valves......but it's quite a bit more money. However, even doing the Axxion valves and new springs will be a significant upgrade from the stock bits. I did that on my Ninja 1000 and was pleased with the results.

After a second discussion with Dan at Traxxion, I decided to go with the AK-20's and a Penske 8983 rear shock. It should give me all the handling performance and more of the rebuild option, as well as better bump absorption and more complaint ride for touring. They had to order the shock and it will take about three weeks before it is built and shipped.

One thing I did not mention is that I have a 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 which I had Traxxion do a rebuild of the stock bits front and rear three years ago. Huge improvement in handling and cornering. The stock rear shock on that bike was pretty bad. My only disappointment is although general ride quality was improved overall, it is still a bit firm, even after some fine tuning, and I would like a little more bump absorption for a smoother ride when touring. I am guessing that the more expensive route would give me that plus all that the rebuild offers. They quoted me $1200 for the rebuild and $2700 for the AK-20 / Penske.....but that is with them doing the work. When I took them my Ninja it was $1200 / $2400.

Looking for opinions from those who may have gone the cheaper route of doing a revalve / respring of both the forks and shock. Spent some time on the phone with Dan at Traxxion. We discussed three options. Rebuilding the stock suspension bits with new springs and valves, or going the AK-20 / Penske shock route. The latter is much more expensive and I am a bit of a tight wad when it comes to spending money. The third option would be AK-20's for the front and a rebuild at the rear, which would strike a cost between options one and two. My concern with this would be that the performance of the forks might overshadow a rebuilt rear shock. I know the more expensive route will be brilliant performance wise and would add compression adjustment to the rear. I would like to hear from those who have gone the more affordable route and how happy are you with the results? My biggest gripe with the stock suspension is the harshness of the front fork and how it chatters over less than smooth pavement. Thanks in advance for any replies. Cheers.....John.

I agree. Modern motorcycle tires are so good that any of them from a major brand will work very well and provide all the grip anyone will ever need for the street. For most of us a good sport touring tire is ideal. I shop for price among the trusted brands. Right now Metzeler has introduced the M9RR which replaces the M7RR. So now you can get the M7RR at close out prices while supplies last. They perform like a sport tire but last a bit longer and are very good in the wet. Plenty of grip for cornering at deep lean angles. After I tried them on my bike I ordered a second set to have when the first one wears out.

Beautiful country!!! Many years ago my father and I drove through the Canadian Rockies and the views there are absolutely breathtaking. I have owned three sport tourers. Honda VFR 800, Kawasaki Ninja 1000 and currently the Tracer GT...…..just as shown in the first picture. Pretty cool to see them all together. I still have the Ninja 1000 but the VFR is long gone.

First, it appears you are in NC. No better place for riding and the Tracer would be right at home in the NC mountains. Comfortable enough to tour all day and light enough to toss around on some of the best mountain roads in the country. It is a fantastic bike for those of us who want touring capability but prefer something light and agile. It is, however, not without it's warts. For most the stock seat is not too comfortable for long rides, the stock windscreen creates a lot of buffeting, and the fueling is a bit abrupt in "A" mode. These are all easily remedied. Ivan has a good reflash for the fueling. Windscreen options are many as are seats. (Love my Terry Adcox seat!!) The riding position is just about perfect. Nice that it has adjustable bars and seat height so it can be fine tuned a bit if needed. Bike is a load of fun when hunting apexes, and the GT model stock suspension is pretty decent unless you are a big guy. The heated grips and cruise control work beautifully and are two things I did not know I needed until I had them. The engine is absolutely brilliant, very torquey but still screams all the way to redline like an inline four and it really never feels strained. The engine is one of the main reasons I bought the bike. More than enough power to put a grin on your face, and it just seem eager to do whatever you ask of it. I look forward to each and every ride, knowing that I can go as far as I want in comfort, and still keep up with the sport bikes when the road gets twisty.

Welcome. Lots of good guys and gals here and a wealth of information regarding the your bike. Cheers...…..John.