johnmark101

I love the area so much I tried to convince the wife that we should move there.  Lost that battle, but at least it is not that far away.  The new section of the Foothills Parkway which opened recently is very nice.

I recently did a three day, 1200 mile ride and the stock seat was pretty uncomfortable.  Like you I am looking for a replacement.  Why the heck Yamaha sells the bike in your market with unpainted pannier lids is beyond me!!

I have had such good luck with Yuasa I never bothered to try another battery.  I would imagine there are likely better choices but since I reliably get about four or five years out of them I have not bothered to switch.

During the winter I leave them in the bike connected to a Battery Tender and don't start them until I am ready for the first ride in the spring.  

Was in the area earlier this week.  Took my first road trip on the GT.  Only issue was with the stock seat.  It was not horrible but on the ride there my backside did get a bit sore.  

20 hours ago, chitown said:

 

IMO working on the software between the bars is the best method of increasing safety and works on all bikes. Lights, horns, pipes, hi viz used to be part of my plan but didn't decrease the blind and deaf trying to kill me. Now I spend the money on suspension, tires, gear with best impact and abrasion protection, and training. Not a popular opinion here but decades in Los Angeles traffic makes me old, crotchety, and set in my ways. Yes, it's just my anecdotal data. Ymmv.  

I agree.....especially the part about the "software".  

I am 58 years old and just came back from a 3 day, 1200 mile ride and the bike performed beautifully.  My only gripe is with the stock seat which I plan on replacing.  No weight on the wrists at all and otherwise very comfortable.  As said before you definitely want to get a test ride on one.  Keep in mind that the stock screen is crap and creates a lot of noise and buffeting at speed.  There are several, affordable aftermarket screens for this bike that work well.  

One thing I did notice when the bike was new is that there was a good bit of engine vibration.....not the high frequency type but more of a thrumming like a v-twin.  After about 1000 miles it went away.  The engine in this bike is a real gem.  Plenty of power and still gets decent fuel mileage.

7 hours ago, koth442 said:

I'm sorry the Dragon's 313 corners in 11 miles doesn't have shit on Hwy 36 out of Red Bluff. 

Dragon is only one very short road that gets too much attention.  The mountains beyond there hold hundreds of miles of great riding as I am sure you know.  

I would love to live in a place with weather like California where I could ride all year long.  Had an uncle who I used to visit in Del Mar and it is very nice!  But all things considered I would still choose NC over California in a heartbeat.  

Western North Carolina would be my first choice. Anyone who has spent much time riding in that area knows the abundance of great mountain roads.  The Appalachian mountains are loaded with great twisting roads in all directions where NC, TN and GA share borders.  These roads are easily accessible from any number of towns and cities in the area and real estate in most places is reasonable as well.   

The look on his face says it all.   👍  

I am still on the stock seat and will be waiting for the Sargent.  👍

Modern motorcycle tires (the sport and sport touring variety) are incredibly good.  Any tire from one of the major brands will perform very well with some differences between them in handling characteristics and mileage.  The good news is you really can not go wrong whatever you choose.  

Having said this, my favorite so far is the Roadsmart 3.  For me these seem to be a little more on the sport side of the sport touring equation with some of the DNA from the superb Q3 sport tire.  In terms of dry grip they are very impressive for an ST tire.   

Installed a Powerlet this evening.  It sits just in front of the left passenger peg bracket and is wired directly to the battery.  Has a 15 amp fuse.  Can be used to charge a cell phone, run a compressor or plug in a battery tender etc.  They are kind of pricey but pretty robust and well made.  Have one on my Ninja 1000 since 2013.  

I don't know what the exchange rate is between Aussie money and the dollar, but the GT has been selling for around $11,500 to $11,700.  

The Multistrada is more bike than the Tracer GT for sure, but on the road the GT is all I will ever need, about $7000 dollars cheaper and far better reliability.  

16 hours ago, fjrpittsburgh said:

@Coop I installed a rearset Powerlet outlet with the included bracket in front of the left passenger footpeg.  My heated gear power cord is on the bottom left of my heated jacket liner.  That location works perfectly for me.

That is a nice , clean application.  Was there an easy path for routing wires without cutting anything?  Looks like it would come out through the small gap at the bottom of the silver trim piece above.

Many have changed out the stock screen for something shorter.  The stock screen seems to create a lot of turbulence and wind noise.  I am 6' 1" and went with the Puig sport screen and it was a big improvement.  I think the MRA sport screen seems to be the most popular choice but a good bit more expensive.

I plan on getting a Powerlet or something similar to connect directly to the battery so that I can plug in a portable compressor.  In the meantime can a phone be safely charged on the outlet near the headlamp?

22 hours ago, betoney said:

What part of the country are these for rent?  I have always wanted to ride some of the Eastern States, Virginia, Carolina's, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee etc. but the nearly 6,000 miles just to get there and back and extensive vacation time kills that idea quickly.  If I could fly and ride, especially a newer GT, that idea might be worth considering for me and some buddies. 

The states you mentioned (especially North Carolina) have hundreds of miles of the best mountain roads in the country and it would be well worth the trip if you could fly and rent.  I would be living in NC right now if the wife would agree to the move!

Just 800 miles on mine so far.  Weather and other obligations have kept me from riding as much as I wanted to since purchasing the bike near the end of last month.  I am impressed with the versatility of this bike.  It strikes the perfect balance between sport and touring without disappointing at either.  So much fun to ride no matter the road.

On ‎4‎/‎1‎/‎2019 at 8:56 PM, Nuckingfuts said:

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Racer Gloves. I've had several $200+ track gloves over my life but when I put these on they without a doubt, blew every other glove away! 

I'm not usually an outspoken advocate for gear but if you haven't seen/worn their gloves you should do yourself a favor and get some. My first pair were their older High Speed model which survived 3 high speed (no pun intended) get offs on the road track and countless lower speed get offs on the supermoto track before I retired them. I've since replaced them with the new model glove and also have the Mickey model which is a short gauntlet glove. 

Dont pass these up if you're in the market for gloves.

Scroll up this page and look at my post from three months ago.  I mentioned Racer Gloves and even posted a link.  Best gloves I have ever worn.

Add me to the list of those looking for a new seat.  It is not so bad that I can not live with it.  I am holding out for a Sargent as I have had good luck with their seats in the past.

Ordered The R&G engine case covers and was considering their frame sliders.  I know some of you have the crash bars which definitely will do a better job but I am interested in seeing what some of you are using in the way of frame sliders.  Pictures would be great as well.  Thanks in advance.

Well done!  You passed very near my home.  Should you come this way again I could offer you some tips on some great local roads.

6 hours ago, StealthAu said:

I could be wrong, but I don't believe there is provision for tuning quickfhift cuts for the GT yet. Do you know what software Ivan uses?

I do not know if it is still the case but at one time Ivan had developed his own software with the help of a partner.  It is what he used to reflash the ECU of my Ninja 1000.  More information here...……..

My initial thoughts were to get rid of them for the Roadsmart 3 or maybe even the Metzeler M7RR.  My last new bike I got rid of the OEM tires at about 800 miles as they were not to my liking.  I think these are decent enough to keep for a while but will probably not keep them until they are fully worn.  

On ‎5‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 12:53 AM, runnerhiker said:

Lots of good tires available today.  I have used PR4's with great results, but my favorite are Dunlop Roadsmart for great price/performance.  I've never tried Shinko, but I see your point, no sense in changing what has worked for you in the past.

Ran a set of the Roadsmart 3 on my Ninja 1000 and was very impressed with them.  Pretty good in the wet and excellent dry performance for an ST tire with lots of grip.