johnmark101

9 hours ago, Ride365 said:

What's it matter....will likely be more reliable than any of what you mentioned?

Based on the best data on motorcycle reliability that I have found so far,  and the Pan American being similarly reliable to their other products, it should be a bit more reliable than European brands, but still well behind the Japanese brands.

For me, the fact that dealerships are abundant is no consolation to experiencing reliability issues. 

Hope the bike does well in the real world.  Time will tell.

When I have installed chains I use a digital caliper to measure the size of the flare.  I read somewhere that 5.3 to 5.8 mm is correct, so that it what I have always used.  Just don't over flare the rivet or it will crack.  I take my time, flare it a little and measure until I reach the desired size.

54 minutes ago, betoney said:

I think HD deserves a lot of praise simply for stepping out of the comfort zone and shaking up the motorcycling industry in a way that hasn't been seen in quite awhile, and they are going above and beyond hosting multi-day events to allow journalists test rides. 

Go read motorcycle review websites or message forums, the online community is alive with buzz about this new machine.

If nothing else, the Adaptive Ride Height alone deserves praise as an innovative feature as no other bike on the planet offers it.

I have read a few ride reviews as well as all the specifications regarding the bike.  Yes, it appears they have done a good job of building a competitive adventure touring bike with a lot of modern design, engineering and good performance.  Yes, I am well aware of the "buzz" surrounding this bike, and it is for good reason, especially for the HD faithful of which there are many.  Regarding for the adaptive ride height, it's a good innovation for those who may have shorter inseams but seems more of a gimmick to me.  I am more impressed with other features of the bike such as the hydraulic lifters which do not require the usual valve clearance service interval.    

But for me, it has to prove itself in the real world, in the hands of the final consumer, over time.  When we see examples that have put in lots of miles in the hands of end users and some data on reliability and durability, then we will know if we have a winner.  

I hope it does well.

The reviews for the Pan American have been good but I believe long term performance and reliability need to be proven before any praise is heaped upon the bike.  

Former coworker of mine walked out of his local HD dealership when they demanded three thousand over list price for the bike.  He is now considering the new 2021 Tracer 9. 

I may be among the minority here but I always wear leathers that will pass track day inspection.  I have a one piece as well as a two piece.  RS Taichi makes some really well perforated leather jackets and pants that flow a lot of air but still provide excellent protection.  

On 5/18/2021 at 7:36 AM, petshark said:

It was original. I bought the bike with less than 5000 miles on it and it is the same design as on the official Tracer pictures. When I received the new sprocket I was amazed that it's teeth have no slope on the side. Is the below wear from misalignment or just a different design? I looks almost too crisp and symmetrical to be wear to me..

 

That taper on the teeth of the rear sprocket is correct and aids the sprocket in meshing smoothly with the chain.  If your new sprocket does not have this taper on the sides of the teeth my guess is that it missed a machining process and it will likely cause premature chain wear.  

Welcome to the forum from a big Jonathan Rea fan in Kentucky.  

5 hours ago, betoney said:

Polyester blend (NEVER cotton) vented boxer briefs, as well as powder.

This for sure.  The right type of underwear makes a big difference.

30 minutes ago, Yamajank said:

Is this kind of oily residue in the air box normal?

Not unusual to get a little oil blow back through the crankcase breather hose.  Have seen this on my bikes before. 

27 minutes ago, Yamajank said:

Do you have the smell?

 

No smell.  I do not have any of the symptoms you describe.  

A richer fuel mixture can eventually cause issues with the catalytic converter from what I understand.  However I had Ivan flash my ECU (2019 GT, completely stock) over 10,000 miles ago and have no issues.

First, congrats on your upcoming to move to Ashville.  it Is beautiful country and offers lots fantastic roads for motorcycling.  You are going to love it there!!!

You will have good roads all around you, but some of my favorites are a short ride from Ashville in the western part of NC, east TN and northern Georgia.  

Some must rides are Cherohala Skyway, NC 28, Foothills Parkway, Tail of the Dragon and up the south side of Blood Mountain.  There are many others.

Hook up with some local motorcyclists and prepare to enjoy!!

18 hours ago, Ride365 said:

I love the whine, I assume this engine has gear driven cams? 

This bike has chain driven camshafts.  

When tuning the suspension to suit your riding, only make one change at a time, and in small increments.  Otherwise you can not be sure of which change gave you what result.  Be patient as sometimes it takes a good bit of riding and tuning to get where you want to be.

Preload is measured and once set correctly should not have to be changed unless you add a passenger or loaded luggage.  You can get a decent baseline on your rebound by pushing down on each end and observing the rate at which the suspension returns.  Compression damping, at least for me, was the last thing to get sorted out as I had to do a good bit of riding over various types of roads to find the right setting for absorption vs firmness for stability in cornering.

Good aftermarket suspension can be expensive but is a game changer and a good investment if you plan on keeping the bike for a good while.  

It's a good looking bike and will likely sell well.  

But I have a hard time with this bike when I consider the Kawasaki ZX6R-636 is way more bike for only another 1000 bucks.  Look at the specifications and you will see what I mean.  

This really stinks.  I am not sure but I think I may have stripped a few when I did my new chain and sprockets.  They all seem to be holding fine.  However I was using the factory specs and the original nuts and the torque wrench would not click off.  So I stopped and checked them for tightness with a standard wrench and socket and they felt secure.  I keep an eye on them and will probably end up in the same situation as you in about 25,000 miles when I need to replace them again.  In the meantime all seems okay.    

I think the factory specification for the rear axle nut according to the service manual is 110 foot pounds......which seems ridiculously tight.  Other bikes I have owned were around 75 to 85 foot pounds.  When changing tires I torqued the rear axle to 85 foot pounds and called it good.  No issues.

I would not be concerned with issues due to it being a new model.  If you want it and have the money to buy it.......jump in.

2 hours ago, Wintersdark said:

Yeah, the Ninja feels more sport-bike.   I suspect that's more the I4 + sportier riding position, really - the less upright posture, narrower, lower bars, and less leg room.  

I prefer the CP3 for day to day riding, though.  It's less refined for sure, but more grunty and fun.

Overall I prefer the Tracer as well.  Very capable of apex hunting and much more comfortable for repeated long days in the saddle. 

But my Ninja has way more low and midrange grunt than my Tracer.  Both have reflashed ECU's by the same tuner.  The Ninja makes over 140 horsepower and around 80 foot pounds with great low end and mid range thrust.  Don't get me wrong though, as I think the CP3 motor is brilliant and has more than enough power.  I love the way it rips all the way to the redline and never feels strained.  But that long stroke Ninja motor, especially the 2011 ~ 2013 is a real beast.  In 2014 they changed the camshafts and less gains could be made with tuning.

On 5/8/2021 at 7:26 AM, fjray said:

I'm surprised that the Tracer is roomier than the Ninja. Two bikes is about a must I've concluded.

Yes, the Ninja is still pretty comfortable and I have done some touring with it but it has less leg room and the bars are a bit lower in comparison to the Tracer.  

Two things that immediately attracted me to the Tracer are the upright riding position, leg room and light weight.  The Ninja is 514 pounds curb weight and that is without the luggage in place.  But it somehow manages to feel more on the sport side of the sport touring equation than the Tracer.

I noticed something similar with my 2019 GT.  I could pump the forks up and down and would feel a mild "clunk" upon rebound.  It was still there after setting up the suspension for my weight and riding style but it never bothered me.

I upgraded the suspension with some good aftermarket parts and now that feeling is gone.  Don't really think it was ever a problem though.

I am surprised that your relationship with the Ninja 1000 lasted only for a year.  I have a 2013 Ninja 1000 as well as my 2019 Tracer GT.  The Ninja is a great all around road bike and to me feels better put together than the Tracer.  However the Tracer is the better long distance companion with much roomier ergonomics and the lovely character of the triple engine.

I keep the Ninja atound for days when I want to rip the local twisties with a bit more aggression.

I ordered the part for the brake switch recall over one month ago.  It has still not arrived at the dealer.

For me the best part would be not so much the amount of good roads, but the extended riding season!!  I live not too far from the Appalachian mountains where there are lots of fantastic roads but winter sucks around here.

On 4/15/2021 at 11:05 PM, Warchild said:

Well, decision has been made - now to sell a kidney to pay for this madness. 🙄

My Suspension guru and I went back and forth for days, discussing the merits of re-springing the factory shock, a possible Race Tech implementation for the forks, or whether to bite the bullet for an Ohlins solution. We discussed costs, benefits, pros/cons of going either way, etc. Also, availability came into play - this needs to happen fairly asap, because the first several thousand mile run begins exactly 60 days from today.

In the end.. the Ohlins argument won the day, even with it's painful cost... it's mega-$$$. 😣

Rear end will be the Ohlins YA537 shock:

Front end will be the Ohlins NIX 30 Cartridge Kit FKS 504. Both the front and rear Ohlins will be custom-sprung to do the job in it's main role: carrying me and Warchild-wife on long tours through desert highways with lots of mountain work, with the Tracer fairly well loaded with gear.

 

Please don't ask for the total costs, it will just bummed me out.  😕  Prices are available on the web - suffice to say this exercise will be well in excess of 2 Large.  😖

Had long, long discussions with him leading up to the decision - it appears I have fallen in love with the Tracer much more than I ever imagined I would, and I intend to keep this bike for many, many years to come. So while it a painful initial outlay, I expect it to be amortized over the next decade or so.

So... who needs a kidney.... 🙄

 

Once you have spent some time on your new suspension the pain of the cost will fade away.  I did a similar set up with a Penske 8983 and AK-20's.  Probably not as nice as the Ohlins components but the improvement in control and bump absorption is remarkable.  The cost for mine was probably about the same since I took my bike to Traxxion Dynamics and let them do all the work from start to finish so there was more labor cost involved. 

The upside to mine was that I was without the bike for only six hours. 

Don't sweat the cost.........worth every penny!!!