thejrod

I hit reserve with about 3.6  (correction about 3.8-3.9 indicated) indicated gallons being used, but I can put in ~4.0 at the pump (the gauge is optimistic). So reserve comes on after about 4 gallons used from a completely full tank.

It's a 4.8 gal tank. Whether or not it holds a full 4.8 is another story. 

On 8/23/2019 at 6:13 PM, duhs10 said:

This comment keeps popping up. I dont understand. You all know that the FJ-09, MT-09 Tracer, Tracer 900, and Tracer 900 GT are all basically the same bike... I assure you that @betoneyis aware of the differences between the models and his experience and advice is worth considering.

Coming from an FZ-09 (MT-09), I can tell you that while they share many components, they ride and feel quite a bit different. The GT is a different bike from the FJ, and handling idiosyncrasies are absolutely going to be affected by completely different suspension and swingarm. 

Sorry if it offends, but one person on a different bike claiming to have no issues has no statistical significance to the many who claim to have the issue on the GT. 

On 8/23/2019 at 8:33 PM, 2and3cylinders said:

 then there's something wrong

Horse is truly dead now

If by something wrong, you mean the chassis just isn't inherently stable, then sure. It's really not a huge concern. A decade of roadracing taught me that even the most minor changes can drastically change how a bike handles. A simple gearing change affects handling...on the same bike. That's why comparing different bikes is invalid. It could be something as simple as some riders sitting farther forward/backward on the seat which may explain why some report it and some don't.

On 8/19/2019 at 1:14 PM, 2and3cylinders said:

That sounds like a tire wear issue or damage to the belts but definitely the tire

Doubt it. Mine has done it since brand new. 

I used the factory yamaha top rack, and mounted my Givi monolock top case to it. I had to drill a few holes. No pics right now, but I'll see if I can get some.

On 8/17/2019 at 5:21 PM, norcal616 said:

This problem seems to only happen when that person takes his/hers hands off the handlebars when slowing down in gear(what gear/RPM?) but does this happen in N ? 

yes, for me at least.

I just mounted mine to the plastic under the headlights. It already has holes. I just backed the bolt with a large fender washer. 

2 hours ago, duhs10 said:

The only change to the chassis was a slightly longer swingarm.  Therefore feedback and advice from FJ owners is relevant. Especially when Tracer owners are reporting the same observations that have been discussed for years.

It has different forks and shock too, no? Thought it did - fully adjustable vs only partially...

Regardless, a 2" longer swingarm is a massive change to any chassis. 

On 7/30/2019 at 4:39 PM, betoney said:

I completely disagree, I believe it is bike setup.  After reading several members experience, I had to go try for myself today.  I tried at least a dozen times on a level road as well as a downward slope and speeds from 40 to 55mph, maintaining a set speed and then suddenly drop both hands off the bars and coast down to 20-25mph (until I got so slow that I started weaving side to side) and couldn't get it to do anything except decelerate in a straight line. 

No luggage on the bike except a tank bag, no hand guards, aftermarket suspension setup track-side by a suspension tuner, forks raised 5mm in the clamps, half worn tires with 38psi F/R.

You have an FJ though, not a Tracer, if I'm reading your signature correctly... this is a Tracer thread. The chassis was changed a fair amount, and if a slightly worn tire, or pressure off by a mere couple pounds makes that big of a difference in the stability of the bike, then yes I would absolutely say the chassis has a fundamental imbalance to it. But before people get their egos hurt, it's OK - many many bikes have similar imbalances. You have to work around them. 

4 minutes ago, chitown said:

Actually it would increase warm up time. No, it doesn't prevent the carcass from flexing as designed... you're not even close to that until you exceed the tire's ratings. Unless you're going to post cold and operating temp pressures there's nothing objective about these statements. Even then folks will debate what an acceptable range is because it's subjective. Running 30 on the street would not work for me. The sidewall would not maintain stiffness. Ymmv.

Based on what? Ideally you want about a 4psi increase from cold to hot pressures, but that's running at pace. On the street, it absolutely will hurt your warm-up by running too high a pressure (I phrased that incorrectly above). You're absolutely wrong about the carcass flex - pressure plays a very important role in how the carcass performs, and you contradict yourself in the last sentence. 

On 8/1/2019 at 5:59 PM, fjrpittsburgh said:

I have no idea how long you've been riding, but all 4 of my bikes for the last 20 years have been at 42 psi for the front tire.  I used to run mid 30's psi like the manual says years ago.  I learned from experienced riders long ago that those lower pressures will cause your front tire to scallop more quickly.  You can certainly run whatever tire pressure you like on your bike and that's fine.  It's your money.  Your claim that 42 psi is way too high is fake news.  😀  Your manual says 36 and you run 33?  LOL

Yeah, 42 is pretty high for a front tire. Riding at 42psi for a very long time over multiple bikes still doesn't make it any more right.

A higher pressure prevents the carcass from flexing as designed, which reduces grip and warm-up time. But yes, you might get better mileage out of the tire, so there's that. I err on the side of performance, personally. I usually run low-30s, even 30psi in the winter. I did get cupping on my PR4s (on my previous FZ09), but they also lasted about 20,000 mi at these pressures.

I too have the wobble. All stock, tires, chain, suspension all set appropriately. 

I think it's a fundamental chassis imbalance - it's not super stable under decel. 

+1 that the GT's TC is lame. In normal riding, TC1 seems fine, but that fact that it doesn't allow wheelies at all is stupid. I turn it off quite a bit just to have a little fun. 

Ducati's TC is pretty phenomenal (as is BMW's on the S1000RR). The GT doesn't need a full IMU-based setup, but c'mon give us on-the-fly adjustable, and maybe 3-5 modes.

Regular tie-downs looped on the hand grips, but not super super tight, and another set from the passenger pegs rearward. 

Mounted mine to the chin fairing plastic. I utilized existing holes. They're not going anywhere.

I just replaced the 2A fuse with a 10A fuse. The wiring gauge is sufficient for a much larger load than 24W/2A. I run a pair of 3000lm fog lights with the accessory circuit - they are 60W/5A.

I'm getting a pretty decent buzz through the bars at around 4k RPM. It's enough (or just the right frequency) to make my hand go numb after a while. 

I had a FZ-09 prior to the Tracer and didn't have the issue. I could remove the handguards and install regular bar-end weights, but I'd prefer to keep the handguards. Anyone have ideas on other solutions?

13 hours ago, bushman57 said:

Theirod,  I’ve been riding in the street for 45 years and I have never seen a bike tire get 20,000 plus miles! 

It was actually 24,000 miles, but the front was in pretty bad shape at that point and I should have replaced both well before that (not fully bald, but definitely past the wear bars). Michelin PR4s, on a FZ09 (a fairly light bike). I put 20k miles per year on my bike, literally nothing but freeway commuting year round. I got about 14,000 on the stock tires on that bike. The GT is heavier, so I doubt I'll get anywhere near those numbers.

They're not bad, not great. I'll be swapping to some PR5s once they wear out. I had PR4s on my FZ09, and they're a phenomenal street tire. Excellent grip in the cold rain, and more than enough dry grip. Longevity was insane too - I got over 20,000 miles on a set.

It's based on the duty cycles of the injectors. It's a fairly precise measurement, but over time some variance is introduced. My gallons-used gauge reads 3.8, and I end up putting in 4.0 (reading from the gas pump). So a bit over 5% optimistic. This affects the Avg MPG reading in the same way. 

So while there is a margin of error to be expected w/ the bike, there's also a margin of error to be expected from the gas pump itself. I'd bet my lunch money that most pumps are calibrated to read ever so slightly on the high side (in favor of the gas station, but within tolerance).

Granted I'm just commuting, but over 200mi is no problem. I do almost exactly 100 miles per day commuting, and I fill up every other day with 199 on the clock. One bar on the gas gauge remaining.

I've been getting better than 50mpg, or 200mi (322km) on about 3.8gal of fuel (14.4l). Gauge usually shows one bar remaining at that point - should be another gallon in the tank still. 

15 hours ago, jsp said:

Tire engineers spend a lot of effort perfecting tire profiles. A 190/55-17 is designed for a 6.00 to 6.25 inch wide wheel. Now put that tire on a 5.50 wheel and you have drastically changed it's profile. The center becomes noticeably more pointed, reducing stability and it becomes a wobbler on a rain grooved freeway. It also  causes the center to flat spot quickly causing an uncertain feeling as you transition entering corners. Another change in the profile is the edge of the tire becomes  unusable. The last inch to inch and half is now at too steep of an angle to be used. If you want to try something different, try a 180/60ZR17.

john

This myth keeps getting repeated...

The difference between 6" and 5.5" is 1/2". Take a 190/55 and squeeze the bead 1/4" in on each side. The profile of the tire barely changes in any way. Go to any roadrace track in the country - everyone from novices to pros are using the bigger tires on their 600s. Do you need that extra performance on the street? Nope, not at all. Might as well stick to the cheaper 180/55 size. But it absolutely won't hurt anything to try it.

Oh and FYI - the Pirelli 180/60 measures out at 190mm - It's just a renamed 190/55.

10 hours ago, jsp said:

Don't put a 190/55ZR17 on a 5.50 inch wide rim. You won't like it.

john

I ran 190/55, 195/65, 200/60 exclusively on my race bikes with 5.5" rims. They're fine.

What you have to account for is the increased height - the 190/55 is a taller tire than a 180/55. The bike will steer a little quicker (not a bad thing - many people drop the front end to get the same/similar effect). The change could also make the bike slightly less stable. 

Color

49 minutes ago, piotrek said:

Knew it was only a matter of time... too funny. Terrible advise for a new rider.

lol

We tell noobs to start on 600 supersports all the time instead of 1000s, and those 600s have more power than the Tracer does. It's no fire-breathing monster, c'mon. It won't bite. Bikes don't magically sense that their riders are inexperienced and launch them to the moon. It's all about control. A hamfisted rider will get into trouble on a 300, but a careful rider can be fine on an H2R. 

Like I said, if we were talking about 200+hp superbikes, then sure. But in the grand scheme of motorcycling, the Tracer is easy to ride and very user friendly.