Michiel900GT

Ah ok, that's different than in other countries. In the Netherlands for example, a demo bike can have a lot of milage when you buy it, but officially you can still be the first owner (and still have 2 years of warranty).

I think BMW isn't copying HD. They don't have to as they have enough heritage of their own. Just look at the BMW R5 from 1935 and you'll see where the R18 inspiration is coming from.

Selling demo bikes at the end of the season is quite normal. It adds to the number of bikes sold which might result in a bigger bonus from the importer for the dealer. Very often demo bikes are only formally registered once sold to a client. Also, selling it now might be financially more interesting as next year the bike will be from an "old" model year and thus less valuable. And having the bike in the showroom during the winter is just money sitting there doing nothing. And the importer and/or Yamaha might actually demand from a dealer that they buy a demo bike from the latest model year with the latest colours every season. You would be surprised through what hoops car/motor dealers need to jump in order to become and remain an official dealer.

Some European countries have agreements on how to handle fines from each others citizens. For example: If I would get a speeding ticket in Germany (by an automated system, not when the Police actually put me to a stop), the German authorities will send it to the Dutch authorities. The Dutch authorities will check if the speeding ticket is legit and authorized (as in: really from the German authorities) and will send me a ticket in the name of the German authority which I than have to pay to the Dutch authorities. In the Netherlands we can get points on our driver license (if you get too many points, you get an extra penalty). The Germans have that as well, but these points are not transferred from one country to another. So if I get enough points in Germany I might risk that I am not allowed to drive in Germany for a while. This however is not transferred to the Dutch authorities. So I might be forbidden to drive in Germany, but will still be allowed to drive in the Netherlands. There is a catch though. If I screw up really bad in Germany, I might be ordered (even after I return to the Netherlands) to go to Germany and hand over my drivers license. And although that penalty is not transferred to the Netherlands, if I don't have my license with me, I am not allowed to drive in the Netherlands. Be aware, this all depends on the agreements between European countries. There are countries that don't have agreements and in that case a speeding ticket will not be send to from one country to another (again: in case you were not stopped by the Police immediately). But you might avoid going back to the country in which you got that ticket because if you haven't paid a ticket within a certain time frame, you risk being jailed. Quite a surprise if you weren't aware you even got a ticket......

For a non-US person this thread gives an interesting insight on US traffic laws. Never realised that there are so many differences between states.

And the Tracer is already sold by the dealer. In less than a week. It's a popular bike, so it seems. Of course, my tracer was in mint condition and equipped with a lot of extra's.

Unfortunately, while driving a 160km tourride I encountered a problem. The quickshifter broke down.... So I detoured to the dealer and they have ordered the part. I have an appointment for the first 1000km service in 1.5 week so they will replace it then. Hope this is not a sign of the build quality.

There are a few reasons why I personally find the Tiger to be more touring oriented. The main reason is the riding position. With a more upright position and a bigger leg/knee angle it is just more comfortable to ride for longer periods. The second reason is the comfort the seat provides. I find there’s less tendency to slide forward on the seat and it’s more supportive than the stock Tracer seat. Of course, when riding long enough one starts experiencing some saddle pain (not sure if that term translates well from Dutch), but for me I was able to ride for several hours (5+) before I was getting a bit of a numb behind. Another reason is the fact that the Tiger has a torque characteristic that is a bit less sporty than the Tracer. The Tracer really comes to life from 5000 rpm and up. And from 5000 to 10000 rpm the Tracer is so much fun to ride. But I’m not a big fan of high revs for prolonged riding. The Tiger behaves more like a big twin, inviting the driver to relaxed riding by providing torque from low revs. It’s just a personal preference, but for me I like to drive rather more relaxed than I like to ride sporty. The final reason (again a personal one) is the fact that the Tiger has a very different frame and wheelbase geometry when compared to the Tracer, resulting in very different cornering behavior. Yes, it does take more effort to let the Tiger “fall” into a corner than a Tracer. But the Tiger is tends to be more steady in corners. It follows exactly the line you planned for it to follow. It does hav a drawback though: the Tracer allows you to “throw” it from one corner into another very easily. It’s steering is more agile and great for very tight turning. That being said, the Tiger is not slow in cornering either, but just not as sporty and agile like the Tracer. I can think of a lot of comparisons to express the difference between the Tiger and the Tracer. But if they were dogs, the Tiger would be a Labrador: friendly, calm, willing to play but at the end of the day just a relaxed dog that wants to serve you. Where as the Tracer would be more like a Husky: full of energy, challenging you to push it to the max and with more attitude. I’m more the Labrador owner. Why I choose the Rally Pro over the GT Pro? I did like the riding position of the Rally Pro better. It’s higher and the steering bar is wider and more forward resulting in a better position for my back. Another reason was the fact that I found the suspension better. It has a longer travel. The GT Pro has electric rear suspension but I had to put its preload into at least “ rider + luggage” mode and the damping into sporty. Otherwise I would hit the end of the travel when riding over speed bumps at moderate speeds. And I’m not too heavy (83 kilo). To be honest, the steering bar of the Rally Pro is a bit far away from your body. It is meant to be, as it should also be in a good position when standing upright during off-road riding. But after a riding it for a whole day I do tend to feel a bit of a burning spot between the shoulders. I will be putting 2” risers on the bike anytime soon as I think that would solve this.

I picked up the Tiger on Friday afternoon. In just over 2 days I did 800km. I must say I love the bike. Compared to the Tracer it is more touring oriented. The Tracer is definitely more agile when it comes to cornering and turning, but I feel more confident on the Tiger. All in all I'm very pleased with the Tiger so far. If I could afford it I would have kept my Tracer as well, just because I love the looks and it is great for faster riding.

I agree. I like my dealers to offer a view of the workshop. My current multi-brand dealer doesn't offer that unfortunately. In fact, he's quite strict in not having anybody in or near the workshop. Luckily the Triumph dealer does offer this.

A Triumph thing?

This is the one. Only the high crash bars are missing as they are in back-order.

This is what I've heard from other people as well. I'm not sure what the differences are as I think the Tracer is quite well build, but I'm looking forward for the experience.

After very long consideration I finally decided to trade my Tracer for a different bike. Today I bought a brand new Tiger 900 Rally Pro. It was a difficult decision as I still think the Tracer 900 is a very beautiful bike with a great engine. However, even after upgrading the suspension, adjusting the seat and changing the pegs I came to the conclusion that it just wasn't the bike for me. I find it to be too sporty and too little tour. The Tracer comes to its right when you drive it a bit more sporty. Its DNA comes from a fun bike that is great for short corners, twisty turns and higher revs. The driving position is also a bit on the sporty side. I on the other hand are more the type of driver that loves a very relaxed way of driving, lower revs and a driving position that is somewhat laid back. I noticed that I struggled in the corners and I loved to ride in B-mode. It is of course very personal. And it does hurt a bit to say farewell to the beauty that the Tracer is. But all in all, the Tiger is more suited for me. I'll be picking it up on Friday, so that's something to look forward to! It's a green Rally Pro with as an extra the high crash bars.

So yesterday I finally installed the MFW Vario footpeg. Or at least the one on the right side. What I liked: - the fact that the peg moves down 35mm is really nice What I didn't like: - the fact that the peg really comes out to the side, forcing your foot in a uncomfortable position to reach the brake pedal - the fact that due to the construction (which is angled and works in steps), the peg either moves bit forward or a bit to the rear. Both are not good for me. So, I took it off and the pegs are up for sale. Now I'm looking into the Knight Design pegs. I did like the 20-35mm lowering of the MFW, but KD only makes 1" (25mm) or 1.5" (38mm). I'm afraid 38mm might be too far down and might be giving issues with the brake/gear pedals.

Like the manual says, don't wax it. That is, not with regular wax. Unless you want your matte finish to become (semi)glossy. I do use a special matt wax, just to make the water repel and make sure dirt (like bird poo) doesn't stick to the matt finish right away. I use S100 matt-wachs spray. As a somewhat enthusiastic car detailer, I had to get used to not wax or polish my bike as well. But one gets used to it.

Oof, good thing you’re able to weld it yourself. It probably saved you a lot of money indeed. I currently have the Vstream Touring screen. I have the Madstad screen lying around, waiting for the missing bolts to arrive (the postal services here take their time....). However, I do fear the 24” Madstad screen might be a bit too tall and heavy and I might end up having the same problem as you have in the future....

I had my Hyperpro suspension set up properly this week. Today I checked the exact settings, wrote them down as a future reference point. I made a short ride to see if I needed to adjust the compression and rebound a bit for comfort, but I decided to wait until the oil is changed and the rubber seals are replaced. Apparently, the OEM rubber seals tend to stick to the chrome forks making the compression of the suspension a bit slow to react. If I decide to keep the bike, I might just consider to replace the cartridges to further improve the suspension. So far, I'm really pleased with the new springs both front and rear.

It's a difficult subject. One can read as many tire tests and reviews as one can find, the real proof is in testing them yourself. Unfortunately, that is also a very expensive path. The best thing would be for tire manufacturers to organise testing days where you can test tires on your own bike. But I guess that will not happen anytime soon because it would be very expensive for the manufacturers. I will try the Roadsmart 3. I'm willing to take the gamble. If it improves my confidence in the bike it is worth it. If it doesn't help, I'll still have my Michelins with only 2500 kilometres on them so I can switch back. And maybe sell the Roadsmart. I'm just about willing to try anything to improve driving before I trade the Tracer for something else. (I did recently try a 1200GS and a F850GS adventure. For everyone its own, but I don't get why everybody is so enthusiastic about those bikes...) I'll keep you posted.

I struggle a lot with cornering my Tracer. Still in doubt whether to take the loss and trade it in or keep improving things (at a cost). Today I had the Hyperpro springs properly set up. But the guy who helped me said that they had at least 5 Tracer owners who had changed their springs and were very happy with it until.....they put Michelin PR5 on their bikes. After that they all thought that there was something wrong with the springs or spring setup. As soon as they switched from Michelin to Dunlop Roadsmart 3 things felt normal again. Sounds strange as the Michelin's get good reviews, but the guy really knows his stuff when it comes to bike riding behaviour. Now, the funny thing is, a month or so ago the guy from Roadlok EU told me he really recommended Dunlop Roadsmart 3 tires. He said that Michelin PR5 was too wobbly due to a soft inner construction. And that Roadsmart would be better. I didn't take it too serious as he personally knew the Dunlop importer and I thought he was just making some advertisement. But the Hyperpro guy doesn't sell tires. So he has no real interest in promoting Dunlop. And I just couldn't figure out why my second Tracer GT gave me so much more cornering issues then the first one I owned. Until it hit me: the only thing that is different are the tires. So I might just go and try some Roadsmart tires, see how that goes. Apparently the Roadsmart has a stiffer compound and inner works which improves turning and cornering.

Definitly that. Use the Set and Resume button.

Here in the Netherlands sales have gone through the roof when it comes to new and used bikes. Thanks to Covid.

Yes, they are. The pegs will become 30mm lower and so I need the pedal to be a bit more down.

I can lower the gear pedal by adjusting the rod with which the pedal is attached to the quick shifter. Does anyone know if I can lower the pedal some more by adjusting the upper attachment point (see red circle)?

Did you experience any trouble with the side stand after you installed the vario pegs? Was your heel / foot not touching the side stand?