Michiel900GT

Unfortunately I have decided to sell the bike. This time fortunately not because of health reasons but due to the fact that I really can’t become friends with it. Even with all improvements I did (new screen, seat, pegs, springs etc) I am not able to find a good position and more importantly get enough confidence in the bike while cornering.

It’s a real shame because I really love the looks of the bike and the engine is a delight. But I guess for me it is too much sport and too little tour. 

It will hurt both emotionally and financially. But I want to ride with confidence and a good feeling. I’ll probably move to an Africa Twin Adventure Sport. A whole different bike but it comes closer to my XL 1000 Varadero which I really loved.

29 minutes ago, koth442 said:

That's a bummer. Shipping probably took a month or so?

Well, I ordered it from BikeHPS in the UK. Took about 18 days.

BikeHPS offered a scratch remover kit for free and if that doesn't help a new screen (will be another 18 days as they order it at Madstad).

No response about the screws but I sent them an email after business hours, so I'll guess they will react to that in the morning.

I am pleased with the service from BikeHPS but not with the QA at Madstad....

I received my 24" Madstad screen and wanted to install it today. Unfortunately it came in with a small scratch and 4 bolts missing......I think Madstad has been too busy with making and selling their Corona screens.

I use this.

Does anyone here know the maximum lowering distance is for both the brake and gear pedals? 

I think the break pedal can only be moved a little bit down. And the gear a bit more but I need to know if they can be lowered enough to match the Knight Design lowering footpegs (1" down).

And to add: I will plan a visit to the Hyperpro manufactory to have the suspension set up properly. The dealer that installed the springs today didn't really do that (to my surprise).

2 hours ago, betoney said:

What are your thoughts on the Hyperpro springs?  Any significant pro's or con's?

I'll continue my story in this thread:

So, I finally got my Hyperpro srpings. I had them installed at a dealer with a Hyperpro service center, as Hyperpro had no time available until the end of september.

The ride home was a bit difficult due to heavy rain and wind gusts. So I couldn't really test the bike. But it did feel more stable at curvy roads and, even more noticeable, on round-abouts. It is too early to tell just how good the bike turns now. I need some better wetter to really test it at higher speeds. 

What I did notice however, is that the difference was not so big as I experienced it with my Diversion 900 S back in 2001. After changing the front springs on that bike I literally had to check if I was riding my own bike. 

When the weather permits a good test ride, I'll let you know how the suspension is then.

I had the Hyperpro front and rear springs installed. On the way back I got caught in a rain storm so I had to clean the bike when I got home.

While the bike got new springs, I tested a 2020 Africa Twin Adventure with DCT. Nice bike, but I didn't like the DCT that much. I do believe my next bike might be a Africa Twin or a Super Tenere. I like riding my bike in low revs with lots of torque, AT or S10 look like they were made to do so.

And I tested a Bagster Ready seat for my Tracer. I must say that I was disappointed. The seat was definitely not better (worse actually) than my adjusted stock seat. And I was really disappointed by the fit of the base. I had to slap in in place, it was still a bit wobbly and the onboard tools can not be attached. I think that's a lot of disappointment for 490 euro.

Maybe it will be better when you send in your own seat base to Bagster though.

That's quite horrific indeed. I ordered it in the UK, should take 10-14 days to arrive at their location, then they ship it out to me. 

Madstad seemed to be the promised wind screen but now I hope I didn't pay 420 euro's for nothing.

On 8/13/2020 at 10:51 AM, Soullancer said:

Got the 24" on my tracer gt, I'm 6'0".

Can't get it right, keep getting the buffeting on my helmet, feeling it right on the top of it.

Dunno what I'm doing wrong after trying all kinds of angles, had high hopes on this screen after all the stories

Uh oh, I ordered mine 2 weeks ago. Let's just hope it will work....

There’s a big price difference between KD and MFW. Including postage and customs the KD comes down to 250 euro. The MFW is 150 euro.  So there’s that to consider as well.....

Does anyone know how many mm/inches the brake and shift pedals on the 900 GT can be adjusted? It looks to me that there’s only a little bit to adjust. Maybe the KD 1.5” lowering pegs will not meet the adjustability of both pedals.

I received an answer from Knight Design on what type of peg might fit on the Tracer. They haven’t fitted it themselves but they have done “extensive OEM research that indicates that the pegs for the FJ-09, FZ-10 and the MT-10 should fit the Tracer”. They offered to wave the 10% restock fee if the pegs would not fit.

Now the question remains: do I buy the 1” KD, the 1.5” KD  or the MFW (which might stick out a bit to far for my likings).

1 hour ago, northsouth said:

I have a brand new pair of Knight Designs 1" drop in silver with rubber tops that you can have for $100 if you want to try them. They came off of my mt10 but they will fit the Tracer. I think I paid $179 for them.

Sounds interesting, but my guess is that you live in the US or CA. I’m not sure what the postage and packaging cost will be.

6 hours ago, bobbar said:

I installed the KD sidetrax on my tracer and that 1" lower has improved my comfort quite a bit.  I didnt know that they had 1 1/2" lower ones.  I have 36" inseam.

Which type (for what bike) did you order? KD doesn't seem to have specific Tracer pegs.

I had that experience with a Diversion 900 S years ago. I literally checked if if was riding my own bike after I had the suspension upgraded with WP front suspension.

Still, anyone out there who has experience with Knight Design or MFW footpegs?

Had anyone been able to find out what the euro norm is for the Tracer 900 GT? And I mean the official rating.

Fellow Forum members,

I really could use some help with making choices for my bike.

I struggle a lot with my Tracer 900 GT when it comes to cornering behavior. I’m going trough corners like a beginner on my bike......I either go too slow (just to be on the safe side) or I make 5 corners out of 1 corner. And it all has to do with trusting the bike. 

When I was driving a Tiger 900 GT Pro a couple of weeks ago I noticed that I felt much more confident going trough corners at a somewhat higher speed. I’m sure it has to do with wheelbase, trail and caster angle (which of course differs from the Tracer) that make the Tiger more “suited” for my cornering technique and feelings. So I’ve been looking for bikes that have kind of the same characteristics as a Tiger and might be a suitable replacement for my Tracer. 

But in all honesty, I do not wish to part with my Tracer. And all professional reviews of the Tracer are praising the way the bike handles. So something has got to change (partly on my bike, mostly on me). Now, changing me and my driving technique is something I will do myself of course.

But for changing the bike I need some advice.

I used to drive my Tracer with the seat in the upper position. Being 6.1” with rather long legs, I found that to be the best riding position for longer trips with respect to my knees. However, I had my seat adjusted by a professional upholstery service and although overall it was a great improvement it also resulted in the seat being a few centimeter higher. Last weekend, I was struggling again with the bike and decided to see what would happen if I would put the seat in the lower position. It felt like a improvement, especially in cornering. But now my knees are more angled. So I am considering lowering the footpegs. 

And there the call for advice comes in. I’m considering the following options:

1. MFW Super Grip Vario Multi (20-35mm)
2. Knight Design 1” sidetrax pegs
3. Knight Design 1” rubber tread pegs
4. Knight Design 1.5” sidetrax pegs

The issue with MFW is that it results in the feet needing to be positioned more inwards (at a larger angle) to be able to get your feet at the brake / gear lever. With Knight Design that is also the case but less of an issue as they are somewhat smaller.

The Knight Design has two challenges: will the MT-10 pegs fit a Tracer 900 GT and will the 1.5” pegs become too low?

I’m definitely not the kind of driver that goes through corners at an 45 degree angle, so ground clearance might to be to big of a problem (although....when i find my confidence on the Tracer....who knows 🙂

Any advice / sharing experience is very much appreciated!

Oh, and I’m also upgrading my suspension btw. That might help as well.

(I have hijacked 2 other threads with these questions, but I thought it would be better to explain the background in a separate thread)

Due to the fact that the MFW footpeg sticks out more than the stock footpeg, you need to turn your feet inwards to the bike a bit more to get to the levers. 

Can anyone who has the MFW vario footpegs share his/hers experience with the footpeg/gear lever and footpeg/brake lever foot angle? Is it a big difference when compared to the stock footpegs?

Thanks for your offer, Mark. I just looked at your profile, you're in beautiful Canada. I'm in the Netherlands. I think postage and packaging might be a bit too much. But again, thanks!

2 hours ago, Mark Trottier said:

I have a set of mfw i would like to sell .

 

Would that be the super grip version by any chance?

With Madstad already being much bigger than the stock screen, will mounting additional equipment on the bracket not put too much stress on the frame of the cockpit?

I'm considering the MFW Vario. Is there no issue with the quickshifter when you adjust the gear lever? And would the 30mm variant be too low?

I use it almost only when entering the freeway. It is a great way to get to the 120km/h and be able to control the bike.

I almost never used it otherwise. But that might be because it tend to shift gears at ridiculous low rpm. Maybe I need to buy a different bike.

Exactly my experience although I really liked the turning characteristics of the Tiger.

The TFT is indeed too fancy. Like I said in my other post about the Tiger, it’s form over function.

I did ride an V-Strom 1050 XT at the same day. What a disappointment when compared to the Tracer and the Tiger. It’s raw, uncivilized, the screen is really not something one would expect from a new 2020 model bike, the seat was not ok.

When I arrived back at the dealer he was already laughing. He knew upfront that I wouldn’t like it (it’s the dealer where I bought my Tracer and he knew I was also looking at a Tiger). He just said: “hey, you wanted to ride it. If I had told you you wouldn’t like it, you would not have believed me”.