Wintersdark

Doesn't the FJ have a slipper clutch? Or is that something else they added for the Tracers? As to the quickshifter, well, nobody needs one at all but they sure as hell are fun. Mine (also stock on the Tracer) gets pretty extensive use. I'd love to ride a Niken. I seriously considered one instead of the Tracer, to be honest, but ended up not going that way because it's ultimately just (significantly) more weight, complexity and expense but no more power. Particularly problematic in greatly increasing tire costs, which are already stupid in Canada. I mean, a set of Road 5's installed on loose rims runs you around $650 here, with just two tires. It'd be around $900 for three. It'd be a fun conversation piece for sure to own one, if nothing else.

I had that exhaust on my MT07 - the 230mm GP style; blued tip and all. It was dead sexy, and yeah, extremely loud. Even with the baffle in, it was 83db at idle 6' from the side of the bike. When I got on the throttle, well... My neighbor had a 5.0 Foxbody mustang with dump pipes, and doing drag races with him he'd complain that the bike actually hurt his ears. It was good quality, though, really nice welds, nice construction, weathered well (I rode all winter with it!) I would *absolutely* buy another Black Widow exhaust, but I'd get a 300mm or even 330mm one, as that 230 was insanely loud even on the twin. Edit: Woooah, that was a 2017 post. lol. Ah well.

The SW Motech crash bars do not protect the lower engine cases in the event of a crash. I'd recommend the Givi (or, cheaper and identical, Kappa) crash bars, as they extend all the way below the engine. Givi part #TN2139, Kappa part number KN2139. These are the Kappa bars on my bike: Sadly, she hasn't been that clean in a long time Windscreens are so personal. Others can provide better input than me here; I dislike the stock windshield but don't want a huge barn door either, so mines likely going to be replaced by a Puig Shorty when I get some spare cash. I'm pretty much indifferent to wind, though; I've ridden naked bikes and street bikes my whole life.

Throttle body sync usually helps a lot there, but it's a kind of buzzy bike. I'm really, really taken with Grip Puppies, personally - they do an excellent job of damping handlebar vibrations, and rubber footpegs help down low.

I hear that! The lowest rider sag I could manage was ~52mm with the stock springs on max preload - I'm a 300lb dude. I've got some new springs on the way from Stoltec, and cannot wait to see what it's like with them and the higher oil level they recommended. Gotta replace the rear shock too, when I can. They're stupid expensive though, whereas the replacement springs for the forks where surprisingly affordable. It'll be nice, for my first time ever, to have a bike actually sprung for my weight.

Yeah, while they're certainly cheap chinese pot metal, they're definitely beefy and are absolutely going to hold the lights securely.

Yeah, I did that too. Then spent $20 for a used laser printer and got to printing all ~630 pages of it Still cheaper than buying a print copy, if it's even available where you are (it's not, here - yamapubs won't take my money) I still like to have access to forum guides like this with lots of photos, because service manuals are notorious for inadequate illustrations and it's always good to have a forum thread for the specific topic too where people can share tips (See: @skipperT's explanation of the alternate sync procedure, which is definitely not in the service manual.

Oooh I like this one!

I mean, it's possible, but I'm HIGHLY dubious about getting pulled over at 2mph over. I'd suspect either a bit of an exaggeration on speed, or maybe a poor mph-kph conversion. Even in a school zone(30kph), doing 33kph just isn't going to get you a second look. In AB, getting your vehicle impounded is possible, but you'd have to be doing something way worse than 20 or so over - the cop who stopped me (mentioned in previous post) said that was basically his options: Warn me, or impound my bike+suspend my license for 30 days+garaunteed court date and possible jail time (As I have a clean record, there's basically zero chance of that, but the court date for sure would happen, it's mandatory for that) BC is different, though, it's just 40 over and they can, but not necessarily will, impound your vehicle. Still, BC is very large, and on back highways speedtraps are not just unheard of they're basically impossible due to a lack of room. You're really only likely to see a cop going the other way, and he's not going to get a good read on speed in the half a second you ride past him.

(all speeds in KPH) I've never had an issue. Hell, I was stopped for doing >200kph in an 80 zone (which, tbf, was certainly a legit stop) and just got a warning. In BC in particular, however, at 40kph (24 and change mph) over the limit they can impound your vehicle. That's BC specific, however, so here in Alberta that's not a risk. People pretty much always drive at ~10kph over the limit, and it's extremely rare though technically possible to be stopped at that speed. I mean, I've been riding at excessive speeds for decades, and basically always driving at ~10-20 over, and haven't seen a speeding ticket since I was a teenager. It's no different than speeding in Montana or Idaho(where I've a lot of experience riding, and have had friends get tickets in while riding with me), in my experience anyways. Even at 5mph (8kph) over the limit, it'd be extraordinarily unusual to get a speeding ticket. In fact, most speedometers are out by more than that margin (virtually all are 10kph over at 120kph shown = 110 actual - I always recommend people compare a gps based speedo with their car/bike) but even if not... They're really not militant at all. With that being said, like basically anywhere, it depends on exactly where you are (maybe a high accident area they're targetting to enforce speed limits?), the cop you get, how his day is going, how you react to him, the position of the stars, whatever else. I mean, though, if you do get a ticket.... is it a problem? I know a few of our guys have gotten speeding tickets in the US, and as long as you don't have a speeding ticket in the state you want to enter the US in, you can basically just ignore them.

900km ride, with 14 bikes in total. Roughly speaking, Calgary AB -> Bragg Creek AB -> Fernie BC -> Radium Hot Springs BC -> Calgary AB. Despite rain for a couple hours of it, it was a really fantastic ride, and my first near-iron-butt ride with the Tracer. I was really hesitant in joining in, as while the group in question is full of great people it's a very large loose group overall and thus rides end up full of basically random people. For small rides and such this is great, you have some fun, meet a few new people and some people you already know. But on a big, all day ride like this, I was concerned. A rule of thumb in ride size is that the more people you've got, the more likely one (or god forbid, more) are going to be The Problem People, and on a ride like that, it's pretty easy for problems to occur. Thankfully, none did, speeds where often excessive, and windy highways through the Rocky Mountains where as wonderful as windy highways through the Rocky Mountains can be. Thoughts on the Tracer and it's accessories, having finally spend a full day in the saddle (pretty much all of which is common knowledge here, but whatev's): The seat is better than my MT07's seat was, no contest. But it's still definitely a weak point on the bike It's really nice to not be the guy who determines when gas stops have to be. Really nice. Yay for a decent sized tank! Grip Puppies are bloody amazing things. They don't get soggy in the rain, and they really help the hands out on a long ride - both in vibration damping and in just being bigger and thus easier to hold. No numbness in the hand, which has been a struggle for me for decades. Magic. I'm really, really happy with how performant the Tracer is, in terms of acceleration, cornering, and handling at speed, particularly when compared directly with a lot of much more expensive bikes. We spent the vast majority of the ride at 140-160kph/85-100mph, and the Tracer held up like a champ everywhere. God almighty, the stock windshield is hot garbage. I've really got to find myself a shorty windshield I like and just toss the stock one. Road 5's are fantastic in the rain. Even at high speeds on winding mountain roads, absolutely planted, no vagueness or hydroplaning at all. We had a particular bit of excitement. We're doing ~140kph on a 2 lane road, fortunately on a straight stretch. A guy in a pickup about half a kilometer ahead of us had a 10' 2x4 bounce out of the back of his truck, and end up landing lengthwise across the road totally blocking our lane, the shoulder, and even part of the oncoming lane. And of course, not a brand new 2x4, no. An old one. With dozens of nails, pointing up out of the surface. I mean, just a normal 2x4 would be no big deal at all - just ride over it - so of course that couldn't be the case. 14 bikes, at speed, lane totally obstructed by a tire-destroying huge 2x4. Thankfully, everyone was attentive, and while a few elected to ride over it (largely for want of better choices) nobody hit nails.

I'm really happy with the setup. I've used all sorts of similar light bars as even the dirt cheap ones work great on every bike I've owned for years. Particularly with flood pattern lights, they're fantastic for getting broad, close illumination: excellent for seeing where your wheels are going in the dark when turning. You can spend a lot of money on it, but there's not really a good reason to. The really cheap ones work just as well.

Having read some comments here, I figure I should repeat this just in case it's not really common knowledge. You don't need to rely on the headset's voice command options. You can use Google Assistant/Siri as well. On my SMH10, I need to press the "Phone" button on the headset to trigger this - the same button you'd use to take a phone call or whatever - but then you have full access to everything the voice assistant can do. Play playlists by name, trigger smart home routines "Open my garage door" or "Broadcast I'm almost home" for example. Even play any radio station not limited to local ones! Have a favourite radio station at home? You can listen while riding in another country

For sure. Tires are expensive, and plugs - particularly in the meat of the tire like that - last just fine. I've literally never had a plug fail, car or bike. Yeah, these are my go-to as well. I've got a Nelson Rigg 1060-S tail bag; would like to replace it with a 1060-ST2 (slightly larger version, expands enough to hold a full face helmet, whereas mine expands but not quite enough). When packed full of stuff travelling, it provides wonderful lumbar support. Nice to be able to lean back against something! Sadly, a no-go if you want to ride two-up. Commuter Sport Motorcycle Tail/Seat Bag Commuter Sport Motorcycle Tail/Seat Bag Motorcycle Tail Bags... I really kind of dislike tank bags, even understanding their advantages - not being in the way of mounting/dismounting, and being visible. I think they look silly, and get in the way of really aggressive riding. I probably should get a small one, though, if for no other reason than be a better, really waterproof phone mount that doesn't risk my phone's camera.

Well, with all that for sure there's going to be a big difference. I'm wondering through if *just* the pads is significant.

Fix it? Or just prevent it?

I've been using one of these for many, many years. Works great. Cardo units tend to be what gets recommended these days, but I can't speak for them at all as I've never even seen one in person and all my riding buddy's have Sena's, so... *shrugs*. TBH, though, all I really care about is the bluetooth connection to my phone. Then I can tell my garage door to open and close, I can call people/take calls, listen to music, listen to the radio, all by voice.

I used super cheap amazon fork clamps myself, cost me all of $20 with prime delivery: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07G844B4Y Then mounted a cheap LED light bar on them, like one of these (this is actually a two-pack): https://www.amazon.ca/Zmoon-Light-Driving-Single-Truck/dp/B07K9PXSD7/ End result:

Good lord! I take my hat off to you, sir; this is an amazing, insane contraption and you win the forums today

To elaborate, the headlights aren't just bulbs but rather whole complex modules that are *ridiculously* expensive to replace if you mess them up. I'd *strongly* recommend leaving the headlights be With that said, bigger windshields are a common upgrade and there's TONS of discussion here about pros and cons of various models. I've always just used a Nelson Rigg tail bag, but it seems the Shad topboxes are quite popular, and the Kappa version is very economical.

Yeah, they come with the case and everything as a package now. I've had mine for about a decade and 3 bikes, and it's my second favorite Really Specific Tool - next to my Gunsen Colortune clear spark plug, which is sadly not helpful on the modern bikes but is so damn awesome for tuning a carbed bike... and really, just looks damn cool. Is there a actual difference in braking feel with the HH pads?

Absolutely. Multichannel vacuum guages work too, but so often I see people recommending DIY bottle/tube/oil constructions, but buying the stuff to make one costs roughly the same as one of these, and even if you've got stuff on hand, these work so well - and so effortlessly - that it's really a case of "just buy the right damn tool for the job". No worries about sucking oil into the engine (which, while ultimately harmless, is pretty counterproductive), it's light, easy to hang right where you're working, etc. I figure they ought to pay me for how hard I promote their tool

Oh, hey, they've got a nice heated seat pad in there too, as well as windshields for the Tracer (which is apparently *not* the same mounting as the FJ). Thanks for that! Yup. Every Yamaha I've owned, the oil filter you get with it new is torqued on insanely hard. I've never managed to remove one without utterly destroying it in the process. Either channel lock pliers or a hammer and screwdriver.... or all of the above.

What flyscreen? Was it you who made your own, or did you buy one? I've never had an issue with naked bikes and no windscreens at all, and while I appreciate the Tracer's windscreen when it's super buggy out, pouring rain or snowing but, it's kind of useless as an actual windscreen for a 6'4" guy, and I'm not really interested in investing in a barn door. I'd like a smaller basically-cosmetic windscreen for normal summer riding.

No... Don't even know how that could happen, given the shape of the riser. Are you sure your bars are centered in the riser?