Wintersdark

On 3/5/2023 at 12:35 PM, Brentinpdx said:

I have a question about the Skyjack and the FJ09.  It says that it uses the swing arm points on the bike. On my bike I checked it out and there is a bolt head in the way,  the access is D shaped and nut on the other side. Does the sky jack have adapters that work on this? I don't want to order one and send it back as I can't use it.

When you order a Skylift, you get one included adapter kit.  There are FJ/Tracer adapters available.  

I just ordered one with both Tracer and Tenere adapters. 

On 2/26/2023 at 2:55 PM, texscottyd said:

That’s a Cal Sci tinted shorty.  I like the looks, and it works well with the lower bar risers I use.  The airflow is smooth, and nicely balances the slightly more pronounced forward lean with this ergonomic layout.  

It’s almost like I’m trying to convert my FJ back to its FZ9 roots:  smaller screen, no hand guards, lower bars, etc.  

Mines been like that for most of it's life - it just gets the basic kit during winter or long road trips.  Otherwise, minimal Puig sport windscreen, no handguards, hardcases on a shelf, etc.  Handguards go on occasionally, as with them on I can slap on the OBR ADV 3/4 grip mitts for long cold and/or wet rides, but they stay off otherwise as they don't really do much of anything anyways.  

Ends up being basically an MT09 with a stretched swingarm and bigger gas tank, which works well for me

3 hours ago, Clegg78 said:

The funny thing about "color" is that the only color part of the manual in PDF form (from Yamaha!) is the cover  

The electrical wiring diagram is also in color.   It should be in the pdf too, I think.  That's pretty important to have in color otherwise it's largely useless.

Yamahapubs will sell bound, color versions that.  Not a cost savings, but it gets you a nice, pretty, bound version. 

https://yamahapubs.com/home/search?category_id=3&year=2019&family_name=TRACER+900+GT

There's also ebay ones printed in color and nicely book bound for $80ish - I've got these for both my Tracer and Tenere.  That's a bit more of a PITA to sort through though. 

On 2/3/2023 at 1:20 PM, draco_1967 said:

The little used Cricut machine I bought is turning out to be a good purchase!

 

I like how this turned out. It was a little tricky figuring out how to do the dual color decal with everything staying parallel, but it worked out. I still need to do the other side. I am curious to see how much lifting I get on the edges of the blocks. 

Oh, that looks amazing.  Absolutely.  

My plan is to cover just the upper surface of those parts with a clear PPF vinyl as they're both high wear areas (tank with my knees, front panels with crap off the road) - that would ensure there's no peeling of blocks.

2 hours ago, Brentinpdx said:

When I bought my Fj09 it came with this  huge Puig  touring screen.  Looked really odd, and it felt weird pushing the wind. Made the front end seem unstable. I like to ride fast. Put the stock screen on. Terrible. I'm 6'2"  and the screen made the buffeting on my helmet more than I could stand.  Even with it lowered to the lowest setting it was awful. I figured out that it needed to be lower by 2" at least.  I bought a smoke tinted Puig racing windscreen. Its was 15" high. Set at the lowest setting. My helmet has clean air to go through and the is a slight burble against my shoulders. Almost cant tell.

Hahaha yeah the stock windscreen is hot garbage.  Few years into my 2019 now and I'm a strong believer that a minimal windscreen is the way to go - I don't understand people's problem with wind, as long as it's consistent and not buffeting you can just lean against it and it doesn't tire you.  The stock windscreen though in any position seems specifically designed to maximize buffeting directly on the helmet.  I suppose giant might work for some strange people, but that'll never be the way for me to go.

I went with the Puig sport and never looked back.  Far, far better.

On 1/18/2023 at 10:29 PM, draco_1967 said:

She's all back together, and purrs beautifully. I redid the vinyl on the tank, but I don't have enough left to redo the other panels. I think I'll figure out what color I want and just paint everything next year...

Time to get out and ride, if this rain/ice/snow stuff ever stops.

...it's ok, we are suffering from a drought...we need it... 

Nope, still don't like it!

Oh, this looks spectacular, and it pretty much exactly how I'm looking at getting mine painted this spring.  I considered wrapping it, but while I did some already (those lower triangle panels) I'm not sure how well I could do the tank.  I'd REALLY like the red speedblock/black line over the white though.  I'm a sucker for the speedblocks, and the Anniversary Edition R7 does look REALLY nice:

I wouldn't emulate this entirely (Don't need the yellow nose, for example)... But that iridescent white + red speedblocks?  Yes plz.  

I'm biased, though.  Both my former MT07 and current T7 are white with red accents.  

23 hours ago, Clegg78 said:

In hindsight the rear shock I could have done myself easily.   the forks though I lack some tools for. 

Yeah, changing the rear shock is actually surprisingly easy, and I'd definitely recommend doing that to save money if that's a concern.

If you're not spending a lot of money on a whole new suspension and instead are just springing for your weight, removing the shock yourself and bringing it into a shop to have the spring swapped, then reinstalling the shock is legitimately simple to do and pretty hard to screw up. 

Setting up the stock suspension for your weight, done as above, costs roughly ~$90 for the spring, and ~$50 to have it installed on the shock.   When I resprung my Tracer (and my Tenere, for that matter) it cost a little less than $500CAD in total per bike, around $400USD.

They're a pretty cool looking tire, I have to say.

Can't wait to hear about how they handle!

14 hours ago, maximo said:

Wait, you wash them? I've always believed that the built-up crud helps preserve the integrity of the garment. 

I hand washed it after a trip to the coast in October.  Was raining/snowing, and with the rain gear + heat on over around a week of riding, it got really... Pungent.  There was a lot of sweat and dampness. Generally speaking, though, it's really not necessary.

@betoney It can get wet, so long as it's not powered when wet.  Water won't hurt the wires at all, and the heating elements are just resistive wires.  Hand washed because machine washing could theoretically break them though.   

Even with that said, though, mine's been utterly soaked more than once in the rain and it's never had an issue, even over hours of riding.  It's not like there's any circuitry of note in there other than one sealed little rubber bit with the heat selector button. 

[quote]especially the heated collar!!! [/quote] 

When shopping, this is a mandatory feature.  ONLY buy one with a heated collar.  It matters a lot in keeping your head warm, particularly if you don't have a heated visor.  I'd strongly recommend a full jacket liner vs. a vest; they cost about the same and gets you outputs for heated gloves at your wrists and warm arms, with no bulk to speak of because they're so thin.  

My gear has only three heat settings, but I never use the hottest, and even the medium is restricted to below -15.  Burnt my stomach once with it on high when my shirt rode up a bit.  The sheer amount of heat a 12v system can put out when pressed against your body is amazing.  But it's limited in power draw - they all are, and will generally draw the same power whether they're vests or full liners.  The difference is the full liners spread the heat out more, making it much more practical when it's just cool and you run on low.

Venture AddHeat liner here - basically, the standard liner that comes identically in a million different brands, and has an integral heat controller.

I've owned it for about 5 years, and I've utterly abused it.  I cram it into saddlebags, tailbag, etc without the slightest thought to protecting it, and it's always been fine. I've only ever hand washed it though, and that only... twice?  Regardless, it still works as well as the day I bought it.  Definitely not a fragile thing. 

3 hours ago, Ride365 said:

I am so tempted, but same price since Jan? 

He dropped to 250 in June. Seems reasonable.

On 12/27/2022 at 11:36 AM, 2and3cylinders said:

Reno doesn't get snow anywhere like Calgary unless you go high.

It's got to be miserable having to park on the street.

To me, that's at no way no how.  I used to have a rat bike for winter but I had a heated shop.

Now I'm too old and my blood has thinned out.

I hope my kid stays in San Diego cuz that's where I'm then going when it's cold...  

Oh, I don't have to park on the street, I've got a garage.  However, my garage (both in the place pictured last year, and it the place I'm in now) is off an unmaintained laneway.  There's just a bit of ice there in front of my house, the roads are vaguely plowed and sanded.  The laneway is FAR worse, and getting in and out of the garage in particular is extremely sketchy as the laneway is just entirely smooth ice.  USUALLY, one bike is in the garage, but sometimes they're both out or both in.  In the winter, though, when the laneways are really bad a bit of snow on the bike is way less harmful than potentially dropping it trying to get in and out every day.  

If my garage was heated, that would be another matter entirely (I'd rather start a moderately warm bike vs. a frozen one), but alas, that's just not an option for me. 

But in all honesty, I'm a weenie now.  I can't handle cold.  I'm way, way warmer on my bike than in the Jeep as head to toe instant heat absolutely crushes waiting for an engine to warm up and sloooooowly heat the interior of a car, while holding onto a steering wheel that's twenty degrees below freezing.  

On 12/27/2022 at 8:34 AM, lolocastsb said:

I got my FJ09 a friend 

It's nice for your bikes to have family.  And the two work really well together; the T7 is excellent at the things the Tracer is not, and vice versa.  

Good times 😃

On 11/19/2022 at 8:57 AM, texscottyd said:

Note to self:  You ride exclusively for fun.  This does not look fun.  ☹️

Even as a Wet Coast boy at heart, this is the weather I least like riding in.  I'd honestly rather ride in snow.  

I mean, I will, and it can be fun on a big adventurous trip, but for regular day trips?  Getting suited up is such a hassle, and you'll almost always get wet anyways.  It's just miserable, and it's made even worse for short trips because then you're all wet for whatever else you where going to do.  

On 11/16/2022 at 5:47 PM, betoney said:

 

I have the Spiegler switch, its been installed on my bike for many years and am at 73k miles on the odometer now, it has been 100% fault free.

Before purchasing the switch, I looked at them all and liked the angle, construction and routing of the Spiegler best.

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/spiegler-brake-light-switch

And at $20, it's not like you're spending a huge amount of money.  Why not go name brand there? 

On 11/12/2022 at 10:42 AM, knyte said:

The GRONK could also be mitigated with an APS tweak (for us '15/16 owners), no?

I don't know, to be honest.  The APS tweak isn't a thing for 2018+ Tracers (mine's a 2019) so I haven't really paid a lot of attention to it.  

On 11/13/2022 at 1:21 PM, kilo3 said:

It's a ugly sound and feeling. You'd know.

Particularly feeling.  It's a very unsettling feeling when you first experience it.  As much as Yamaha insists it's normal and fine, I find it particularly telling that they've replaced the clutch basket on all the Tracer/FJ models with a new version that apparently doesn't suffer that problem.  It may not be a serious longevity issue, but it feels bad enough that I'm totally willing to drop some $300 on a new basket to fix it. 

You can also just replace the bumpers, but that requires some machine work as the original ones are rivetted in place and not readily replaceable. 

But as Kilo says... It's an ugly sound and feeling, and you'd know.  It's sort of as if you've got a significant amount of drive line slack, but only sometimes - typically when you've engine braked hard then given it a fairly sharp bit of throttle.  It's because there's some play in the clutch basket, but it's not open space.  The play exists because the rubber bumpers have broken down/torn, so the driveline <> basket has a small amount of play but with a significant amount of resistance as the rivets push through the damaged rubber.  It ends up being a single clunk when you transition from a backwards push through the driveline (engine braking hard enough to move through the rubber) to positive throttle snapping back the other way.  You REALLY feel it in the right footpeg (for obvious reasons).  You'll find it most frequently when you're in a pretty low gear but moving, so the engine can push a lot of torque quickly.  It's very rare from a stop, because you generally slip the clutch a bit when starting moving allowing the driveline to settle into forwards position more gradually.  

1 hour ago, larolco said:

The Mutants are rated M+S. I'm more interested in temperature rating than tread. Winters here are mostly rain, with occasional ice/snow, so I don't really need "pure" winter tires. These seem to fit the bill for the conditions I encounter on the coast. 

Honestly, I don't know much about the Anlas. Maybe I'll try those out next time round. 

So, M+S ratings are more about tread type than temperature compatibility, which is why I was asking above. That they're designed for use in soupy sorts of terrain (hence, mud and snow). For example, the stock Tenere 700 tires, the Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR's, are M+S rated - and they're horrible in the cold. Like PVC tubes.  Way, way worse than a set of Michelin Roads. This of course does not mean all M+S tires are bad in the cold, just that an M+S rating doesn't mean they'll be good in the cold.  This is why I'm really interested in how they work out for you - if they're good in the cold and wet, that's great.

Meanwhile, the Anlas Wintergrips - which have the mountain & snowflake symbol - are designed for cold temperatures first and foremost and come with a warning not to run them above 13C due to rapid wear.  

I'm a BC boy myself (even lived in Langley for a few years) so I'm very aware of the winters there.  

My experience so far in BC winters is the Anlas tires are outstanding, but frankly I'd just run Road 4/5/6 tires year round as they're just SO good in wet and temps down to around -5C, as weather is more cool and wet vs crazy cold and snowy/icy.  I'd only go to the winters if I was planning on riding in snow and ice too.  Here, I have to contend with riding down to around -25C, where non-winter tires just don't work well at all.  

These are the Wintergrips (on my trip last Oct, horseshoe bay ferry terminal).  They're really great up to about 180kph, but start to feel sketchy after that.  If you follow the guidelines about temperature (read: don't run them in the summer) they get great mileage.  These have about 5000km's on them here.  

On 10/31/2022 at 9:38 PM, larolco said:

I watched the video and it inspired me to repeat the experiment on the way home from work today. Sure enough, the wobble is there. (75 km/h)

I haven't used the cruise on this bike since it was fairly new and, back then, no wobble. I'm at 25 thousand kms now (yes, these are old tires), so, this has developed over time and your theory about cupping makes sense. In the real world, though, for me, this is not an issue. I don't ever use cruise, and if I do, it would be at fairly high speeds where the wobble would not happen. Still, an interesting discussion.

Mutants are on the way. I plan to use them as winter tires. We'll see how they perform. Probably, being a little more blocky in tread pattern, they will cup more than the RS and D222. It's all a trade-off.

I'm interested in how they perform, though I'm curious - if you're planning on using them as a set of pure winter tires, why not just order a set of actual winter tires?  Anlas' Wintergrips are excellent, and there's a few UK sellers who'll ship worldwide (and ebay, too). 

I rode mine back to your neck of the woods last October (including through snow in Roger's Pass) - they're *outstanding* in BC winters.  Excellent grip even on icy pavement and light snow.  

Mines seen several canadian winters and been ridden through literal brine daily, kept out on the street about half the time where it gets rained and snowed on.

The bike is totally fine, with the exception of the headers which are, frankly, pretty much done.  They're still in one piece, but I'm afraid to try to polish them as that may change things.  Fortunately, a Black Widow full system can be had pretty cheap, so... Eh.  Exhausts are consumables.

But all the aluminum, painted and treated surfaces, and plastics are just fine and clean up good as new.

On 10/3/2022 at 7:00 AM, Ride365 said:

Booster plug for me all but got rid of the abrupt throttle response and on/off transition, might be worth looking into for some of ya.

Yeah, the booster plug REALLY improves the low speed/low rpm throttle response, and is imho necessary if you're not getting a flash.  

Personally, I use B in actual snow and that is it.  Every now and then I'll accidentally knock it into B however then think OMG MY BIKE IS BROKEN.

Aside from snow, and mishaps, though, it's in A mode all the time.  Rain doesn't matter, the Road 6's allow wheelies in the rain without tire slipping, so they're fine for rational riding.

On 10/6/2022 at 10:09 AM, ValleyRider said:

I've done all maintenance by the book or before schedule. Had an indy do the throttle body synch at 14K, when I was noticing things running a little rougher. After that, it still felt a little rough, with noticeable vibration in the grips,  in a very specific rev range, right around 4K.  My particular bike had always been very smooth. The mechanic went through it, did some research, and reports that it is normal wear and tear in the clutch basket. The bike shifts perfectly, and over the last 2K miles, I feel either I've gotten used to the vibes or they've calmed down.

Just wanted to pipe in here.  You'll see this talked about a lot.  Let me guess:

That vibration around 4k happens at very minimal, neutral throttle, 3.5k-4krpm, particularly noticeable when you're maintaining a low low, steady speed and it vanishes immediately when the bike is under any load.  

You'll also find there's more driveline slack, particularly after heavy engine braking to acceleration.  This in particular we refer to as "GRONK".  

What happens is that there's oval rubber bumpers inside the clutch basket, and their purpose is to minimize vibration and shock through the driveline.  However, in the original style of clutch basket, these break down, allowing some play with SIGNIFICANT resistance. If you pull the basket apart but do not open it up (requires cutting rivets) you probably won't be able tell by hand.  A 120HP motor, however, has no such problem.  So the pins into the rubber bumpers cut a path through the rubber. 

So in the former case, as the power pulses push through the clutch basket, coupled with drag from engine braking as you maintain a low speed at low rpm, introduce some extra play resulting in that rougher vibration.  When just engine braking, or just accelerating (or maintaining a higher speed which requires much more power) there's constant pressure in one direction in the basket that stops this.

So, there are generally accepted two solutions:

1) Take out the clutch basket, grind off the ends of the rivets, replace the rubber bumpers with new ones, and somehow re-assemble the basket.  Some use screws, some rivets.  If you're a machinist, this is a *super* cheap way to fix the problem as the bumpers cost ~$16.  It's not really shade-tree friendly, though, what with the cutting and such.

2) Simply replace the clutch basket. If you look in Yamaha's parts fiche, you'll see that there's a new basket that replaces the original basket.  This new model apparently does not have the problem (which explains why it's replacing the original one.  This is not a particularly difficult job to do yourself, though the part is fairly expensive: https://www.partzilla.com/product/yamaha/1RC-16150-00-00?ref=822ecf551ed32c23ee06ad04d6069f4e829da5aa

But he is correct, it's considered normal wear and tear and other than being a bit annoying in certain circumstances doesn't appear to ever actually be a problem.

6 minutes ago, betoney said:

Lolo Pass is a fantastic ride. I have ridden it 4 or 5 times and am creating a route for next summer to ride it again. 👍🏻

So far, Lolo Pass is my favourite road in the US.  I'm sure there's better, but of what I've ridden, it's the best.  I just LOVE the scenery riding along the river valley, there's lots of high speed sweepers and tighter corners that really thrill at speed. 

12 minutes ago, betoney said:

When I first got the bike I kept a mental note of “approximately” when the F-Trip started flashing over several tanks of gas. 
For me that is 180 miles, I’ve used that number for close to 6 years on this bike. 
Depending on where I am on a road trip, I will usually get gas early so I never have to second guess or worry about running out. 

Yep.  Likewise, I found about 285kms to low fuel flashies (which is pretty much exactly the same); I figure 200 miles max range at reasonable riding. That is, speeding, but not at felony speeds, then dialing it back to fully legal riding at flashy-time.  In practice, I assume the first bar is half a tank, and that works pretty reliably for me, I've never really trusted the other bars.

But like you I tend to fuel up early.  On a long trip by myself, I'll usually stop every two hours to stretch my legs and drink some water (and typically pee, because aging bladders seem to shrink) so I just get gas at the same time - typically 240-250kms or so.  

When riding in groups, there's always someone there with a ridiculously small tank/poor mileage, and I just always get gas when anyone stops for gas to avoid being *that guy* later.

On 8/25/2022 at 7:42 PM, wordsmith said:

The only not-so-good thing about my newish-to-me 2019 Tracer 900 GT is the difficulty that my aged and stiff hip, knee, and ankle joints give me when mounting - and more so dismounting – without ungainly movements that cause crowds to gather and laugh at my antics as I half-fall, half-roll off, and altogether make a fool of myself!   

A word of advice to all - do NOT get old!.  

I'm only in my late 40's now, but shot knees and a lifetime of bodily abuse have definitely caught up to me.  At 6'4", height wise the Tracer isn't tall for me (though my Tenere is, with it's ~36" seat height) but getting off is *incredibly* awkward.  It's not TOO bad if I don't have the hard cases or tail bag on, but if I do? I can't bend my leg enough or swing it wide enough to get over a tail bag or around the hard cases. 

Then I get my left foot down, and sort of back off the bike dragging my right leg then heel straight out across the seat until my foot is free.  It's not a good look, but thankfully I learned long ago that nobody really pays any attention to random motorcyclists anyways, so... meh. 

It's incredibly awkward, though, and I can't see it getting much better with time.