SKYFLIX

You are mostly correct. Both caps adjust preload, right cap adjusts rebound, left adjusts compression, but both forks have rebound and compression damping. I'm guessing that the respective "uncontrolled" dampening is of a lighter force. I don't know exactly. Might be black magic.

Roger that. That's quite reassuring. I can tell you from experience that removing the fuel tank on the Gold Wing is NOT a 30 minute job. I think the first time I did it, it took me the better part of a weekend.

10 minutes ago, betoney said:

So, if I am understanding this clearly, he said the AK-20's would be have better bump absorption compared to installing their axxion valves on the oem forks?

The one main difference that the AK-20s have over the stock damper rod is that they have a rebound piston and compression piston in each fork.

7 minutes ago, BBB said:

I can have the fuel tank off inside 30 minutes as I’ve pulled the damn thing off so many times now.

Hahaha. OK, fair enough.

1 hour ago, BBB said:

In all seriousness, you’d easily swap a shock within a few hours yourself, or a local independent bike mechanic would only charge a pair of hours.

Not to hijack's johnmark101's thread, but since he and I are basically doing the same service around the same time, I felt it would apply. The service manual for the Tracer GT calls for having to remove the fuel tank in order to swap out the rear shock. Although I've never done it, that doesn't sound like something that can be done in two hours. Am I misreading something, or is it really that quick?

Yup. It's pretty much a Yamaha standard.

The only difference you'll find in the turn signals is between different regions. In the US market, front turn signals use a third wire as a daytime running lamp. In Europe, it's a 2-wire setup. AFAIK, all rear turn signals are a 2-wire setup. You can install whatever turn signals you like. The only thing you might have to watch for is the mounting gear. I installed the 12oClockLabs advanced programmable turn signals, which use a standard 8mm mounting hole. So I had to add a small adapter to convert it to the stock Yamaha 'egg' shaped cutouts.

Also be aware that if you move to LED signals, you'll need to take into account either a resistor pack or a replacement of the turn signal relay, so as not to throw off the signal timing. I went the relay path, since it's inexpensive, and about a 30 second job to replace.

I decided to go with the full cartridges in the front, since my biggest problem was my weight having maxed out the pre-load. I wasn't able to take advantage of full travel. I could have re-valved, changed oil and put in a stronger spring, but at that point the price difference was pretty negligible considering the time it would take me to do that (either myself, or sending it them). Whereas a cartridge swap takes hardly no time at all. I'm going with a Penske on the rear as well (again, with a heavier spring for my weight). I'll be giving up remote preload, but I never ride with a passenger anyway, so no big deal for me. And since I've done away with the rear footpegs, now I won't have to worry about the preload adjuster mounted there either. Now to just get rid of the specimen jar...

I'm sure Dan told you the same thing he told me, which is a full K-20 would be the best setup, but even just a re-valve would be a major upgrade from stock.

Anybody want to buy a GT shock with 1000km on it?

Indeed I did. I reached out to a number of different vendors over the past few days, and Dan at Traxxion has been *awesome* at answering my questions and getting back to me very quickly. Plus I've been familiar with Traxxion's great suspension upgrades for the Gold Wings, so it was pretty much a done deal at that point. I'm VERY eager to see how they perform. TBH, I felt like I could have lived with it, but I've just heard so many people, like texscottyd, say how transformational a suspension upgrade can be. And how everyone says how they wish they had done it sooner. I think what finally sealed it for me was my trip up to the NC and TN mountains last weekend with my friend on our 'Wings. The roads are tremendously fun even on those heavy bikes, but nearly the entire trip I was wondering how much more fun they would be on the Tracer. But I knew darn well that the stock bike would leave me disappointed and in pain if I didn't do something about the suspension first.

Now that I finally broke 1000km on the GT, I felt it was time to really make her my own. My fat *ss needs better suspension than what the factory can offer, having maxed out the preload on both the shock and forks. So since I was already wrenching on her for the first service anyway, I figured I'd try something new. I've never done this before, and I'm learning a bunch from this forum to help me along. Cheers to you all! I've got some AK-20s coming for the forks, and a Penske double-clicker for the rear.

You're going to need new mounts, but if you can pick up the cases for a good deal, then I'd say pull the trigger.

I just put on a Givi top box last weekend as a matter of fact. It's the Dolomiti Monokey 46L, with the SR2139 rack and M9B plate. About a 1.5 hour install. The only difficult part, if you can call it that, is fishing up the tail wires through the brackets. I love the case, and the mount is as solid as can be.

Be careful with those cases. They are discontinued for a reason. They are known to NOT be waterproof and have issues with their hinges. I'm not saying I wouldn't try to use them at that price (cause that's a steal). Just be aware of what you're getting.

31 minutes ago, azmotopilot said:

I think auto/moto dash design is going the wrong direction with busy multi-color graphics, etc.

Yup, I agree. I got caught up on the pretty TFT screen and kept saying that I had to have it. I gave up a few fairly good deals on '19 non-GTs because I wanted that stupid screen. I had only seen it in videos, but I had to have it. When I took delivery of the bike, I took one look at it and went "Oh, that's tiny, and VERY VERY busy". The standard screen is larger and just as easy to read, if not easier. One need not get upset about not having that screen. It's flash only. And that stupid control wheel is awful. It's honestly the only thing about the bike that I truly detest.

On 3/10/2020 at 12:45 PM, nhchris said:

One  more thought:  Tape the bare end of the programming wire after you have the light set the way you want.  If it made ground while the bike is powered up it might screw up your program choice or some other aspect of the light.

if the programming wire grounds AFTER power up, it won't affect the programming, but it WILL put the light in 'party' mode. LOL.

The dash is out as any sensible upgrade. It requires a different wiring harness and sensors. Way too expensive and time consuming to make it worth the effort. Pretty much everything else can be added as options, although they wouldn't all be factory options (cruise, for example).

Ooh, I like your small pelican case there. That's a great idea. Might have to steal that idea....

Tire patch kit, small air compressor, small battery jump start. DONE. Anything more than that and I'm calling a truck.

6 hours ago, Wintersdark said:

Global parts catalog?  Is there a handy link for this?  Sounds incredibly useful.  

 

Edit: Aha!  Found it!  Nevermind: 

YAMAHA Parts Catalogue

 

I'm glad you found it! It's remarkable what information is out there. But be careful with your bookmark. This site is very sensitive to bad links. Your link above, for example, no longer works. You have to start off at

Parts Catalogue

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29 minutes ago, betoney said:

What did the rest of the world get for 2020?

According to the global parts catalogue, there are three color options for 2020. The US gets Type B.

The 2020 US plastic panels are Yamaha DYRC4 (Dull Yellowish Red Cocktail #4). We don't get either of the other two global options.

I haven't had to use this yet for either of the motorcycles, but I keep one of these on both bikes at all times:

Everstart Jump Starter - Walmart.com - Walmart.com

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Free 2-day shipping. Buy Everstart Jump Starter at Walmart.com

I've used it jump start my Honda Accord, though. It's amazing. The main unit will even fit under the seat, but I have to keep the cables in either the saddle bags or tank bag.

Well call me a monkey's uncle. I went out this morning after the bike had set over 14 hours. I followed my normal startup procedure, waiting for the fuel pump to finish pressurizing the FI system. But I just waited an extra second or so for the dash screen to finish it's procedure, hit the starter button, and she fired right up. So it's either that extra second, or the fact that I tightened up the battery connectors yesterday (unlikely) that did it. Thanks everyone for the insights. I love this forum.

I took a few yesterday, but I haven't uploaded them (I can if you're really interested). I'm not really sold on that position on the bike. I was hoping that position would give a view of vehicles approaching from the rear, but it's not far enough out to do that. But the camera itself is bloody awesome. I've had it for about a year. I wouldn't buy the Insta360 One X today, though. I'd Get the One R with the 360 module instead. The One X battery life is atrocious, which is why you see the power cable run to the 12V USB power adapter. And the One R has a better lens protector, is smaller, and is more waterproof (which is to say that the One X isn't waterproof at all). The video footage is the same between them. In fact, having typed that out now, I think I might be pulling the trigger on one myself

Well now that IS very interesting, because as ironic as it sounds, I installed my battery tender cable at lunch today as well, and I observed that the screws weren't very tight initially. I'm very curious to see how it responds in the morning after a longer sit. Will report back.