Paddy01

I’m in the happy position of having retired early at 60. I’m now 64 and finally, after some terrible personal tragedies, I’m able to enjoy riding to the fullest. I’ve had a 2018 GT from new with almost 30k on the clock and it just keeps getting better (after the usual mods). I also ride alone and, whilst not blowing any trumpets, I’m just as fast as when I was 24 only then I was a lunatic but now it’s controlled. I have a couple of mates who still work so I see them at weekends and we all ride at the same pace. Since covid I’ve been exploring this little group of islands called Britain because foreign travel was off the agenda. And I’m so glad I did. I’ve seen so much that I can’t begin to imagine how you guys in North America choose where to go next in such a vast landmass. My health (touch wood) is currently ok so I’m taking advantage and making hay while the sun shines. My wife no longer rides. Her nerve has gone since her heart attack (she’s in excellent health now). I hope I’m still riding when I get to Wordsmith’s age and don’t go gaga first! You’re an inspiration Wordy. I’m sure you’ll be back on two wheels in some way or other. You’ve had more comebacks than Elton John!

Sorry for late reply. The bike is kept in a dry garage every night. Maintenance is as per schedule even though it’s way past warranty period (4 years, 26,000 miles). I suspect the roads in Canada, due to extreme weather conditions, are better maintained than those in so-called “temperate” UK. We get freezing winters and melting roads in the summer. The issue is too many vehicles in a small landmass. Canada: 38 million and 10 million sq kms. UK: 67 million and 243,000 sq kms. Honestly, the state of British roads is an embarrassment and the government should be ashamed. A recent holiday in France reminded me that we Brits are the poor relations of Europe because the roads were smooth. I didn’t encounter a single pothole in 2,000 miles of driving.

My major service was performed by a non-Yamaha tech to save money. I didn’t even attempt to do it because I’m a words man and not good with my hands (ask my wife… 😉). All clearances were fine with no changes required. Interestingly, I paid in GBP what you pay in USD. My experience is that we pay through the nose in the UK and our brethren across the pond gain the benefits of a massively competitive market. Perhaps it’s my imagination, but the engine seems smoother since the service. It was a peach before but now it’s fantastic.

I recently had the steering head races replaced as the ravages of potholed British roads caused the front end knock to worsen. The mechanic said the OE ones were only just up to the job and, clearly, someone at Yamaha saved $0.05 per unit by specifying them; another case of compromising safety to reduce cost. The replacements were quality after market items with much longer rollers and I have to say that it is a worthwhile change. There is now zero knock of any kind and I now have huge confidence in the front end. It was around £300/US$366/CAD477 including parts and labour.

I think the culprit is those bar risers. If you want a taller riding position have you tried the higher seat setting? BTW I’ve also applied the seat mod; it makes a huge difference to comfort and stops you pitching forward. Just my ten cents worth.

Hi Keith, my bike (same as you early 2018 GT) is about to have its 24,000 service and I’d be interested in your experience of what needed doing (e.g. valves). I’m also nervous that my clutch could be on the way out as my mileage is the same as yours but there are no unusual rattles currently. BTW I’m not a million miles from you in Woking, Surrey if you fancy meeting up for a chin wag.

I must say PhotoAl you tell very interesting tales - keep em up! Many thanks for the money saving suggestions. Regarding fuel type, my tank has a big sticker on it stating E10 which is now the Europe standard where 95 octane was before. So Yamaha clearly have faith in it. The difference in price between E10 and E5 (the old 98 octane) isn’t justifiable in my view. I’ve been riding a long time and never had valve wear issues running on standard fuel. There’s much talk in the UK about the suspect quality of cheap supermarket fuel but I always use it with no issue. A friend works for Exxon and he says it all comes out of the same tanks at the depot, regardless of whose tanker is filling up.

Many thanks for your help guys 👍

I did the conversion to make it more relatable to you guys across the pond. My observations show £1.69 - £1.74 per litre. Don’t get me started on Motorway (freeway/expressway) service station prices! Up to £1.95. They think they can charge what they like because they have a captive audience.

Guys, we all know what’s going on in Ukraine and I’m sure we all condemn the invasion. Clearly, it’s pushing up fuel prices, e.g. UK E10 fuel is now around US$9.40 per gallon. Which to European eyes makes $6.50-$6.70 look like a bargain. I, for one, am now looking at ways to economise to ensure I can continue to have two rides per week. Any suggestions?

I’m about to have the 24,000 service on my 2018 GT and was wondering if you have had it done and what your experience was. I understand this is the first valve check, which is one reason why the cost is so high (circa £800/US$1,000/CAD$1,265). I know our friends in North America do high mileages. I still can’t get my head around one poster who had returned from a 5,000 mile trip 😧 That’s more than some do in a whole year in Europe. I felt proud of myself when I did a recent Wales trip and covered 1,000 miles. What say you?

The windshield is a straight swap with the standard Yamaha barn door so the angle won’t be any different from any other 2018 GT. Here’s a photo, sorry it’s not great but I just got back from a long ride and I’m trying to get some feeling back into my bony old arse! The seat comfort is another subject of course 🙄

I can ride with visor open but clearly it increases blast on the face. I never, ever ride without earplugs. I’ve been riding for over 40 years and damaged my hearing through riding without them until it was too late (who knew in the 70s and 80s?). I now wear hearing aids (not while on the bike). I’m not deaf, just a bit deficient in the upper range. So maybe my judgment of noise is different from yours. Anyway, I digress.

I think the bar risers will make a difference as MRA made the screen to fit standard dimensions and the risers will be raising your whole upper body into the wind. I just checked mine. It’s at the lowest height with the spoiler slightly tilted. I get clean air with zero buffeting. Apart from the screen all else is standard. I’m 6ft. I hope this helps.

Good question. I’ll check tomorrow and come back to you. I’m currently in Wales on a 4 day tour. Members in the UK will be jealous 😁

I found moving the spoiler made a difference to wind flow. It’s a refining process which I believe is worth sticking with for a while. I’m 6ft which is fairly standard height and I found the sweet spot.

When you say visor I assume you mean spoiler. I have mine parallel with the screen having fiddled with the angle for a while. I’ve not tried removing the spoiler, I’m not even sure it can be removed. Regarding height, I’m 6ft and can see over ok. Remember that there’s a screen height adjuster if you find it too tall at 5ft 8. If the edging is not already fitted on the screen you’ve bought I wouldn’t bother adding it. It’s a real pain in the arse to fit and only gathers bugs when in place. It also doesn’t detract from the integrity/look of the screen when absent.

I’ve had the Pyramid parts front and rear for at least 3 years. Firstly, don’t trust the glue they provide. The rear hugger fell off so I used plastic rivets. Secondly, the level of protection is just not good enough IMO. Sure they’re stylish, but they need to be longer.

I’m with GeeAndTee in that the MRA works well. Alison Silcox of MCN tested various manufacturers when she had a 2018 GT (same as mine) and the MRA Vario came out top. I’ve done 21,000 buffeting-free, relatively quiet miles with it.

I bought a 900GT new in June 2018 that had to have warped rotors replaced under warranty. And here we are 4 years later with the same problem. I know they make bikes down to a price but come on Yamaha. Don’t scrimp on something designed to save your life! I strongly suggest you don’t take no for an answer when you take it back to the dealer.

Hey Hogie i don’t use a tank bag but have fitted a Yamaha 50 litre top box. I know Yamaha don’t recommend these for the Tracer GT due to the low maximum weight, but I only ride solo so it’s not an issue. I see you’re in Surrey. I’m in Knaphill near Woking; where are you?

I personally get the feeling that Yamaha don’t care what we think, otherwise they’d have read the damning reviews on the seat and screen (for a start) and made necessary changes from the ‘20 model. And don’t get me started on unnecessary changes like the dash… I’m about to do the tank/seat mod on my ‘18 GT as I can’t stand it any longer. Yamaha have been making bikes for almost 70 years and still don’t listen to their riders. I estimate at least 95% of owners on this forum hate the seat and screen but owners of the new 9GT are making the same complaints; so much for ‘model refresh’ or ‘update’. Has anyone on this forum ever been contacted by Yamaha asking for feedback? Changing our bikes to suit our needs is what we bikers do. It’s all part of the joy of riding. But changing should mean making slight improvements and not replacing badly designed components, at huge expense, because the manufacturer couldn’t be bothered to use a wind tunnel or actually sit a westerner on one of their seats. The GT is like chalk and cheese. Fantastic in so many ways but utterly dire in others.

It happened within the first 3000 miles on my 2018 GT. Yamaha replaced them under warranty (don’t know what the cost was). I think it was crappy quality control on a particular batch and I’ve seen, through regular reading of this forum, that it’s pretty rare. So I’m afraid GeeAndTea that you’re just unlucky to get a bad one.

Hi Mark, the vibes don’t sound right to me. I have 2018 GT and it’s still smooth after 20k miles. Have you considered getting the throttle bodies balanced?

Here’s my 2 cents. I have a 2018 GT bought new. The OE Dunlop tyres were clearly made to a price, so I changed them for Metzeler Roadtec 01. The difference was incredible. I’ve never had an issue with the stock suspension and have not even felt the need to change settings, but the new tyres made a massive change to ride quality. I just had them replaced with Roadtec 01 SE. My point is that ride quality begins with the right tyre choice.