mbassani

12 minutes ago, maximo said:

I'm interested in your camping gear. Also, did you pack your own food or get it on the fly? 

All of our gear was more or less backpacking gear, so very lightweight and small physically. I got an REI bundle that had a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad for just under $300. We also got Marino Wool clothing which has the benefit of being able to be worn for multiple days without developing a smell while also being moisture wicking. So 2 shirts each, two sets of socks, and two underwear for our base layers and then wearing our motorcycle gear over that for the most part. 

As far as food goes, we did around 250-300 miles a day so we would eat breakfast and dinner at the campsite and go out for lunches. Breakfast and lunch were dehydrated meals that you would find at REI or other sporting goods stores. The rehydrated meals were surprisingly good and we only had one meal we didn't like. 

 

We had a portable backpacking stove and fuel for it to boil water to cook those meals. We usually carried about 2-3 days worth of Breakfast and Dinner and would restock at various sporting goods stores along the way. 

 

My girlfriend is actually far more organized than me and we have a packing list that we followed, there were a couple items we didn't end up using but needed just in case anyways. 

 

 

Sleeping:

 

· 1 tent + tent stakes + raincover

· 2 sleeping bags + 2 compression bags + straps + bungee cords

· 2 pillows

· 2 sleeping pads

· 1 air pump (for sleeping pads)

· 1 hammer/mallet (for tent stakes)

 

For the campsite:

· 2 camping chairs

· 1 lantern

· 1 flashlight

· 1 bottle of insect repellent

· 1 bottle of sunscreen

· Sunglasses

· 1 headlamp

· Citronella candle

 

Food-Related:

· 1 stove

· Fuel for stove

· 1 pack of waterproof matches

· 1 lighter

· 1 cook pot / bowl / coffee mug set

· 2 sets of silverware

· Cleaning sponge + microfiber towel

· 2 water bottles

· 1 pack of instant coffee

· Trash bags

· Dehydrated meals

· 1 small bottle of castile soap for dishwashing (+ ziplock bag in case of leaks)

· 2L water sack

 

Hygiene:

· 2 bottles medium castile soap (+ ziplock bag in case of leaks)

· 2 quick-drying towels

· Quarters for coin-showers

· Toothbrush + toothpaste

· Toilet paper

· 1 bottle of hand sanitizer

· Baby wipes

· 1 bottle lip balm

· Plastic bag for dirty clothes

· Gallon zip lock bag for washing clothes

· Clothesline for drying clothes

· Tweezers

· BreatheRight strips

· Gauze pads + adhesive bandage + anti-itch cream

· Q-Tips

· Floss

· Full body wipes (in cases of no shower)

· Massage oil

· Face moisturizer that doubles as sunscreen

· Vaseline

· Mirror

 

Electronics:

· 1 phone battery pack (with at least 2 plugs)

· 2 USB power plugs for motorcycle

· GoPro + memory cards + USB charger + extra battery + waterproof case + clip holder for bike

· DSLR camera + memory cards + extra batteries + charger + lenses

· Cardo Headset + charging cable 

· Headphones + iPod + charging cable

· Cell phones + USB chargers + wall bricks

· Zip ties

 

Clothing:

· 2 hats

· Quick-drying socks

· Moisture-wicking shirts

· Moisture-wicking underwear

· Undershirts

· Beanie 

· Motorcycle helmet

· Motorcycle gloves

· Motorcycle shoes

· Motorcycle jacket + thermal laters + waterproof layer

· Motorcycle pants + waterproof layer

· Flip Flops (for showering and around camp)

· Leggings/tights for under moto pants (doubling as pajamas) for kat

· Hoodie/sweater (can be used when sleeping)

· Masks

· Casual jeans

· Neck sock 

 

Motorcycle Specific Items: 

· Chain Cleaner

· Chain Lube

· Chain brush

· Motion Pro alignment tool/slack checker

· Shop towels

· Tire Patch Kit

· 12 volt tire pump

· Tire pressure gauge

· Visor Cleaner and a Microfiber

· Extra microfiber

· 12mm wrench

· Braker bar

· 27mm socket for axle

 

Misc.:

· 1 first-aid kit

· 1 leatherman multi-tool

· 1 roll of gaffer tape

· Credit card, ID, and cash

· Clif bar pack for snacks

 

 

Pic of the bike fully loaded. 

 

We were somehow under the stock weight limit of the bike while 2 up, both side cases fully loaded, with Sleeping Bag compression sacks on top, and a top case. 

Cranked up the rear preload a whole bunch and had my tire pressures at 36F 42R. 

 

Happy to answer any questions about the trip. 

aaaaaaand back from the trip. 

 

3200ish miles over 10 days. My Road 5 rear tire is almost worn out and I had a great time. 

2 minutes ago, kmev said:

Nice! A lot of your tire repair / tools will fit under the seat. Cut out that little plastic divider and you can fit more stuff in there. 

The MCCruise takes up a lot of the space under there unfortunately. 

Pre-pack complete. 

All of our kit fits in the side cases with the sleeping bags strapped to the top of the side cases. 

 

I've also weighed both cases before and after and fully loaded they come out well under the max weight limit by Givi. 
Each case weighs 13.5 lbs and have a max payload of 22 lbs each. 

Left side payload 18 lbs 
Right side payload 19 lbs 

Fortunately this leaves the top case to only need to carry quick access materials. 

Loaded in the top case (not pictured):

Tire repair kit

12V tire pump

Tire Pressure Gauge 

First Aid Kit

2L of Water (for cooking at campsites)

2 refillable water bottles 
Sunglasses

Leatherman multi-tool 

A roll of TP

and Snacks 

 

Which still leaves a ton of room left over in the top case for anything else we deem necessary (Beer, lots of beer before we get into camp)

 

8 minutes ago, SKYFLIX said:

@mbassani, how do you feel about the GIVI side mounts? I've been thinking about putting a pair of 36L on my bike to complement my 46L top box. Do the racks feel pretty solid?

They are extremely sturdy, they have points of contact with the OEM mount on the passenger footrest bracket, to each other through a bar in front of the license plate, and through the slots next to the passenger seat where the OEM luggage sits. 

My only grip is that getting the hard rubber inserts in fully inserted into the bracket is a real pain in the ass and I had to use almost all of my body weight to pull them onto the brackets on either side. Page 3 of the instructions show the pieces I am referring to. I had to fit the inserts as well as I could off the bike and then hung the side rack from the bike like in page 4 and pulled down to align and fully seat the rubber inserts, problem is if you do not seat them fully none of the mounting holes will line up, particularly the ones on the passenger footrest bracket. https://media.givi.it/XN-Prodotti/istruzioni/PL2139CAM.pdf 

 

I used the PL2139CAM mounting brackets as they let me take the cases on and off in seconds. 

7 minutes ago, Motocheck said:

And this is my 3 weeks load with full camping gear (tent, tarp, sleeping mat, sleeping bag, chair, tools, compressor, clothes, etc)

 Wondering how much you are planning to carry

Those cases looks enormous 

I'll end up posting a photo of the full load the next time I pack everything on. We're carrying the bare minimum but we will have a camping stove and dehydrated food for about half of our meals. 

Not roughing it but not exactly a glamping trip. 

3 hours ago, roadrash83 said:

I would load your bike up with everything you will be taking and your passenger and go for a test ride. So you can get a good idea how the bike is going to handle with the weight change.

Already been done, we loaded the whole bike up this past weekend with everything we needed. Fortunately we have backpacking camping gear so it is all as compact and lightweight as possible. Even with the upgraded suspension we are still 60 Lbs below the maximum OEM suspension payload with all the luggage, supplies, and everything else included. 

 

I am probably not going to be bombing any canyons, it's heavier than normal but not unwieldy. Fortunately this isn't my first heavy weight trip.

4 hours ago, rustyshackles said:

10 days camping on the bike, she might be a keeper.  Multiple campground locations?

Yeah we're doing 8 nights of camping and in two locations we're visiting friends/family so we'll be staying with them or at a hotel/AirBnb. 

 

1 hour ago, kmev said:

Before you do that, lay out everything you plan to take on the living room floor and then throw half of it out. You will want some empty space in the luggage for things you purchase on the trip - like food/beverages for the evenings, a souvenir, etc. 

We're actually able to fit almost everything in the side cases completely, considering we're going to be strapping a couple of the big items to the top with bungie cords like the tent/sleeping bags we'll never need to go in there. 

The top case will have tire repair, frequently needed tools, visor cleaner, snacks, water, and anything else we need easy access to. 

 

33 minutes ago, keithu said:

I notice you have both the quickshifter and MCCruise. I've read elsewhere that they don't always play nice with each other. I assume you've had no issues?

I haven't had any issues with it so far, granted I haven't found a need to activate cruise control in anything other than 6th gear so if there is a weird interaction while cruise control is engaged and upshifting I couldn't say. 

Hey Tracer 900 Forum, 

 

I have been preparing my 2019 Tracer (non-GT) for a 10 day camping trip and finally received and installed my luggage for the occasion. 

It was the last bit of upgrades I needed to do to make sure I could transport enough kit for myself and my girlfriend for a 10 day camping trip. 

 

Installation was fairly easy aside from getting the Givi bracket inserts that go into the OEM subframe slots to fit onto their brackets which required me to more or less use the slots on the bike to hold them in place while I used my body weight to pull down the Givi bracket to fit them onto the rubber inserts. 

 

These 48L Cases are huuuuuuge, surprisingly I have to check to make sure they didn't fall off when I start riding, they are essentially unnoticeable aside from the extra weight which is minimal. 

 

Other upgrades include...

 

MCCruise Cruise Control

Yamaha Heated Grips

Yamaha Quickshifter

Yamaha Heated Comfort Seat

Yamaha 50L Top Case 

Puig Touring Windscreen 

Radiator Guard

Michelin Road 5 Tires 

GP Suspension 25mm Cartridge Kit Forks 

Ohlins YA 537 Rear Shock 

Puig Enduro Footpegs 

Puig Trail Passenger Footpegs (not pictured) 

TechSpec Tank Grip Pads (not pictured) 

 

 

You may be thinking 'Damn my dude, why didn't you just buy a GT?' 
Well that is a great question my intrepid reader, the answer is I got an absolutely screaming deal at the beginning of COVID for this Non-GT leftover and I was planning on upgrading most of the parts anyways so the literal $5,500 out the door price hike to get a GT was nonsense for me. 

 

Anyways if you have any questions about the parts added, what the process was like to fit anything, or otherwise. I did all the work myself (aside from the forks) so I am happy to explain any questions you might have. 

3 hours ago, texscottyd said:

Great info @mbassani - thanks for taking the time to document this.  

I'm debating taking another step up with the suspension on my FJ, so this is very timely.   I have an Ohlins 535 on mine, and did the RaceTech springs & gold valves on the factory forks.   While it's a huge improvement from stock, the front is still a little shy of what I ultimately would like to have...  in retrospect, if I had known how well the bike could work with upgraded suspension, I would have just gone straight to the NIX 30 the first time.   I have AK20s in my 636 track bike (with a Penske triple shock), and Ohlins forks on my Aprilia, and the RaceTech setup on the FJ is comparatively about an 85% solution.  

So, now I'm looking at the next level options.  This GP Suspension cartridge set up sounds very temping, so I'll add it to the list to investigate, along with the Ohlins cartridge & AK-20 route.  

Out of curiosity, what are you running for tires?   I recently made the swap from Michelin PR5s to Dunlop RoadSmart IIIs, and am chasing the setup just a bit... 

Don't knock the Racetech Gold Valve setup, my track bike was on that before I got the pressurized Öhlins and they were unbelievable performance for the price. 

 

I am currently running Michelin Road 5 tires in the OEM size. 

 

 

2 hours ago, texscottyd said:

Ha!  Your assessment falls into the category I like to call “not entirely untrue”   

The real conundrum is that I also have a 2020 KTM 890 Duke R in the cart.   I need to hurry up and sell some stuff, actually...  anyone interested in a really clean Aprilia Mille R, or a nice track-prepped Kawasaki 636?   Wife rightfully insists that something has to go before something new arrives...  

My girlfriend is giving me much the same talk. I am prepping my Tracer 900 for long distance tours and I have already taken it on one. Once I got back I thought man I should buy a GS for long distance rides and keep the Tracer for commuting.

1 hour ago, betoney said:

Nice setup you have there, it sounds like it is a beautiful ride now.

Prior to the GP cartridges had you done any upgrades to the forks?  I currently have a Penske shock from Traxxion Dynamics and modified stock cartridges, - the dead leg fitted with a modified active cartridge.  Even though the ride is drastically improved I always wonder if it can be better and if the GP cartridges would perform any better than modified factory forks.

Suspension is one thing that I don't mind spending money on, every bike in past 25 years has had custom setup suspension, just wondering how the GP setup might be an improvement on the modified factory forks, I have never had custom built drop-in cartridges. 

 

Funny you ask, I actually had the re-valve kit from GP Suspension put in prior to me changing my mind and deciding to go for the full cartridge kit. 

So the active fork went from rebound only to compression and rebound sharing an adjuster. So you could only stiffen or soften damping in both directions. I was actually fairly impressed with the setup all things considered but the big issue for me was the dive under braking and performance under spirited riding. The ride was compliant and comfortable at highway speeds and if commuting was the only thing I did on the bike I would have been satisfied. 

 

I have maybe 60 miles with the cartridges since I picked the bike up earlier today and I had a chance to take it around a canyon road and do some maximum braking tests. The difference is extremely apparent, the high speed compression is less abrupt. For example when running over the reflective markers on the highway with the stock or revalve kit I was able to feel the impact through the entire chassis. On the Cartridge kit I had to run over 3-4 in a row to notice the bumps at all. There is one quirk I need more time to figure out but I believe the cartridge kit has less overall mass than the revalve or OEM setup. The front end feel is lighter and it turns far faster now, I need more time to ride and figure out exactly what is different. 

Remarkable improvement in comfort on the highway and it doesn't fall apart once I go for a spirited ride. If I needed forks for my CBR I have no doubt I would buy these over the NIX 30 at a similar price point. 

Hey all, 

 

So I bought a 2019 Tracer 900 (Non-GT) new for a stupid deal I couldn't say no to. 

My background is in track riding and racing so the stock suspension left me extremely wanting. For comparison my track bike is on Öhlins pressurized forks and a TTX36 rear. 

 

After the first track day this year since COVID I connected with a race shop that does suspension tuning at the track, they happened to have a YA 537 with a 1.00 spring in stock that I got for a pretty great deal. I rode on the stock forks and Öhlins rear for a few weeks before it became extremely apparent how weak the front suspension is on the Tracer 900. Fortunately for me GP Suspension located in California is about 10 minutes from where I live and earlier in the year they rebuilt the suspension for my track bike. I brought my Tracer to them and instead of ordering the Öhlins NIX 30 cartridge kit I decided to give their front cartridge kit a try. 

 

I just got the bike back and the different is fairly astonishing. I also had 1.00 springs installed in the forks. While the stock suspension would dive fairly deep into the stroke under moderate to hard braking the 25mm Cartridges keep the bike far more under control while under braking, the valving keeps the forks far closer to the middle of the stroke so even braking under rough roads does not upset the chassis like the stock suspension did. For my street bikes I tend to aim for 28-30mm of sag and got the Tracer set at 30mm very easily with some help from the tech at GP. 

 

Likewise setting my rebound was very easy, thankfully you can set a very solid baseline rebound on a bike standing still, compression takes a little more trial and error while riding. 

 

The stock suspension is fine for a budget piece of kit but the shared compression and rebound functions in the right fork leg really end up compromising both and leaves the left leg as a dummy with a spring and fluid only. 

 

All in all I am pretty crazy about the setup of the GP Cartridges and Öhlins shock and I would recommend it to anyone considering suspension for their Tracer. 

 

If you have any question let me know and I'll do my best to answer them. 

 

 

Hey Tracer 900, 

 

Just more of a PSA than anything else. I converted my 2014 CBR600RR to a track only bike and took out the LED Relay I installed in. 

 

I ran LED turn signals on my CBR and this relay was a plug and play for the harness at 85 cycles per minute. Out of curiosity I tried to install it into my 2019 Tracer 900 and it fit perfectly as well as worked with the stock turn signals without issue. 

 

I plan to install LED turn signals shortly and this way I do not need to install any resistors in line with the turn signals themselves. For $20 you can't really go wrong. 

 

https://tstindustries.com/tst-led-flasher-relay-gen2.html