thewrenchbender

Is not necessarily unusual wear if is a dual-compound touring tire (harder compound in the center/softer on the sides. Can be aggravated by later braking entering corners, which is dependent on your riding style. As you’ve indicated, the most common cause that I am aware of for that type of front tire wear is low tire pressure. 9 out of 10 FJRs (lot heavier front end) on dual compound tires, the front tire will look similar...

21 hours ago, TomTracer said:

I was upset when I called for my 600 mile service that they did not take appointments and that if I left the bike with them they might get to it within 4-7 days. Pissed me off, snippage.

Yah, when I called the dealership where I got mine they told me they could get it in in 3 1/2 weeks...

ended up doing what I do with anything like that w/warranty, took a picture of the odo and all the parts used/receipts.

If you document what you did (at least in my state) they can’t deny warranty...

Have some total of one bike’s worth of QS, my ‘20 Tracer goo GT.

I would def agree that the QS is pretty clunky at low revs/part throttle-but throttle lift/clutch less up-shift is just as smooth as any other metric motorcycle I’ve owned/ridden.

Open the throttle and click, click, click-the QS works perfectly...

Regards;

Mark

21 minutes ago, Jayzonk said:

Mark, 

Are you saying that those side cases you have fit directly into the OEM mounts?  If so, what brand are they?  Do you recommend anything else?  The Shad cases look great and the mounting is nice and clean, but if I go with those, that means the original Yamaha ones I have will not get used at all, and I want to keep them on for shorter trips.  

The “back half” of the OEM FJR bags and the OEM Tracer GT bags are identical, the “lid half” is deeper on the FJR bags. If I’m not mistaken, the Tracer GT bags were sold years ago as “commuter bags” for the FJR.

They have their pluses and minuses, but as I mentioned, had gotten used to the “deeper” ones on the FJR.

They are totally interchangeable between the two bikes...

19 minutes ago, thewrenchbender said:

Thanks brother.

Am still pretty good at figuring out jigsaw puzzles-when I have to-but don’t often feel the need to “for kicks” as I get older...

Regards;

Mark

Told my wife about 10 years ago I really don’t need any more “atta-boys” or “oh-shites”...and it’s always been easier for me to work on somebody else’s stuff...

And what I learned in the ‘70s working on Dad’s farm machinery designed in the ‘50s was a lot more applicable to working on piston-pounder aircraft/engines that I ever woulda guessed.

5 hours ago, Bimbim18 said:

Is in the same boat about a month ago. I have been working on cars since I was 12 (now 43) but have never had to disassemble forks or anything similar so I was extremely intimidated.

Here is the video I found most helpful.

<snippage for length not content>

 

Thanks brother.

Am still pretty good at figuring out jigsaw puzzles-when I have to-but don’t often feel the need to “for kicks” as I get older...

Regards;

Mark

21 hours ago, Jfundo said:

Nice! 

I have trust issues with other people working on my stuff too.  I won't have anyone else work on it unless I know 100% what the issue is.   I don't trust anyone else to diagnose, they don't use their brains.

So you must work on airplanes?

 

Yup.

Every other Friday is “database day”...

3 hours ago, skipperT said:

<snippage for length not content>

That’s the best, quick walk-through I can give you. To my knowledges no one here has made a video, although I think @2and3cylinders has some pics of his process. 

-Skip

Was what I was afraid of. 

Admittedly have “trust” issues when it comes to people working on my stuff more than I do paying to have it done.

Day job I have been making “permanent maintenance record entries” with my signature/cert # for the past 37 years...

Will make a couple stops locally and do a little tool-shopping. 

Thank you for your response.

Mark

2 hours ago, Jfundo said:

Sorry to change the subject, but what work extra work did you put into that 8k service?  That appears pretty extreme.  

Uh. Relatively short version is all maintenance performed “by-the-book” just adjusting the intervals slightly. Factoring in riding extended season in an area that uses salt, liquid de-icer and grit, so periodically everything gets anti-seize applied to it, corroded hardware replaced and parts re-painted as needed-and not trying to wash all the crud off after every ride. Only other thing done in this pic was tires-fork oil should be assumed...easiest way not to deal with “frozen” hardware is keep it from happening. Main purpose on an FJR is to get good waterproof grease is sufficient quantity where MamaYama doesn’t typically apply much.

Only part that really sukks is fighting the ECU/battery corner to get to the upper RH rad bolt/s.

Anybody have a link or a how-to? Have a couple months to figure it out (will be coming up on first 12 months/8k-ish 
miles-usually do them every other year regardless of miles after the first fluid change).

Never dealt with upside-down forks before. At all. If nothing else figure I’d dump in the same volume of oil I dump out...

Have RTFM, in my experience MamaYama’s service instructions can be a little hard to translate at times.

Not afraid to tear into anything, but am old and grumpy enuff that I don’t need to go buy a bunch of tools that I don’t really need to take things apart without a good reason.

Assume that the fork tubes are off the bike/with the caps broken loose while they were still “clamped” (unless that isn’t done with this type of fork).

Attached pic was the 8k service on my last FJR (going back together w/centerstand&brackets reinstalled), was based on previous FJR experience and input from other guys that put piles of miles on them-looked about the same again at 24k, but saw no reason to yank the rear swing arm again. Was trading it on my ‘20 Tracer goo GT-did it all for the “next guy”...

On 4/8/2021 at 9:11 PM, Skidood said:

Just thought it was interesting that after putting 200 km on my brand new Tracer , the chain slack was out of tolerance.  Manual says maximum "allowed" deflection is  1.77 inches, mine was exactly 2 inches.  Yet it was probably no more than an inch from the showroom as I recall. Chain break-in, I suppose...

Also, I found that front compression and rebound damping settings as specified in the manual for "normal" setting gave too much damping, hitting manhole covers and other small bumps seemed really jarring,  so I have them both dialed down to about 30% of the maximum damping and I'm pleased with the results.    Front spring preload is around 40-50% as I recall.

One thing I have noticed is that my full face helmet restricts my view of the display, I have to angle my head downwards in order to see if I left my blinker on!.  I find this a bit annoying but of course it's not the bike's fault.....

Finally, soon I will be mounting some cool little white LED strips on the handlebar wind protectors, along the bottom edge, they will function like daytime running lights.   They are pretty bright but will be angled downwards somewhat and I can also reduce the intensity with a resistor wired in. 

Anyway, carry on, cool bike people.

Mine was “loose” twice in the first 6-800 miles, haven’t touched it since (other than to wipe it down/lube it/check the slack) and now rapidly approaching 6000 miles...hope this helps. 

Mark

4 hours ago, TomTracer said:

That scroll wheel is a pita, and I agree with janky! I wondered if I was not delicate enough to register clicks at the right time. Your reply is helpful, as was the first reply, thanks very much. I'll fool around with it tomorrow. Trying to adjust the grip heaters while riding is very distracting, such things I try very hard to avoid while riding!

Thanks again!

Coming from a couple of FJRs, I really really wish that the the LH thumb up/down rocker and LH finger trigger ran the “menus” (way the FJRs were set up) and the be-damned RH thumb-click wheel did the throttle response curve/traction control...some days I can “de-select” (white to black background) grip heat without changing the setting up or down a notch-but some days I find it almost impossible...and no, I seldom do it in motion.

Actually was thinking about that when I read your kick stand post, but figured you would be getting there eventually...

Only time I change back off the throttle response curve is when I’m riding two-up, and then wonder WTH is wrong with my bike on Monday morning pulling out on the highway commuting to work.

Regards;

Mark

The curb feelers and all the stickers came off of mine the day after I brought it home.

Coming from the gooey FJR pegs, I was surprised how much I liked the “solid” ones...the knob on the end does an awesome job of giving me feedback on the balls of my feet. 

Multi Function 2.0 Turn Signal Kits

The T7 kit complete has everything you need, except for some wire to stretch the pre-wired harnesses on the rear (too long of a stretch between the blinker location up through the mounting bracket to the factory connectors under the seat).

Only thing other than some splicing/soldering was painted the nuts at the bases of the stalks black.

Even includes the teardrop adaptor mounting plates...

Front markets are just a little bit blue-er than the headlight assy LEDs and blink amber. 

40 minutes ago, TomTracer said:

Those foot extensions help marginally, and have gotten ridiculously $$$$$. 

The one I got from Ali made out of the finest Chinesium works great. Did have to relief the top plate a little for clearance. And yeah, worst side stand ever. 

I have shoulder/neck issues, initially put Motopump risers on my GT goo.

Without actual re-routing the cable runs, but with a little tweaking, was comfortable with all the runs (with the factory risers rotated to the aft setting).

 But-when I installed the GPR stabilizer, the actual stabilizer mounting plate lifted the factory risers up about another 3/8” inch-which did make the runs too “tight” without re-routing. 

So I yanked the Motopumps. If you are interested in a set that were used for about a month (and are like new) check them out and make me an offer...

Regards;

Mark

3 hours ago, petshark said:

That is so cool! You must really be intimate with that aircraft. How old is she? I have always been in awe that these machines have such long lives, which I guess is a side-effect of being so meticulously cared for.

You seem to be the only one so far with the same issue and I am pretty sure that most Tracers don't behave like this. Did yours do this from the start?

Thank you! I've described it as mostly felt under engine breaking but that is not a good description. It's just when shifting up. I will take apart the clutch at some point but for now...

I've actually tried out a workaround today with very good results. I've created a new thread:

 

Was 3 years old when we got it (was built in late ‘07) and very low time. It actually is in the middle of getting replaced-new one showed up two weeks ago, old one is going in for lease turn-in eval (see how much the bank is gonna ding us according to the terms of the lease).

So currently getting the new one online, and making the old one go away. Global pandemic reducing our flight hours makes this a little easier-but is still a struggle.

The first half of my career, took care of two different small freight/executive charter fleets consisting of similar types of smaller recip aircraft as well as maintaining “outside customer” aircraft. Was indeed intimately familiar with those due to working on many many different examples of same. For most of that time was the person directly responsible to the FAA for the maintenance/mechanical condition of the charter fleet.

Jet world is a little different as the sole technician, I perform “line maintenance” only-and travel with the aircraft to larger maintenance facilities once a year for scheduled inspection events. Have to be able to troubleshoot literally every system at the very least to determine if it’s a job I can accomplish in-house or make arrangements to have repaired at a facility with more capabilities (I.e. special tooling and/or more techs).

I have never noticed the bump/s on decel, it just feels like a slipper clutch to me (most experience with one is on an ‘08 R1).

I have been sorta randomly experiencing it on accel since I did the first service on it and started riding it like I stole it. Until reading your post, honestly never thought about it, just figured it was an Tracer thing. If I am going to feel it, is during moderate accel, typically when increasing throttle while clutched-shifting. Balls-to-the-wall I’ve never felt it, but then again, most of the time just use the quick-shift feature.

Sorry for the length-hope this helps-and with regard to my OCD level, the pavement can be pretty hard at a ton-up at an altitude of zero feet, draw your own conclusions as to how I maintain my motorbikes...

Mark

I hear you. And in my day job OCD can pretty much be a minimum requirement. Air is pretty thin at 45,000 feet.  

And yes, the shift arm spring is very light, maybe if it isn’t there, the clutch switch plunger will keep the handle from “returning”? The double bump-which depending on speed/accel/decel-is more evident in some situations than others on my bike. 

Again, really pleased that you found the cable issue. Wish you were closer so we could trade and ride for a day.

Have been working at a one aircraft flight dept for about a decade now. Only having access to one example of a type makes figuring stuff like this out a lot more difficult, some days for strange issues it would be really great to have even just one more example for reference.

Good luck, clear skies, open roads (unless you enjoy urban combat) and keep the dirty side down. 

Regards;

Mark

8 hours ago, petshark said:

The jerkiness that I demostrated in the video was resolved by installing a new clutch cable but turns out that it is not related to the "double bump" I feel in the lever when riding and shifting. That is still there just like before and everything points to the clutch itself again. The dealer advised to spray some penetrating oil in the clutch bearing/seal and that did nothing. I may have to take the clutch apart after all and investigate.

So this is the updated scenario:

 

Been fixing stuff and riding street bikes my whole adult life (did take some years off riding-whole married w/children deal). Not an expert at anything. Day job last 30+ years (crap almost 40) as a cert’ed aircraft mechanic.

The clutch feel on my Tracer GT is just freaking strange compared to anything I’ve ever rode-but also only bike I’ve owned (have ridden a few others tho) with a slipper clutch. My ‘20 has 5k miles on it (purchased new). 

The double bump is “normal” based on my experience with my ‘20 above. Zero clue why they have the spring on the shift arm. Really makes it feel flakier. With the spring on the clutch switch plunger shoving the other way the “feel” is pretty horrible. 

Even before I added adjustable levers to get the engage point where I wanted it, had to slack the cable well beyond “spec”. Even with the adjustable levers, is still well beyond spec, which exaggerates the funky feel with the springs at both ends (arm and switch).

Think you found the real issue with your cable. Might be chasing smoke with a butterfly net.

If you find yourself in NW Ohio yer welcome to take mine for a spin-as long as I can follow you on yours...

Not being critical-just trying to be real honest. Ride the shit out of it. If it breaks, fix it or pay somebody to fix it. 

31 minutes ago, PhotoAl said:

That's a very clean install.  I need to order up some connectors  and go back and re-do mine.  Mine isn't bad but the PosiTap terminals are not small and take up some room.  I come off them to a connector for the light on the top case.  So far I'm happy with the top case additional brake and tail light but want to add some turn signals on the back of my side cases - more wires and connectors.  

To run a brake signal to my LED rear blinkers they provided a positap (provided with the blinker kit) which was perfect for the intended purpose.

When I ran the aux brake light (Feniex T3) on my FJR went the above in-line “jumper” harness route. If they hadn’t put the positap in the kit, would have probably done it again.

13 hours ago, larolco said:

Yes, a relay is probably advisable. That's the setup I have on my Suzuki, but the relay was already there for a Stebel I threw in the garbage. Two Fiamms might work together without a relay. Horns are a quick draw and done. Not like headlights or something that are a continuous draw. Well, if you ride in New York, it might be a different story. 

Lots of FJR guys riding around with dual PIAA slim line horns w/no relay w/no issues, but then a lot of those had dual horns originally from the get-go.

19 hours ago, roadrash83 said:

 I like the bike with out the cheap decals. But one thing would shout out to me, if I went to look at it as a used bike buyer. The bike was dumped!

Was talking to a guy about getting mine wrapped, he called up a pic online and said he’d have to pull/reuse the badges and the existing graphics would have to go.

Told him they were removed before it had been in my garage for a full 24 hours...only ones I fought with a little were the ones on the tank.

2 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

<snippage for length not content>

The H2 by today's standards was not all that quick or fast either, and even with massaged forks, oilite bronze swing arm pivot bushings, Fox shocks and as trick of rubber that then could be had back then, the H2 lived up to its moniker as the "Widow Maker".

Still, nostalgia with rose colored glasses and the instilling scent of burned 93 octane and caster bean oil in the morning smells like victory!

Speaking from experience 100LL avgas works pretty well too...really convenient when ya work at an airport.

and I also sometimes tend to forget how terrible the tyres were back in the day.

I got dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century a few years back, had a family member (by marriage) obtain his growing-up “dream bike” a  new 5-year-left-over 2008 YZF-R1.

After a couple familiarization runs, made a thoroughly unsatisfying blast down the road I literally grew up driving (and riding) on 40 years prior. Loved the performance but really struggling to hold my line-was close, but it kept pushing out slightly-and I was getting a little angry with myself and the bike.

On the reverse pass I noted with a glance that I was exiting a relatively short sweeping turn north of 130mph...

Heh.

Nevermind.

On-topic the biggest complaint I have with my Madstad windscreen is that it’s not mounted on an FJR.

Regards;

Mark

Looks like you’ve gotten some good info.

3 Sabre’s eh? Only two brand new motor vehicles I’ve ever purchased have been my V65 (4 kids ago and long gone) and my Tracer GT...

and “old guy fast” is hilarious, was what R1 “kids” I useta ride with on my FJRs said...

Regards;

Mark