PhotoAl

Thats a nice seat! Is the material woven? How does it stand up to rain? I do a lot of long trips, bike is always outside during the trips and every trip have had some rain or a lot of rain.

I'll have to say its not a bad seat. However seats fit different people differently and what is ok to one is bad to another. IMO a CBR600RR or a BMW F800GT with a stock seat are both way worse than the Tracer GT. I picked my Tracer GT up and immediately put 2,400 miles on it in 7 days. That includes a 500 mile day all with the stock seat. After reading so many comments about the seat was surprised that it wasn't bad - I had my AirHawk on it. Would I would like a more comfortable seat yes but its not as high on my list as other things. Will have to try some of the seat leveling mods. Tracer GT is built to a price point and some things could be nicer but for the price its an incredible bike.

660 looks really nice. Exactly what Ive been wanting for a long time. I was 63 when I traded by ZX6R 636 on a sport touring bike so I could do long trips. Still miss that bike but the Tracer GT has brought excitement back! My back is not in the best shape and I have a knee which is not 100% - lost the bottom quarter in a scooter crash 4 1/2 years ago but even after that still rode the ZX6R 600 miles in one day - painful part was the seat, knee was fine :-) My back actually does better when I ride a lot, guess it is improving core strength. Aprillia is exactly where I wanted to go with my ZX6R! My vision of a sport touring bike was my ZX6R with more relaxed ergonomics and a taller windscreen and a good seat. I don't tour 2 up so I'm happy with two sidecases and a duffle bag on the rear seat.

Nice review. I had a BMW F800GT which was a good bike with a dull dull dull engine. The replacement is the F900XR which is based on the F900R. Supposed to be a bit of an adventure bike - like the Tracer GT and both are IMO adventure styled. I looked at the F900XR but did not ride one, would if I had the opportunity. After my experience with the F800GT it will be a long time before I'm ready to seriously consider a BMW. The BMW seems to be a more polished bike than the Tracer GT but it doesn't have the CP3. Bought my 2020 Tracer GT for $11,495 and a BMW F900XR with cruse, sidecases and a center stand are several thousand more. BMW comes with a 3 year warranty but they can be difficult to deal with.

I think I have the large one, a 12 ounce coke can rattle around too much. Would recommend the larger one - easier to add stuff around a small can than fit a cup thats too large into a small cupholder.

Yes it was defiantly an adventure. Have so many great memories and met some wonderful people. I didn't go as many places but have a lot of incredible memories. I'm ready to go again but need to wait until winter is over and have to take the wife somewhere first. LOL she told me before the first trip "I don't ride on the back of motorcycles and I don't camp" but she lets me go. Thinking about Texas hill country for a late fall trip.

I'm not surprised! I thought the dealership I bought mine from did a great job. Tire pressures were low when I got it but not horrible. It was set up for 1 person 33/36psi front/rear and for loaded it should be 36/42psi. Currently they are somewhat in between as I'm doing 1 person riding now. No loose bolts or missing fasteners (that I've found). My big compliant is that dealer is 1,400 miles away! Wish they were here, I'd have then doo all the service! Local dealers here are not good - mostly stems from not paying enough to attract good techs. There are good independent shops but all the local dealers have bad reputations. I have bought three new bikes in the last 10 years, 2 in Georgia and 1 in South Dakota. Crazy thing about when I bought my Tracer GT is I loaded it up and rode 110 miles that afternoon and then 220 the next two days before riding 90 back to the dealer on 4th day! Bike has been flawless - just checked the chain tension and I'm a bit too loose and need to tighten it a bit.

My last bike (BMW F800GT) was maintained by the book by the dealership. I think they used semisynthetic with 6,000 mile intervals. Oil seemed to hold up and I never worried about it. IMO best reason for 600 mile service is to get rid of any stuff in the oil, engine has bee run in at factory maybe, not sure about gearbox but over the first 600 miles (and longer as well) parts are wearing to fit each other. Tolerances are much tighter, processes are better but not perfect. In addition a good 600 mile service will catch other potential problems. I run full synthetic and plan the have the second oil change soon (currently at 2,600 miles). Synthetic oil has better high temperature tolerance and that is the big reason I use it. I have done a lot of riding in temperatures above 90F. On my way home rode 500 miles in one day with mostly interstate speeds and the temperature at 96F on a fully loaded bike. IMO high quality synthetic oil is a precaution and I'm willing to spend the little bit extra for it.

I have one from Amazon that seems to work well - it was $33 a bit more than 15 pounds. Im not sure how well it will do all day in the rain and wind but so far has held up well in the "parallel position and one notch tilted up from that. I'm running it on a MRA Touring windscreen - should have just bought the MRA Vario but didn't. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089Q7Q3DP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

IMO my GoPro mount worked out very nicely. 3D printed a RAM mont for it - a ball with a bolt thru it at the bottom and then a ball on the top with a GoPro mount. Added a short GoPro piece to get a bit more height so it peeks out under the windscreen on the left side. I printed a 45mm RAM clamp to connect the two balls. So far it has worked very nicely. Same thing could be done with RAM parts at a greater expense and not be cool blue. Printed in PETG as PLA can't withstand the temperatures. The bottom ball is mounted to a bracket where the fairing fastens with a push pin. I popped the pin out and replaced with a bolt. Garmin Zumo XT is mounted with the RAM mounts as well. I used a RAM ball that has a bolt thru it which replaces one of the handlebar mounting bolts. Bought it at Cycle Gear. Using the handlebar mounting bolt gives me 4 options, left or right side and forward or back. That coupled with the rest of the RAM mounting gives me a good bit of flexibility with position. I have a couple of longer RAM connectors which can give me even more flexibility in positioning the Zumo. Only have a couple of thousand miles with the handlebar mount but it has worked very nicely. Very smooth compared to previous bike. As you can tell from the photo I am still running with the Zumo plugged into the outlet.

Thats a great trip. I'm mid 60s and retired. Little over 2 years ago I traded my beautiful 2014 ZX6R 636 ABS on a BMW F800GT just to do long trips. Really missed the power and fun attitude of the ZX6R but took 4 1/2 long trips on that bike. My first long trip was 10 days and went from Alabama to Yellowstone and back. I had ridden the ZX6R 600 miles in a day once and 250 to 350 mile days several times but never a multi-day trip. It was an absolute blast, spent a lot of nights in a tent. Took all of my best buddies with me - that would be me! I do have a SPOT which was handy for sending my wife "I'm OK messages". LOL I was sitting in the Cowboy Cafe in Dubois, WY and she called me. She was looking at my location on her iPhone and it showed me down the street in a shack. She was afraid I had been bushwhacked! In June I went to South Dakota and then down to Moab Utah. That is amazing country and just a bit east of where you were. Had one day which I used to go to Canyonlands. Amazing place. Not sure I would want to live there but the open and barren landscape is amazing and beautiful. Every trip I've taken has had at least one great twisty road. That one had several including the Snowy Mountain Road in southern Wyoming. Why 4 1/2 long trips. In lat August I had the 1/2 long trip. Set out for Idaho and Montana. At the end of the second day and 1,100 miles down the road, just as I pulled off the interstate at the KOA in Grand Island had a massive failure of a rear wheel bearing on my BMW F800GT. Was just able to get to the KOA, BMW was literally unridable! I had been looking at Tracers and Tracer GTs for several months. There are no BMW dealers or shops in Grand Island NB! Since it was too late to call anyone I had all evening to think about it. Good thing is the KOA have really great pizza - as good as any I've eaten in a restaurant outside of Italy so didn't starve. Idea, maybe I could find a Tracer GT and they would bring it to me and trade for the busted BMW, hummm Opened up CycleTrader.com and searched for Tracer GTs pithing 300 miles. Wow there are several! Inquired about a couple to see if they were still available. Afterwards look on eBay for BMW rear hubs. Next morning got a response from Vern Eide in Sioux Falls SD, yes they had the Tracer GT and yes they would trade but it had to be fixed first and I had to get to Sioux Falls. Found a complete swingarm on eBay in LasVegas and ordered it. Got Uber to take me to the airport to get a rental car. Uber driver showed up, it was the Red Barron in his red Impalla. A great fella and we had a good time talking on the ride to the airport. Stopped by Harbor Freight and bought $100 in tools, swingarm showed up and in 3 1/2 hours at a very leisurely pace swapped out the swingarm and I had a working motorcycle! Wife not only send me the title but also my checkbook so I didn't bother asking if I had permission. Rode to Sioux Falls and traded for new 2020 Tracer GT! Wahoo I finally had an exciting bike again. We talked about the first service and I decided to stick around 3 days and have the first service done there. Originally thought about putting a 200 to 300 miles on it and changing the oil in a AutoZone parking lot. Dealership was amazing and friendly. They went out of their way to help me out knowing that they would probably never see me again. After the service set out on the 1,400 mile trek home. WOW what fun (except for the crummy stock windscreen)! Love the bike and it is a great touring bike, cruse control is super nice - been there without it and even a throttle lock is no substitute for cruse control. As for my failed trip, turns out the time I would have been in Montana was when a winter storm came thru and left 6 to 10 inches of snow. Would have been holed up in RedLodge Montana for an extra 5 to 7 days! Next year Im going to San Jose California to see out son. Was going to go this year but circumstances prevented it. My trip planning is simple, go to the KOA website and see where there are KOA campgrounds and plan around that. Ive stayed other places but KOAs are consistent and reasonable priced for camping. Most of the time I tent camp but if the weather is hot or bad I try and stay in a cabin. Have seen 84F at midnight and 30 to 40 MPH winds with 60 MPH gusts and along with rain and small hail in the tent. I don't cook and take no cooking gear.

Plus one on the RAM cupholder. Put one on my BMW F800GT in late May for a long trip when food was drive thru only. When you pull up to the drive thru and they hand you your large coke where do you put it? In the cup holder of course, stash the burger between you abdomen and the tank bag and ride the 20 to 30 feet to a sparking space and eat lunch. Started off keeping the cupholder in the tank bag but left it on after a day or two. It saw rain, interstate speeds, back road speeds in empty western states and wind. Don't normally have it mounted for short trips. Many more opportunities for food now but still somewhat limited - LOL while waiting for my Tracer GT to have its 600 mile service in Sioux Falls I walked thru the drive thru at the nearby Burger King. Felt odd standing between a van and a pickup truck but got my lunch. Was disappointed they didn't comment about my In n Out Hamburgers California T-shirt. A regular or large drink fits fine and is stable at speed although need a certain amount in the cup for stability and to keep it from blowing out. In lower speed areas it is great, my AGV K6 shield opening is large enough I can bring out of a straw with just lifting the visor.

Thanks! Currently have these lights https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083TXGSGV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1 because they looked nice and were cheap. So far they look very nice sitting in the box :-) working on mounting brackets. Also looked at the ADVMonster Model 57FA. Had the ADVMonster Model 30s on my BMW and liked them very much. I modulated them with no ill effects for over 10,000 miles. My Amazon lights are inexpensive but look solid and well made. I'm looking more for a small light that is visible but not blindly bright - why I like the PWM modulation so I can keep the light dim for low beam but go brighter with high beam. I have noticed riding the Tracer GT around locally more folks pull out and turn in font of me than did with the BMW. Before I installed the aux lights on it I had the same problem and had gone to running high beam all the time during the day just for visibility. This is more an issue with a suburban environment where motorcycles are not common. People are in a rush and don't look carefully - ever! Southerners are nice until they get in a car.

Good writeup, thanks for the info on the battery terminals. Have too much experience over the years searching for dropped nuts and bolts! How do you like the Neutrino Aurora? Contemplating getting the lower priced version for controlling aux lights as well as a heated gear controller. In addition would like to add some rear tail lights and brake lights. I had a Hex EZCan controller on my BMW that was somewhat similar but tapped into the CanBus for inputs like turn signals, high/low beams and brake lights. I really like having aux lights for visibility in the daytime and very seldom ride at night due to animals like deer. Used to worry about the reliability of electronic devices but now most electronic devices are very reliable. However connections not necessary so but are (maybe) easier to fix on the road.

Had the dealer do the 600 mile service 3 days after I bought the bike - had 620 miles on it. They didn't stamp the manual as I don't have one yet - they are sending one. I do have the receipt from the dealer describing what was done which is as good as a stamp. Good advice on documenting the work. Some bikes having the service done at the dealer matters more to a prospective buyer than others. Think BMW buyers are much more sensitive to it than most. I sent the dealer the service records for the BMW I traded in. If you have a great dealer with a good service shop and don't mind spending the money then having the dealer do the service is good. I don't know of a dealership in my area that I really trust. Around here the good techs are at independent shops, dealers don't pay enough to keep good folks is what I hear.

Yes, where or did you get it or did you use a cutting machine to do it with. It looks super nice, much bette than the red reflective stickers Ive contemplated. Have thought about a red LED strip on each sidecase for an extra brake light but would need wiring with a plug.

Yea, don't have a top box, have thought about one just for a place to store helmet. On long trips have everything in side cases, waterproof duffle bag and a tank bag. Seems like every time I get a new bike I get a new tank bag. FZ6, metal tank Coretech magnetic bag, CBR600RR plastic tank cover Givi XS307 (gave it away!), ZX6R 636 metal tank with Cortech magnetic bag, BMW F800GT plastic cover over fake tank with BMW tank bag, Tracer GT Metal and plastic Givi XS307! Givi is easy on and off, magnetic bags always try and not scratch putting on or taking off. Biggest problem Ive had with Givi on the CBR is overloading the bag and causing it to sag and rub the paint off on 2 spots. Now I know - keep an eye on that and put tape to protect paint. I do a lot of long trips and invariably run into rain. Nothing like rain to get a dusty bike really nasty particularly if in areas with lots of dirt around. Riding from Moab Utah to Wyoming in the rain got my bike absolutely filthy. Actually washed s much accumulated dirt off the wheels it looked like mud. A magnetic tank bag would have been hard to keep the tank clean enough to keep from getting scratches from dirt under the magnets. I always keep my valuable stuff in the tank bag and take it with me when stopping so bag goes on and off a lot. BMW was the most difficult as it had straps with 4 clips had to undo and refasten every time. Did pretty well about being waterproof until the last trip when it leaked a bit. Nice to not fool with a cover that always looks like it is going to fly off. Had to put a pic of my GT loaded up wo a tank bag. Used a 12" tool bag from WalMart as a temporary until I got home - it wound up strapped on top of the duffle bag.

I totally agree, F800GT was a good bike with a not good engine. LOL my last all day ride was 93F and the heat felt as bad as it ever had. A good trip bike but I had almost quit shorter rides as it wasn't so much fun. My Tracer GT is a bike that puts a big smile on my face every time I ride it.

Welcome, have enjoyed reading your comments about going from a BMW to the Tracer as well about the suspension and handling. I went from a BMW F800GT to my 2020 Tracer GT in early September. It is an interesting story which you can read in my introduction. The F800GT is very different from the 1200GS and was easy enough for me to balance - had lots of experience on long trips almost always stay at KOAs and riding a street bike on gravel streets at 5MPH is challenging for a former sport bike rider! Thought the Tracer GT would be harder to balance but surprise it is easier! Even fully loaded! I have found the suspension to be good enough and certainly not undersprung. I actually had more of a feeling of almost too much preload. However I rode into the dealer on a fully loaded BMW F800GT and rode out on a fully loaded Tracer GT - pretty back to back comparison. LOL I was so nervous about dropping it but is so easy to ride! Started off wandering around Sioux Falls looking for gas and then missed a turn on my route. Lots of stop and go and slower speed stuff but the Tracer is a great ride. Lovely engine - makes great and proper engine sounds - someone likened the F800 engine to a tin can full of bolts being shaken. My BMW was a solid bike but didn't stir my soul. The Tracer does! On the 1,400 mile trip home my only complaint was the windscreen. Opposite end of the spectrum from the Madstad on the BMW (it was on it when I bought it). 500 miles from Grand Island to Springfield MO via Salina KS in 96F heat was a tough ride. The wind blast continually hitting me was the hardest part - the Tracer GT doesn't put off engine heat onto the rider like my BMW did. Since I got home have fiddled with the suspension a bit by raising the forks 7mm and actually dropping the preload to 1 click below standard and the compression and rebound 1 click below (softer) as well. That seems to work very nicely for me - I'm 5' 10" and 175 pounds without gear. I changed the rear to a Michelin Road 5 with 3,800 miles that I already had and a Michelin Pilot Power 5 front. Happy with that choice so far. Have replaced the windscreen with an MRA Touring and then added a spoiler so that it is very similar to the MRA Vario - if hindsight should have gone with the Vario. In June hit a short stretch of construction in South Dakota, all pavement was gone and it was a dirt roadbed. One short spot was just like deep sand - really thought I was going down but somehow managed to not! Defiantly the hardest 30 to 40 feet Ive ever ridden!

Looks nice, can you explain what cutting tape will do? Did you make a template to cut out the shape?

It is metal but the front part is covered by plastic. It's possible you could get a smallish tank bag to work. Problem is the front magnets either won't contact the tank or they will be further back than I would be comfortable with. LOL had a magnetic bag on my BMW secured with disk drive magnets taped to the bottom of the plastic "tank cover" one of them fell off and the bag was not perfectly positioned and as a result blew off when I was passing a truck pulling a trailer on a two lane road on a windy day! Fortunately I caught it with my forearm without letting go of the bars. My recomendation is a tank bag that mounts on a ring on the gas tank. Easy on and off and stay secure. Have a Givi XS307 which is not the cheapest but a good bag. It is the third one I've had. Used one on my CBR600RR on a daily basis for 4 years. Actually wore it out and bought a new one then traded bikes! Wish I had kept it but wound up going to a magnetic bag on my ZX6R 636.

Traded my belt drive BMW for my Tracer GT :-) BMW recommends changing the belt every 24,000 miles, if the mechanic installs it too tight the wheel bearings fail prematurely. But there is a happy ending to that story - fixed it myself and traded it on a new Tracer GT that came with a real motor with real power, a chain drive, maintenance I'll do myself. It is lacking the forced air heating system BMW installed on the F800GT that only worked when the temperature was above 90F. My guess for the BMW chain is it will have a limited life of 24,000 to 36,000 miles like the drive belts. I haven't seen the special kludgerfunkenchainemunchanigng tool that is needed to replace one :-)

For those who think the stock seat is horrid, you need to try a 2012 CBR600RR seat. Seriously the stock seat on my BMW F800GT was only good for a hour max. Add an AirHawk and I could get an hour and a half. Got a comfort seat and it was good for a couple of hours - LOL took a 5,500 mile trip and couldn't find my AirHawk before I left. Comfort seat plus AirHawk was good for 3 hours. Tracer GT seat with AirHawk is as good as the comfort seat plus AirHawk on the BMW was. I did a 500 mile day on the Tracer with no seat issues - I did have to keep scooting back but not too bad. After I got home I put it in the lower position and like the feel of it better. My right knee is OK with the bend - missing bottom 25% of kneecap due to a scooter crash but pretty much works like the other one.

Think Ive only run one tank of E0 in the Tracer GT and one of 87 E10 when there was no 91 available. On my previous bike I've done several long trips in the western states and fill up with E0 whenever possible. Does seem to be a slight MPG increase which I would expect. In remote areas always watching fuel consumption and how far to next gas station.

Not saying your doesn't do it but we both have 2020s and mine has never given any hint of instability. It's about the same as my BMW F800GT was as well as my CBR600RR and ZX6R 636. Did notice with stock screen that I would get alternating left right blasts to my shoulders from wind. The MRA windscreen eliminated that but bike never wandered or anything - it was moved around by the wind a bit but seemed like the tire contact patches were going in a very straight line and the bike was moving sided to side a little moved by wind blasts. Have seen this passing trucks that were going well over 70. Makes me wonder if there is something in the bike setup or adjustment that contributes or causes what you are seeing/feeling. I might suggest loosening the triple clamps and bouncing the from a few times to make sure they are square as well and loosening the pinch bolt on the front axel and bouncing the front to make sure it is in the right place - Dave Moss has a video on this. Gave my Dunlaps 222s away after 2,400 miles and running Michelin Power 5 front and road 5 rear but no difference in stability on the interstate. EDIT: Like the writeup on the steering damper, put an Ohlins on my ZX6R 636 which didn't come with one. Cured a bit of head shake I was getting but also smoothed out little twitches in cornering - bike felt smoother overall and at a low setting - 3 out of 12 or 14 if I remember correctly.