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I highly recommend changing to get small particles out of the system. New manufacturing process and tolerances are very good but not perfect. I was told that most warranty issues come at the 600 mile service - I had a 1,400 mile ride home and wanted to get the bike checked out before that. Agree with whisper quiet - going to change oil soon just because I can and already have the supplies :-)

Congrats on the new bike! Good you have nice weather, LOL we have a hurricane going by and tomorrow will be wet and windy but not a direct blast looks like. Couldn't ride anyway as I'll be at the vintage races at Barber Saturday and Sunday. peteinpa - agree, a lot of folks buy but just don't ride. Mine had 600 miles in 3 days and 2,000 in a week! Due to the fact it was a spur of the moment trade 1,400 miles from home. Exhilarating but nerve-racking to start out day one on a brand new bike fully loaded and have to ride 90 miles to where I was staying - after I rode 250 miles that day to trade. Great memories of a trip that didn't go at all as planned but was still a fun exciting time.

Thanks for the paint code! My experience in motorcycle painting is frustration! LOL tried to paint a fairing for my CBR600RR and gave up and bought a new one. New one came with decals that alone were almost the price of the new one! Had a couple of spots on the tank (really a plastic cover) where the tank bag rubbed thru the paint. Spent many hours trying to get it perfect - primer, base and red! Small spots. Finally gave up and said close enough and put clear coat on top. Rattle can clear coat rubbed right off when I tried to rub it out smooth. More frustration! Finally bought a can of SprayMax 2K gloss clear coat. After that the tank looked fantastic and the gloss matched the rest of the bike and the two spots I worked so hard on - almost impossible to see. I sprayed 3 coats with about 15 minutes between. First way just a fog, second was thicker and the 3rd was a thick coat that flowed and glossed. Long explanation but that's why I'm not too worried about painting the lids. If its your first time, practice first even if you waste a $25 can of paint the finally result will be good. Biggest problem with the 2 part urethane is the hardener is a dangerous chemical (I have an engineering degree and therefore am not going to even attempt to spell it). Something to be careful with and follow the precautions carefully.

Ride365 agree with you about the Ducati, they are beautiful bikes but reliability and parts availability are issues I don't want to have to deal with in some remote spot. When my BMW F800GT had a rear hub failure in Nebraska it was an adventure looking at parts and availability plus someone who would work on it. Japanese bikes are not as common as cruisers but people do know how to work on them and parts are readily available. In 2011 contemplated a Triumph Daytona 675 but bought a Honda CBR600RR for the same reason. I put a lot of miles on a bike and want something that is reliable and maintainable. Service cost? LOL when I bought my BMW F800GT used with 4,700 miles also bought a 3 year unlimited mileage service contract. Added up the various service costs that was on the invoice and it totaled near $5,000 for the 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30 thousand mile services - in 26 months. If I had kept the bike it would had at least 2 more services. Big problem was a couple of times I need it service before a long trip and would up doing some long day trips to get the mileage to where it needed to be. On the Tracer GT I plan on doing all of the service myself. If it is early that doesn't bother me at all. On my FZ6 I did everything but pull the engine out of the frame and the Tracer GT is similar.

When I bought mine one of the lids had scratches on it - almost looks like it was dropped but only other mark on the bike was on the very end of the front turn signal. I swapped that out for the cost of the first service. SprayMax makes a 2K satin clear which I think would be perfect. So plan is to sand scratches out and spray with black or some color and then satin finish clear on top. Few years ago did the plastic tank cover for my CBR with SprayMax 2K clear and it turned out super nice. They have Yamaha colors but trying to match the black with the speckles in it. If I had confidence in a copper-red color I would do that - not sure what the paint code for it is. SprayMax 2K is a 2 part polyurethane that is very hard and should hold up well. The non lid portions of my side cases, not painted, have some scuff marks from boots and duffle bag.

Recent bikes before the Tracer GT were a 2012 CBR600RR, 2014 Kawasaki ZX6R 636 and a BMW F800GT. BMW was nice but not adjustable. The Tracer GT is good but I think to maybe answer Ride365 it depends on what you want to do with the bike. If you are not heavy and want a sport touring bike for log trips with a 100 pounds of gear then it is good with no major changes. If you are heavier may need to do some spring changing. Some folks want a more aggressive bike and at that point the Tracer GT suspension is not as good as say a pure sport bike so a good suspension setup is the fix. I'm somewhere in-between and am thinking maybe new rear shock and springs, plus oil and fine tuning. My ideal setup is good performance when loaded - me plus 100 to 120 pounds of luggage. Have ridden some great mountain roads on long trips and want to have the confidence to enjoy them at a reasonable pace even though loaded. Looked at the F900XR but decided on the Tracer GT because the Tracer GT has a wonderful engine with character and soul. The Tracer is built to a price point, suspension isn't quite what might come on more expensive bikes BUT I got my Tracer GT for $11,500 while the F900XRs that I could find with sidecases and the options I wanted were $16,500. So for the $5,000 difference I can do a lot of suspension work. The Tracer is not a sport bike like an R6 or ZX6R but again it is a very capable bike that is light and upright with good power. A fun bike, I enjoy reading about mods others have made and what the results were.

I've been looking at the very same thing. Read lots of stuff but a lot is for the FJ or non adjustable Tracer. I have not found the spring to be too soft but I'm 175 (maybe less) wo gear. What I'm seeing in addition to springs is a progression: Adjustments - get it set correctly for your riding style Change springs if they need to be Change fork oil and set air gap Best compromise seems to be new rear shock and cartridge emulators in the forks both set up by someone who knows more than I do. Well how about a lot more than I do :-) I found some good info in this thread: My cursed 2019 Tracer! | Yamaha FZ-09 Forum I read a lot of these posts and don't post much, but I'm going nuts...

Good info in this thread. Have had my 2020 Tracer GT for about a month but most of my miles have been riding it back from where I bought it. Last couple of weeks have been reading and looking at the suspension settings. I'm not a big person but 175 without gear. Everyone talked about how soft he GT was and my experience is not that. I did dial up the rear preload to 20 out of 24 clicks as I was fully loaded - me plus gear plus 80+ pounds of stuff in sidecases and a duffle on the rear seat. Dialed a preload back to stock, watched Dave Moss videos and read stuff. Dropped triple clamps 7mm. Seemed better, changed to Pilot Power 5 front and Road 5 rear (which I had). Getting better but not right front felt stiff. Today backed a half turn off of front preload and softened compression and rebound 1 click. I can now bounce the front. Ride is much better, compliance over bumps better and the front is much more confidence inspiring but had a little tendency to run wide. Still have more checking and adjusting to do but headed in the right direction. Bike doesn't take a line and stay there but is easily controlled. Handles bumps better. From best I can tell seems like the fork bottom is higher than one of the photos indicates. Later tonight will put it on center stand and check sag and fort distance to bottom. I like to have a bit of fun in the corners on a winding road but also do long trips with a fair amount of gear. Also enjoy spirited rides when loaded so need to have good handling when loaded. Will have to make some compromises but priority is good handling when loaded. Plans include changing out front brake pads for HH (has nothing to do with handling); check and set sag; continue to work on preload compression and rebound settings; change fork oil and air gap; replace rear shock and finally work on front forks. Currently thinking the front shocks are good enough that I may not replace the cartridges but go with something like gold emulators. I've looked at some spring rate calculators and for me it appears the stock springs are OK but may be just a little on the weak side. IMO the front in particular does OK on bigger motions but the tiny movements seem to be a bit harsher. Thinking more premium shock and struts will be a little more refined and compliant for small movements - your walled will also be more refined and compliant (thinner). Previous bikes included a BMW F800GT (good suspension but not adjustable other than rear preload), Kawasaki ZX6R 636 and CBR600RR. The ZX6R and CBR had great suspensions which worked very well for me in the stock configuration - I don't do track days. Tracer GT put a big smile on my face every time I ride it! from the sound of the triple to the acceleration and vigor the bike has. Suspension is not perfect but not that bad and as I get mine more sorted it is a great bike.

got the tires mounted and have had them out a couple of times. Still carefully exploring the tires but so far I like the combination. I can tell the suspension isn't the greatest but not horrible either. Have work to do on the settings. Lots of folks talk about how soft the GT is but mine seems to be pretty stiff and the compression and rebound seem a bit harsh at default settings. Im 175 wo gear. Tires are good though and will work towards getting them leaned all the way over. I' am being very careful plus have run into some traffic so haven't been able to work my up to bigger lean angles but they are good tires. Guess my head has been in the sand and Daboo didn't tell me but the Roadsmarts IV came out a month or so ago. Look to be a significant improvement over the III. I'm sure there is a significant increase in the wallet reduction upon installation. A tiny bit frustrated I didn't see them as I would have given them serious consideration. Will probably get a new tire or tires before next long trip so they will be something to watch for.

Yup that's cheap, right? Actually it was sarcasm. I used to buy the stuff for $8 or $9 a can back in the "good ole days" Typically cause it really is quite expensive I just use it on my visor. Occasionally on the windscreen and helmet. On a long trip its good to keep visor clean but helmet and windscreen get loaded with bugs - an all day ride in the rain usually washes them off. I keep a small can in my tank bag.

For the windscreen use the cheap stuff - Plexus and on my helmet visor. Need to look into the Beasley's stuff some time. Have some of the Chemical Guys stuff from Amazon (Meticulous Matte Cleaner and Detailer) seems like it works well but my bike is only one month old and 2,500 miles. One of the pannier lids has some scratches on it - swapped out that for a free first service. Will probably paint over the winter. Plan on using the satin finish SprayMax 2K clear on top of OEM black. The non-lid parts of the panniers have some scuff marks on them from boots and the duffle bag that goes on top. My experience with panniers is they get scratches on them - I do a lot of long trips where i tent camp 2/3s of the time so lots of loading and unloading. My BMW F800GT was a matte grey and that held up really well - it was getting close to 4 years old when I traded it for the Tracer GT.

The OEM 222s are coming off after 2,400 miles. Just don't like the front. Had a Michelin Road 5 with 3,800 miles on it - straight line riding! It is flat in the center and hasn't been leaned over much. Usually I put a new rear tire on before a long trip and this was one I wasn't sure would make it another 6,000 miles in good condition - like to have a good tire for the last 2 days as that is 1,100 miles and a lot of interstate. Will not be taking off on a really long trip until next May or June so decided to go with what I had plus a new front. Was thinking Road 5 front but Cycle Gear didn't have one so bought a Pilot Power 5 front. A little different than the Road 5 but good wet capability and a good tire - from what I can determine. Have not really pushed the Tracer GT yet, have been unsure about the front. Just don't get a good feeling from it. Apparently it is not uncommon for people to run a sport touring rear with a sport front. A while back was cleaning one of the "old" Road 5s. It amazed me how supple the unmounted tire was. From what I can tell the Road 5s are a very compliant tire and give a better ride than others. MCN did a tire test recently and the Road 5 did not do as well on a heavy BMW R1250RT I believe it was. The recently introduced Road 5GT would have been a better choice for that bike. IMO there is not a lot of difference between the top tires. Maybe one of these days I'll get around to trying some of the other tires but when heading out on a 6,000+ mile trip I tend to fall back to what I know rather than experiment with tires. Meanwhile I'll be working on more local roads trying to get the side wear on the Road 5 rear evened up. Edit: In response to the original poster I would be very suspicious of those tires. Doesn't sound like the Roadsmart III to me.

Had the Sena SMH-10 on my last couple of helmets, nice unit and lasted a long time. Currently running a Cardio Freecom 1+. Since I ride with all of my friends I don't need to talk to anyone and the 1+ works for me. Have had some trouble pairing it with both my iPhone and Garmin Zumo XT. Seems like it is one or the other. For short around town rides not on the interstate I use speakers in the helmet. For interstate and longer rides use earbuds for noise isolation and better sound. Like how easy it is to switch the Freedom 1+ from speakers to earbuds. Earbuds are a hassle but save my hearing. Wear the full face helmet on my scooter and the speakers are great so I can listen to music on my 3 minute ride to the grocery store.

Be interested to know what bike you had previously. My previous bike was a BMW F800GT, twin with 8,500RPM redline. Before that it was a Kawasaki ZX6R 636 with a 16,000RPM redline. I really struggled with the BMW at first because of the difference in sound and knowing when to shift by listening to the engine. With the Tracer GT I'm more back in my happy zone. I did get used to running the BMW at lower RPMs and light throttle to stretch gas mileage which is important in the western states with long distances between gas stations. That engine would happily trundle along at 2,500RPM with light throttle. Too much throttle and it sounded like the tin can full of rocks was being shaken too violently. I have found the Tracer GT to be much better in that respect. It saw over 1,000 miles of open highway and interstate on the trip back home and I never noticed any buzzyness or vibrations. I would certainly recommend checking out starts at the bottom of a steep hill. My driveway is steep, not too difficult but takes careful throttle and clutch work. Too little throttle and too much clutch and it boggs, add some throttle and in on the clutch and you discover twitchy throttle.

If you don't ride in the rain don't bother, only time anything falls out is when the ground is wet or muddy

Have used lots of different filters over the years including K&N. Never had a problem but more recently have been using OEM filters. LOL bought three O&M filters and oil for my ZX6R, changed the oil once and then traded it! Currently have two Yamaha filters for my Tracer GT, both made in Tailand. One was $11.99 from the dealer I bought it from in South Dakota and the other was $14.99 from a local dealer! Going to change oil soon and like to have a spare on hand. Guess the difference is the local dealer doesn't have any snowmobiles to make money on so has to make it selling parts :-) Will have to try some HiFlo's. Interesting thing when talking about oil and filters my BMW F800GT had all the service done by the dealer - had a service contract. Always changed the oil and filter at 6,000 miles and at the end of 26 months it had 31,000 miles on it and no problems. Pretty sure it they used semi synthetic oil. It ran good when I traded it so no lubrication related problems. I usually change my oil sooner than recommended - it was always a pain with that bike I had to take it in and get it service before a long trip which sometimes meant had to take some quick long rides to get the milage up! Doing my own service will just service when it needs it. If going to be on a long trip will do it before I leave even if it's early.

Read thru the linked experience. Amazing how much of the stuff you carry I also carry. A few times I've found nothing but 87 gasoline, have used it without any problems on my previous bike and have already had to do it one time on the Tracer GT. When I do that try to not accelerate hard or lug the engine and fill up with premium at the first opportunity. I have a Garmin inReach Mini which is super nice as well as an older SPOT. The SPOT is nice and actually has a Help button in addition to the SOS button. The Help button is for stuff like flat tires out of gas etc. It also has an "I'm OK" button which I like to use to let my wife know I'm OK. I was going to cancel the subscription but missed the opportunity the last two times as I was on a trip and didn't get it done. I have some sort of roadside assistance with it also. AA is changing their coverage to only tow 50 miles at the beginning of the year - for motorcycles it's part of an extra package. RV or something like that. I have a big MSR type bottle but have never even filled it so left it at home for the last trip. Keep looking at some of the 1.5 gallon fuel containers but haven't done that yet. I also have found paper maps to be handy. The Zumo XT is waterproof but before that have navigated with a carefully folded paper map in the top of the tank bag. Have not needed the SPOT or inReach Mini and hopefully never will. Have learned the hard way never pass up a gas station as you never know where the next one will be. On first long trip would have run out of gas if it weren't for a single gas pump at a crossroads in Wyoming. Only gas for a very long way!

Welcome and congrats on the new bike. Bought my 2020 3 1/2 weeks ago and today ticked over 2,300 miles :-) It has yet to be out in the rain but it will be. Did the sidecases leak? Had my 600 mile service done 3 days after I bought it! LOL my ride home from the dealer was 1,400 miles so wanted to get the 1st service done by the dealer before I headed home. Love my bike! So far have added a MRA windscreen, a Givi XS507 tank bag, a Garmin Zumo XT and a GoPro canner mount. Also have a cupholder mount on the bars. Have next set of tires but not mounted yet. Michelin Pilot Power 5 front and Michelin Road 5 rear with 3,800 miles on it. Last night I raised the forks 7mm. Im just now starting to play with the bike as the first miles were in South Dakota and then 1,400 miles home fully loaded. It is a great bike and very stable even on the interstate when passing big trucks. MRA windscreen helps. Thinking of going to a MadStad windscreen for the long trips (usually do a couple a year) as its really nice to have the nasty stuff going mostly over your head.

Think it was estimated at about $340, I had some scratches on one of the side cases and swapped that for the 1st service. Bought my bike 1,400 miles from home. Service price wasn't cheap but they gave me a very good deal and would not have minded a bit more for first service cost. Particularly when they worked me into their schedule - I got to 600 miles in 3 days :-) then set out on a 1,400 mile ride home. Yes I could have done everything but reassuring to know someone competent had checked it over. If you think this is pricy just check out services on a BMW - Bring More Wallet! When I bought my BMW also bought a 3 year service contract for $1,500. In 26 months had the 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30 thousand mile service done. Total cost (for me $1,500) would have been $5,000 if no contract. If I had done everything myself parts might have been $1,500. Yamaha service manager told me that most warranty issues are found at the 600 mile service. I recommend getting it done and afterwards doing it yourself. I cannot say enough nice things about the dealer I bought mine from. They knew where I was from and would probably never see me again but they treated me very nicely, gave me a good price on the bike and a good price on my trade in. I would have not gotten as good a deal locally. I cannot stress enough the importance of a good dealer or service shop and having a good relationship with them. I plan on doing all of the maintenance on my Tracer GT - not a perfect bike but it does have character and soul. I want a bike that gives a smile when I ride not a good tool - have plenty of those in my toolbox.

Have the MRA touring, save as Vario but without the adjustable part. I’m 5’ 10” and wind hits at my shoulders. A nice windscreen but will probably go with the MadStad 22” for long trips (5,500 to 6,000 miles). Had one on my BMW F800GT, great for long trips, not so great for short rides in hot weather. have had no stability issues at all with m 2020 bike with stock or the MRA touring windscreen Update: took a longer ride today, half interstate and half back roads. Windscreen is very good. Just a nice flow of air back to the helmet with wind hitting the top of my shoulders and up. At higher speeds on the interstate no buffeting and blasting even when passing trucks. A really nice windscreen and probably all i really need. I have a variable spoiler to put on top of it on order from Amazon. It would make it more like the MRA Vario. It would be nice to have something to direct the blast over my head to make the ride a bit quieter. For long trips I'm still thinking MadStad as something to keep more rain off of me for those days when I get caught in a day long rain and wind. I keep getting better with helmets that don't fog or get water inside but not perfect yet. MadStad would be good to keep rain to the visor down to help with the fogging and water droplets on the inside of the visor. Update II: Fitted a $33 spoiler from Amazon, similar to Vario now. Surprisingly good improvement. With the spoiler set basically parallel to the top of the windscreen the wind now hits the top of my helmet from the top of the visor up. I get a little bit of wind lightly patting my shoulders when encountering large vehicles on the interstate. Have good enough airflow that the helmet vents are useful but not too much noise. This is a good combination, will play more with the settings on the spoiler next week but certainly a screen I could take some long rides with. Makes me somewhat regret not going ahead and getting the Vario to start with but didn't know how it would work out.

Have 2,300 miles on them but just now getting some cornering time in. Bought the bike in South Dakota. I really want to say my bike had a puncture in the rear tire so I traded it for a new Tracer GT but it was actually a rear bearing failure. In eastern SD and Nebraska there arn't many curves - does the ramp from I90 to I29 count? Having read a lot about the bike and peoples comments about the tires I'm very cautious about throwing it into corners but so far has done well although the front doesn't give me confidence. Think I hit a small rock in a sweeper as it seemed to step a bit. Chicken strips on the back (1/2" to 5/8") tire are less than I would have thought so obviously I've had it over a bit. Today on the interstate notice some vibration from front tire noticed before. Had a Pilot Road 4 GT that do that on a previous bike. Not sure the cause but a new Road 5 cured it. Tires look very good and are wearing really well particularly the rear which is just barely starting to get a hint of flat in the center. Will probably change tires soon but I'm torn on what to put on it. Pilot front Road 5 rear or Road 5 front and rear. Already have a Road 5 with only 3,800 miles on it (just gave away one with 6,000 miles). I do a couple of long road trips a year and in 2021 hope to finally make it to the bay area to see my son. Pilot front intrigues me but wonder how it would do in the rain. Every long trip has had at least one full day in rain so need a good rain tire. Any trips this fall will probably be 4 or 5 days and could easily avoid rain by waiting it out. Really don't want to get caught out in the wet on these tires. Probably better than the OEM Dunlap Qualifers (not Q or QII or QIII) on my 2012 CBR600RR. Rear stepped out turning left at a traffic light on a 45F morning and part throttle in 1st. Another time it spun up at 70 in the wet just from rolling on in 3rd gear - not really in the meat of the power band. Needless to say they were replaced soon afterwards. Update: Went by Cycle Gear, looks to see if they had a Road 5 front. They didn't but did have a Pilot Power 5. Looked it over and thought about it for a moment then bought it. Haven't mounted them yet. Went on a ride today and was nervous across damp patches. Seems like the front follows stuff and over rougher pavement doest give me a good feeling. The OEM tires seem good on dry warm and smooth surfaces. Buuuuuut I need a tire that works well in the wet and cold. So I'm sitting around procrastinating and working on wearing out the OEM tires. Plus I'm very busy being retired and would have to find the time to take the wheels off and take them to get tires mounted. :-)

skipperT, the only time I run 87 is when I'm low and nothing else is available. Doesn't happen often but in 5 long trips have had to use 87 about 6 or 7 times. My experience in states like Nebraska, Montana, the Dakotas and Wyoming there are some chains that only have 87 available. Usually when planning my route for the day I'll check to see where gas is and what the stations are but occasionally still get low and only is 87 available. I never look at the price - only putting in 3 or 4 gallons so difference is not so much.

With 5 bikes have you thought about just renting a trip and hauling them down? Of course everyone is moving from the NE to Florida so truck costs may be high. Looked into shipping when my bike broke in Grand Island Nebraska. No pickups to rent. Looked into Haul Bikes but gave up as there was lots of fine print and unknown stuff - wound up repairing and then trading for a new Tracer GT which I rode home. :-)

Haven't put Road 5s on this bike yet but ran a few sets of them at 36/42 on last bike. About the same weight as the Tracer GT so expect the same. Most of my miles are long trips full loaded with way too much straight stuff. Rear gets flat in the center and the front cups. I probably should run a bit higher in the front but like to have all the traction available in case I have to make a panic stop. Last front I replaced was at 12,000 miles and it was due to some cupping but otherwise still had lots of life left. Haven't a clue as how many miles the rear is good for, most I've put on one is 6,000. Always taking 5,500 to 6,000 mile trips and didn't think I could get 12,000 out of a rear so just replaced it. Ive given a couple of them away and have one with 3,800 miles on it waiting on the OEM tires to come off. Hijacking the thread a bit but have been thinking of running a Pilot power or 5CT front with a Road 5 rear. What holds me back is I have been caught in several day long rainstorms as well as intense summer showers and want a front tire with good wet capability.

Less than a month ago I had a major breakdown 1,400 miles from home - on my BMW LOL. I was aware of MOA but not a member and didn't have "The Book". I'm kind of glad I didn't as I would up fixing my BMW, riding it 250 miles (further away from home) and trading it for a new Tracer GT. I had a spectacular rear wheel bearing failure. Bought a complete swingarm from eBay - cheaper and easier than buying the hub assemble which is the only way to replace a bearing with BMW parts. So instead of a 17 day trip where I got marooned by bad weather in Montana for an extra week I had a 14 day trip and brought home a 2020 Tracer GT as a souvenir. :-) BMW dows have a very good owners group and resources but the dealers range from very good to very bad. I sure understand why they all wanted to hear the sound of the Tracer :-) I had a F800GT and it was not a good sound - someone likened it to shaking a can full of rocks. Before the BMW I had a CBR600RR and Kawasaki ZX6R 636 so it was a real letdown. Performance was ok but not inspiring. Other than the engine the bike was very nice although it did have a significant heat issue with putting hot air on my inner thighs when ambient temperature was above 92F.