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Have a new 2020 Tracer GT and reading thru this thread. Ordered an adapter cable from Amazon so will see if it works. No codes (yet) but want to be prepared. LOL I'm doing all the maintenance on this bike, last bike had only dealer maintenance - yea it was worse than you are thinking but good part is it led to my getting the Tracer GT (in the middle of a trip/adventure). I have a OBD II to USB adapter cable I use on my Fords as well as an OBD II to USB cable I use for the VW. I have a software package for the Fords and the VW (VAGCOM) that allow me to not only see the codes but do other changes as well. Yes it is fully capable of causing problems if used improperly. Is there something similar for the Yamaha or motorcycles in general?

I do lie the sport bike converted to sporting touring bike. :-) Often wished for a ZX6R with a more upright position, sidecases and a better windscreen. The Tracer comes very close, looking for an extension so far without much success.

After reading thru the discussion good ideas on rear extensions. Looking into it to maybe keep my tail a bit cleaner. Is the Tracer GT more susceptible to dirt than other bikes? Have a number of day long rides in the rain and the dirt and grime gets everywhere. In June rode thru Utah and southern Wyoming in heavy rain. All the dirt and grime on the road really coated my bike. LOL when washing the wheels there was so much dirt on them it was like mud! Hugger does seem to be very short, more like my Kawasaki ZX6R 636 tether than a sport touring bike.

Ive had the fuel light come on at 173, most of the time a bit more. Loafing along on at say 65 it gets good mileage. Loaded on the interstate it gets about the same or a little than my F800GT BMW did. Overall a big improvement as the tank is 4.8 gallons versus 4.0 gallons (US) so the added range is really nice. The BMW seemed to respond a little bit better to low speeds dramatically improving mileage - probably because it had a barn door (MadStad) windscreen. Love the ability to track average and instantaneous consumption and the fuel used. Fuel used is not accurate but once I've figured it out gives me a good idea of range left. In the last 2 years have done 5 long trips out west and have learned to know where gas is available and how far to the next one beyond that. Gas station scarcity it not always where expected. Also have had to fill up with 87 octane a few times as that is all that is available. How does the Tracer GT respond to 87 octane fuel?

Only played a bit with it one time so far and it was OK, front wasn't perfect but that could be tires as much as anything. The rear preload is set at 20 of 24 clicks. With gear I'm probably 190 plus had 70 to 90 pounds on the rear seat and in the sidecases. It never felt bouncy or floppy. With just the sidecases on and empty I have no static sag and can't push the front forks down much so it seems pretty stiff to me. Tomorrow I'm going thru the settings and see what I can figure out. At this point springs seem OK to me.

Thanks, good writeup. Ive already had the front brakes let me down a bit. They were not good at all when I rode it first time. Wondered if they had some residue on them from being on the showroom floor a a while - its a 2020 so couldn't have been too long. Looking into pads for the front will probably do HH but only ride street but still want something that stops. Previous bike was a BMW F800GT with Michelin Road 5s and it stopped really well. Before that had a ZX6R 636 and a CBR600RR. Don't do track days just street riding, last 2 years have been doing long road trips but like to be able to enjoy the curvy roads when I get them. Been looking at my suspension - have rear preload set 4 clicks from full because rode it home fully loaded. Looking at the Dave Moss video of him working on a 2018 or 2019 Tracer. It's suspension seemed to be much softer than mine. Mine is stock other than the rear preload adjustment. Next step it to go thru and see if I can set the suspension. Have a Michelin rear with only 3,800 miles on it ready to mount. Have been contemplating getting a front and mounting the rear. OEMs art bad just different and being unsure of the suspension thinking that would give me something with familiarity. OEM tires have 2,100 miles on them and are wearing nicely.

Congrats on your new bike. Had to chuckle reading your post as the reasons you don't like the bike are the same reasons I like mine. Had a BMW F800GT previously and really missed the sporty side.

For a kickstand plate I have three, usually one in tank bag and one in jacket pocket. I have used a crushed aluminum can or even a carefully crushed water bottle in a pinch. Yes it is tough to pack for hot and cold weather. In late May I left Alabama and rode to South Dakota then down thru eastern Wyoming to Moab Utah. 99 in Moab, next day rode to Rock Springs Wyoming - 350 miles. It rained 250 of those miles with temps ranging from upper 50s F (that was early in the day) and all the way down to 34.7F going thru a 9,111foot pass - yes it was raining and I had my eagle eye out for snow or sleet. Had to change my route around Flaming George due to a road closure. Started the day with 2 T-shirts under my mesh jacket, added light Frog Toggs rain jacket when rain started then a fleece jacket during gas stop. I was cold but made it thru. Had to keep jaw clenched to keep teeth from chattering after going thru pass. I had more long sleeve stuff but it was in duffle bag! I didn't check weather carefully enough! Be sure and take comfortable shoes - Always take a pair of running shoes that are light and pack pretty well plus flip flops for KOA showers. Learned the hard way not to hike in boots in Canyonland in June. 1.6 mile hike (round trip) took water and it wasn't enough, scrambled up some rocks to a lookout and realized i was in real danger of falling back down - only 10 or 12 feet but enough to have broken something. Was hard and took a lot more effort. I carry a Garmin inReach mini and a SPOT for areas where cell service is not available. I pack sidecases full and then have a large waterproof duffle that goes on the rear seat plus a tank bag. Have lots of pro Canon camera gear but for these trips take a Sony a6000 with a 16-50 and 55-200 lenses. Keep camera in tank bag, big lens in duffle bag. Keep iPad in tank bag. I tent camp 2/3s of the time and stay in KOA cabins the rest of the time so have air mattress, seeping bag and tent. I've done 5 two week or more trips the last couple of years and have it down pretty well. Last trip started on my F800GT which broke and then I fixed and traded for a 2020 Tracer GT. That was tough as I lost a bit of sidecase space and the tank bag. Here is a pic of my bikes the day I bought the Tracer. LOL the Tracer has 2 or 3 miles on it at this point and those were from a quick familiarization ride. Note this is 1,400 miles from home! The small black bag is my new "tank bag", its a 12" tool bag from WalMart. I would up strapping it to the top of the yellow bag which worked much better. I prefer a duffle bag to a top case as the top was is past the rear wheel and makes the foot end lighter. I have ridden quite quickly on many twisting roads on the BMW fully loaded and intend to do so with the Tracer GT. MRA windscreen arrived this morning and the Givi XS307 tank bag yesterday so much better prepared now.

My BMW F800GT had a matte finish, never put anything on it except for dirt and bugs. It looked good when i traded it in after 2 years. I took it one time for service and they "cleaned it up" for me. Sprayed some sort of greasy glossy stuff all over it. Was a nice gesture but not right for the bike! LOL never did was it off, it was gone after a couple of days riding in the rain. Bought some Groitts Garage wash that is safe for matte finishes so they say. My bikes stay in the garage except on trips when they live outside 24/7 without a cover. Since it is a new bike and I'm super excited about it I'm planning on looking for some matte specific "stuff" for it. Crazy part is some parts are matte and some are glossy.

Mine has a few more holes I think, I did the spray gas everywhere thing once on my trip home. Been riding long stretches and then to fill the tank very full - when on side stand will fill until half of the bottom is covered. Since Im going to get on the bike and ride for 150 to 200 miles I don't worry about leaving a lot of expansion room. Figure fuel will be used before expansion will be a problem. If was going to leave it sitting in the hot sun would be different. I want that extra bit of fuel as a gas station is not always there so want as much range as possible.

Not saying that the weave some are experiencing is not real. Just y experience with my new bike. LOL it has 2,100 miles on it and I have done no fun riding on the local twisties -yet! Haven't seen the 80MPH notice, mine has been above that in passing maneuvers with no issues at all. Split the last day riding home into two 275 mile days as 500 miles with the stock windscreen and lots of crosswinds was tough. Had been reading the postings in this thread and paid close attention to how the bike went those days as I had a lot of interstate riding. Rear preload was set to 20 clicks, front was stock - i think too light but didn't get it changed before I left. For 500 mile day tire pressures were 34PSI front and 36PSI rear. I set them to 36 and 42. The bike was absolutely stable - it does turn in quickly :-) but so did my CBR600RR. It does seem to be a bit more unsteady coming up behind trucks than my BMW but I attribute that to more buffeting from the stock windscreen. The BMW was similar size and weight but had a MadStad barn door windscreen. I was getting a lot of pressure on my shoulders and upper arms from the truck winds. They buffeted me pretty good sometimes but the Tracer kept a straight line thru even if the top of the bike was moving around a little bit. Trucks seem to generate quick gusts that alternate from one side on the body to the other. Reminded me a bit of my old FZ6. The CBR600RR and ZX6R 636 were very stable particularly in a somewhat tucked position. The ZX6R did not come with a steering damper it would shake its head a little bit when hitting expansion joints while leaned over and accelerating hard. Put an Ohlins race damper on it and was a big improvement - not cheap but very effective even in ordinary street riding and that was with it set at 3 clicks (soft). Do folks put steering dampers on the Tracer GT?

Printed out a couple - with and without the hole> LOL now I can't find the one without the hole so here is a pic of the one with the hole. They turned out very nicely - pic doesn't do it justice, I haven't perfected printing in PETG so could be a bit better. While on Thingverse found an oil filter tool, printed one of those as well, Ive always used a big pair of pliers but a tow will be very nice. It is also PETG with 60% triangle infill. Big thanks to Clegg78!

As a new owner of a Tracer GT it’s nice to see the comments about the folks with 100,000 miles. I put 26,000 miles on my last bike in 2 years and expect to put a lot on the Tracer. I have used Rotella in a Ninja 250 and my FZ6 but that was a while back. Quit using it on the FZ6 because the engine seemed to make more mechanical noise sooner after an oil change and the shifting was not as good as with some other synthetic oils. Lots of motorcycle folks use Rotella in all kinds of bikes without any problems - as mentioned make sure it meets the motorcycle spec.

I’ve been looking at the Yamaha rack for added space but don’t plan on a top case. For gear I use a waterproof duffel on the rear seat plus side cases. The Yamaha rack would give me a bit more space for a gas can or a small bag behind the large duffle bag. For my trip home I had a small bag strapped on top of the duffle bag, no problems on a 1,400 mile ride.

Only had my bike a week but lots of use of the cruse control. Most cars I’ve driven have a cruse control on/off switch or button and separate set and resume buttons. Had a new rental canary with “radar cruse control” it worked the same way as the Tracer except it took a bit to get ready. Some things I’ve noticed: it drops out if you shift so don’t engage until you are in the right gear. Rolling the throttle up speeds up and releasing it will drop speed back to set speed. Rolling the throttle completely off drops it out of cruse control i particularly like the rolling off of the throttle feature as I can drop it off of cruse control without hitting brakes like when I may be a bit over the limit and see a police vehicle and want to quickly drop a bit of speed without undue drama. I have found it to be very accurate and works well up to 83mph (have been on roads with 80 mph speed limit and with the 2 mph speedometer error (according to my GPS) then I was 1 over.

Big thanks for this, will print a couple out when I get home. Currently using a small carabiner I printed in PETG for my Garmin retainer. Not the easiest to undo but has worked perfectly even when I rode all day yesterday in 95F weather. PLA+ stuff in my tank bag has done well and think PLA+ would be good enough unless you are putting it somewhere it will see a lot of heat. The nylon one you are selling are really nice though and may have to get one of them for the cool factor 😁 I like the blue.

You can read the long version of my buying adventure in my new member intro. Last Wednesday bought a 2020 Tracer GT for 11,495 from Vern Eide Motoplex in Sioux Falls SD. Found them on Cycle Trader, not only did I get the advertised price, they made me a good offer on my bike to trade! Better yet when I rode 250 miles from where I was staying they checked my bike and gave me the trade price straight up! Only additional fee was a $200 doc fee. I did get an extended warranty but they were very open and straightforward about it. No pressure just the facts. A very pleasant experience and have to give a shout out for them. They did that knowing they would probable never see me again as I live 1,500 miles away. Hear so many stories about the shady folks but not enough about the good folks. I rode 1,500 miles to get that deal! 🙂 not really that’s just how my trip turned adventure worked. I have come back from trips with some pretty cool souvenirs but think this is one of the best!

Rode 500 miles yesterday lots of miles across Kansas in stiff winds that varied from headwinds to side winds. Had to pay attention but I never felt the bike wobble or weave, I did get blown around a bit. In crosswinds I’ve always had to be quick countersteering to keep from getting blown around. Someone mentioned the buffeting of the shoulders, yes I noticed that but it did not weave. Have lots of miles on my previous bike and mentally was comparing how the Tracer was compared the the BMW F800GT. The difference IMO is only that the FGT had a MadStad and the Tracer the stock windscreen. I feel the wind more but don’t move more. Have not had any trouble getting by trucks wether fast or slow. I’m aware of comments about weaving and am watching for it but haven’t seen any hint of it. Bike is fully loaded, I’m 5’10” 175 wo gear, sidecases full, large duffle on the rear seat plus small bag on top of that. Rear preload set to 20 clicks, this morning checked tire pressures and found them to be at correct “low” pressures, set to 36f 42r. Better windscreen is high on my list of mods when I get home. Bike has really impressed me with its stability. Previous bikes have been 2004 FZ6, 2012 CBR600RR, 2014 Kawasaki ZX6R 636 ABS, 2016 BMW F800GT.

New owner of a 2020 Tracer GT. Have been looking at them for several months and had planned to trade for a Tracer and then add heated grips, side cases and cruse control. My bike was a 2016 BMW F800GT. Nice bike but a very dull engine and pumped lots of heat onto riders inner thighs in temps above 90F. Bike before that was a 2014 ZX6R 636 ABS - a good bit of why I thought the BMW engine was dull! Planned a 6,000 mile trip to Idaho and up to Missoula MT and back thru Wyoming. Bike had 30,000 mile service at the dealer the week before I left, put a new Michelin Road 5 on the rear. Left on August 26, first day was 575 miles, second 504 miles. At the end of the second day as I pulled off on the exit ramp at the KOA in Grand Island Nebraska, lots of lout popping from the bike and an occasional shudder! Catastrophic failure of the left side bearing in the rear hub! Fortunately made it to the KOA. No BMW dealer in Grand Island or even a BMW mechanic! One of the nice aspects of owing a BMW is how reasonable and available the parts are Hahaha Hahaha! $995 for a hub! The F800GT is a single sided swingarm and belt drive. I’m thinking it would be really nice if I could find a Tracer GT and trade my pristine broken down BMW for one. Talked to Chris at Verne Eide in Sioux Falls SD, yes they would trade but not for a broken BMW it would need to be fixed! Now home is 1,100 miles the other direction! Oreded a complete swingarm from eBay, add $95 for 2nd day shipping. While waiting get my wife to send title and checkbook (that would equal permission), got a rental car, Spent $100 at Harbor Freight buying tools. Owner of KOA was super nice and let me use the shop area to swap swingarm - 3 hour job. Loaded BMW and set out for Sioux Falls SD - 250 miles away. I cannot say enough nice things about the folks at Vern Eide. They quoted me a price based on pictures and what I told them about the BMW - yes I did tell them the dealer said it had a slight webpage from water pump and they thought clutch wasn’t right because it was hard to get into neutral. LOL now that it was out of warranty they started noticing stuff, it had always been hard to find neutral particularly after an oil change. Folks at Vern Eide checked BMW and gave me the price they quoted - I was expecting some price haggling but there was one! Very pleasant experience! After finishing paperwork too my new Tracer GT out for a short spin - I had to pull over and figure out how to turn grip heaters off, they work very well! Back to dealer and loaded bike an d rode to Yankton SD an 87 mile ride that turned into 110 thanks to my skilled navigation! Tracer GT sidecases are smaller than BMWs but not as much as I expected, their shape is very good. My old tank bag went with the BMW, my new tank bag is a 12” took bag from WalMart. Decided to hang around and have 600 mile service don by Vern Eide on Saturday. Spend a couple of days riding around putting miles on it and trying to break it in right. After the service I set out for home. 1st stop Yankton SD where it was 82 at midnight and I was in a tent! Next day Grand Island Nebraska. Yesterday rode from Grand Island to Springfield MO via Wichita to a out Kansas City traffic. 500 miles, lots of wind and I afternoon was hot with temperatures of 95 to 96F. Today only did 280 before I stopped in Memphis, a bit tired from yesterday. i love the bike! Great power but able to cruse at interstate speeds with no effort. Wind protection needs improvement but is ok with stock windscreen. Quick shifter is really nice when accelerating briskly but I do better using the clutch when just poking along. Power is fantastic, even fully loaded it is great on 2 lane roads - need to pass, it’s a rocket. Makes me smile like my ZX6R did! Seat needs improvement, currently have a AirHawk on it and it is not perfect. BMW had comfort seat which was broken in and with an AirHawk was a good seat for lots of miles. Fully loaded means sidecases packed full, large duffle bag on rear seat and a 12” WalMart tool bag on top of it. Today was the first day I’ve been on roads that were not straight, bike feels very nice but didn’t corner hard, need to get a better feel first. Tomorrow I will finally make it home with my new bike and it will have over 2,000 miles on it and a long trip already. IMO it is the perfect replacement for the BMW F800GT, similar good chassis but fixes problems in the engine. I bought the BMW on a whim and while we had some great times together (26 months and 26,000 miles) over 5 long trips out west I never liked the engine. The Tracer is every bit as good as the BMW but it has a fantastic engine. In case anyone is reading this and contemplating the F900XR I would pick the Tracer every time, thought about a F900XR but similarly equipped they are $3,000 to $4,000 more and then there is the question of dealer service. I have not noticed any vibrations at all, compared to the BMW it is silky smooth. The F900XR is a red is genes engine but I don’t trust the comments I read about the vibrations I the bars on the Tracer vs theF900XR. I have a Michelin Road 5 rear with 3,800 miles on it that will go on the rear soon along with a new Road 5 front.