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On my 2020 went with a couple of small spots from the giant woman. Last time I had the bike apart for valve check I swapped them for a very similar set but that can be white or amber. Ran them on my last trip as white but then have changed them to the amber which I think is better for visibility. I have also changed the turn signals to LEDs. The front ones are white but change to amber blinking for turn indication. The back ones are red but go brighter red for brake lights and blinking amber for turn signals. They are not super bright but the LEDs really stand out. I'm running the spot lights off of a Neutrino Element and can change the brightness from my cell phone. Brightness is controlled by PWM. When riding in bright daylight I sometimes run with high beams on and may even up the brightness of the spots. All to be seen.

I had Grip Puppies on my BMW F800GT and they lasted OK. 2 years and 28,000 miles and they were a bit worn but worked OK. Thought about changing them but changed all the parts of the bike - traded for the Tracer 900 GT 🙂 When I first got the F800GT had a problem with tingling in my hands but realized was gripping the bars tightly so focus on relaxing and didn't have any more issues. When I first got the Tracer 900 GT the stock grips seemed small but after 2,400 miles to get home I was fine with them and haven't thought about Grip Puppies on it. When I installed my Grip Puppies used an air compressor with a very small nozzle (from Harbor Freight) the blow air on the inside of them. They slid right on with no problems at all.

Welcome from another oldish fella! You must be the only person left in Ontario, yesterday driving from Gatlinburg TN to Birmingham AL saw lots of cars from Ontario 🙂 Headed south for the winter I guess. I didn't get to the Tracer from a larger bike but was looking for a midsized sport touring bike. Didn't start riding till later in life when the kids were out of high school. First bike was a Ninja 250, the a FZ6 which was a wonderful bike that I put 40,000 miles on. That was followed by a 2012 CBR600RR then a 2014 Ninja ZX6R 636. Went to the ZX6R to get ABS and that was my favorite of all the bikes I've had although the CBR was a wonderful bike. When I retired bought a BMW F800GT to go on long trips. Up until that point the longest I'd gone was 600 miles. Set out on my first long camping trip on the BMW and it was wonderful. Had it a couple of years and was getting tired of the lack of power particularly loaded up. The Tracer 900 GT was the only bike at the time that didn't weight well over 500 pounds and had good horsepower. Set out on my last trip on the BMW and at the end of the second day had a catastrophic failure of a rear wheel bearing in Nebraska. Fortunately it was just as I was pulling off for the KOA I was staying at. I had planned on trading for a Tracer 900 GT after that trip but when the BMW broke looked on Cycle Trader to see if I could find one not too far away and maybe they would trade and I could keep on my trip. Didn't work out that way but found a Tracer in Sioux Falls SD with a good price and over the phone they made me a good offer for the BMW - if it was repaired! Bought a complete swingarm from eBay, swapped swingarms and rode to Sioux Falls and traded. Never liked the sound of the BMW twin and after the explosive top end power of the CBR and the ZX6R it was really hard for me to get used to. In two years Ive put 26,000 miles on my Tracer and love it. Not a lot of mods but did put a Neutrino Element on it. Basically a fused really box but all solid state and can to pulse wave modulation to change brightness of lights or heated gear heat. Changed the windscreen and seat and added a 38 liter Yamaha top box with an additional brake light on the back. Current tires are Road 6s which I really like. Wear longer and more evenly that the predecessors and handle nicely in all weather conditions. Love the size of the Tracer, not perfect suspension but able to play in the corners and yet still be supple enough for the long days on relatively straight roads. In September riding across Montana hit a stretch of road that had humps and valleys. The Tracer would hit the humps and soak them up then it would get lighter and then compressed the suspension in the valleys. It was perfect! Not too harsh and not too soft, always in control. In the twisty stuff it is easy to turn in and flick side to side. Its not a race replica sport bike but its close enough.

I've been running a skid plate and radiator guard since about 3,000 miles. First bike I run with on. I do a lot of touring and inevitable there is road construction which out west means you ride thru the construction while they are (re)building the road. Have ridden thru stuff ranging from soft dirt to gravel to dirt with big gravel and almost fist sized rocks scattered around. Yes my bike is a street bike and is 100% street use but sometimes there is the gravel road to the campground. LOL I don't ride fast in the gravel, Tracer 900 GT doesn't like to ride fast in gravel - it tells me so. LOL Lat year coming into Cheyanne from the west I got off the interstate and took a 2 lane road. I'd been on it before so made the turn hit the gas a bit and was carefully watching the cattle guard at the crest of the rise. Only doing 50 and then across the cattle guard WHAT @#&%$ the road is now gravel and it goes downhill!!!! Carefully use the rear brake and gently roll off the throttle and ease it to a slow speed. Had to ride down the hill and around a curve before I found a good turn around spot. Have been a number of places where the next gas station was 70+ miles. Nearest tow truck well probably further. When I took the radiator off the check the valve clearances I carefully inspected the radiator guard and found no dings that would indicate it saved my radiator- it took lots of bug hits though. Skidplate was a different story, several deep scratches and gouges. One was from dropping off the edge of the pavement onto the shoulder to change the battery in my GoPro. Didn't seem like that bad of a drop but the skidpad hit and held up just fine. My Tracer 900 GT sits pretty low particularly with it full loaded for a long trip. I've had 600cc sport bikes that had as much or more clearance but the seats were not as high. I think with the Tracer the short wheelbase constrains the packaging so the engine sits pretty low in the frame.

I think the Tracer 900 GT is 4,000 miles and calls for non synthetic oil. The Tracer 9GT is 6,000 miles but calls for 6,000 miles. I think that is what is going on but not certain. LOL I can't keep up with the various YamaLube oils. I always run full synthetic oils.

For a travel tool kit for my Tracer 900 GT here are the tools I take: 1/4" sockets that will fit known bolts on the bike - just the necessary ones. Allen T-handles or Allen bits that go in a socket - again just eh essential ones All of the tools necessary to remove wheels, 3/8" drive sockets and a long handle 3/8" drive Craftsman ratchet. Small plug kit with string plugs and a small air compressor from Cycle Gear. screwdrivers and small pair of pliers Basically enough to do simple repairs and in event of a flat I can pull a wheel to have a tire mounted. Don't carry a torque wrench but if necessary will tighten say axel bolt with my tools and ride to where I can get/borrow a torque wrench. In addition will be able to fix small stuff that might break along the way. For electrical stuff: Small V O M that is 1/2" thick and the leads go in the case. crimp connectors with string tubing so can make waterproof splices electrical tape zip ties Wire pliers for stripping and crimping and general use. I've actually used the electrical stuff a lot more than the other tools. My previous bike broke down on a long trip and I was stuck for 6 days and wound up changing out the swingarm. Spent $100 on tools at Harbor Freight to supplement the tools I had - a big chunk of that was a torque wrench which I had to leave behind.

They can be entertaining bikes. A few years ago AMA had a race series for them. Entertaining to watch. I have no experience with them but they are popular and relative easy to find folks to work on them. Rode an Indian FTR and the XR 1200 seems similar. I would have to have at look at both of those if it were me. What I loved about the FTR was how compact and easy it was. LOL could never wrap my head around the relatively low reving twin and that it was low RPM power. At the time it I either had a Kawasaki ZX6R 636 or was not long after I traded it. So I was used to an i$ that made lots of power at high RPM.

My Tracer is off 1 to 2 mph at around 70mph. My 2014 Kawasaki ZX6R was off about 7MPH at 70 but my 2012 CBR600RR was only off maybe 1 MPH at 70. My 2016 BMW F800GT was off maybe 3 or 4 MPH at 70.

LOL that wasn't me just a nice old Yamaha 2smoke.

Thanks for posting, well maybe! There you go tempting me again 🙂 I looked at one they had in the demo fleet at the Barber Vintage Festival. Had too much to do and couldn't get a ride in. I did mention the limitation on the top case and side cases by Yamaha and the fella agreed with me - it's nuts but that what corporate says. Dealer in Auburn AL had a couple and wanted to sell them and said he's make me a deal. Not sure about the dual screen but I could adjust to it. Hope they follow the lead of others and go to a display which can interface with a smart phone.

Only in my late 60s but see age creeping up on me. Every time I'm in a bike shop will check out the Spiders and such. For me it is something of the wind I'm my face and the freedom to go. Saw a three wheeler at the bike shop, don't recall the name but it had a steering wheel and was a side by side. Not my choice but could see it at some point as a great vehicle to take on a long trip. Wind in my face and rain and cold and heat and all the "fun" stuff but most of all the ability to see all around and take in the country as I go thru. Second @TomTracer comments about meds. Have had heart issues which have been corrected with surgery - coronary arteries are good so diet is not affected. I can attest meds and med changes can mess with you. @2and3cylinders here's photo for you - from Barber Vintage Festival

Yes it can be aggravating but I've hit mine often enough to be very glad I have it. Plus have ridden thru several road construction areas where it was possible to hit some biggish rocks. Don't want to put a hole or crack i your oil pan when hundreds of miles from a descent sized city. Frame grab from a GoPro Max 360 camera. Lots of stuff to hit plus a gravel road and there was 5 miles of this stuff. If you are just going to ride local maybe not needed but if any distance riding or on lest than perfect roads then a skid plate is a good idea. The Tracer sits pretty low.

I've been running those lights for several months and on my 6,500 mile trip. I also have a running light/brake light on the back of my top case. In addition have LED spots up front. The LED strip o the top case puts it at eye level for a lot of vehicles. I don't ride much at dusk or after due to wildlife but the few times I've been out after dark the spots really helped on lighting up the road. In Helena MT coming back from dinner after dark saw a herd of deer - 6 total! They were just making the turn into a suburb and lots of houses around. To adapt the Acelane LED signals to the Yamaha hole I 3D printed some adapter plates I found on Thingverse - printed in PETG and they have held up very nicely even in 104F heat in Montana.

When putting the cam cover gasket in place I sprayed it with some spray tack that held it in place in the came cover while maneuvering the cover into place.

Know what you mead about swinging the leg over. With the top case on I have the grab my foot and "help" it over. Keep thinking I'm going to do some limbering exercises but haven't gotten around to it - yet. Doesn''t help my right knee is the one I shattered the kneecap on and is not quite as good as the left but its very close.

Welcome, you do need to get a Tracer 🙂 From what I can tell motorcycles are flying off the floor anymore and know of a couple of new Tracer 9 GTs that could be had at a reasonable price. Closest I've been to you on a bike was Middleburry Indiana. It was a really nice small town, spent the night at the KOA and rode NE to Jackson MI.

During the Barber Vintage Festival they had a very interesting panel discussion with several folks. Piere Troblounch (sorry on a good day I can't spell) the fella who worked for Ducati, Brian the guy behind the Motus and several other notional motorcycle designers. They talked about electric bikes and the feeling was there is a certain amount of inevitability. Piere said he thinks its going to be a bottom up development ranter than a top down. He used Zero and electric mountain bikes as examples. Millions of electric mountain bikes were produced last year and 28,000 Zero motorcycles. Mountain bike volumes will lead to economical specialized custom components more than the Pro production volumes. I have noticed the level o advancement going on in the electric mountain (eMB) bike segment with many models and the additional capacity and speed and cool features. The eMBs have suspension with shocks and valving but are lighter than motorcycles. Ask GM how easy it is to make a big car small and then ask Honda how easy it is to make a small car bigger. Anyone remember the Lego and Pintos? Pinto was not so bad but I was alway struck at how the Vega was a miniaturized Cmaro with big thick doors etc. Compare with similar age Toyota and the doors are amazingly different. I have been looking ash the electric scooters. Saw the Piaggio 1 scooter at the Vintage Festival. If it would do 45 I'd consider one. Price is a bit high at $4,400 for the Active model but getting better than the Vespa electric at $7,500. I ride my Kymco Compagnia a lot around the neighborhood and also use it to get around Barber during the big events. An electric scooter would work really well for me be I really want one that can do between 50 and 60 mph. I have a Bolt EV which I love driving - foot on the floor too much but it's a blast to drive. Quick but not so fast it will land me in jail. Very smooth and fun to zoom off from a traffic light while everyone else is piddling along. Electrics have a lot of advantages in smooth power delivery, instant throttle response and low maintenance. Problems are range, charging and cost. Bought my Bolt because it was cheap - January 2020 they were running HUGE incentives and I bought for less than half of sticker for a new car. Thought it was a fabulous deal but time has let me see it was a stupendous deal. Economics got me there not trees, planet or anything like that. GM is chasing the big easy profits and turning their back on the real trench work which is the lower prices segments. The Escalade V is a high margin car that was built just to squeeze as much profit out of the segment as possible. Way I see it is there are only so many folks with $100,000+ to spend on a vehicle. All the manufactures are chasing that segment and someone is going to step big into the cow patty for sure. LOL have to love the brilliance at Jeep for coming out with the Grand Cherokee and the Grand Grand Cherokee just before gas prices zoomed up. Apparently they are easy to find on dealers lots. I do not see electric motorcycles displacing my Tracer any time in the next 10 years. Infrastructure and technology just isn't there yet and may never really get there.

I have an SRC skid plate and have been happy with it. I can pull the spin plate off for oil changes without removing any o the mounting bolts that are in the engine block. I have pulled it off several times for oil changes without issue. Going to look at drilling a hole in the front so can get an extension thru to undo my drain plug so will not have to remove it for oil changes. The Tracer 900 is a bit light in the front so a little more weight near the front wheel doesn't bother me.

Don't discount how much ethanol they have been putting in the gas more recently. Have heard some folks are adding more than 10% to keep the price lower.

LOL took my Warm and Safe heated jacket liner on my last trip. Just in case as was going to Canada and Montana. Well it was 104 in Montana now if I had left it at home ....

Welcome, should be easy to unload the parts particularly the bags. Nice pic of both bikes. It really shows how similar they are.

Sounds like a sport bike rider. I find in more spirited riding I've got my knees gripping the tank and I'm leaning forward to that position. Even though haven't had a sport bike for 4 years its still my favorite position for hustling down the road. Also getting tucked in helps the gas mileage 🙂

Nice shop hope you are the exception and everything is in spec. I've replaced my plugs twice in 19,000 miles and both times thought it was early. Now at 26,000 and in no rush to change them but not too hard actually.

Nice, hope you enjoyed it. An incredible event! I was running around on my little blue scooter. The Tracer 900 GT in your pic belongs to one of the museum volunteers. He told me he doesn't believe I have a Tracer a he never sees it LOL. At all the events I'm getting around on my scooter so don't get by very often on my bike. The Barber Vintage Festival is a fantastic event with something for everyone. This year was extra special as Brian Slark was the Grand Marshal and I have known him for a number of years, truly a great person and motorcycle enthusiast. A number of years ago I was riding my Ninja 250 home from work and had stopped in a turn lane. A car goes by slowly and the driver said "you brake light is out" - it was Brian. He didn't know it was me, he saw a motorcyclist with a problem and helped him. I had no clue it was out and rode every day on a very busy road.

Yup never tuck your pant legs into your boots. I always put the overpants legs on top of the boots. If it's a short stretch thru the rain I'll put a rain jacket over my gear and not worry about the pants, may get a bit damp but the overpants do a good job of keeping most out unless its a deluge and water pools in my seat. One of my more memorable rides was from Moab Utah to Rock Springs Wyoming. Knew there would be some rain but didn't realize how much. Left with a couple of T-shirts under my riding jacket, ran into rain and put rain jacket on. Temp had been 99F the day before and was 65 to 70 when I left but dropped to 55 when I hit the rain! Stopped for gas and got out the winter (waterproof) gloves and a fleece jacket to go under riding jacket and rain jacket. Well I was headed thru a mountain pass as I had not carefully studied the route. Temperature kept dropping grip heaters went to high and still temps falling 40s then high 30s (F) and I started to worry about freezing precipitation! Finally at 34F reached the pass of 7,100 feet. Well it VERY slowly warmed up and finally got out of the rain but was still only in low 50s when I got to Rock Springs. Fortunately I had a tent site reservation at the KOA but even better they let me upgrade to a cabin with a heater! Improvised clothesline with bungie cords and then off to the laundry. LOL my heated jacket was safely back at home. On that trip I changed my itenary and instead of Debois WY went to Fort Collins CO. 2 days I80 east of Rock Springs got 8" of snow but I was in Fort Collins in my tent where it was rain with 40mph winds and 60 mph gusts. Seems like every long trip I hit some rain event.