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Mine is a 2020 Tracer 900 GT that had all the valves too tight at 19,000 miles. Bike has not be blipped or ridden hard when cold, as I stated earlier it has been ridden fairly easily with not many trips to the upper end of the rev range. Always use good oil. So no IMO not something that is limited to the early model years - I put 18,000 miles on mine in the first year. Now at 26,000 miles. My FZ6 didn't need any adjustments at 26,000 miles. My CBR600RR needed a couple of valve shims changed but was much better at 16,000 miles or whatever the recommended interval was. I commuted on that bike and would hit the redline probably every other day or so. I'm hoping it is a factor error in setting the valves or valve seats. It is disturbing to think how much mine moved. Love my bike and plan on keeping it for a while but Yamaha defiantly has some quality/cost issues. Chain and sprockets replaced at 11,000 miles, valves out of spec at 19,000 miles, loser bolts on front brake calipers corroded (replaced with titanium), timing chain tensioner seems gimpy at 26,000 miles, loud whine from bike when riding. All issues which others have reported. Not a hate on Yamaha! Love the bike, wonderful for long distance trips and Sunday sporty rides in the curves. Triple is smooth and powerful (some throttle jerkiness) and I love riding it and there is not a similar bike out there. Alternatives are bigger or weaker.

If it helps you, on my last trip I carried my winter gloves (good in rain also) and my heated jacket. Not only did I not need them they took up space but if I had not had them along the weather would have had a freak September blizzard!

Some thoughts on a couple of airbag vests. One I have lots of experience with (everything but crashing in it) and the other is one I have bought but had size issues so a work in progress. After a couple of years my Dianese airbag vest had a wire break going to the indicator unit on the chest. As far as I can tell still functions properly although there is no indication. I was able to do a firmware update on it with no issues. Going to send it back to Dianese and have it repaired but in the meantime do not want to be without an airbag vest. I have been very happy with the Dianese and have ridden with it in temperatures up to 106F. I guess it is warmer than without but not much and does a good job of allowing air around it. No clue how many hours have worn it but something around 20,000 miles. I also wear it every time I ride my scooter. It does not need an outer jacket. So looked at airbag equipment again and still want an untethered one. Do not want something with a monthly fee so really left a couple of easily obtainable options. Another Dinese or an AlpinStar Tech-Air-5. Ordered a Tech-Air-5 from CycleGear (always try and support the local folks). It came in and looked nice but after trying it on for a while it was just too small. So sent it back and ordered a larger size. I like the shoulder coverage it provides and it seems to be a little quicker filling than the Dianese from what I read. The Dianese is a very easy vest to put on, turn on and wear. So far from what I can tell of the Tech-Air-5 it is more fiddly and I need to have the app going to make sure it is set properly. It also needs to be worn under a jacket and is not a stand alone garment like the Dianese. Final verdict is waiting on the larger size but am a little disappointed with it. If I cannot get comfortable with it. I will swap it for a Dianese. I don't particularly like the fact that the Dianese does not protect my shoulders when riding my scooters. Not an issue on the motorcycle as I always wear a jacket over the vest.

Haven't ridden in Colorado much. Been to Vernal a couple of times and to Moab once. Thanks for the writeup, it will be good to refer to for future trips. I've been contemplating Colorado or maybe Alaska as destinations next year - if I get permission for another trip LOL. There was some grumbling about my trip this year bit it was dull and boring compared to yours. All I did was avoid the the two brothers stabbing folks in Canada and on the last day rode thru Memphis TN while they were looking for a gunman going around killing folks!

I'll say 16,000 is a good check. Checked mine at 18,000 and the exhaust valves were all out of spec. I put the miles on the bike in a year! 80 percent of the miles were highway miles and long distance miles with not a lot of high rpms and not that many cold starts. Many 400+ mile days where I would ride from gas stop to gas stop. Pretty easy miles in my opinion.

Welcome and nice bike. There are several folks on here who have come for an FJR to a Tracer GT. I was talking to an FJR owner Saturday. He was looking at the Tracer as a lighter alternative.

Hummmmm interesting! Think the coolant bottle is a false lead. Notice the hose in the background is wet around and above the clamp. I'm suspicious of the hose. Rare but I've had old coolant hoses on cars get a crack on the inside and then coolant would leak thru the threads that are a reenforcement to the hose. Think of it as a loose weave material that is in the outer layer of the hose. At 45,000 miles if they haven't been replaced they may need to be.

You are making me want to go back! It was a great place and fun time.

Have fun in Canyonlands. I was there a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. I took a 0.9 mile hike, leaving my gear at the bike but wore my riding boots. Took an almost full bottle of water with me and my Garmin inReach Mini. It was hot and dry and by the time I got back to the bike I was vey hear heat exhaustion. Drank a cold bottle of water that I had on the bike but did not drink the 3rd bottle of water as it was the last I had with me. On the ride back felt a bit nauseous. I'm an experienced hiker but wow that snuck up on me. Moab was the first place I ate inside a resturant after everything shut down for the pandemic. Had no planned on it but the smell of food got to me. It was a steak place near the KOA that had great flatbread.

Probably a good idea to change the filter. US oil change interval is 4,000 miles and England is 6,000 miles. Manual say change filter every other oil change but I always change the filter. I order 3 filters at a time from PartZilla so I'll have one on hand. LOL of course I had run out so grabbed a K&N from Cycle Gear. Not a fan of K&N but they make a descent filter and a descent filter is better than re-using a filter. EDIT: just after I posted this my 3 filters from Partzilla showed up.

Welcome and good choice on the bike. I have a 202 Tracer 900 GT with almost 26,000 miles on it - I've had it 2 years and a week. Love the bike, great balance of fun and sporty tourer. Didn't like the OEM tires so switched to Road 5s at 4,000 miles. Some feel the suspension is not that great but to me it works OK. It is soft enough for riding long distances and running down undulating road surfaces without beating me up yet still firm enough for some spirited riding. Mine has seen all kinds of weather except snow and ice with no issues at all. Things I've done to it: Replaced windscreen, OEM tires Added a small Yamaha top case - mostly for storage of rain gear and helmet and on long trips that stuff that always gets left out and need a last minute place to go. Added an LED brake light on the back of the top case. Replaced turn signals with LEDs that in front are white when not blinking and in the back also double as brake and marker lights. Replaced the OEM chain at 11,000 miles due to stiff links and was about to set out on a 6,500 mile trip. Replacement DID X-ring has 16,000 miles on it. Added a skid plate for the road construction that is ever-present in the western US during the summer. Added a ScottOiler for improved chain life - great on long trips but not doesn't work that great on short rides. A great mid sized sport touring bike. Had to throw the pic in. Its a frame grab from my GoPro Max that is a 360 camera. The left and right edges are the same spot. A couple of weeks ago going south from Glacier. 5 miles of road construction! This was the nice surface, it ranged from loose gravel to not well packed dirt. As I'm riding by the huge dump truck an excavator was dumping a bucket into it. Fortunately nothing rained down on me. Rode to Helena MT that day with a high of 97 or 98. No clouds in the sky!

OK, I'm going to add a different thought. I have a 2020 GT. Haven't owned an FJ but there are a number of differences. Not only will you get CC but also a longer swing arm, slipper clutch and Yamaha sidecases. Sidecases are keyed with the ignition key so no need to have two different keys. The GT has traction control and ABS which I'm not sure if the FJ has or not. On top of this you get a bike with 11,000 fewer miles. If you have not has the valve clearance done yet it will need to be done soon on the FJ. Potential issues with the GT. Chains seem to not last very long - replaced mine at 11,000 miles with a DID X-Ring which is going strong at 16,000 miles on it. I'm replacing my timing chain tensioner at 27,000 miles and may have the "gronk". My bike has lot of long distance trip miles on it and has been thru some a lot with me and never let me down. The longer swingarm adds highway stability and the weave with affects some FJs seems to be non-existent on the GTs. I love the CC and use it a lot. It is great on the long rides and when going thru a small town with a 35mph speed limit is is wonderful for keeping compliant. Bought my bike new 2 years a week ago and it has almost 27,000 miles on it. Some complain about the sock suspension but I have adjusted mine. On a long trip when I'm running with full side cases and a 58 liter duffle on the rear seat plus a top case with a rain jacket and water bottle in it I'll set the preload up. It is soft if I were going to go blaze thru a canyon but on the fast 2 lane roads that are less than perfect it does a great job of being compliant and sticking to the road. Just returned from 6,500 miles in 18 days across 19 states and provinces. We saw 80 mph interstates, 2 lane roads, gravel roads (only hone I had to) and one 5 mile stretch of road construction where the road ranged from loose gravel to dirt to soft dirt!

It is airbox temperature and is displayed on the bottom of the screen. Can scroll with the thumbwheel and display the coolant and airbox temperature in the display.

Short answer no - only works if you are doing the same route and same speed and using the same gas. My mileage varies so much that I tend to not associate a certain distance with a bar. I have an idea of a base number but just it on the fly based on what that tank of gas has been getting so far. My benchmark is the miles traveled when the display goes to half full. Have been enough places where the next gas station was 60 or more miles away to where I keep an eye on how far to next gas and how have I been since last fill-up. Sometimes I've been riding on higher speed roadways for the first half and then slower roads for the last half. I'll check average and instantaneous mileage and use them to estimate distance left in the tank. I do a lot of long trips. Gas left in the tank is always a concern for me. Typically I always fill to the same point in the tank. I will use the "half tank" gauge change as a indication of what kind of mileage I'm getting. Depending on weather, altitude, speed and gas my mileage varies significantly. Last trip a tank lasted anywhere from 150 miles to 236 miles. That is a big difference. 150 miles is running 79 to 80mph at lower elevations and running normal E10 gas where the other extreme of 236 miles was running 50 to 60 mph at 4,000 feet elevation or higher and E0 fuel. Occasionally I get a tank of gas that just gets better or worse mileage - think the actual alcohol blend varies. Always try and use the big name gas stations as they seem to be more consistent but will always pick E0 when available.

Haven't pulled them but they were new 6,500 miles ago.

Thanks - ordered a new one. think the gasket went in with the ridge in and the tab down but going to replace it anyway so didn't worry too much. Oil needs to be changed as lots of miles on it but is full.

Sounds like the T9GT has a different tensioner and what they are doing by rotating it slightly backwards is put tension on the tensioner as it is normally the "slack" side. Then the tensioner will release and tension the chain and rotating it in the normal direction will make sure everything is in position and tensioned properly. Since you have the valve cover off I'm with @2and3cylinders and would zip tie the timing chain to the cam sprockets while turning the crank backwards. Know what you mean about being concerned, I would probably check the timing afterwards just to be sure nothing jumped. I just pulled the tensioner on my Tracer 900 GT and when I re-installed it and released it it popped into place but everything was where it was when I pulled the tensioner so not a big issue. Does seem like an unusual way to release the tensioner.

Decided to start a new topic although timing chain tensioners have been discussed in other threads. 2020 Tracer 900 GT with 26,500 miles. Valves checked at 19,000 miles and exhaust valves adjusted. Just returned from a 6,500 mile trip. One morning on the way back I noticed a louder than normal valve tick but was just loafing along and it soon cleared up. The gronk reared its ugly head on the trip as well. Today washed the bike thoroughly and afterwards cranked it up and let it idle. It was on the side stand. After 3 or 4 minutes I walked around and twisted the throttle a couple of time giving it a gently blip. Then I twisted it harder and blipped it to maybe 6,500 rpm. Suddenly it was making a loud valve/knocking sound. It dropped off at idle but if I gently rev'd it it was there! Shut it off and rolled it inside and pondered what had happened. After it cooled off I pulled the timing chain tensioner, it seemed OK but hard to say. As I pulled it out I could hear it clicking as it extended. I lubed it with assembly lube and exercised it a few times. I could retract it using an allen wrench and then hold it with my hand and slowly release it and it would go click click click as it extended. Put it back in and cranked the bike and it ran quietly even after I blipped the throttle several times. Appears to me that the timing chain tensioner is gimpy so going to order a new OEM tensioner. Will probably order a new clutch housing to fix the gronk while I'm busy spending money! I have wondered if there could be a valve adjustment problem but when the noise is inconsistent and the engine has run well for the last 6,500 miles with no issues then I don't think so. What do you folks think? I could hold the tensioner compressed with my hand - it took some effort and was hard to let out smoothly but I could. Seems like it wasn't super smooth as it clicked off the steps.

Looked up what I used: Permatex High Tack Spray-A-Gasket Sealant

Have a pair of Held Phanton II gloves from a few years ago. Love them but started thinking about a new pair and WOW the new ones are expensive! On eBay found a pair of Phanton IIs for $260, shipping was $45 from Netherlands but ordered them and they are the real thing. Supper happy with them and saved $150 over the newer Phantom version. Company is chromeburner.

Welcome, good upgrades. I'm OK with the stock suspension as the softness works well when loaded and riding long distances on less than optimum interstates. Some great info and friendly folks on the forum. If you have a question you will get some great answers.

I've noticed a "funny" normal wear pattern on my front Road 5, I ran a couple of Power 5 fronts (Road 5 rears) and they wore in a somewhat similar pattern. think it is because or the blocks on the tread. My current Road 6 front has 6,600 miles on it and is wearing better but still similarly but not as pronounced. I try and run 36psi but think this has been a bit lower maybe 34psi but ran thru 100+ days in Montana last week and it was probably higher. In the past I've had good success with running a couple of psi higher than the recommended 36 psi and it seems to help. Current Road 6 has way too many straight line miles and not enough curves but that's what you get when riding in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska.

Just returned from a 6,500 mile trip. Last 3 days noticed more noise from the bike. Clutch out in neutral and it sounds rough, in 1st at very low throttle openings and speed it sounds bad and hunts between acceleration and deceleration in the gears. Hard acceleration is no issue runs perfectly. I also have the nasty whine which has gotten worse but seems to be worse now that it was say 10,000 miles ago. I'm thinking @betoney is probably right as mine has lots of highway miles. I wear noise isolating earbuds so I can listen to music and hear my GPS. Interesting thing is depending on which pair I wear and how well I put them in the noise can be little or a lot. Poorly inserted earbuds can seemingly amplify some frequencies such as wind noise. The on and off jerkiness reminds me of bad damper block in the rear wheel but less movement.

Saw the same. Note when Chen putting my Tracer 900GT back together. My interpretation is it is something sticky to hold the gasket to the cover while installing it. I used spray stickie stuff which I sprayed on the top of the gasket and let dry for a few minutes and then put the gasket in place. Think it was a 3M product. Did the job and no problems, bottom of gasket went in with nothing on it.

Not good to have problems at 4,500 miles! I’m on a long trip and near 4,500 miles but 2,000 to get home. I’ve toyed with trading my 2020 900 GT for. 9GT but stuff like this spokes me a bit. I’ll be nearly 27,000 miles when I get back and only had the bike 2 years. Riding across Montana for last 2 days with 2 more to go before I hit the Black Hills. Bike works very nicely when loaded with me and my stuff. Soaks up the undulations and bumps nicely and yet still stable in the corners. Unfamiliar roads so running a brisk but spirited pace. At this pace I figure another couple of years before I need to start thinking about a new bike. I have no doubt the bike will last much longer but with 50,000 plus miles I would not be as comfortable on a 3 week trip. Wonder if the T9GT seeming issues may be more COVID manufacturing issues rather than design issues, if so newer models should be better. I still believe Yamahas to be height quality and reliable bikes.