Jayzonk

3 hours ago, Heavy said:

I hope you didn't take my reply as being wise-ass ... I was serious about selling my shorty screen.

Oh, and the manual calls for 22 N-m, or 16 ft-lb as torque spec on the handlebar bolts.  😉

That's not too high of a torque spec but the bolts have likely stretched enough that i would replace them anyway.

Beautiful car that S2000. And Honda won't make it anymore.  Hmph. 

Reading your story really makes motivated to get out and live life to the maximum while I still can.  Thanks for your story and enjoy the car and your wife. 

55 minutes ago, duckie said:

It is either hitting or not…….seems like, aint the same as it is ……

If you cant tell if it is hitting, thats a issue. 

Trying to go past the steering stop is a issue since you cant.

Not everything is a product issue……sometimes the owner is the issue.

 

I'm not going to push it so hard that i crack the screen at this stage.  And the edging is so tight that i dont want to remove it and reinstall it until I know more about the problem.  If it's a common issue among Tracer owners, it's worth it for me to ask them.  Some people have nothing valuable to add to this conversation and only bring forth their negativity.  Good for them for wasting my time and their own but I'm sure they handle all of their affairs similarly.  They may benefit by taking a course on how to problem solve to improve their overall level of daily competence.  One of those techniques is finding out if others have had the same problem as the current problem-holder.  I thought this was common knowlege but i guess common knowledge isn't so common.  

I'm thinking about trying the Yamaha tall screen for the bike for longer rides as I'm sure the fitment will he spot on.  I'm growing ever more leary of "aftermarket" motorcycle parts as MOST of the ones I've bought over the years turn out to be of inferior quality to the OEM.

There must be torque specs for the handlebar soemwhere.  Of course, loosening the handelbar bolts means that they'll need to be replaced as well.

I guess i could trim it or sand it down a bit but I'm not sure why it's emcumbent on me to fix their product.  Also not sure if the edging material will cover the scuffs.

Hi everyone, 

Recently added the MRA Vario Touring Screen to my '20 Tracer 900GT but it seems like the handlebar is just touching the screen when I turn the handlebar fully left or right.  It's a little hard to tell because i dont want to force the bar any further than where it appears to stop. In any event, the handlebar at full lock position is extemely close or touching the screen.  Has anyine come across this same issue?

That's what makes it difficult to give up the old one.  The new one is better but the old bike is still its own unique flavor of ice cream, which makes it worth keeping.  

If the new bike has a little more plush suspension, I think it would be worth the upgrade. Slightly better wind management and perhaps less of an engine "hunting" feel when freeway touring and it'd be just about perfect.  

Me as well, but that's the beauty of the tracer as it's so good for some spirited riding While still having great ergonomics.

It's a Honda CB1000R.  Nice bike thats light and maneuverable but I've grown accustomed to the slightly linger wheelbase of the Tracer so I feel more comfortable pushing it through the corners.  I know that's a but counterintuitive but it's a matter of how you're used to riding.  

I would keep the 900GT for commuting and use the other one for touring.  It's not that one couldn't do both, but I'd likely get the taller screen and top box and some other touring goodies for it. 

I have a rule about selling one bike if I am purchasing another.   It still makes sense to sell the inline four and keep the old tracer if I go with the new bike because it simply sits in the garage since I picked up the Tracer.  

On 6/29/2023 at 7:47 AM, rlambke19 said:

I was asking Yamaha Canada about whether or not the GT + will be coming to Canada as a 2024 model and was told to watch their page on July 26th for an announcement that we will be interested in!

That is all.

🙂

That'd be awesome if the new 9 GT+ comes to Canada.  There's so much refinement in the new model that it should be catching some major interest among bike shoppers and the adaptive cruise amd radar put it in the league of high tech bikes.  I love my 2020 and am considering getting the GT+ if it comes but just keeping the '20 as well. 

12 hours ago, betoney said:

I have had the same feeling lately.  I swap riding with my VFR, a day trip on the FJ and then a day trip on the VFR. 

As much as I enjoy the smooth and refined feel of the VFR, every time I get back on the FJ and get into some spirited riding it brings a smile to my face, the motor still impresses me every time I ride it.  For an "older" bike with almost 75k miles it never misses a beat, I cant imagine NOT having a CP3 of some sort in the garage.

Which vfr do you have?  800, 1200?

On 4/24/2023 at 5:17 PM, Wintersdark said:

Yeah.  I was unsure of the idea initially, but yes.  I love my Tenere to bits, but it's more a big dirt bike than something you want to road trip on.  I'm really not into 500 mile days on it.

Give me a T7, with a CP3, electronic cruise, ride modes, but compete with the KTM890 - keep it as light as possible in the process.  

The Super Tenere is a good bike, but it's *very* heavy and while capable, it's not really competitive with the newer midsized adv's.

A 900 triple on gravel likely has too much midrange power and not enough low rpm  range power.  I don't know how you'd tone the power down enough to do tighter stuff while maintaining torque.  

I think your T7 is as close as you're going to get to a do-it-all bike for mid-length trips, BDR's.

On 4/24/2023 at 1:54 PM, PhotoAl said:

If you are going to keep the bike for a while I would go for the '21.  A little over 7 years ago I bought a 2014 Kawasaki ZX6R 636 ABS.  It was new but old stock and aI got a good deal on it.  It was just the same as the newer ones and did well for me.

For the OP, I have commuted on a Ninja 250, FZ6, CBR600RR and a ZX6R 363.  The sport bikes were very fun but had to keep them in the right gear.  The CBR would run very well but needed lots of revs.  LOL minimum speed was 7MPH so a hot afternoon in stop n go traffic was well HOT.  I rode in all kinds of weather and my minimum temp was 28 when I left the house although I did occasionally ride colder.  Got caught in the rain more than once.  I retired when I had the ZX6R and after a few months traded it on a BMW F800GT.  That bike was a good competent bike I  had lots of fun long trips on buuuuuut two problems.  Engine, going from 129HP at near 16,000 RPM to 90 at something much lower in a parallel twin was a massive change.  Picked up weight as well.  Bike hand good power and did everything I asked of it but fully loaded at higher elevations it didn't have as much zoom to pass folks as I would have liked.  I traded it on y 2020 Tracer 900 GT.  It is a wonderful combination of better sound but still good lower end power of the twin with much better high end power.  It would have been better at commuting than the sport bikes as the power is much broader.  It doesn't have the top end rush of the sport bikes particularly the ZX6R which would accelerate quite hard at 100.  About the only place to really romp on that bike was getting on the interstate but the Tracer is just as quick to 60 but is heavier and has more wind resistance.  When I went to Red Lodge Montana a couple of years ago the Tracer was wonderful in the higher elevations.  Yup it was down on power but so were all the other vehicles and it had enough power to easily pass folks going thru Beartooth Pass and on Chief Joseph's Highway.

I'm always looking and thinking about bikes and the Tracer (900 or 9) have good usable power in highway situations.  Most big cities I've been thru on the bike have very fast traffic in the city interstates and being able to easily run with the flow is something the Tracer does well.  I looked at the Triumph 660 and like it but not a lot lighter and down on power relatively.  I've thought about the Ninja 650, CBR 650, MT07, T7 and more but always comes down to the weight (low 400's) and a lot less power.  Good twin torque will make them fun at lower speeds but I need to have good power in the 70 + area.  On long trips I ride secondary roads with many of them being 2 lane where passing is inevitable.  Lower powered bikes will do it but when you get to the occasional idiot who wants to speed up it is better if you have the power to quickly move away.  The liter bike based bikes like the Ninja 1000 are interesting but more sport bike oriented and would be good at running 130 all day but I don't need that.  So I wind up right where I started - I like my Tracer 900 GT.  If I was in the market today I'd probably buy the T9.  I use the CC a lot on long rides - so much so I'm not good at keeping a steady speed with just my right wrist.  Around here we have lots of hills and I had a throttle lock on my previous bike but it was tough to get set well so that  could get a break.  With the Tracer it just works and works well.  It's also handy for puttering thru towns with low speed limits but 30MPH is about as low as it can go.

You're experiencing the curse of the Tracer....you get the wandering eye for a new bike but you know that it will have a hard time being better than the Tracer 900 or Tracer 9. In fact, chances are that it won't perform as well, and you just shelled out how much?

The seat feels wider and I can feel the raised sections.  Should be interesting to try.  

Added the MRA Vario Touring Screen and the comfort seat.  Going to test it out tonight.  

Agreed, but doesn't the idea of going for two weeks away on the Tracer just sound so much easier?  I think adding the off-road stuff would just add to the stress level.  Going for a ride isn't supposed to be work, for me anyway.  

That's great to hear.  I don't think there's too many bikes that fit into the Tracer's category other than the BMW X1000XR, the 900XR, and maybe the new Moto Guzzi Centenario.  

I sat on a Suzuki GSX1000GTA but I just can't get away from the larger cockpit feeling of the Tracer.  I might as well forget about ever moving back to something with a lower seat-to-peg distance.  

But I'm sure your Connie was a smooth, strong ride.  

10 hours ago, betoney said:

 

I'm curious, to those that ride with a GPS and cell phone, what do you use a paper map for?  I have traveled with both paper maps and a GPS and have never used the paper map, not even once, so I stopped carrying them years ago.

A smart phone navigation app or GPS is infinitely easier, more accurate, always up to date, can create a route in an instant, immediately tell you the distance and ETA down to the minute, show you gas stops along your route with real time prices all without touching the device, you just use your voice. 

I have ridden in deep, dense forests and at high elevations in the Rocky Mountains and have never lost satellite connection on my GPS. 

Well, I won't be riding with a GPS but I will have my cell phone.  I'm going to run with maps as my way to get around.  For me, getting away and putting the phone down is almost like going to detox (which, fortunately, I have never had to do).  It takes awhile to adjust to not be staring at a phone or a computer, but once I am, I start feeling more in control of things.  To use a map and not a GPS or phone for directions for me is deterministic - I look at the map and I determine where I am going to go.  The device doesn't tell me where to go.  It may seem semantic but it does make a difference to how I feel and what I'm doing on this planet.  Looking at the map, orienting my location in my head and making a decision about where I'm going to go lets me live in the present a little better.  

On 5/2/2023 at 9:07 AM, lather said:

I am 100% with you on this. My riding buddies have all changed from sport tourers to adventure bikes. They insist on including some dirt or gravel roads on our trips so I have to plan an alternate paved bypass. I just bought a Tracer 9 GT to replace my beloved Concours 14 which I totaled last August crashing on a slippery wet dirt road in Kansas! The clutch resorvoir was cracked and the bike unridable. I had to get towed 210 miles!

I do have a KLX 250 with knobbies but I just ride it only locally and by myself so I don't have to keep up with anyone, just putt around.

How are you acclimating to the Tracer?  Compared to the Connie?  I've never ridden one but would like to try.

16 hours ago, vincep said:

I got back into the dirt in 2010, single track and fire trails on a KTM 450 XCW and a 1978 IT 175. 

I have done five of the BDRs (NE, MA, ID, CO & WY) and Copper Canyon MX on a Tenere 700.  I agree with @Jayzonk most fun would be on a smaller bike, say a Husky 501 set up for light ADV or the more popular KTM 690 enduro.  They cost a lot to set up.  Light is right as they say.

I really enjoyed the BDRs / ADV and camping with two riding buddies.  A lot of fun.

The funny thing is that as a youngster in Australia, we rode our road bikes on all roads - well maybe not single track!  Seems you need to have a dedicated bike for each type of riding now.  

Images are out west last year.

Whereabouts was that?  One of the issues for me is tires.  I know  you can buy 50/50 tires, 80/20 tires, but I'm thinking that the tires I'd travel on to get to a BDR would be different than the ones I'd want to use on the BDR, if I'm going to get into some deeper dirt, rocks, water, etc.  I'm pretty sure that a 50/50 tire has its compromises. 

Sorry about your slip.   What happened?  Were your tires cold or were they just wearing out?

Yea, i just hear things on these BDR rides that don't make sense.   Some riders wiped out on Idaho simply because they said there was a big dip in the path that they didn't see ahead of time....if you've got 100 pounds of gear in an ADV bike and you're already taxing the suspension, flying along at whatever speed, I guess you're going to overwhelm the suspension and go down.   It's not like you can't wipe out on a dirt bike either. But something tells me that the weight of an ADV bike , the potential unbalanced load, and the additional weight of rhe loaded panniers just make this better performed on a true dirt bike. 

I'm  wondering if it's possible to just use the EVO Tank Ring on top of the Givi adaptor?  in reality, it should be the same shape as the Givi metal ring, just thicker.