Jayzonk

Agreed. I drove a Triumph Speed Twin that was also really small and easy to tool around on the streets with. I think a lot of bikes actually fit the bill without having to have really high specs, and I think that a lot of the high end stuff is really overselling the average rider's abilities.

Using the FJ as a proxy for the MT07? Really? 😅 You're talking about a 900cc triple in an upright, adventure style seating position with a touring windscreen versus a 700cc twin with a standard seating position and no fairing! When bikes are this far apart, the whole "if A=B and B=C, then A=C" thing doesn't hold up!! As for not liking its "character", I'm not sure what you mean but it's the best do-it-all bike I've ever had, and the bike I feel the most confident riding.

What is the weight range of the springs? And the rear shock?

Sure. I sent a message to Ktech to see if they've got a shop near me. They cc'd a shop in New York State, which would only work if it is upstate, close to the Canadian border.

How is your suspension set up? Stock?

You're right. I'm looking at the barely used market, the no helicoils market, the no engine scrapes market, the no modifications market....

I tend to agree with you. I really like my Tracer and I never hit an area of curves in the pavement and go "Gee, I wish I had something different to ride here...." My thought was that it would be nice to just have a smaller runabout bike for going for a spin downtown or heading to work...something that I might leave on the street at night so that it's ready to go in the morning, that type of thing (I keep the Tracer inside 😃)

Can't really fight you on it because I haven't ridden an SV! I did sit on an R7, though, so if you think the MT-07 feels small, the R7 is even tighter. Great if you're 25 though. Your Tenere 700 has the same engine...is the fuel map the same? I rode the MT-07 and can't say that I was a big fan of the motor either, but it was an old one, so who knows...

What an amazing post. Makes me want to do a K-Tech upgrade, but I don't know where the reliable suspension shops are in Ontario.

Good point. Would the seat to peg distance be the same between both models?

Are those the designations for the standard and the cage model? They look like they're really similar, hard to go wrong with either. Not sure how low those Clipons are in comparison.

I guess that explains why SV's are in short supply in Canada at least. I haven't heard anyone say that they didn't enjoy riding an SV and at this point I would seriously question them if they did. How do you find the seat? I hear some people say that it's not the greatest but others say it's okay. My issue is that the aftermarket seats are all so big that they change the profile of the bike too much.

That's interesting. I'm pretty curious about Royal Enfield these days...looks like they've come a long way over the last few years and I think they're in a good displacement range as well.

I think a Trident would be an interesting choice, and possibly the new Honda Hornet coming up, depending how they spec it. Even the new 500 series Honda's have upgraded suspension, so possibly one of those. I already have a litre bike in the garage that I can't sell. Love the engine but the ergonomics make for a short ride.

Not a bad idea but they are always tight on legroom. I'd rather have something with more torque/low down power and less top end, but still have the decent brakes/suspension. Not sure if it exists.

I rode an older mt-07, probably the previous fj-07, on a race track after riding supersport 600's all weekend. Needless to say, it didn't feel anything like the cbr's or the r6's so I wrote it off pretty quick. Viby, didn't corner as well. I'm 6' if that helps. Sat on an SV today. Knees were up a little higher than I'd like but wasn't too bad. Thought about a Street Triple but the pegs feel really high for me. At 51, I need some legroom if I want to ride for more than an hour. Speed triple ergos are much better but who needs 177 horsepower? I had one when they were 144hp. Should have kept it. The honda cb500f and the cbr500r fit me well, and there's quite a few new old stock models sitting around the showrooms. Lower hp but could be fun to pick up and tune or modify the suspension for better handling. Not sure. Might be worthwhile looking at the new Trident. The reviews are saying that it's basically the old model street triple when it ran the 675cc engine. Handling, riding position all very similar.

Hey Everyone, Still love my Tracer, but was thinking about a smaller displacement, smaller-sized bike for running around town and also for a couple of open track days this spring. There are quite a few SV650's around at great prices, but I found a great deal on a new, non-current Suzuki GSX-S750 that puts it right in the middle of SV650 price territory. So I'm wondering if it's going to be a better handler, given the price, as I see it has nonadjustable USD forks. Not sure if anyone has run both, but would like to know. Also wondering about other options.

Is this really Yamaha providing bad customer service, or is it just unrealistic to try to get the parts right now due to the COVID production blip? I guess I've found Yamaha pretty helpful through a couple of minor recalls over the years. Of the four, big Japanese firms, which one would you consider the best for providing customer support and warranty?

Can any reputable bike shop do the Ohlins swap on a Tracer? Or is it best to go to a RaceTech dealer?

I was also questioning selling my 900GT for a 9 GT, and I went and looked at a silver model today. The dealer had the bags mounted. It looks good, the panniers are obviously bigger, have that shiny raised portion, and "YAMAHA" stamped on them...they look higher quality than what I have, but I couldn't open them to really see. The paint on the bike and the wheels is nice, but...I just can't pull the plug on my '20. I don't care if the 9 GT has some suspension improvements. I think there's a bit of a soul element missing in it, and I'm not sure how to describe it. It seems perfected, and perhaps that's the problem. I think bikes need to leave a bit of something on the table for the owner to consider to make them interesting. Perhaps a weakness here or there gives us a reason to try to overcome it, to better it, or to just know about it. I'm not sure, but this new iteration called the 9 GT is maybe a little too close to what "should be." If I didn't have one, I'd get a new one. The fact that I have the old model, I'll keep it.

Really sorry to hear this and hope your back and knee heal well. Let the weight of the damage issues with the bike rise off of you BECAUSE YOU ARE PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY OKAY!!!

Somehow I cannot see Yamaha saying, "Yeah, supplier, thin out those fork tubes a little so we can save some cash." Just don't think it works that way, especially if they are made by a third party supplier. And it certainly looks like they are, so I suspect those same stanchions are used on other bikes as well, perhaps in a different finish. With all of the focus on reducing weight, stanchion suppliers are probably trying to be competitive by working on their strength to weight ratio. A little give, a little take...

Also slightly distracted by the scheme on the rear panniers? Is that paint or a wrap?

Can you not fix a flat with the vulcanizing plug method without the centre stand? I would have thought you could roll it to the right spot, prep, patch, vulcanize and fill regardless of whether the bike was on the stand. Doesn't the air pressure push the bike up?

Agreed, that's a sweet color combo. There's just too many black vehicles around IMHO.