Salish900

13 hours ago, Heli ATP said:

Nice tale. Did you have to secure (tie down) your bike on the ferry or was it stable enough?

That's a good question if you don't live and ride here in Puget Sound, but for our ferries you almost never have any trouble. The water is inland and usually pretty calm, rarely getting seas above 4 feet, and the boats are pretty big. I've lived up on San Juan Island, and there are a few storms each winter when the ferries don't run, and you might be on the last boat or first boat after a storm, and there is some rocking and rolling. I've seen green water come over the bow of the ferry and wash into the car deck. They park cars quite a way back on those boats. 

But outside of a rare winter storm, up in the San Juans, you are good to go. You couldn't tie down even if you wanted to. I suppose you could stand by your bike and keep it steady, but I've never seen the need. People ride the Bainbridge ferry every 365 days a year on their motorcycles, I used to do that myself, and never enough boat movement to create serious trouble. 

Fighting ennui and avoiding more conflict with my teenager, it came time to get the heck out of the house and press reset on my head. The election was just announced, we can all move on, and so on Saturday I looked at google maps and purposely chose somewhere I've never been. Turns out, I've never been on Vashon Island, which is somewhat surprising given that I lived for years on neighboring Bainbridge Island, travel incessantly, and well, have poked around most places here in the PNW. So it was decided. To Vashon I go. 

The not fun part is that form Oly you drive slab up to Point Defiance, where the ferry is. You don't technically have to take I5, but I didn't have time to dally too much. Tacoma is a far nicer town than it seems to be reputed to be. Getting off the highway just before you get to the Tacoma Narrows bridge, you pop onto Pearl Street, and go through some lovely middle class neighborhoods that are well kept. You can see why people would live there, with a quiet and high quality of life around you. 

You take a ferry to Vashon, duh, and my luck on this day was superb. We two wheeled folks take for granted here in Puget Sound that we can just show up and get on any ferry that arrives. On this day I didn't even look at a schedule or care. I just rode to the ferry and sure enough, they were loading! I got there mid-stream so I waited until the last car loaded and just rolled right on. It's a quick trip, but the views are great on the water and back toward Mt. Rainier. 

Once on Vashon I rode the main drag north. Vashon still has the feel of a bit of funk and fun, and has not been over developed yet by my eyes. Also, unlike Bainbridge Island, it does not seem to have the big money estates. Granted I didn't see the whole island, but I suspect this to be true. The riding on Vashon is quite scenic, as even the main drag takes you by the bays and gives views. Roads are good quality. I rode up toward the top of the island and stopped at a nice spot to grab lunch. I haven't mentioned that it was about 40 degrees and raining lightly. A chilly day. I went to the Snapdragon cafe, which I can recommend. Sat outside and ate a tasty hot sandwich. Would go back there again. 

If I had more time I would have ridden over to Maury Island, and along whatever shorelines I could manage. But alas. After lunch I headed back south and once again, rode up right before the ferry started loading. I must have passed 75 cars waiting, always with a smug smile on my face, and went to the head of the line. There was a cool dude on an 1150 GS there as well, and we rode on together and parked next to one another at the bow of the ferry. Turns out this gentleman was 68, and at one time had 14 motorcycles, and is now down to 5. We had the sort of wonderful conversation you can have with a fellow rider who loves bikes and the spirit of adventure they bring. 

Getting back home was easy, but cold. It is 46 miles or so from Olympia to Vashon, and with the ferry and some luck, you can do it in 90 minutes. I popped into the hot tub once I got home and took the little bit of chill out of my bones right quick. I can't wait to go back and look around some more, and would recommend the trip to anyone who hasn't been there. 

2 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

How did you get a hold of him and pay for if?

Thanks

I followed the FB link that @peteinpa kindly gave us above and once there started a chat with him and gave my email address. He emailed me with how to pay and other details. I paid with paypal. Bahdabing, Bahdaboom. 

I just heard from Norm (his name is Norm Kern, my bad) and ordered one today. Like I said, this is small change, and gives me total flexibility with filters. I remember this same issue when I had my 2014 FJR. 

1 minute ago, betoney said:

I don't understand the target audience for the H2 models.  The Ninja 1000SX is $12,500 and offers almost every technology and convenience feature available, the H2 SX adds a supercharger and electronic suspension and the price doubles!!  @texscottyd test rode one and reported it being a fantastic bike... but worth the $25.5k asking price? 

Same with the $9,000 Z900 - the Z H2 with supercharger (no electronic suspension) doubles the price.  I would be curious to see what the sales numbers are on any of the H2 models. 

I agree the Versys 1000 price is a bit steep but what a great bike, not quite as sporty feeling as the Tracer but so smooth, comfortable and capable. 

 

I agree with all the above. I don't see the market either. I sure walk by and admire them in the shop, but would never even consider dropping that extra $ for so little gain. Especially given what it can do only puts me in jail. I test rode the Versys 1000 SE LT+ and thought it was awesome too. Soft spot for Kawi, like mama Yama, but the price was silly. Not that it isn't "worth" it, but the marginal gain from my Tracer was just not worth it. I got my Tracer 900 basic for less than $10K out the door, have added heated grips, Shad side cases, fork spring upgrades, and am in the process of adding all sorts of other upgrades, and I'll still only be out less than $12K. Can't beat that with a stick for an all around go anywhere, totally reliable, pop a wheelie and pass at speed bike. But I will happily look at Aprilia's and H2's and am glad someone buy's them just so I can admire the design and technology. 

I'm glad I bought my 19 Tracer for such a screaming deal. In 4 or 5 years I'll be ready to replace and something like one of these super torque and HP motors may be well established and more affordable. When will Kawasaki realize that most people just aren't going to pay $18K for a Versys 1000 no matter how techno it is. I don't know how many H2's they sell, but it's niche. To go mainstream, and sell like the Tracer, they need it to be within reach. In the US, that's below $15K. Otherwise, you are up in the European range, and though the bikes aren't comparable in quality, the big money keeps going there. I don't know. Maybe that's just me. I just love engine technology, and this is cool stuff. But what about reliability and DIY repairs on these puppies? 

I've put a chat on for Ken trying to order and have not heard back in a few days. I'm wanting one because it is a low cost way to give my great flexibility. I'd like to be able to use the Purolator Boss or any others, and though not all of them have the outie, some do. Just seems a simple fix that removes all obstacles. Now if I can only get a reply from Ken! 

I can't say I've ever paid any real attention to mileage, finding I'm much more focused on performance. Meaning, if the bike is running smoothly and well, I'll get about whatever mileage that engine can give me. I realize I'm speaking from a place of privilege where a few dollars of gas here or there don't impact my food supply, but philosophically, I just don't fret mileage on bikes. I'm finding my 900 computer is telling me 45 to 47 average. It has no impact on how I ride it. If it said 35, I'd only be concerned that the engine is in poor tune. 

My riding style, as my family would loudly complain about, is that I love G forces. I don't give a hoot about speed. But damn, I love G forces. Starting, stopping, turning. My one speeding ticket was taking a posted 25 smooth curve at about double that on my Connie, and it had perfect visibility, no structures or humans within a mile, and could have been taken easily by a skilled rider at 90. Total speed trap. Officer parked at apex of corner behind a tree. Guilty as charged. 

Excellent. I'm not sure that his tests evaluate all the characteristics these products are supposed to have. He focused on fuel storage, which is obviously important to you interior northern folks. But for us coastal folks, we ride year round and storage is not an issue. So I'm left wondering if they do other things well that are helpful, even if they don't help with storage much. Default position? Snake oil. 

Awesome post @Stew. I did a ride last night that made me feel the same way. New Road 5's up front, new fork springs and oil, and all my other recent upgrades, and I was just a giddy little kid on a fast and comfortable bike zipping along on lovely rural roads here in great state of Washington. I can't get over how and why it feels so good to be on a great machine, but it does. Happy winter riding for all of you in the Northern Hemisphere. 

For those of us here in the rainy PNW, ACF 50 is our friend. I don't put any lubricants or anti-seize on bolts that are torqued to high values because I know this would change the coefficient of friction and don't know how much. For all the smaller, non-structural or higher torque bolts, I coat them all in ACF 50. I carefully coat my brake caliper bolt heads, with ACF 50. It's juts a general spray on everything and seems to work really well product. I also have experience using it on our sailboat to great benefit. Way worse environment than the bikes, and works well on engine components and other near the bilge items. 

Now that I've replaced my front springs and fork oil, I"m noticing that the rear sag, which by the way is absolutely a pain in the @ss to adjust with the tool and space provided, must be dialed DOWN to nearly the bottom to give me near the 40mm of sag I want. It seems the stiffer front takes some pressure off the rear, and to balance them, the rear must be set loose. But I hear of people swapping out the springs on their rear for stiffer springs, and I'm a bit puzzled as I'm not a small man and seem to not have that problem. 

Also, I found a better DIY way to compress my springs with tools I had around the garage, with ideas from the interwebs. Wouldn't have thought of this myself but you can use a ratchet clamp and it works beautifully. Two straps on either arm of the clamp, and just tighten it up. I did already have the Traxxion tools device that lets you engage the plastic spacer. 

Welcome to the forum and to your new ride. Love the Gene Wilder photo. I'm the new owner of a 900 and have been modifying it extensively for my taller frame. I'm 6'2 and about 210 with gear. Just changed my fork springs and fork oil, fender extender, mirror extenders, windscreen, added heated grips into OEM menu, and new front tire to Road 5. Next on the list is radiator guard, sump guard, some form of engine case protection, and aux lights. 

One of the main reasons I went to look at the Tracer was the fact that 3,456,564,211,567,979,098 people own one and you can A. get parts readily and forever, and B. this forum and online videos help you do absolutely anything you need to do on your bike. I pulled trigger because of the engine. I came from two big fasties in the FJR and Connie, but find the 900 is smoother down low, far more nimble, more upright and comfortable, and plenty fast and stable as speed. Just checks all my local riding and distance touring boxes. 

47 minutes ago, peteinpa said:

Michelin move production to Thailand???

This is UNSAT for one of or the most expensive tire out there.

The roads I just got were made this year and were made in Spain. That's all I know on the topic. 

1 hour ago, 2and3cylinders said:

How much wt did the tire require, as that's very topical?

Stock the wheel had a 30 and 20 for 50 grams. When I mounted my Road 5's I popped these off and marked the spot just to see what happened and the wheel was so out of balance it wasn't funny. So I put the 30 and 20 back on and had to keep adding my own weights until I got to 78 grams. I wish now I had done that step of balancing the rim alone, to distinguish between the rim and tire and such. But there I am. Rode today and got up, let's just imagine for hypothetical purposes, triple digits, and didn't notice any wobble or shimmy. What I did notice was how much difference my new springs and fork oil made. My Buddha. The front end doesn't nose dive when I touch the brakes now, and I feel more planted in corners. Less jittery. And those mirror extenders? Everyone is right when they say they are the best farkle for the money! 

In the last 24 or so hours I've replaced my stock fork springs with KTech 9.5nm and switched to Motul 7.5W full synthetic fork oil. I added mirror extensions from adventure tech that work beautifully. Balanced and installed my new Michelin Road 5 front tire. Now I go ride with my upgrades! 

Final update: To confirm, the method described above by @betoney works as described. I took the right fork off this morning, popped off the fork cap, and screwed the dampening all the way in and then back out 15 clicks. I then threaded it very carefully onto the fork piston and as soon as felt any resistance or less wiggle in the cap, I stopped. This is hard to judge, but close enough. I then brought the jam nut up from the very bottom a good 3-5 turns until it seated on the fork cap and snugged them up. Checking the dampening before I put the fork in showed I had restored my adjustability. Thank you @betoney. 

Been using Pro Honda Chain Lube with Moly and it certainly clings well and you don't wipe off any excess. I haven't owned my chain driven bikes long enough to know how well it ensures longevity, but it sticks well, is good lubrication, and is readily available. I'd be happy to try other things though. 

Ok, great. Another annoying thing is that my fork kit from Traxxion comes with the fork piston holding tool, but the darn thing doesn't seem to screw onto the threads on our 900's. Too big. I had to just slide it over, and leverage it to friction hold the fork piston to bring it up. 

By the way, my head spun around the other day here in Olympia because I saw a Red FJ at a house and wonder if it was you! 

14 minutes ago, betoney said:

@Salish900 - Did you make any adjustments to the fork cap prior to reassembly? 

If memory serves correct, this is how I reassembled mine.  I chose a number for the adjustable range, say 15 clicks total and turned the adjuster fully closed (clockwise) and then backed out 15 clicks.  With the jamb nut on the fork assembly, I then screwed the fork cap on the threaded section just until it gently seats and then tightened the jamb nut up to the bottom of the fork cap before screwing the outer fork leg to the cap.

Hey @betoney I think you are onto it. When I put it back together I had screwed the jam nut all the way down, as I didn't track where it was when I took it all apart. With the jam nut all the way down, I then screwed the fork cap onto the nut, which would have put it all the way down, and then snugged up the jam nut and assembled. Doing this may have bottomed out the dampening if I am understanding this correctly. Your method would be different, and will be what I try tomorrow. 

To be clear, I set my dampening screw adjuster out say 15 clicks, and then screw the fork cap onto the threads until it seats against the top of whatever it hits, the dampening rod I would guess, and then bring the jam nut up to it and snug it all up? 

So I've just put my bike back together after swapping out the stock springs for the KTech. Swapped oil to Motul 7.5. Got her all buttoned up and set the sag with my wife's help. Only need to turn preload down to showing 6 lines, so that solved my sag problem. But when I went to adjust my right fork dampening, the screw doesn't turn much either way. It turns maybe 1/2 turn either way. Obviously, something is wrong, and I will have to take that right fork off again, but any ideas what would cause this? Appreciate any insights so I know what to fix or look for when I take it off the bike. Sure thought everything went back as designed. 

I really appreciate this thread because like @NotVeryCreative16 I've been reading a lot and learning. I'm 210 lbs with my gear and will sometimes ride with my wife, so I went with KTech 9.5nm and after reading the fluid chart you can find linked to here, went with Motul 7.5W full synthetic. It's a little more viscous than stock, and I'll give it a try. I've done the fork oil on my Connie springs, but it's been a while. I have a compressor. 

My main question has been the setting of the oil height, and I'm still a little fuzzy on how precisely to do that, but there are videos. Thanks so much for the passing along of lessons learned! My front end dives so much when I brake hard, even with my preload bottomed out, and my sag is still 50. Crazy how weak these stock springs are.

All I can say is that the worst seat I've ever had was a Corbin, as it was hard as a rock and killed me in short order. It was like a cruel and evil being under my butt that knew just what nerves to irritate. Seats are so personal though and I'm glad the Corbin works for many people. These 900 seats are sharp looking. 

5 hours ago, daboo said:

FWIW, the Dunlop Roadsmart 3 and Roadsmart 4 tires have a rebate through the end of November.

I'm still liking the Continental Roadattack 3 tires.  I have almost 10,000 miles on them and they look good for another couple thousand.  The Dunlop RS3 and RS4 tires would be my next choice.  I'm a bit wary of the manufacturer's press releases.  I bought two sets of the Metzeler Roadtec 01 tires and the claimed longevity didn't work out...they lasted half the miles of the Metzeler Z8 tires.

Chris

That was my experience with the Metzeler Roadtec 01's. Sounded good, but wore out way faster than the Michelin, while providing no better grip. It's a magic sauce when you can get grip and longevity. Michelin seems to have figured that out with these tires. 

1 hour ago, Clegg78 said:

The exhaust pipes actually protect the oil filter pretty well I think,   but yeah the low sump on these CP3 engines can be a liability.   I feel comfortable with the SW-Motec style plate for the most part, but I am placing a stainless steel (1/8") plate under the sump area covered with some thick EDPM rubber to blunt any hits like I had there... where the skid plate could compress onto the engine but it would spread out the energy a bit more in that sensitive area.   IMO, the sump itself is brittle as hell.  No idea why they made it as thin and brittle as they did. 

Your bad experience is a great benefit to the rest of us! Sorry to say. As someone who rides a lot, far away, I'm quite interested in this. Your idea of adding a SS plate and EDM is clever and effective. I'm a sailor and use a lot of expoxies and glues. I could see adding a plate on the top/inside of the SW Motech, sandwiching rubber between, or even good closed cell foam. Love this forum!