petshark

9 minutes ago, Wintersdark said:

Mine has always done this as well.  A quick rev fixes it, so I've never really fussed about it. It's just an excuse to rev it 😃

Same here. Not worried about it at all. But if is not a common issue and someone knows how to fix it, it's just an excuse to go tinkering 

5 hours ago, stringman said:

Im not sure what adjustments they have ( i know my bike has a special left to right twist adjustment!!!😀) but you can definitely change the springs  as I had mine changed -upgraded progressive I think

I'm just saying that the suspension tech seemed to find the KYB fork decent quality so that the spring, oil and seal upgrade would result in a good shock. The difference with Ohlins cartridges would only be noticeable on track according to him (that's where he spends most of his time on the Yamaha Racing team).

I'm not sure if the standard shock is also ok to do this with. I could be, I just don't know.

I have the Yamaha tank lock and bag which is a rebranded SW Motech. The release mechanism didn't work well at first. I almost couldn't get it off when I pulled in for gas om my way home after buying the bike (second hand).

I disassembled the mechanism and found nothing wrong. No dirt, no rough edges, so I sprayed it with silicon lube and it has been working fine ever since.

Apart from that rough start I am pretty pleased with it. 

On 3/27/2022 at 3:45 PM, Eventhorizon said:

The only thing that I hope the reflash does fix is a hard warm start up, this is the only issue that I have had with the bike. Say for example I'm riding around and need to stop for fuel. After filling up the bike starts but stumbles and throttle is mushy for about 10 seconds and it clears out. A restart after a couple of hours or more does not produce the same results.

I have exactly the same thing on a 900 GT. 

Perfect start:
-cold engine
-stop and restart engine immediately
-let the engine cool down sufficiently before restarting 

But when I do a short stop to get gas or buy something upon restarting the engine will often run rough for 20 seconds or until I rev it. My ECU is flashed for performance and it didn't change this problem. 

Wait, the 2018 non-GT does not have the TFT dash? That alone is worth it in my book. I consider getting an older bike and the LCD dashes always turns my off. I still like completely analogue but LCD is just so ugly to me now. I know it's very superficial but it is what it is. I've considered buying a 2012 multistrada or an older VFR but when I see that dash I realize I don't want to go back to that. I've done a few test rides with other new bikes and the Tracer 900 GT's TFT in dark mode is one of the best out there. It's just the right size too, don't like the big ones with too much info.

The GT has better suspension for sure, it's just still not very good, average at best.

The Tracer 9 is the first one with good suspension out of the box.

As many people on this forum will tell you, suspension is the best upgrade you can do. Even after saying all the above I think I would still choose the non-GT with Ohlins over the factory GT in a vacuum. 

10 hours ago, stringman said:

thats really interesting. Thanks Bizarrely I am almost tempted by the GT but then selling the luggage to recoup some costs 

Sorry, I think I made a mistake here.. if you get the non-GT you will not have the upgraded KYB forks that were the basis for the spring upgrade I had done. I'm not sure if the same can be done to the non-GT fork. It doesn't have the compression and rebound screws, right? 

You might have to get a GT after all 

47 minutes ago, stringman said:

On my tracer I changed the front springs and put a Nitron R1 on the rear. It wasnt brilliant but it was so much better.

I wonder whether the front is better so that if I change the springs again in will be better ( thus saving the need for new cartridges.

I guess what i need to do is find a defined budget and see what machine i can get for my money.

My suspension guy said that for my style of riding (sporty twisty roady) cartridges were overkill. The rear shock had to go but for the front we just did Ohlins springs for my weight, Ohlins oil and SKF seals. It wasn't expensive and I'm really happy with the result. 

I also went to another suspension tech first and had the stock shock and forks set up for my weight. He ended up lowering the forks in the triple clamps because he didn't like the geometry (too light on the nose). I wasn't satisfied but I'm not saying that the suspension is trash and that everyone should upgrade. It just transforms a very nice bike into a superb bike.

I know I said that I would never buy a non-GT but since you' really don't seem to have use for any of the extra's I want to change my vote to non-GT and get a good shock and springs for the front. That's what I would do in your shoes anyway. If the non-GT 2018+ have got the longer swingarm that is (I'm not sure about that)

+1

O2 sensor deleted and disconnected after ECU flash and QS works great.

I definitely recommend the GT and would personally never buy a non-GT if this one is totalled. factory CC, heated grips and QS all are luxuries I don't want to go without.

No-one has addressed the shock yet. I have no experience with the Nitron R1 but have considered it while researching the shock upgrade (went for Ohlins in the end). The stock shock on the GT is really not on par with any aftermarket quality shock. It is still a budget part so if you're used to something good you'll likely not be satisfied.

GT + ECU flash + suspension upgrade = perfection IMO

So I aligned everything as said and everything looks straight except the nose from the rider position. It's much more obvious now that the forks are better aligned.

I'll start a new thread because it doesn't match the title anymore.

On 3/29/2022 at 4:34 PM, Wintersdark said:

Could be either brake, clutch, or the throttle back-turn switch.  It's still under warranty so I'm actually sitting at a dealership waiting for it to open right now, gonna have them figure it out.  

I'm hoping the Yamaha dealerships software is more useful.

So what was the diagnosis?

7 hours ago, KellyL said:

It's more a case of sloppy presentation, and lack of discussion (or awareness) of more fundamental issues that need to be addressed when facing a bike with poor alignment, i.e. why is it misaligned in the first place? Measuring the rear axle with some calipers isn't going to tell you if the frame is twisted from a crash. (It should be aligned to the chainline, and not the swingarm markers which can be inaccurate.)

It's not actually the worst video I've seen on this topic - there are some absolutely atrocious ones by other creators - but Del generally approaches things heuristically ('black box' pattern learning) without demonstrating actual understanding - leading to dumb stuff like his now-deleted coolant replacement video. His channel is a reflection of a wider problem amongst YouTube 'instructional' content culture. It's like the motorcycle version of that infamous Verge PC build video (also now deleted), but repeated over and over again. On the other hand, I am also aware of 'The Workshop' and I dislike the toxic atmosphere there too.

Del has also effectively blocked any form of critical peer review by filtering/editing the comments section.

In contrast, Dave Moss demonstrates logical reasoning and explanation, and clear concise teaching from a solid foundational theory. At least you can see where he's coming from, even if you don't agree with his message.

I agree with everything you say. 

Wouldn't you also say though that Del is a certain old-school type of mechanic that you often encounter in real life? None of it is very scientific but he makes up for that with rugged charm and confidence. I would go as far as to say that the heuristic approach is not uncommon amongst mechanics. That is my experience at least.

It is true that this kind of content can be dangerous. A mechanic has a reputation and liability whereas a YouTube teacher has none. As always the responsibility lies completely with the viewer. It's free information and none of it is guaranteed to be correct. Censoring the peer review system is bad but I imagine constant trolling by 'the workshop' fans could be the reason. On the other hand the workshop video's could have started because there is no other way to dispute Del's advice. Who knows.

I like that Del addresses exactly what happened to me as he often does. Dave's video is more generic and I never know how relevant it is to my situation. So it's up to me to piece it all together and ask for a second opinion. Thank you for yours!

9 minutes ago, kilo3 said:

x100 this, guy's a phuckin moron

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query="the+workshop"+delboy

I've heard this a lot from this youtube channel "the workshop" that has many video's dedicated to Delboy supposedly being a moron but there are also some fans on the forum so I gave him the benefit of the doubt. 

Anything specific that is wrong in this video?

3 hours ago, KellyL said:

The Dave Moss procedure video is much better, especially with regards to the tightening sequence and caliper seating.

Great video and I am happy to say that I already use these methods. I probably learned this from Dave in an older video.

It's not really about twisted forks after a drop though. My question is more about in how many places things can be off and how much you have to loosen than how to do it right. Still much appreciated!

Doing the lower triple tree clamps and axle really helped and I'm hoping that there is still some tension caused by things I haven't loosened in my first try. If this method fails I will check if the forks are still straight and so on. 

I would be surprised if the forks or even the handlebars are bent as the screen and thus the entire nose of the bike took the worst hit (the screen hitting a large wooden crate was the first point of impact). The forks were rebuilt under warranty last november with new Ohlins oil and SKF seals because it developed a small leak after the complete rebuild last summer. There was practically no stiction at after both rebuilds.

I'm trying again this weekend and will include brake callipers and mudguard bolts. My dilemma is currently wether to undo the top head bearing nut or not. Can it hurt? Otherwise I'll do it just te be sure that I've tried everything.

If that fails I will take the wheel and forks out as per your advise.

Sorry I forgot to link the video

So as some of you may have read I dropped my bike while pushing it up on a motorcycle lift..

I researched and executed the realignment of the forks and it's a lot better but not perfect. I loosened the lower triple tree bolts, axle pinch bolt and axle and pushed down on the forks to realign them.

In this video Delboy goes a lot further, loosening the bolts for the mudguard, brake callipers and the nut on top of the steering head.

Any advice before I give it another go? Thanks.

22 minutes ago, Wintersdark said:

As an aside, this is kind of an "it figures" moment, but last night was my first commute to work after swapping my winters for the Road 6's.  18C Sunday for our ride, beautiful.  Monday night shift, this happens: 

Rained, froze, then snowed.  Had to chip ice off the ignition and heat my key to start the bike.  Roads covered in ice.

Turns out Road 6's are very good on icy pavement, so there's that.

 

That's a pretty good endorsement for the Road 6's. Noted!

5 hours ago, Wintersdark said:

Yes. 

Can you read error codes to see which switch or sensor is causing this? If not, I bought this cheap ebay wifi scanner in combination with a free phone app and it seems to read and reset everything but TBH I have not needed it for anything real yet so I don't know if the ECU gives useful info on errors like these.

13 hours ago, Wintersdark said:

Discovered that my cruise control is hinky; it randomly turns itself off (yellow light stays on, green set light turns off) after a few seconds riding - but not a consistent time.  Tested while riding, holding the throttle open a little (just in case it's reading "turned back to disable cruise control") but sadly it still happens.  Anyways, loosened the throttle free play to be sure, but that didn't fix the issue.  Looking back through threads here, I also checked out the rear brake lever and it's switch to ensure there's no tension at all on the spring when at rest, made a minor adjustment there.  

If neither of those, maybe the clutch switch?  

Still running stock levers.

No abnormal brake light issues - asked people riding behind me and they never flickered, and they do turn on and off properly with brake usage.

Did you get the front brake switch replaced under the warranty recall?

5 hours ago, Cogswell said:

To some extent yes. It largely depends of the surface texture it's applied to.  A smoother surface will provide an easier release of the adhesive. Hopefully you used it in a somewhat sparingly manner.

Thanks. Yeah, I just put a very small dab around the pin.

I've glued them in and it worked great. Thanks again for the tip!

So what happens with this stuff when I remove them? Is it like silicone in the bathroom in that it just peels off (with some effort)?

On 5/14/2021 at 7:40 PM, Warchild said:

There is no way I am taking these Titanium sprocket nylocs to that ridiculously high torque value of 59 ft-lbs. Then again, I have been doing these sprocket changes on very high-powered chain-drive bikes for the best part of 30 years, and have the experience to know better. Currently with the BMW S1000XR, the Hayabusa before that, the YZF-R1 before that, the CBR1100XX Blackbird before that, and the Honda CBR1000F before that. The R1 aside, none of these bikes call for such insanely high torque values; that is how you get into trouble as poor petshark has experienced.

I will take these Ti nylocs to ~ 43 ft-lbs when I replace the factory drive train in early June. That is more than sufficient.

@WarchildMay I ask you a few questions about these?

Where did you buy them? They look like pro bolts from the UK.
Are you happy with them? (Real titanium? No corrosion anywhere?)
Does one need a 12 point socket? I only have 6 point sockets.
Does the titanium look noticeably better than stainless steel? If I'm not mistaken this is a race part and is meant to lower unsprung weight. I don't think we really notice this so it's mostly about looks, right?

My thinking is if I'm not sure how to proceed I might as well throw a visual upgrade in the mix to make it easier to decide. 

You are not going to believe this. 

I can't remember the last time I got gasoline on me. I was very young, that's for sure. Today I took the family for a long drive (well, long for Belgians at least) to first go for a walk at a lake and then visit friends with a new baby. Along the way I was filling up the car and a lot went wrong with the reading of my card which I won't get into but suffice to say that I was not relaxed. The nozzle was at an odd angle and didn't go in all the way but the last notch on the nozzle held it into place fine. 

But with this conversation in the back of my mind I had the urge to try and adjust the nozzle in the middle of filling the tank. I thought I really don't want to get gasoline all over me. Which resulted in it happening! I jumped out and sprayed me. I should have left it alone. I am writing this still wearing the pants that were full of gas hours ago. Also on the crotch and I had no choice but to wear them all day long. Luckily I at least had a fresh t-shirt with me and the gas station has a plastic bag for the smelly one. It was also a glorious day and we could keep the windows open and now the smell is gone (or we've all gotten used to it).

Life is strange.

7 hours ago, PhotoAl said:

Saw something the other day about torque specs being dry.  Any lubricant will lower the torque and can lead to stripping bolts/nuts.  Think it may have been in a valve adjusting thread or maybe NGK spark plugs.  So based on that clean the bolts and make sure they are clean and dry then assemble to torque specs.  I replaced my rear sprocket at 11,000 miles.  It had very little wear and probably could have been re-used but I did not.  `A sprocket carrier with under 10,000 miles sounds like good as new to me.  

I torques mine to the torque specs with no problems and no lock tight.  Still good after 8,000 miles.  

That makes sense.

2 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

After my lumbar fusion last August I managed to get a few rides in late last year until I had a Button TURP (my 4th procedure of that ilk) mid-December.  Now I'm still recovering not only from the disc fusion and TURP but also my right rotator cuff repair and bicep tendon reattachment I had last week.  But I hope by July to be able to run a fuel cell - bladder challenge. 😎

That's a lot! Hang in there and fingers crossed for July.

3 hours ago, Warchild said:

Yep, I am strictly off the bike and on the centerstand for a maximum refill, and to reduce the chances of a mishap.

2 hours ago, betoney said:

I do the exactly the same thing, always standing on the side of the bike and its always on the center stand.

+1

@WarchildIt's probably been asked before but what role does the Tracer have when you have a XR? I haven't tried one yet but have ridden with one and I always thought of the XR as a similar bike only more luxurious and powerful. An upgrade?

I know about the difference in engine character but had not expected someone to keep riding both. Could you share what the Tracer gives you that the XR doesn't so much so that you keep both?