TomTracer

I live near KC. Several friends went to the Chiefs game last night. Not very bright imo but none have ssid "oh, it wasn't too bad!" When I sat in tree stands during snow/sleet storms, old age finally has brought wisdom. Less fun, but not hypothermia again!

14 hours ago, Ride365 said:

Must be why my buddy with a 22 can't keep up with my 20.  

Is his Red like yours?

Very irritating for sure!

1 minute ago, The Pilot said:

With the M Endurance chain all the usual chain problems are gone. I have a friend that is putting pretty serious mileage on his S1K and he says it’s legit… no lube, no adjustment… just ride it.

https://www.shopbmwmotorcycle.com/products/bmw-m-endurance-chain#:~:text=With the M Endurance chain,%2C enclosed by X-rings.

So, all we have learmed anout chain quality, o-ring, adjustment, etc has been for naught? Nah.

As I age I seem to get shorter.

 The Tracer 900gt is too tall now. And wide. The saddlebags suck. I like the power, cruise, etc. My 1000 mi days are likely history as is camping which I loved dearly. Now my jaunts are more spontaneous and shorter duration than b4. I may look for decent mpg, reasonable power, accessorised. While I have the time, and tools doing beyond minimum maintenece dors not appeal. 65 yrs of riding and several 100m miles may be close to ending BUT! I AIN'T DEAD YET!!

Life long back issues make cruisers no option. Sportbike more upright is what I gotta have. Don't want a Scooter but.......

I used to attend a "chain gang" rally in OK, benefited CASA. Good rally and good cause. Steve ran it and swore he got ungodly miles out of chains using transmission fluid. Cheap and clean too.

I replaced the swing arm bearings on my R1100RT BMw. They are tapered and if you dont pay attention to installation you will chase your tail to correct problems from misassembly.

Apology not necessary. You have fun where you tide and thats what counts. Composite mpg on my '20 is 50.2 so given where I live and no limitations as you have that's pretty comparable. Enjoy!

The OM for my 2020 describes panel removal sequencially. My shop manual shows more detail.

My goof! I didnt look at the profile to see what bike😒

The owners manual has a section on removing the fairing. Primitive though.

31 minutes ago, Heli ATP said:

I'm considering an offer of a trade of my Suzuki VanVan 200 for a Kawi KLX230 to get some off pavement time.

Would this be a good option for entertainment and education?

I had a KLR650 which originally was too tall for me and pretty heavy. Had a 6.5 gal gas tank tho. I'm not familiar with the KLX230. Hope others here are and will respond.

50 minutes ago, RD52 said:

No doubt, we know how "those people" are. Right, @bwringer?? 

Kidding aside, pelican-style cases work great on a dualsport, I've got a set on my DR-Z400S

Loved my KLR, almost bullet proof. There are lots of options for all of us and all bikes. Some really creative stuff on ADV rides!

6 hours ago, Jpainter187 said:

@bwringer, all good info. I appreciate your input very much! I was actually told this morning that their service department is going to perform a valve check before the bike leaves their lot. I told them that would be great but I’ll need documentation showing this service was performed. 
 

@RD52, I completely agree. These bags might belong on an old BMW GS, but not this bike. And yes, for whatever reasons the hinges are on the outside. 😄 I’m guessing they wouldn’t open fully if mounted in the correct orientation. 🤷‍♂️

I bet there's a KLR owner on ADVrider who'd be happy to have those bags!

1 hour ago, O11OO1OO said:

Helibars instructions refer to loosening banjo bolt on brake reservoir to add slack.

Am I liable to wind up with a huge mess of brake fluid all over the place?

No Just loosen slightly enough to rotate the line a little bit. 

1 hour ago, RD52 said:

Got to go on a little 4 hour spin on my "new to me" Tracer. It will be replacing my 2020 Mutistrada 1260S

Anyway, first impressions...

Rode about 140 miles today. Some rural 2-lane, a stretch of twisties (Hwy 211 between Sperryville and Luray, for those familiar with Va.), the upper third of Skyline Drive, and a freeway blast home.

Great motor. Plenty of power, revvy, smooth, good grunt down low and nice burst of power as the tach swings past 6000. Been 20+ years since I put real miles on anything other than a V-Twin, so it's very different, but I liked it. A lot!
Riding position fits me very well. A little better than the Multi.
It's light!! 70lbs lighter than the Multi, but feels like a bigger difference than that. Definitely less top heavy. Slow speed/parking lot type maneuvers are much easier.
Out on the road, it feels great. Typical suspension shortcomings, springs are soft/not enough rebound/too much high speed compression. But not off enough to make the bike unsettled or uncomfortable. Handled pretty well, nice turn in, stable. Easier to pick and hold a line on than the Multi, more confidence in general when cranked over.
Most importantly, it nails the "fun to ride" metric. Like the SV and V-Strom, it seems to be more than the sum of the parts.

A pic from today, up on Skyline Drive:

And it's FASTEST RED!

Yamaha, Revzilla, etc.

I do the same. No forceful direct spray on chain or wheel bearings or electronics. Backing away with the wand to fan spray distance is enough. It ain't rocket science.

Check out The Warming Store web site. All sort of goodies to keep you toasty. Also lots of other goodies to tempt you. My California Heat liner fits great, warms well, is water proof, and looks good too. 

I have no business relationship with them, just a happy customer.

38 minutes ago, duckie said:

Cleaning it…….

Yup. A REAL PITA!

Terry had a great rep. Tried to find him while on way to SC. No luck nut I knew of the health issue. Sad.

We all go thru this dowmsizing. My 2020 Tracer 900gt offered all I needed for the touring I do. Good luck in this change. And enjoy!

Mesh jacket, wet tshirt, cooling bandana kept wet, and staying hydrated are the deal. 125-130 is friggin hot and frequent stops are necessary. Last yr 2 of us rode KS, CO, NM, AZ, UT in those temps both heeding the above. I did shy of 4000 mi, buddy did 3800. We rode round trip he at 70 me at 76 then.

What Duckie said!

I dont think it will be obvious in fiche. A couple seconds looking at the bike my be better. Hope this helps.