Warchild

Finally finished the 2-month project of prepping the Yamaha MT-10 for serious night work this summer... new 60-degree spot LED lamps from SuperBrightLEDs...




And swapped out my blasé monochrome LCD screen for this soothing blue version - very nice!





So what has this got to do with this thread?  I have a standing rule that one of the two bikes must *always* be road-ready - and never have both bikes down for maintenance concurrently.

So now I can begin my 2020 Tracer 900 GT maintenance fun -  the 26,600 servicing, including the very first valve check.  🙄  I admit I am praying to the Roads Gods that the cams don't have to come out. We shall see.

 

Mount them as high as you reasonably can.

If you install the Givi Light Bracket for the Tracer under the chin of the bike, you can then mount the lamps of your choice. These 2" LED Flamethrowers put out some insane lighting.

I occasionally think about the newer GT models, but they can't carry FJR1300 hard cases natively like my 2020 GT, and this best thing about my 2020 Tracer is that it's paid for, and carries wifey and I on some long trips just fine.














 

2 hours ago, canadatracer900 said:

Therefore as shown in the instructions it is meant to mount directly to the stock bracket as the stock preload adjuster did.

I agree this is perplexing. Does the kit not have it's own version of the hangar bracket? The holes as photographed  are clearly not aligning. This seems very unlike Ohlins. 

This seems all wrong. Where is the silver steel bracket that bolts to the two hangar bracket bolts on the inside of the hangar?

On 2/3/2024 at 5:17 AM, 2and3cylinders said:

As I've stated before, you can wash, dry and oil the OEM paper filter as well.

Dawn dish soap, a tooth brush, gentle compressed air, and K&N filter oil.

2 Clean & lubes, maybe 3 if youre really careful is the limit...

I actually did not know this, or I have forgotten about it. 

I used to be big on K&N filters, and have read a lot of flame wars about K&Ns vs factory filters over the years. Most detractors argue that while the the K&Ns do flow a crap ton of air compared to stock, it also allows more dust to pass thru. Continued to use K&N filters even though I've always had a nagging suspicion that they may be right.

When the FJR1300 and Hayabusa were replaced by the Tracer and MT-10 respectively, I have elected to stay with factory filters on the latter bikes.

54 minutes ago, 2and3cylinders said:

War baby post more shots of what you're running now close up

Maybe start a new thread or in your gallery which I don't know how to get to if you had one LOL

Sure, I'll go start another thread on the new Desert Runner - this version is considerably lighter and more nimble:

On 1/22/2024 at 1:30 PM, 2and3cylinders said:

Who's Hayabusa is that!

 

That was my 2008 Suzuki Hayabusa "Desert Runner" edition, carrying 10.3 gallons of fuel and 1.25 gallons of ice water. I rampaged throughout the Desert West for 12 years on this beast.

15 hours ago, pilgo said:

Small local ride out to Middlegate station on highway 50 , quick drink and a Snickers then headed home.

Famous for being part of the old Pony Express route , now its a popular destination for local bikers and anyone headed to Sand mountain with their ADV's or 4 wheelers.

Thankfully they sell gas there as I completely mis judged how much fuel I had and I'm not sure I'd of made the 47 miles back to Fallon........😶 

( what is the range on the last bar / flashing low fuel warning ? 🤔 ) 

Middlegate Station is hallowed ground for our Endurance Rally events the past 3 decades. We used it as a Checkpoint, and used it as a bonus location. Some of the most awesome cheeseburgers on the planet are made there.

I am confident there will be no riding the Tracer today.  🙄  The Bluetooth outdoor temp sensor sits just outside my garage window.  It's some cold 💩 out there, tbh.  🥶

I am sure most will not like my reply. That's fine, if you think differently, no problem.

I am not so sure our cross-plane triple motors like synthetic oil all that much. On the surface, that statement seems ridiculous. However, I can only report my experiences from direct observation and use.

I think it was the 2nd oil change (after 600-mile change) that I swapped from full petroleum YamaLube to full synthetic 15w-50 YamaLube. I could immediately  tell the engine had new noises that it just did not have before. We all know our clutch baskets are noisy, our valve train can tick, etc. But these noises were different. They seem most pronounce at idle, or just off-idle. Still, the bike ran just as perfect as before.

Ran that oil for it's normal 4K interval, then the next change, back to YamaLube AT 10w-40. Started the bike, and I was amazed that those noises were gone altogether. I can't explain this.

Late summer 2022, with 16,000 miles on the odo, on a lark I tried YamaLube full synthetic again. Same identical results... a much nosier engine. Again, can't explain it, can't think of any explanation for it. The bike runs just fine - it's just nosier.

I am at 22,500 miles now, back to AT 10w-40, the bike is not that noisy, other than normal clutch basket noises. 

The bike has always ran perfectly regardless of the oil.

12 hours ago, betoney said:

This past week the PNW experienced an atmospheric river, different parts of Western Washington got over 7" of rain in 24 hours, rivers rose to record levels with extensive lowland flooding.

The Yakima River running near my town of West Richland is extremely high right now due to this atmospheric river, but there was a tiny break yesterday at dawn they yielded this fine photograph of the sunrise of fire:

5 hours ago, Wintersdark said:

What bags do you have on it? How are the mounted?

These are late-gen Givi V37 hard bags, they can not be mounted on a 2022+ MT-10s. Yamaha inexplicitly removed the four hard mount points casted into the rear subframe that the Gen I bikes had. Gen II's have much reduced carrying options as a result. Hepco and Beck has C-bags, Yamaha has soft bag options (if you can ever find them).  Nothing heavy duty like the Givi's, though.

8 hours ago, OZVFR said:

I’ve been thinking of the same thing.

My only concern is the small tank, how do you find the short touring range?

If it had a 20L tank I’d be right on it. 

This cross-plane inline-4 is a thirsty beast, many MT-10s don't see much over 32-33mpg. If the ECU is flashed for performance - highly, highly recommended - mileage falls even further to the 29-30 mpg range.  This results in a Low Fuel light illuminating at ~ the 100-mile mark.

This range certainly doesn't cut the mustard when rampaging throughout the Nevada Basin and Ranges, so an axillary fuel cell was an absolute necessity for my needs:

On 10/31/2023 at 12:00 PM, Wintersdark said:

No shade at the MT10SP, it's a wild ride, but the Tracer was a particularly perfect bike for me.

 I was hoping you would score the MT-10 and then start that life-long love affair with it!  It was exactly one year ago today I procured my MT-10, it has been quite the wild ride:



After adding the 4.3-gal aux fuel cell and proper night lighting, it's a serious Desert Runner:








 

 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

1 hour ago, johnmark101 said:

Just curious........how many miles on your suspension.  They can usually go a long way before needing a refresh.

These are sitting close to 19,000 miles, and because they are Ohlins, it's really noticeable when the hardware is spent and needs refreshing.  

As I mentioned, I could always send them to Ted Porter's in central California, he has bailed me out in the past with a Wilbers shock problem.  I emailed them about it, and the service costs are not terribly horrible, ~ $340 for the shock and ~$180 for the forks, plus consumables. I will likely pull the hardware and send them on down after I finish up installing the Spiegler SS brake lines.

Tragic, as in - I just learned my go-to Ohlins suspension guy  has relocated to the east cost.

My Tracer 900 GT is waaaay overdue for servicing for both the front NIC 30 cartridges, and the rear Ohlins YA537 shock.

Who here can recommend a suspension shop who does exceptional rebuild work? Looking for something in the Pacific Northwest - I know I could always send them off to Ted Porter's, but, dayumn, a 1800-mile round trip shipping would be terrible.

Pic for attention:

Denali DRLs:

Took Warchild-wife day-tripping through eastern and central Oregon this weekend, with a Friday overnight stay at the Best Western in John Day, Oregon. The motel features Morning Deer that are a little too tame. This young doe walked right up to me and expected me to hand over some food.  😮

1.5-minute video of Day One with the three PNW-GT stops:

GT15 : GT18 : GT29
 

Shorter Day Two video with the ToH stops and Spiral Hwy:

HOMEBOUND FROM MONTANA/IDAHO

The Iron Butt Association (IBA) has a well-known entry-level ride called a Saddlesore 1000: a documented 1000-mile ride in less than 24-hours. After many years, these rides are routine to LD veterans.

Nowadays, the IBA has "themed" Saddlesore 1000 rides that add more of challenge to the ride. One of these rides is called the "Ice Cream Insanity 1000", which is essentially as SS1K, but the rider stops for Ice Cream SIX (6) times during the ride. Further, the Ice Cream stops must be 150 miles apart. No chains like Baskin Robbins, DQ, etc: only real ice cream parlors or mom/pop shops scooping ice cream can be used. Each ice cream stop must be accompanied with a date/time/location receipt, and a photo of you eating ice cream/drinking milkshake, etc.

On Thursday, Aug 10, I did an Ice Cream 1000 ride on my 2020 Tracer 900 GT, pending verification.  🔥

Ice Cream #1 at the start, West Richland, WA:




Ice Cream #2, Charley's Deli/Ice Cream, Baker City, Oregon:




Ice Cream No3, Sprinkles Creamery in Mountain Home, Idaho:




Insurance fuel at Twin Falls, Idaho before the big decent into the Nevada furnace for the fast run to Elko:




Ice Cream # 4 at "Spoon Me" in Elko, Nevada:

Ice Cream #5: a vanilla milkshake Sacha's Sugar Shak in Eureka, Nevada:

Last one! Final Ice Cream #6 in Reno, Nevada... 1040.7 miles in ~ 16 1/2 hours, I am pretty tired at this point:


 

Coming home the next day, the roads are hot, dusty, and long....

So it sounds like a good excuse to grab a state-of-the-art Fields Station milkshake!



 

Then take the fun roads north of Burns, Oregon all the way home!   A fun 2 days!  

I have that very model, a 2020, and I would essentially echo everything kilo3 - he covered that well.  👍

Though I would add: we found the factory suspension to be a bit suspect for our needs - two up with gear. Went with a mega-$$$ Ohlin's upgrade front and rear, that was a painful outlay of cash. But so totally worth it. 

That said, if you aren't going to overly tax the suspension like we do, this may not be an issue for you.

Another very nice benefit of this generation of Tracer GT: if you can find a spare set of FJR1300 sides cases, they fit natively on the 2019-2020 Tracer GT bikes. We downsized from the FJR, but didn't lose any carrying capacity:

So many of us have done this exact downsizing, from the FJR to the Tracer.

I owned every generation of the FJR, from 2002 to 2021, over 250,000 miles across four models. I might have forced myself to continue riding it in my mid-60's - but when I found out the Gen 2 GT models could carry the FJR1300 side cases, that sealed the deal. Still doing long distances with wifey, and we haven't actually lost any carrying capacity: