Warchild

Bruh. That's exactly backwards.

Well, decision has been made - now to sell a kidney to pay for this madness. 🙄 My Suspension guru and I went back and forth for days, discussing the merits of re-springing the factory shock, a possible Race Tech implementation for the forks, or whether to bite the bullet for an Ohlins solution. We discussed costs, benefits, pros/cons of going either way, etc. Also, availability came into play - this needs to happen fairly asap, because the first several thousand mile run begins exactly 60 days from today. In the end.. the Ohlins argument won the day, even with it's painful cost... it's mega-$$$. 😣 Rear end will be the Ohlins YA537 shock: Front end will be the Ohlins NIX 30 Cartridge Kit FKS 504. Both the front and rear Ohlins will be custom-sprung to do the job in it's main role: carrying me and Warchild-wife on long tours through desert highways with lots of mountain work, with the Tracer fairly well loaded with gear. Please don't ask for the total costs, it will just bummed me out. 😕 Prices are available on the web - suffice to say this exercise will be well in excess of 2 Large. 😖 Had long, long discussions with him leading up to the decision - it appears I have fallen in love with the Tracer much more than I ever imagined I would, and I intend to keep this bike for many, many years to come. So while it a painful initial outlay, I expect it to be amortized over the next decade or so. So... who needs a kidney.... 🙄

😆 😆 😆 Oh, I do know what you mean there!

I initially installed my big, honking rally lights on my Tracer, only to immediately determine that these really need to get installed on the new rally bike - it's the one that will need them in the desert night this summer. So I pulled them off and installed a couple old-school early-generation lamps - only 2" diameter, but they put out a crazy amount of light for their size. Now for the fun/exasperating part: laying down circuits and actually wiring it all together. First up: taking power from the FZ-1, looming the cables, and start the heavy-duty zip-tie process. I used this awesome 16-gauge silicone wire for my lamp circuits - extremely flexible, multi-stranded, this be The Shit right here for wiring your big-draw components such as lamps, heated vest, etc: Since I am not cutting any plastic on the bike, I'll let the FZ-1 sit a little cattywampus so the positive cable leads are easier to get to for this project. Lots going on in this below photo: you can see the red/black wire loom used to bring power from the battery to the FZ-1. Yellow arrows point to zip-ties after the two power leads are loomed and begin their march forward to the engine bay. The sharp observer will note that I finally found the rubber seat latch cover after removing the center seat latches for easier access for laying circuits Once the cables reach the engine bay, the black polyester loom isn't going to cut the mustard any longer; the engine bay get blazing hot and the loom won't stand a chance over time. This is where you want to switch to "asphalt loom" from NAPA Auto, and protect your cables from meltdown. Yellow arrows point to asphalt loom as the circuit runs under the fuel tank: Now here was quite the find: since my side panels are off for painting, it revealed a very convenient horizontal shelf that will serve to hold the 30-amp Bosch mini-relay that runs the entire show. The asphalt loom exits the engine bay right before this horizontal shelf - just perfect! Now the object of the game is to have all cables converge at the shelf area so you can wire up the Bosch relay appropriately. Here we see the two monster cables that power each lamp, the two incoming power leads, two dedicated ground wires, and a 3-wire cable for the killer handlebar switch that you'll see in a minute. The 3-wire cable is straight-forward: red for 12v (+), black for ground and white is the signal wire that will fire up the relay when the switch is thrown: Here is the awesome little LED handlebar switch that is just as tidy as it can be. Mounted to the clutch side for easy access while underway: Getting close! After much tedious wire stripping, connectors were assembled and the Bosch unit is almost ready to be placed on its horizontal shelf - but first, we better test it all out to ensure the lamps fire up as expected: Let there be.... LIIIIIIIIGHT!!! Final resting place for the Bosch relay, using hard-core mechanical velcro - this relay mount is rock solid! The coiled up 2nd positive wire is for another project down the road. 👍 🔥 👍 🔥 👍 🔥 👍 🔥 👍 🔥 👍 🔥 👍 🔥 👍 🔥 👍 🔥 👍 🔥

Not even a hint of that, in 12 years of use. That said, Pro-Bolt includes a little tube of a copper-based anti-seize that you place on the threads close to the swingarm - I was pretty diligent about using that. That Gillies unit looks mighty fine... I would have to lose my killer Titanium adjusters, but could still use the Titanium axle nut, so that has appeal. 😁 AND.... looks like Gillies likes to use their Titanium Axle nut, too, so I'm thinking if there was any potential issue there, they would not offer it: Gilles ACM Titanium Axle Nut M18 x 1.5 for Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Triumph, & Yamaha Models Gilles ACM Titanium Axle Nut M18 x 1.5 for Honda...

I am not a metallurgist by any stretch, but I do notice that this article focuses on bolts. This discussion is about an axle nut, which is obviously different, though it is possible be that some of the concerns discussed in that bicycle article still pertain. That said, I ran a very similar Titanium axle nut from Pro-Bolt on my Hayabusa for well over 100,000 miles - representing many tire changes - and never had the first hint of any issue. The axle itself was the OEM steel axle, just like the setup on my Tracer. So I am not terribly concerned about tempting Fate here. 😁

😆 I can relate. You probably saw in my "Hardware Re-Use" thread where I installed the gold-anodized Ti carrier bolts, removed from my Hayabusa prior to its trade in:

That I don't know, but if it is available, it will likely make that $45 axle nut look like pocket change. 😲 That would be a hefty amount of Titanium.

Hear ya go, mang: Titanium Flanged Nut M18x(1.50mm) Pro-Bolt know you love your bike, our range of bolts and fasteners... The correct perspective, without question! 👍

Dayumn, Randy, that is quite the bummer... I feel for you, 'bro! You are quite accurate in saying the stock setup is a hassle to adjust. It's even more of an ass-pain than my previous Hayabusa, and CBR1100XX Blackbird before that. Unless I am willing to send the major $$$ that a proper Gilles setup would cost, I am sticking with the stock adjusters. The only thing different thing I have done is swap out those ho-hum, questionably-plated adjusters with some god-like, polished Titanium equivalents. And the factory axle nut replaced by a black-anodized Titanium equivalent; all these Ti products are from Pro-Bolt USA: Does this Ti hardware make finding that perfect 25mm slack easier to obtain? Not really. It's just calm and soothing to wrench on beautiful titanium hardware, vice the plain-jane oem steel. Not everything on a motorcycle has to be justified from an engineering perspective; some things are more emotional in nature. 😃

Good sir, I believe the correct phrase is "The honking case looks like moist ass on the bike" Helping... 😁

Very unfortunate, and completely unnecessary. In my brief time here, I have found this forum to be not only very informative, it seems to have a refreshing low amount of the drama/sniping typically found on bike forums where many Type 'A' personalities abound. Pity.

I removed the big-ass square lights I initially installed on the Tracer - they are way overkill, and the big lights really need to be mounted on the new rally bike - that's the bike that sees most of the night riding in the desert. In their place, I mounted a set of old-school 1st-generation LED lamps, only 2" in diameter but still puts out some decent light - and these aren't as obtrusive: To power these lamps (and several other electro-goodies), I installed the FZ-1 Fuseblock so I can start laying down circuits:

That Shad is sitting on a SW-Motech Adventure Rack. This rack has many different options for adapters - a Givi mount, a Shad mount, a Kappa mount several others. ADVENTURE-RACK MT-09/900GT Tracer - SW-MOTECH First-class quality, innovative design, always reliable - numerous... ,

Update to the original post: My suspension doctor is off all this week, but the research he did prior to departure indicates we aren't going to do anything to the stock shock, not even re-spring it, because the effort isn't worth it. We will just replace it with a proper rebuildable shock, spring it accordingly. So the hunt is on for that. Forks are another matter. He is still researching that to some degree, but the choices basically come down to these two: perform a rebuild using all Race-Tech components, or go with the drop-in cartridge solution, Ohlins or AK-20 cartridges from Traxxion Dynamics. The drop-in cartridge solution will be more $$$, so I need to do a CBA on going that way. I am leaning toward the Race Tech solution, but we'll see how it goes.

Even the pannier outer shells are grey? Oy... Yes, I can understand how a repaint would be attractive here. 😁

This was the XR before painting... so you can see why it needed changing. 🙄 😃

Whelp, similar to the S1000XR I bought last year.... it took a couple weeks of ownership to really determine that this metallic-orangy paint just isn't for Warchild, it just isn't. 😣 I mean, I tried to like it... in bright sunshine, I admit the metal-flake looks pretty cool, but in the end.... no, not for me. So, the four orange panels, along with the windscreen, are off the bike and in the hands of my painter, same gent who took care of the beemer. Since I love the Candy Jet Black he did on the XR, the four Tracer panels will get the same treatment. Three coats of Candy Jet Black, and three coats of Clear on top of that. Each coat hand-sanded before the next coat - a very tedious process. But that is what gives the paint that deep "depth" when you look at it in bright sunlight, or bright cloudy days. Example of this paint: Even the windscreen gets painted - but only the inside. The outside of the screen is still the original clear acrylic:

I scored some light reading material today:

I am about to go down this exact path while the bike is down for painting,,. starting today, April 2, 2021 👍 I went with the Rizoma Vision Sequential Turn Signals.. these babies are pure Road Sex! 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 landing-fr130

Finally installed the R&G Fender Extender. In addition to the four plastic rivets, a thin layer of JB Weld for Plastics is layered in between the two pieces. Between this and the Givi Rad Guard, I am feeling better about potential rock hits. Would like to do more protecting the oil filter, but not to the point of installing a skid plate.

I found the Comfort seats appears to sit me up much higher than anticipated, to the point that I decided to relocate the seat from the 'high' to 'low' position, and still not sacrifice any knee room in the process.

They should just come pick you up and take you to their dealership - then you ride it home.

Folks, these are not my FJR bags, they belong to the dealer (the owner himself) where I got my Tracer from - and my last 12 motorcycles. So obviously, I have a unique rapport with him. 👍 In turn, he had a painter buddy who did this work, like 17 years ago. There is no taping or striping; all of this is paint. It is gorgeous, isn't it. They have been collecting dust in his Parts Department for well over a decade, so he is letting me borrow them for a few long runs with Warchild-wife this summer. I hope I am able to give them back to him... I may not be able to. 😆

I will let anyone steal it for $125, and the buyer pays all shipping costs.