Warchild

Today it was suggested that my front tire is down by 1 psi.

Got the Bridgestones all mounted up. Front wasn't horrible, but the rear 180 tire was indeed a butt-pain, it was really uncooperative at first, even after baking in the sun a couple hours. 🙄 Finishing up the balancing, then back on the bike they go.

Today I decided to try something new on the Tracer. Departing from my normal Dunlop love affair to go after major sticky. I don't expect high mileage. And I am not looking forward to dealing with those iron-stiff sidewalls that Bridgestones typically have, they make mounting a huge butt-pain sometimes. HOWEVER - these seem to have a killer rep among the go-fast crowd, and I am taking Warchild-wife on a high-risk run at the end of the month, so I want The Sticky - these are supposed to deliver: Mounting these tomorrow, wish me luck! We shall see how this goes... 👍

Took Warchild-wife out on the Yamaha today to score the first of many 2022 Tour of Honor locations this summer. For 2022, she has her own flag (554) to hold next to mine as we score these Locations with the mandatory combo of bike/flag/memorial in the photo. Below is the official Tour of Honor site "WA7" in Zillah, WA. This Memorial honor veterans of all Wars, it is a very impressive site to walk through, There is a classic bronze statute of "Rifle, Boots, Helmet" at the end of this walkway, it's very sobering: 9/11 Memorial (911-0072), the Twin Aluminum Towers guarded by twin bronze eagles in Granger, WA: 9/11 Memorial (911-0786), Artifact beam from the 9-11 site embedded in concrete block inscription, Prosser Fire Station, Prosser, WA: 9/11 Memorial (911-0072). These are several 30-foot, 6,000 pound steel columns recovered from the Twin Towers. This Memorial is located in Kennewick, WA If you want more info on the Tour of Honor, here you go: https://www.tourofhonor.com/

Bummer, I suppose, but at least your Cruise Control is back and wasn't actually "broken".

Yes sir, it was. In fact, I had the bike side panels and windscreen shot at the same time. Went with Diamond Jet Black Gloss (it was a Mopar color, used on late-gen Dodge Challengers) over the rusty metallic red. Here are the finished panels before I reinstalled Tuning Fork emblems and turn signals:

There are a ton of us moving from the FJR to the Tracer. After 2 decades and 4 generations of FJRs, I made the jump last year. This gorgeous matte blue FJR below was traded in for its smaller version 900 GT below the FJR pic: Yes, those are FJR1300 hard bags you see below - they fit natively on the Tracer GT model.

This is a totally stock windscreen, right from the factory. Cosmetics are obviously different from OEM: I have painted the *inside* of the windscreen a matte-black. The front side of the windscreen is still it's original clear acrylic; together with the matte-black on the inside, it gives the illusion of a high-gloss black. For those that are about to ask how can I see through this screen - you can't. Fortunately, there is never a time I want to look through the windscreen, even in its upper position. Another perspective:

Yesterday I got to put Warchild-wife on the back of the Tracer and ride to Bickleton, WA to pick up GT09 on the PNW-Grand Tour: the Bluebird Inn, the oldest operating tavern in the state of Washington. We of course had to score one of their killer bacon cheeseburgers! 😋 Sunday morning ritual, wash the bike - even though we have another 200-mile ride later today! The view across the street afforded by those god-like, stupid-expensive, crystal-clear Rizoma 4D mirrors with aspheric lens: I am greatly appreciative that these exquisitely machined mirrors coupled with the EvoTech mirror extenders have actually made a huge positive difference is seeing everything behind me, because I am here to tell ya, these top-shelf components were some spendy shit. 😕

Basically, no one to blame but me for my engine light situation. I simply failed to do enough research to grasp that when getting rid of the AIS plumbing, you need to do one or the other: either flash the ECU and disable the AIS during the flashing, or, leave the OEM solenoid connected. The cruise control loss would have been very, very bad.

I recently did a quasi-petshark maneuver by installing the Graves Motorsports AIS Blockoff plates and removed all that nasty plumbing, but failed to jumper/leave the old solenoid connected. So now I have a Engine Light and a P1400 code thrown. Normally, it's not that big deal, you just rectify and clear the code. But in addition, something much, MUCH worse: I lost my cruise control entirely! 😥 So how are these two systems related? An emissions issue caused the CC to go offline, just WTF? Then again, who knows in these modern bikes. I would engage the CC button, and the yellow cruise control icon on the TFT starts blinking very fast, and of course will not set in any gear or any speed. 😖 I pulled the fuel tank and air box again, put the blue connector back on the blocked-off/taped off solenoid, and left it in its OEM rubber hangar, then buttoned the engine bay back up: I jumped on the Interstate and ran the bike up to 70mph, then hit the Cruise Control button. Boom, CC is back and behaves just as perfect as it always had before. Whew! 😳 Still have the Engine Light until my OBD2 Reader arrives next Monday, then I can remove it myself. Soooooo glad the CC is back, it was dearly missed!

Not sure which would be better match - maybe none. Would need to see examples. I loved my Phantom Blue FJR1300. This was the trade-in for the 900 GT.

I missed this post earlier... what action was taken that had the (apparent) result of losing Wintersdark's factory CC?

Well dayumn, an actual alligator - I thought I was going to read a story about a close call with large truck tire carcass lying in the road. I think I'd rather have the tire carcass! 😧

Ok, well.... it's satire. 😁 Think along the lines of "Klingon Cloaking Device"... doesn't exist, but it would be nice if it did. That left switch is dormant at the moment, but likely not for long.

DRLs: https://twistedthrottle.com/shop/lighting/visibility-lights/visibility-lights-for-motorcycles/denali-drl-daytime-running-lights-with-universal-fender-mounting-kit-amber/ FZ1 Fuzeblock: https://www.fuzeblocks.com/Fuzeblocks-FZ-1-Distribution-Block_p_1.html Switchbox: Custom-made by my long deceased fabricator, sorry.

Today I finished my first ever TBS on the Tracer. It went pretty much like every other TBS on inline-4 motors I've done over the years. It is extremely gratifying to extract all three vacuum caps without bounce-checking one down into the bowels of the engine, never to be seen again. 😖 Even better: re-installing all of them afterward without incident: Happy results. Only #2 cylinder needed a very small tweak. Time to button the bike back up and go ride.

I got them for the daytime triangular conspicuity, almost exclusively. We have nothing but brain-dead cagers around here that try to end my young mid-60's life by waiting until I reach the intersection before turning left in front of me. I'm just trying to work every angle I can with the DRLs. 😥 Denali claims that they will provide a lot of "fill-in" light directly in front of the bike, but they really aren't a substitute for serious Aux Lamps. The DRL's job is mainly conspicuity, to get others to see you.

The Tracer got a set of Denali Daylight Running Lights (DLRs) with lower fender mount brackets for Xmas last December, I am taking advantage (?) of the unseasonable snow and temps to finally get around to installing them. Like all Denali products, these LED pods are super high-quality components. it is always a pleasure to install premium goodies on your bike. This part of the job is straight-forward, and the pods tuck in nicely, close to the fender, and look unobtrusive when not lit up: The Denali circuit consumed the final position in the FZ-1 Fuzeblock, that top 3-amp slot. The Pro-Oiler (not connected in this pic) is slot #2, then Warchild-wife's Warm-N-Safe, Zumo GPS, LED Aux Lamps, and LEO Cloaking Device. This switchbox has over 250,000 miles of LD Riding history... after its initial installation on a 2000 Honda CBR1100 Blackbird for 8 years, it migrated over to a 2008 Suzuki Hayabusa for 12 years, now this storied aluminum switchbox resides on the Yamaha. Brake reservoir-mounted, it houses two heavy-duty, single-pole, double-throw, center-off toggle switches, and feature black-anodized drilled aluminum washers and rubber boots to keep moisture at bay. Right switch is for Denali DLRs. Left switch activates LEO Cloaking Device. Here are the DRLs at 50%. Still brighter than hell: DLRs at 100%, dayumn, pretty sure this is a daylight use only setting. That said, when I can run these (say, alone in the desert), I bet these afford a lot of 'fill' light right in from on the bike. The DRLs are not intended for down-range work, that are primarily for conspicuously: Should anything noteworthy occur after I run these for a while, I'll post up the info.

I was going to actually ride into work today, until I opened the front door.... oh, c'mon, mid-April, YGTBSM! 🙄

Exactly correct, p/n 19 in the below image. Make complete sense, since radiator was tilted forward for the spark plug change. Thank you, gentlemen! 👍

This is such a drag... 😥 I am still doing work on the Tracer, about to start the TBS job. Bike is on the center-stand, I straighten the front wheel, and hear the distinct "ting-a-ling" of some metallic fastener hitting the concrete floor. Out of the left side of engine bay area, this charming bracket came tumbling out. Great. Have no flippin' clue about it's placement - here is a side-by-side comparison shot: It's obvious a retaining bolt is traveling down the tube-portion of this bracket; there are wear areas from a fastener head on the top-side flat portion of the bracket. That smaller locking tab looks to somehow affix the bracket in place, and the larger "loop" tab might have the job of keeping adjacent components away (or close) to it. Anybody? Where do we think this bracket might be located in the engine bay - it is likely on left side of the motor, but even that is speculation... 😕

Yep, I am strictly off the bike and on the centerstand for a maximum refill, and to reduce the chances of a mishap. That said, the S1000XR has two fuel tanks to refill, so I have no choice but to dismount to refuel:

Yes sir, and exactly as you say, that point (angle) it's a lot higher that one might think. So what would that angle be for a top-heavy Tracer with full fuel tanks at 0-mph? It likely depends one's leg and upper-body strength. Regardless, I am just not interested in finding out. I'm pretty sure that a 0-degree lean is best on fuel-sloshed concrete. 🤡

Ack, that is certainly a bummer! Gasoline on concrete is amazingly slippery, it might as well be thin oil. But kudos for your petshark support by re-telling this tale! 👍