PeterL

I second that heartily. I've owned two of these, both pre-2008 models which I highly recommend, and while they have their downsides (heavy, 'doohickey' issues, weak front brake) none were dealbreakers for me. I'm a plonker not an MX'er, so 'heavy' wasn't an issue, especially as NOTHING seems to be able to stop one of these from running forever. (Almost nothing. See for an amusing exception) By now most any used KLR you find should have had the doohickey replaced. And upgrades to the front brake can range from steel lines and better pads up to larger rotors and caliper upgrades. All well documented online. Yes it's carbureted. But as the KLR is contemporary with stone knives and bearskins, and just as basic, that's generally acceptable. Carb tech is a century old and fairly dependable. Lots of used bikes out there worthy of consideration. Make a list of your wants and requirements, weight each item for importance, then look at old reviews online and make notes for any bike you are considering. It may not identify the perfect choice, but it should at least weed out the ones you would not find suitable per your list, and should give you a 'top 5' or so to look at seriously. You won't get cutting edge here. But you will get affordable (relatively these days anyway), cheap to insure and repair. Best of luck in your hunt.

If this happens a lot (as postings seem to indicate) you might consider posting your design up on Thingiverse so it would be available to all. Thanks for your efforts (sez the guy currently trying to model his way out of paying Audi $$$ for their 'special' wiper fitting)!

The 2019 Tracer and Tracer GT are the same bike, the GT just has more options loaded. The seats are interchangeable (Yamaha part #'s are the same for both versions). I know a few owners here have the Bagster seat and seem to like it well.

Is it the pullback, or is the angle wrong for your wrists? If the former, consider something like these adapters (eBay type shown, lots more varieties and spacing specs out there) easier and cheaper than swapping bars. If it's your wrists, and rotating the bars up or down doesn't help, then bars may be your only recourse.

Instinct28 sez: bars have vibration that makes my ... hand go numb after 20 minutes of riding First thought- get both tires rebalanced.

Just a word of warning: if you cut the centerstand legs, you need to reinforce (via either an internal rod or an external sleeve) when you reassemble as the welded joint will NOT be as strong as the original virgin tubing. Yes this adds a bit of weight, but it's better than having your stand fail and your bike winding up on its side.

Yep. I've had the cables on and off enough times since I inherited it when my friend passed. Only had 463 miles on it too, what a shame. Other than the original oil change, I've been the only one to wrench on it. Of course, the shop he bought it from was run and staffed by idiots, so maybe THEY mucked up the original setup. I'll play with it the next time I have it down to work on, but it's given me no problems thus far. Thanks.

I think the point is to not exceed the rated carrying capacity of the MC overall. If you're not carrying a pillion, you ought to be able to carry all 3 bags full, I certainly do. As others have stated, you should put all your heavier items in the side bags, roughly balancing the loads, to insure you impart minimal effect on the handling characteristics of the bike. (Add some pressure to your tires if you normally ride light as well) Check your topcase rack for the spec of allowable weight, which is of course inclusive of the case itself! And just from my own experience, adding a canister of helium to your luggage does NOT help reduce the weight. Hardly seems fair... 😉 Sounds like a great trip. Hope you'll post some pics on your return.

Again, no offense meant, but you might check that the physical markings on the battery case itself ("+" and "-") are connected to the proper (red and black) cables on the bike. (My 2019 GT also has an upright battery fyi, works just fine) A voltmeter test can insure everything is labelled correctly as well prior to installation. The case markings should ALWAYS be correct due to the construction process itself. Anything requiring user intervention, like applying color coded sleeving or such say, can and will be done wrong sooner or later. Texscottyd has the right of it that you need to check your fuses before turning the key.

Nope. The keys used on those are pretty much what was on your high school locker door, or maybe your sisters diary, too small to accommodate the Yamaha key.

Note the Tuono does not contain the entire catalog of electronic aids that the RS660 encompasses unless you shell out a couple hundred extra for the upgraded IMU. Rather a curious decision on their part, especially given the development history and endpoint of its big brother. I'd give it about a year before Aprilia yields to the pressure and drops in the entire kit as base configuration. And the quickshifter costs extra as well... I love what Aprilia has done with this bike/engine. But after seeing the RS's rampant overheating at the MotoAmerica Twins Cup rounds at the Ridge, I'd want to know they'd fixed whatever weakness exists in the cooling system before adding one to my stable. YMMV however.

FWIW- I took a 30 minute test ride on the latest gen of the Can-Am Spyder RT (that's the touring version w/bags and such) a few months back. These days they are using an electric power steering system. The original model had NO power assist, and going around corners took a lot of grunt. Aside from a touch of hunting at VERY low speeds, this new system worked quite well. The transmission will work in either fully automatic mode or via bar-mounted switches. No manual option is offered. And the braking system is linked (arguably good) and operated by a foot pedal reminiscent of a VW bug or a 60's Vespa (which just felt weird to me). Reverse was kinda neat, especially compared to grunting through the chore manually on my C14. Ergonomics were well thought out, and all the controls fell readily to hand. The engine was smooth and seemed to have plenty of power, but bear in mind I did NOT get it on the freeway. It was actually a lot of fun to drive, and I can understand why I seem to be seeing a lot more on the roads these days. Still loves me my two wheelers, but if the creeping decrepitude ever catches up with me, I might take a closer look.

Training for a career in NASCAR?

I think "oil" might be the key word here. I've found that that single factor can have a huge impact on how the clutch and transmission 'feel'. I've run either Shell Rotella (synthetic) or Mobil Delvac (dino) in my bikes forever, basically because I've found them to work well. For my last oil change on the Tracer I tried Castrol Actevo 10w-40, but that seemed to make things 'notchier' so I'll be reverting next time out. Wear-wise, after the first few thousand miles, things like the gear meshes should have achieved 95+% of their normal wear, everything past that point that isn't a critical failure should be almost imperceptible. Of course your foot might just be better calibrated than mine... 😉

I agree wholeheartedly with only your last I'm afraid. Trials is a motor sport, and arguably at it's best when at 5mph or less. Flat track? Fast, but not THAT fast. And I know I'm not brave enough to run that close to other riders on big iron, in a situation where traction is largely a theoretical concept. And sport IMHO can be found when any 2 or more individuals wish to determine who is 'best'. I used to compete in hang gliding events. Dozens of flyers, often not in visual range of one another, as you hunt for thermals and tailwinds to navigate waypoints and reach a goal first. Airspeed: 20 to 60+ mph. Difficulty: as a species we were not DESIGNED as flyers, so yeah, rather demanding to learn to do it well ('tis more art than science). But at the end of the day, sipping our beverages and telling our tales, we all felt like sportsmen and women. Don't care about the odds. I drive a car only when riding is impossible. So where my car may log 5k in a year, my bikes cumulatively manage 10 or even 20 times that. Driving is transportation, riding is life itself to me.