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WastedMind3500

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    Montreal, Canada

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  1. I am "glad" to see I was not alone with the transmission whine problem. At first I wondered if it was my tinnitus (pretty loud already, from army days), but I got my girlfriend to test it out and she confirmed. Her exact quote was "I can't here myself think!". I would have been ok with the other "problems". And I could have figured out the oil issue. But the whine I could not tolerate. As for trying to get it fixed, my bike is not under warranty since I bought it used. And since I read that others had the issue, I think it is not a fixable issue (i.e. it is a design issue, not a problem specific to my 1 bike). I could be wrong. But service around here is pretty limited. They sell bikes. That's it. Basic stuff and maintenance ok, but when it gets to more complex issues, you are SOL. Good on you guys that have good bikes though!
  2. This summer, I went on a 5 000 km road trip with my newly purchased 2019 Tracer 900. My girlfriend and I do this for our annual vacations. She rides her own bike, so we carry our camping gear. This year, we decided to do the loop from Quebec, Labrador, Newfound Land, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and back to Quebec. What a nice ride, and adventure! In general I loved the Tracer, but some details were deal breakers for me: the 6th gear whine. It would hit a resonance frequency and go very high in pitch and very loud. I annoyed the *&^%$ out of me. It was an issue even when wearing ear plugs. In the maritime provinces, the speed limits are between 80 km/h and 100 km/h. That is the exact sweet spot for the 6th gear whine. Other gears also produced that high pitch noise, but not as bad as the 6th. High rev in 3rd and 5th gear were also problematic. the ergonomics. My previous bike was a VStrom, so adapting to the "sportier" position was a problem. I never quite got used to having my feet to the rear. The seat is tilted forward (although it was less of an issue with the luggage. It tilted the whole bike back to that helped). it burned oil during the trip. I did not find any leak anywhere, all gaskets were clean, all screws tight. I did have to carry oil with me to top it off 2 times over the 3 weeks. In 7 years with my VStrom, I never had that happen. Same with my girlfriend's Versys. Some issues I had fixed through farkles: got a taller windshield (Marstad). This works great. One detail, the Marstad logo which is cut in the windshield mount (a small "m") must be taped over, otherwise it whistles! put some O-Rings under the tank to remove some of the seat tilt. changed the pegs (use those from a FJR 1300) to have some rubber. added bar risers, 1" up, 1" back. I will miss the power the engine provided. But I will return to a more adventure style bike, for the seating position mostly. And I will insist on a test drive, to make sure I do not get that transmission noise again. Speaking of that, do you know if this is a Tracer issue, or a general Yamaha issue? I am looking at the two Tenere models (T7 and Super 1200). I wonder if they have the same problem...
  3. I am doing a complete cleanup of my bike after a 5400 km ride (vacation!). I removed the warning sticker on the right side of the tank, and there is glue still there. And I dragged my boot on the seat a couple of times and it made some lines on the seat. Any ideas on how to clean that up? Thanks!
  4. Three months after purchase, this is what I did to my Tracer 900 (2019, not GT). Note: I will list where I got the items, not for publicity, but to help someone who might be looking for something similar. I pay everything, I did not receive any free items, compensation, ... - Crash bars, directly from Heed in Poland. I decided for these since they cover the largest area of the engine IMO. Very clear installation instructions, no issue there. Be careful they are easy to scratch, a couple layers of clear coat are a good investment. - Pegs. I first decided to get the Adventure models from Yamaha, but being only available though Yamaha Canada, for a substantial price, I changed my mind. Also, I find that I tend to rest my feet forward of the pegs, so the vibration reduction might not have been worth the premium. I ordered FRJ 1300 pegs, but they are back order, so I am waiting on these from Japan. - GPS and hardwire. I got a TomTom 550, since I have been using a TomTom Rider 1 for a couple years. It is similar, yet different enough to confuse me a bit. I hardwired it using a MT Connector (Set MT090-2) from Cycle Terminal in the US. Shipping was the next day, and it was easy to do. The connector fits perfectly with Yamaha's plug. - Helibars tour performance riser. It moves them 1" up, 1" back. It greatly helped comfort. I sit higher, helping me tolerate the seat... This was ordered directly from Helibars. Bonus, all cables and tubes are long enough, so easy installation. - From Twisted Throttle: - R&G side stand foot enlarger. Perfect fit. - R&G tank traction grips. I messed up and ordered for a Tracer before 2019, the shape does not fit. - R&G fender extender. Close to perfect fit. - Givi tanklock tank ring. Perfect fit. - From Revzilla: - a Barkbuster kit. I added the Teardrop bar end weights, it helps with vibration. Easy installation, works perfect. - I also got a Crampbuster, by far the best accessory, especially for the price. - Airhark R Cruiser Seat Pad. It helps, but it's not perfect. I will have to work on a definitive solution for the seat. - MadStad Windshield and bracket. I started with the 22", and finally got a 26". The 22" was ok, but at the height limit. With the 26" I have some height left, if I ever need it. So my verdict on the bike? I have a love - hate relation to it. The riding position (pegs vs seat) is weird. The bar riser and adjusting the foot controls down made it a bit better. The angle is weird too. On long touring or highway, it is not comfortable. However when the bike is pushed hard (well for me, the bike had plenty performance left!) it comes alive, and the weird seat is forgotten. The acceleration and breaks performance is much greater than what I can manage, so I have to be careful. I can get a super dose of adrenaline, and that is the point If I can't fix the seat issue, I *might* trade it in for something else, more adventure bike ergonomics. Too bad, I LOVE the looks and everything else.
  5. Thank you for all the great replies. ACF 50 is 10 units larger than WD40, so it must be good! Ouch, I just saw the price in Canada, I'll have to make sure not to waste any! Do you spray often? Like after every wash? Or do you do it every time the bike gets wet (rain, wash, beer , urine , ...). Sorry I feel silly today! EDIT: I just found 2 versions! ACF-50 Anti-Corrosion Lubricant (the pink bottle) FortNine | Verifying Browser... ACF-50 Corrosion Block (blue bottle FortNine | Verifying Browser... Any idea what the difference is?
  6. Hi everybody ( hi Dr. Nic! , sorry could not resist ), in the owner manual, in the care and storage section, it mentions that we should ... Any idea what kind of product they are referring to? Do you know brand names? My first reflex was "like WD40?!?". Thanks in advance for your comments!
  7. I started with motorcycle GPS 7 years ago. Now I need to buy a new one, my 7 years old GPS has reached its end of life. First I tried a Garmin motorcycle GPS (can't remember the model number). The problem with that unit was that I was unable to plan a route on the stupid software that came with it, upload it to the GPS and have it follow that route. Lets say I had 50 way points for a specific route I wanted. So I start, get me to way point 1. Ok, the GPS did that. Reach way point 1, I now expect it to get me to way point 2. No! I had to navigate through the menus and select the next way point. It would not move on by itself... No problem, select waypoint 50, it will go through the ones before it to get there. NOPE! It would calculate a new route directly to point 50. I even called Garmin, they said their software would not do that... My only option was to select the final destination, and let the GPS decide the entire route to get there. No way, I want to see the twisty road, not the boulevard with traffic! So I got a Tomtom Rider (first generation). The software was a bit better, and once uploaded to the GPS, it would follow way points and move to the next one when I reached one. I was able to "force" the GPS to take a specific route from departure to destination. My requirements are: weather compatible. On long trips I cannot always sit out rainy days, so I have to ride anyway. has a mount with recharge connectors, or some recharging cable connector available while on the mount. I try to avoid it, but sometimes I have 10 or 12 hours days on the bike. I have a Madstad windshield with RAM mount, so that is pretty standard I think. can follow a route without requiring that I baby sit it through. Questions: from your recent experience, do the current Garmin GPS still have the route / waypoint limitation? Did the software improve at all? Google maps used to allow downloading GPS files from routes, it does not anymore so the GPS software is more important! Other brands than Garmin or Tomtom exist? I rented a BMW GS in Europe, it had the integrated BMW GPS, which worked ok. These are re-branded from some other manufacturer, you know which one? Thanks for any insight!
  8. Salut @NormR! The "not a perfect fit" comment comes from the fact that there is a small gap between the original fender and the extender. It is not a crazy gap, but it's not perfect. Lets say 2mm. I forgot, I do not see any other options than drilling. That is what the manufacturer indicates in the instructions. Unless you want to risk it with glue?!?
  9. I want to share some details on installing Barkbusters on a Tracer 900 2019. The instructions say you should reuse the M8 Washer from the original handguards. I never found that washer... The left one was easy to install, nothing to do besides follow the instructions. The right one is a bit trickier: you have to remove the brake master cylinder assembly. then install the Barkbuster support. and reattach the assembly. another critical point, if the support is installed too high (or rotated up to much), it will interfere with the brake lever. So make sure you leave enough space for the brake to operate properly, by rotating it down.
  10. Fender extender R&G received and installed. The fit is ok. Not perfect. But it is sturdy and does not move. The plastic connectors seem to be doing the job. I have not ridden the bike yet however, so no comment if it rattles or not. To install, you have to drill holes (9/64") in the fender and fender extender, and snap small connectors that come with the extender. Since I found it inconvenient to do under the bike, I removed the fender. It was much easier to drill it this way. Result:
  11. I ordered parts on bikebandit.com, I will let you know how it turns out.
  12. Considering availability and price, I finally got these farkles (most still in shipping): Crash bars: Heed Kickstand enlarger: R&G: received, installed, super tight fit Fender extender: R&G Tank bag adapter for my Givi bag 60L dry bag SW Motech (no top case for now, I already have side cases). Comes with tie down straps, great quality. Hand guards: barkbuster (mounts BHG-052, STORM guards, bar end weights) Pegs: ordered parts from the FJR1300 Windshield: Madstad Seat: I did not have the budget for a full seat, so for now I will try a seat cushion over the OEM seat, set at lower height. Next and last item (I think), GPS + mount
  13. Thanks @Heli ATP, I will have a look. Ouch, Puig are 217$! I did not know they came with gold inlay
  14. Each encounter is different. I do not live in the USA, but I do ride there often (well up until last year... covid...). I was pulled over 3 times, 2 were super friendly, and a conversation followed when they noticed the Canadian license plate. These were both for weird turns, or maneuvers. The confused tourist excuse got me out of the tickets. The 3rd was awful. The female officer got out of her car, pulled her gun and started walking briskly towards me and my friend, screaming. I was seated on my bike, modular helmet up, with my hands visible and open, on top of the hand guards. I did not believe my b***hole could crawl up so far! After a couple of "Yes officer, no officer", relaxed and slow non threatening responses, she holstered and calmed down. I got off with a warning for speeding. I will never know why she was so hyped up... Life lesson here, don't argue with a .45! De-escalate! I was never pulled over in Canada, so I cannot compare. But I have never heard of anyone having a discussion at gun point on the side of the road around here.
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