Grumpy Goat

On 6/3/2022 at 12:12 PM, cwjb said:

I've got a 34" inseam and 67 year old knees. My main objective was to get more room between the seat and the pegs. A couple forum members wrote that this seat sat a little higher than the stocker so I decided to give it a try. While it sits higher,  it is also softer so with my 200+ pounds pushing down on it I didn't gain anything in the seat to peg distance.

At least it looks nice and flat. Piping is wrong colour for my bike but it sounds like it would work. Good luck with the sale.

3 hours ago, duckie said:

Hmmmmm….oh really…..so using your logic…..I dont have a good life cause I dont make a few million or more a year……and live in Ca. 
Well, bullshit.

 

...

Lovely post - thanks!

Seems like it is popular for some people (especially those not from CA) to crap on the place but despite all its "faults" (not to mention that in summer it is brown, there are aways forest fires, mudslides and earth tremors/quakes, Hollywood, etc.) over 12% of the US population choose to live there making it the most populous state in the Union. Must be something to what you say ... 🙂

On 12/12/2022 at 7:29 AM, kilo3 said:

There's a mass exodus out of California ever since the pandemic. Colorado, Texas, Idaho, Montana, is where most of the activity is going.  It's a beautiful state, with excellent weather, but horrible taxes, heavy handed laws on most everything.
There are many who would like to see the nonsense end and hope it falls into the ocean soon enough.
#learntoswim

The grass is not always greener on the other side fence, and that is all I am going to say on the subject.

16 hours ago, Larz said:

True, and somethings already have changed: we can at least "lane filter" now....🤠

Sounds like a change for the positive.

Here is a link to the CycleTrader listings for 2021 - 2022 new T9GTs and the listed prices start at $12,988 and topped out at $15,929.

11 hours ago, ZigMerid said:

As I understand it, the plain 2023 9GT still has twin screens. The 9GT+, which is new in 2023, has the single screen along with a few other goodies.

If that is the case, then that is a dumb marketing move since the people who are not buying it because of the dash (and other things) will not spend the extra to get the GT+ unless they care about ACC. They will lose the sale for those who don't.

I was very tempted for 5 minutes last Friday after I took look at a mint-condition low miles 2019 Triumph Tiger 1200 Alpine Edition, complete with Triumph panniers. A little more off-road capable than any Tracer, should I need the occasional jaunt off the tarmac, and it has more bells and whistles. But they wanted $17k and after I took it for a test ride, I decided that right now my Tracer was a better fit. It was taller and drove like a bus in Road mode vs my Tracer in Standard mode.

A 2023 Tracer 9GT+ for me would be a darned tempting bike as long as it comes to the US and is not ridiculously priced.

18 hours ago, kilo3 said:

I'd hate to turn this into an oil thread but I wonder what ya'll are using? My 2020 almost has no discernible whine in 3rd or 6th. Using mobil racing 4T 10-40w.

Same here - I use similar weight oil and AFAIK there is no whining from my 2019 Tracer 900GT. The only noise-related issue on my bike is the slight rattle from the gearbox when stopped and in neutral. This was discussed before, maybe in this thread.

5 hours ago, Paddy01 said:

I recently attended the motorbike show in Birmingham (UK) and sat on the 2023 model. My initial reaction was WOW!  The seat felt like it was designed for humans, the new display looks as good, if not better, than a Ducati, the terrible thumb wheel on the right bar has been replaced by a joystick on the left bar (really easy to use) and even the paintwork looked high quality. The price was pretty reasonable in my view for what you’re getting - £1,000 more than the ‘22 model at £13,100 (around US$16,000). I’ve been fairly happy with my 2018 900 GT but this new model may provide the impetus for me to change. I sincerely hope you guys in the US and Canada get it as it really is a massive step forward. 

Good to hear your initial thoughts on the 2023, especially the bit about the seat. Looking at the pictures it still looks curved but if they have reduced the curve and the tendency to slide into the tank then maybe I will get along with it. 

One of the things I like about my 2019 Tracer 900GT is where it is positioned on the pricing scale. I expect to be seriously in the market for my final bike in a couple of years (as I am heading towards retirement, and don't have time or resources to be buying bikes) so Yamaha better sh*t or get off the pot by then regarding design and bringing the bike to the US. I already have a Triple Black GS in mind and a new Tracer could be a competitor, but not if the price keeps getting close to BMW prices. Yes, it has a lot of tech (which I like) but as much as I like ACC in my Golf, I don't want to pay for it on a bike.

6 hours ago, SlowBo said:

I looked at, sat on, but did not ride, a '22 9GT in a showroom not too long ago.  The salesman told us the new year model was coming in soon, but that 'they are already claimed'.  I wouldn't trust the guy to tell me much more than the color of the bike I was sitting on ...

I did not even bother to sit on the one in the showroom, but aside from that we are of the same mind, especially in confidence in the salesman. 😁 I am waiting to try the 2023 and hope that the initial reports by MCO are wrong. The 2023 has one of the deal-breakers for me (dash) eliminated, so I'd try the seat. But if they push the price up into BMW territory it will not sell.

4 hours ago, miguelix said:

The connection to the fender is soft rubber and has a grommet inside to prevent the indicator to slide to the outside, and the body of the indicator is hard plastic.

But if I try to flex them feels very very rigid compared to the original ones, them barely flexes and when you try it more hard you feel them wanting to snap

What I think that may have happened is that te body of the indicator is wider than the hole in the fender so it snapped to the inside and push it very hard against the fender and cracked.

Thanks for the reply and the clarification. I was also thinking about this modification and now have to reconsider since I have the same crash bars as you do.

47 minutes ago, miguelix said:

...

Those blinkers are hard plastic and even though my Tracer has Givi crash bars the blinkers protrude about an inch.

This morning I have had my first tip-over and the right turn signal instead of bending or broking it snapped inside, cracking the external side of the fairing and broking several points where the two piece plastic sandwich fairing fits together.

...

Thanks for sharing this information. I have a couple of questions.

When the indicator is installed in the fender, what is the connection to the fender like? I guess it must be a hard connection for the prying force to break the fender and not the indicator itself. Is there some sort of rubber grommet there? If not then that is not a good design. The stock pumpkins are designed to flex and while they would get damaged in contact with the ground, the fairing would likely be spared.

4 minutes ago, Iniz said:

Which workshop manual would you recommend for a 2020 Tracer 900GT?

Depends on the level expertise and the inclination to work on the bike oneself.

10 hours ago, ZigMerid said:

I guess asking this another way. Do I just replace the dust caps on my current stems with the Fobo caps and it's all ready to go or are special stems needed/recommended?

I simply took off the dust caps and screwed on the sensors to my standard stems. The steel stems are recommended, I guess, but I thought I'd try them with the standard rubber stems first and see if there was any issue. None after 14 months and counting. I'm happy with that.

A separate discussion could be had on the physics of the forces on the stems and whether steel is "better", but I have not got the time to start this here.

3 hours ago, RaYzerman said:

...sensors go to sleep when not riding.  Not sure if they do on the bluetooth one Grumpy Goat has... if you can check pressures instantly without waking the sensors and waiting...... bonus.

A very good bluetooth one is Fobo, U$99, and the sensors are always active.  One of the best out there.  You'll spend that much eventually with some of these Chinese ones once you replace them down the road..... Fobo batteries go for a full year, but I put fresh ones in mine every spring anyway.

I have the Fobo system. I don't know if the sensors are always active or if they go to sleep when the bike is stationary, but when parked and I fire up the app it takes maybe 30 seconds for the pressures to show up. Faster if you are standing next to the bike. No complaints from me on this kit. Changed one of the batteries so far but the other one is still good after 14 months and counting.

4 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

Relying on an app other than GPS while riding is great but you have to have your phone displayed.

GG Does your app have Bluetooth connection?  And can notify you through your headset?

Yes, the app is Bluetooth, and you do have to have it on and running in the background, i.e. the screen can go off with it still running. And yes, it does make an awful alarm sound in your headset if you have a sudden pressure loss, or a low pressure below your set threshold, or if you remove the sensor (same as a rapid pressure loss). You will hear it over your music (or anything else you have going on in there). The weakness is remembering to turn it on, although turning it on while riding is not difficult if you have touch sensitive gloves.

11 hours ago, betoney said:

Before a ride, I will remove the sensors and set the air pressure with a digital gauge and then use the TPMS to monitor the pressure ie. a drop in pressure indicating a puncture.

I take it you don't ride daily.  Doing that every morning at 6:30 AM would be too much for me. I commute daily and check the pressures visually every time I ride and if I have a concern, I fire up my app which does not require the bike to be moving. If it is a couple of pounds off from 36/42 and there is no puncture, I fill up next time it's convenient. and measure the pressure using a proper digital gauge. I add a tad extra to account for any transient loss as I reinstall the sensor.

5 hours ago, larolco said:

No shake for me with the Sportmax D222. I can put that thing on cruise and check Tracer900  forum posts if I want, and that's on spent tires. No hands necessary. Did you have the shake/wobble from day one, or did it develop over time?

I got the bike second hand with 2700 miles on it (IIRC) and noticed it not too long afterwards. My experience is all in my video. No problem with the D222 on the rear ... the original tire is still there and bike since has more than 11k miles on it. I am Canadian living in Houston.

7 hours ago, larolco said:

I'd never run Dunlops prior to purchasing the Tracer (Bridgestone, Metzler, Michelin, Shinko, Heidenau, Pirelli I've all tried on various bikes, and probably more manufacturers I cannot recall) and had heard not-so-good reports on the Dunlops, but I liked the Sportmax that came stock on the Tracer. ...

Unlike you, I disliked the Dunlop Sportmax D222 that came with my Tracer 900 GT. It contributed to handlebar shake / wobble at 40 mph which was cured by installing the Dunlop RS III. Only other tire I had experience with on the current bikes (and they were excellent) are the Michelin Pilot Road 3 / 4.

9 hours ago, larolco said:

Anyone tried the Dunlop Mutant? It's an M+S rated tire. My Sportmax stockers are done and I'm headed into the winter on a commuter bike in the Pacific North We(s)t. This bike will inevitably see snow at some point through the winter and big rain more days than not until April. I'm one of those weird riders who actually puts on more miles in the winter than the summer (summer is dirt bike season). If no one has tried them, I might be willing to be a test case. 

Friend of mine who rides a hell of a lot every year put a set on his RS and said that while they were not a bad tire, he found no reason to deviate from his Roadsmart IVs, which he went back to when the Mutants wore out. He is a fairly conservative rider who has been riding non-stop for over 50 years at least, in a touring style and values good solid handling, quick warm-up, good grip in all weathers, even wear, and longevity in his tires. Much as I do. Dunlop USA listens to his feedback regularly and has worked with him as a trusted consumer tester. Knowing the RS IV and the RS III as we on my RS Forum do, I suspect that the Mutants are not as good.

That said, riding style makes a big difference in tire performance so YMMV.

I will say that I do like the bike despite the fugly side cases, but the dash and the curved seat are deal breakers. I will pass and maybe if I didn't buy my next bike the time they fix the Tracer, I will upgrade. Right now the 2019 I have is good enough. 🙂

4 hours ago, Brian said:

Well I chuckled at first.... then realized that this was good info to remember. 

Only happens if you're off the bike and filling petrol while the bike is on the centre stand. I typically don't so that.

8 hours ago, Heavy said:

Hey Guys.  A newb from Ontario here. I'm picking up a used 2020 GT today.  Think it'll need a rear tire to certify.  Looks like Pete's Superbikes has pricing to beat Fortnine.  I'm thinking of getting a set of Roadsmart III's from them.

 

You won't go wrong with the RSIIIs especially if you have a handlebar wobble like I did with the crap stock tires.

42 minutes ago, BarryGT said:

This topic is of interest to me because I haven't been able to figure out my range. The long bar disappears at 145 km and the small squares seem to get 45 km each. I had one square showing at 235 km. I refueled and it took less than 11 litres. Is this accurate or how much farther could I have travelled?

When I first got interested in this bike and ended up getting it, I was made to understand that the fuel gauge display is essentially crap. After 1 year of ownership, I still have this view and that will never change because I know that there is better out there. Consequently, I don't waste time trying to figure out what the last squares might mean regarding range. The fuel economy of these bikes vary significantly with speed and acceleration, so even if you think you have the relationship of squares to range figured out, you could be off and stranded at the side of the road. Besides when you "notice" the square, is it at the start of its display or at some point after it started displaying? That would also matter and for me, too many variables.

What I did was to ride the bike with an average attitude (neither slow nor fast and with normal acceleration, and with a mix of light traffic and regular traffic but no stop-and-go) and I rode it as far as I dared past the point where the last square started flashing and the warning icon was on. At that point I noted that I had travelled just about 195 miles on the bike. I did not know how much farther it could have gone but for me that is my limit. Since then I am comfortable buying gas when in the last two or one square, as long as it stays green and I keep an eye on the distance travelled.

Just wish that this bike had a linear fuel gauge and a range calculator would be nice, but my approach works for me.

3 hours ago, ZigMerid said:

The rumour mill agrees with you in that there are suggestions that for 2023 the dual display will become a single display and that cruise control will become active cruise control with lidar or somesuch to match the speed of the traffic ahead.

...

I wait with both trepidation and hope.

For me, they need not add active CC since that will only add to the cost. All they need to do is get rid of the dumb dash, flatten the seat, work out the few bugs that people have been experiencing and keep the price the same and they'd have a winner ... even with the panniers and thumb-wheel unchanged. To me they are that close. I too wait with trepidation and hope, but I fear that I may end up with a GS before that materializes, and then I won't be able to afford a new Tracer as well.