Mark Jackson

Can anybody who has done this mod let me know what changes this made to their rear shock settings re, preload and Rebound/compression settings. Also, is it better to reduce seat height via the shocks ride height adjuster (I have a Nitron) or by the dogbones, cheers

Well it's very heartening to hear of folk who have various levels of 'conditions' which impose on their lives but who still keep riding. I'm only 61 but have ridden bikes solid for 44 years. The last 30 years have seen me have to carry a lot of equipment about (I'm a photographer) and so the wear and tear eventually rears it's ugly head. Lately my neck and shoulder have been a big problem, the result of all those years wearing a helmet and battling the wind for nigh on 400,000mls is bound to take it's toll. If I could go back in time to stop myself embarking on this wonderful obsession I wouldn't. Since first slinging a leg over my brand new KH250 in '78 my whole world has revolved round bikes. All the folk I've know, good mates, girlfriends, the weekends and touring holidays, 25 visits to the Isle of Man TT, the soakings, the breakdowns, the 'spanner rash' the horrendous heamorrage of money, the camaraderie and my wife have all happened because of bikes. Sure, My neck and shoulder give me hassle, along with my fingers (too many years of winter riding when I was young) knee (car accident) back (partly bike but also carrying heavy equipment) and plenty of other niggles. You just gotta except it as part and parcel of the biking experience and, if you like, evidence of a life lived well🤓

One of the many reasons for mew getting a Tracer 900 was the riding position. Over the 21 years I've had my ZRX1200 I'd modified it as my body slowly demanded more comfort. Higher handlebars, then risers, I made brackets to lower the footpeg brackets then put some MFW Vario style extensions on. I'd got it well sorted and the fact that the Tracer had even more leg room, rear set at that, seemed to be the perfect match.

Having just taken the ZRX out for a ride this weekend I started to wonder if the Tracer's riding position is a little too much. The position the ZRX puts my legs seems to elevate some pressure on my backside compared with the tracer which drops then pulls the legs back which in turn shifts  the weight on my backside. I'm 6 foot tall with a 32" inseam, just wondering if anybody else has noticed this?

That's neat Barry, I wish someone would make something similar for the Gen 1 & 2 Tracers. Anybody out there handy with a 3D printer?🤓

Hi guys, this is the stuff I used, don't know if they sell this exact product in the states but you should be able to find something very similar🤓

Eventually got round to putting some rubber 'D' type car door draught excluder. It's not perfect but it looks a bit better and hopefully will stop some rain running riot😃

Yup, apparently this bike was handed from father, who had it in the 70's, to son who rides it today. I pity the pillion!Here's a pic of it at a meet last year 

There was a bike meet in a small Highland village called Tomintoul, 130 miles north east of Edinburgh in the highlands. From Edinburgh to Perth it's a pretty straightforward ride on the motorway but with some nice scenery. After Perth the roads get waaaay better, along with the countryside. Most of the time I head North it's to the North west, I find the landscape a lot more dramatic but Aberdeenshire isn't bad. It's a bit MAMBA (Miles And Miles of Bugger All! but in a nice way😄) Anyhoo, some nice bikes there, a good band, great ale and lively banter, what more could you ask for!

Aye, nae problems in the higher setting but I prefer the lower one which is where the gap really shows up. I'll play about with some draft excluder and see what happens🤓

Been farkling about with ideas regarding the gap with the seat on the low setting (in the high it's a good fit but not the height I want)  there's quite a gap at the front with the standard seat and even more with the Bagster. I've experimented with some foam and will also try some 'D' shaped rubber draft excluder. Anybody out there got a better more refined answer to this problem? It's not just the look I don't like it's the fact that rain will go pouring down the tank, I live in Scotland where it does get a bit damp now and again😂

Fitted this Evotech Tail tidy. Fantastic quality, brilliant fit, you can see they've really thought hard about the design. They even supply a bracket for the reflector which is part of the kit. I chose to stick rather than use the plastic nut and bolts.

Hi Bwringer, it's a Faco sports screen. Originally it was taller but I had to cut it down twice to get the right balance between wind noise/wind protection. I've got tinnitus and despite wearing custom made earplugs I found the noise too much. I prefer the look of the original but the shorter version is more practical. I've attached a pic of it in it's original form🙂

Hi Bowlin01, I headed up North the day after I fitted it so only have these pix with the rack and luggage on at the moment. I'll take more pix ;after. Not sure if the OE panniers would be OK, I'm pretty sure my Givi Panniers will though🙂

When I got my Tracer four months ago one of the things I wanted to do was get a tail tidy. I fell in with some of the comments on the forum that £100 for an aluminium/steel bracket for the indicators and number plate was a bit salty for something so simple. One member had posted a photo of his bike with the J-Tech item which uses part of the OEM bracket. I though it looked great and purchased one. Months later I'm kinda wishing I'd gotten a shorter bracket and started looking on the internet, mainly at the cheaper Chinese items. Then I saw a photo on the forum of the Evotech tail tidy, straight away I could see this was a nicely designed piece of kit. I especially liked the groove built in for the wires to run through. I immediately ordered one. Man, it's really of the highest quality. Beautifully made with lovely components like the LED light and they even supply a reflector which you can either stick on the number plate or stick to the quality bracket they supply to fasten the whole thing onto the plate. £95.00 well spent, to be quite honest I think it's pretty cheap when you look at the quality of the brackets, light as a feather, and the fittings. I love the design and thought process that went into this, they really know their stuff and that's what you pay for. It's the same attention to detail you can see in the radiator cover, which I also have on my bike. Highly recommended!

Hi Jonny, I bought the clutch basket from Fowler’s, it cost £550 plus £50 for the gasket and nut. It was the newer version as verified by the parts number. I bought a clutch basket tool for £18 off eBay, it just makes the job easier. I’d looked at the Extreme creations option but by the time it got here including post then the hassle of putting new rubbers in there was only about a £100 saving. The bikes a keeper so I thought long term it was best to spend the cash and do a proper job. It transforms the bike, much smoother and quieter so I’m a happy chappie🤓

Cheers guys. 2&3, I'd originally bought the Black Widow High level exhaust headers and can. The system seems to work for the low exhausts but I found it impossible to get a good fit with the higher version, I particularly wasn't happy with the 3 into 1 junction rubbing against the sump. I spent hours trying to get a good fit and just couldn't get a good line between  the link pipe, 3-1 section and can. Hats off to Black Widow, they gave me a refund on the headers, I kept their can and got the Lextek (see pic) It's in two sections and I fitted it in minutes. It's nice quality and with the can and baffles it's just the right side of a 'fruity' sound without being offensive or a hassle on long rides. It's the standard 2" pipe at the end.

nhchris, unfortunately no TT for me this year, I've been 25 times since 1982 but it just gets harder and more expensive each year, I will return but have other things I want to do. Fortunately the internet provides me with constant coverage so I'm not missing out totally.

Kenny A. I'm heading up North at the weekend for four days of riding so hoping the weather stays as good as it is this morning, but you know Scotland 'four seasons in a day' 🤣

My Tracer with 26k miles had this problem, I replaced the clutch basket and it's like having a new bike! If you can identify the problem as definitely being the Clutch basket and you are keeping the bike for a while I'd recommend the OEM item, expensive but once it's done you'll be very happy.

Yup, you got it😃 anyhoo, I’ve still got the clutch holder tool so if I had to do it again it would be no problem. Something I learned a long time ago, proper tools make the job so much easier!🤓

The bearing looked fine so didn’t replace it. I get your point though, they aren’t too expensive but I have spent a lot of cash so as long as everything looked right I was willing to keep it🤓

Ah, bwringer got in before my answer to the previous  questions but my reasons for going with the OEM updated clutch are exactly the same. I tend to keep bikes a long time, I’ve had my other two bikes, a ‘77 Z1000 and an  ‘01 ZRX for twenty years respectively. I’m 61 in a couple of weeks so not sure if I’ll still be riding in 20 years time but the Tracer is the bike I’ll be doing it on if I can🤓 The change in the bike has been marvellous, just gotta get the fuelling sorted out now😁

So I bit the bullet, the grinding vibes was spoiling an otherwise excellent bike so I spaffed out £600 on a new clutch basket, gasket and nut. A lot of money but oh boy was it worth it. On starting it up I could tell straight away things were good, the horrendous vibes at idle in neutral were totally gone. Riding the bike was equally a nice experience, totally Gronk free. I saved a lot of money by doing the job myself although a good friend of mine, a mechanic of 40 years, came by to keep an eye, you just can't beat that kind of experience.

I had a butane torch ready to heat the nut up but he thought he'd give it go without it first and it turned pretty easily. I'd bought the proper clutch holder which made the job easier too. I was concerned at the marks on the pressure plate but he said it was caused by the springs and no problem. There's still a bit of vibes coming through the handlebars and pegs but I was out on the ZRX at the weekend and it's only a tiny bit more vibey than that, which not bad considering how smooth the ZRX is. I have however got some strips of lead wheel weights and am going to stick then under the FJR footpegs to see if that cuts down on some of the vibes, doesn't cost much and worth a go. 

Three months since I bought the bike, I've spent a small fortune on getting it the way I want it to be, still waiting on the Bagster seat, but it'll be sorted for the summer!

Thanks Heli, I've already got one on my side stand so good to know that'll work, cheers.

Cheers Heli, interesting to hear how thin the tubing is. I’ve got a 1977 Z1000 and the sidestand is solid steel, weight watching wasn’t much of a ‘thing’ back then😃 my main concern is where the lug which you use to kick the stand out end up. I thought it would foul the footpegs but looking at your modified stand it looks like you not had to extend or bend it into a position where you can get your foot on it, is that right?

Thanks Heli, do you have any pix of the shortened sidestand in situ?