Your likes and dislikes, for a prospective buyer.

[Butrzrulz]

Hello all, tomorrow might be the day I find myself on a 2020 Tracer 900 GT (new) I'll be moving over from a 2014 Honda CTX 1300.  For reference my favorite touring bike of all time was a 2014 BMW F800 GT (I kick myself every time for selling it).  Since that is no longer made and very difficult to find (with low miles), the Tracer GT looks to be the closest, albeit with a host of technological upgrades.

 

So, my question is what would you tell a friend who was looking to get one, what are your biggest likes and biggest dislikes. Would you go for a different bike if you got it to all over again?

Bonus question for my fellow short writers. I'm only 5 foot 7 in, and cannot flat foot even in the low position.  Have you guys and girls had any issues maneuvering around parking lots/backing out of spaces?

[Ride365]

Pretty tall bike compared to most.......be warned.

[Butrzrulz]

9 minutes ago, Ride365 said:

Pretty tall bike compared to most.......be warned.

That's been an issue for me forever. Unless it's a cruiser, I run into the height issue all the time.  Before I pull the trigger, I do plan on sitting on it for a while,I'm bringing a couple different pairs of my riding shoes to see how it works.

Edited June 30, 2021 by Butrzrulz

[Heli ATP]

I purchased tall  soled boots and lowered my '17 when I got her first to flat foot. Now I'm pretty used to moving around on my tippy toes in normal riding boots. I have a Corbin seat and slide forward for stops (seat is narrower in front), and sit back for riding. I've got a 29" inseam. 

Good Luck with your decision.

Black CALTO Elevator Motorcycle Boots - 3.3 Inches . (More like 2 inches).

Tall Bike boots

[PeterL]

I just went from a Yamaha 'Comfort" seat to a Corbin. While I did not find it necessary to have the seat cut down, I find I am now closer to flat footing the Tracer by a good margin over what I could do with the Yamaha item. My inseam is also about 29".

[draco_1967]

The windscreen is terrible, get a Madstad. 

For me, the seat is actually quite bearable. I have done multiple 500+ mile days, and an SS1000 on the stock seat. Not everyone feels the same way 😆 Having said that, I will get a custom seat for it soon. 

Otherwise, add your favorite accessories and ride the snot out of it! 

[Butrzrulz]

Well guys, I picked up my 2020 900 GT today.  In the low seat position it's almost the same as how I sat on my Honda CTX 1300 (which is a lot lower, but also a lot wider).   I've order risers and shorty levers already.  The windscreen seems like it might work for me.  draco_1967, while I agree on the Madstad, I hate losing the one hand adjustment (I had a Madstad on my CTX and it worked great).

[keithu]

Congrats! I'm a little late to the party, but to answer your original question...

Likes:

• The motor! This is easily my favorite motor out of all the motorcycles I've owned and ridden over the last 30+ years. What a gem.
• Light weight. The bike is easy to handle at any speed, and I can ride twisties all day without getting tired.
• Riding position. The upright riding position is supremely comfortable to me. 
• Reliability. My 2015 FJ-09 has over 40k miles now with not one single issue. I'm even still on the original battery.
• Throttle by wire. The 2018+ GT models come with cruise control, but if you have a 2015-17 or a later non-GT model it's pretty easy to add digital cruise control with MCCruise. I have it on mine and it works flawlessly.

 

Dislikes:

• Maintenance access. Oil changes are easy but everything else is a pain. The bodywork puzzle pisses me off. 
• Wind management. It's pretty obvious the designers had no wind tunnel budget. Either run a gigantic barn door or remove the windshield completely; anything in between requires earplugs.  

 

[Butrzrulz]

5 hours ago, keithu said:

Congrats! I'm a little late to the party, but to answer your original question...

Likes:

• The motor! This is easily my favorite motor out of all the motorcycles I've owned and ridden over the last 30+ years. What a gem.
• Light weight. The bike is easy to handle at any speed, and I can ride twisties all day without getting tired.
• Riding position. The upright riding position is supremely comfortable to me. 
• Reliability. My 2015 FJ-09 has over 40k miles now with not one single issue. I'm even still on the original battery.
• Throttle by wire. The 2018+ GT models come with cruise control, but if you have a 2015-17 or a later non-GT model it's pretty easy to add digital cruise control with MCCruise. I have it on mine and it works flawlessly.

 

Dislikes:

• Maintenance access. Oil changes are easy but everything else is a pain. The bodywork puzzle pisses me off. 
• Wind management. It's pretty obvious the designers had no wind tunnel budget. Either run a gigantic barn door or remove the windshield completely; anything in between requires earplugs.  

 

Well, nothing can be worse than my CTX 1300 (that I traded in) as far as access.  You pretty much have to remove all the fairings to do ANYTHING!!  

The best thing about being shorter (5'-7") is that most windscreens work for me (and I always wear earplugs).  But we'll see after I put some miles on her where I stand on that.  I've had great success with the MRA X-Creen (of which I happen to have laying around) which I will try first if needed.

[j-bone]

Weird. I just traded CTX1300 for new 2020 Tracer 900 GT last week. 

Love the Tracer in comparison, but I find it substantially taller. I am 6' 2”, so it's not an issue for me, but I couldn't imagine how it would be to handle being 5' 7".

I agree with your sentiment about access on the CTX. I think the Tracer will have to be substantially easier to deal with in that department. 

After 250 miles, I ordered the Puig touring screen for $135 shipped from Amazon. Hoping that helps because buffeting and wind noise off of the factory screen is annoying already. 

Being a bit shorter, this may not be a problem for you.

Hope you enjoy!

Edited July 3, 2021 by j-bone

[Wintersdark]

Yeah, the windscreen MAY work well for you at 5'7", but I suspect it'll buffet your head a lot.  If it does, any mildly larger windscreen or one of the add-on wings will easily remedy the situation, which is something us larger (6'4") folks don't get.  Honestly, the stock 2018-2020 windscreen is probably to worst part of the bike.

Other cons:

* The handguards work, offer some protection, but not a lot.  They tend to make your hands hot in the summer but don't do enough to keep them warm in the winter.  Minor quibble though, imho.

* It can be buzzy at certain rpm ranges.  This is highly subjective whether it's a problem or not, but it's definitely more buzzy than a lot of bikes I've ridden, both in the bars and footpegs.  There are solutions to both, though - grip puppies on the grips and rubber topped pegs, for example, both of which can be had for $40 together on amazon.

* Stock suspension is mediocre, and (this may actually be good for you, but it was horrible for my 300lb ass) is sprung for a roughly 140lb rider.  

* Stock tires are very meh.  Not a lot of an issue as you'll replace them soon enough regardless being consumables.

* If you've got size 10+ feet, the pillion pegs are a bit too close and will interfere with riding with the balls of your feet on the main pegs.

* Fuelling is a bit lean at idle and low rpm, resulting in jerky throttle when trying to ride slowly.  Fixable via ecu flash or installation of a "Booster Plug" if it's a problem for you.

Pros:

* Insanely awesome engine.  It sounds amazing even with the stock exhaust when you get on the throttle - triples are wonderful in general here, and the CP3 is a standout among them imho.  LOTS of get up and go, and the longer swingarm of the 2018+ models allow you to really use that and keep the front wheel down.

* Light and nimble handling

* Strong electrical system. I run a full suite of heated gear in the winter (helmet, gloves, jacket, grips) and extra lighting, and not only does it handle that but it does so without significant voltage drop, even in -25C weather.

* Pretty decent fuel economy and good overall range.

* 2018+ factory cruise control is spectacular, and earlier models can add MCCruise easily. 

* Small stuff: Traction control, rider modes and ABS are great. Quickshifter is silly but stupid fun. Stock heated grips work wonderfully and have customizable heat levels, 

 

Basically, you get all the pros of the MT09(a stupid fun naked bike to ride) without it's downsides (limited range, no storage, it's a unicycle) and with a whole bunch of extra toys and features.  

It lacks some polish, but it brings an amazing feature set and performance profile at an excellent price point.  If you want a similar bike or a better one of its class from a competitor, it's going to cost you a lot more.