Couldn't help me'self

[Mark Jackson]

Just over a week since I rode my newly acquired Tracer back to Edinburgh from Doncaster in a storm. Weather's stayed pretty bad since, lots of high winds and it snowed yesterday, however.... Today the sun is shining, the temperature gauge has rocketed up to 8C and most of the snow has gone so I couldn't help myself and went out for a blast to test a couple of mods and re-assess the bike under a more calmer climate. I'd ordered a FACO sport screen from Italy, it took over two weeks to arrive but I'm happy with the quality of it. I suffer from Tinnitus and am very sensitive to wind noise despite wearing custom made earplugs so the shorter screen will be the best balance between wind protection and wind noise. I have also found high mirrors can cause a lot of turbulence which hits the jaw part of the helmet and can cause a lot of noise. The Tracer mirrors are quite low but I thought I'd start of with some bar ends and see how that goes. Verdict, very happy, a smooth flow of air, pretty quiet and good wind protection, result!

FJR pegs have dulled the vibes a bit and I have my Kawasaki ZRX1200 bar end weights I might try, they weigh a hefty 230g each so could really help dampen the handlebar vibes. I have loads of storage with my ZRX as its a twin shock so the space where the mono shock would normally go is a huge 'boot' area (Americans would say 'trunk'?) No such space for the Tracer so I invested in the Kriega 5L dry bag, fantastic bit of kit! Radiator protector and crash bugs are courtesy of Evotech and I fitted a Pyramid extender fender on the rear.

Poor bike, spends the last 6 and a half years and 26k mls practically standard and then gets all sorts of goodies thrown at it in a week, with a few more things to come!

I fitted the newer version clutch cable to it and readjusted, the dealer hadn't done this and on the centre stand the clutch dragged spinning the back wheel, doesn't now. Still vibrates like buggery in neutral, just going to have to get used to that. There's that rough patch of graunching and vibes between 2500-just under 4000rpm, the chain is slacker than 30mm and the front sprocket is hooked so hoping a new C&S kit will dampen this down a bit. On hard deceleration it really vibes past 7k, again may just have to get used to that. Maybe I'm a bit spoiled with riding the ZRX for 20 years and it being a pretty refined motor. In comparison the Tracer is a feisty little bugger and has already seen me get quite a surprise when I've looked down at the clocks and seen the speed I was doing, maybe a slightly louder pipe will inform me a bit better😀

So after being a bit disappointed at first with the vibey character of the engine I'm starting to get more used to the bike, still got a few things to do to it. At first I was wondering if I should have gone with my other choice of bike which was the Tiger 1050 Sport but I think I'll get on with the Tracer just fine. The Tiger is nice, possibly a bit more refined like the ZRX but I wanted something lighter and smaller and the Tiger ain't that.

[HGP61]

Pleased that you got out to enjoy the bike, it's also nice to add stuff to make it yours. I hope to get mine out from under the covers in the shed sometime next week for it's first outing since last November. Nothing momentous I can only go as far as the MOT station but might manage the long way back on the return trip. I pulled the hand guards off the bike before I SORNed it last year and want to give it a try with a shorter or more sporty screen than the big barn door of a PUIG touring screen that i've been using. Looking forward to that.

[Mark Jackson]

Cheers, I highly recommend the FACO screen, nice quality and punches a decent hole through the air🤓

[Paddy01]

Hi Mark, the vibes don’t sound right to me. I have 2018 GT and it’s still smooth after 20k miles. Have you considered getting the throttle bodies balanced?

[Mark Jackson]

Yes Paddy, I’m thinking it is probably the knackered chain and the fact that it’s on the slack side of things. The bike had the full 25k service a year ago so unlikely the throttle bodies. I’m still getting used to the bike so hoping once I’ve replaced the C&S things will get better, cheers🤓

[roadrash83]

  That's a good looking fast red bike you have Mark. I think you are right thinking about the chain being the problem, a new set of sprockets and a good quality chain should cure the vibe's.

[PhotoAl]

Great stuff.  Glad to hear you got out and had a good ride.  LOL when we have one of the very rare snows here I leave all my vehicles in the garage - it's safer there.  It's going to be in the 70s F this week so some good days for riding.  

Have you synced the throttle bodies?  That may calm the vibrations some.  I've done it once and apparently the CP3 likes to have it done on a regular basis.  I have a 58liter waterproof duffle on the rear seat for long trips.  That plus the 2 sidecases give me enough storage for camping gear and clothes.  I replaced my chain at 11,000 miles (10 months).  Had some stiff links and was setting out on a 6,400 mile trip.  Went with OEM sprockets.  The font sprocket has the rubber on it which I think dampens it a bit.  My advice on the rear sprocket is use a 6 point socket and the nuts are on rather tight.  I buggered up the last nut taking it off!!!!  Bought a set of the ratchet style 6 point sockets and a nice set of 6 point sockets.  The ratchet socket got the nut off with no effort!  It was pretty amazing to me.  My dad has been gone for 22 years, that is one of the things he would have loved.  He was trained as a mechanic on the B17 bomber during WWII and could do stuff that was amazing.  He taught me how to use a punch and a machinist hammer to loosen a very tight nut on a Honda motorcycle back in the early 70s.

Went with a ScottOiler for my chain and so far has worked well. 

[Mark Jackson]

Thanks for the tips PhotoAl, I’m ordering a new C&S kit today. Yes, I usually get about 11k out of a chain on my ZRX. Interesting about your father, I’m a bit of war history buff and the bombing raids carried out by the RAF and USAF have always fascinated me, the sheer logistics needed to carry this our is mind boggling!