What did you do to your FJ-tracer-gt today?

[OldBikers]

Nice deal Bret.  It's raining on and off down here. 

[2and3cylinders]

3 hours ago, OldBikers said:

Nice deal Bret.  It's raining on and off down here. 

Same here of course.

Have the Air Show Blue Angels etc with the rain been flying as far north as you? Thought I just heard them way up and out here.

I couldn't ride anyway.  I replaced our concrete garage / the attached Bret Cave shop apron late Thursday and can't go over it.  Hopefully Monday we can pull the forms, saw cut the control joints and temporarily groom the 2 foot wide spoil strip in front so I can run over it.  Then if the plants are still mixing N50, in a couple weeks my asphalt paver will be able to replace the rest of the 1900 sf of drive.  Built the garage / shop and extended the drive back in 95, so not too bad considering. 

[wordsmith]

What did I do to my new-to-me 2019 Tracer 900 GT today?   I took it for its first outing since taking delivery almost exactly a month ago (on August 19th), thanks to a longer-than-usual bout of covid that floored me the day after the GT arrived, and then another longer spell of a recurrent illness hot-on-its-heels that had kept me voluntarily off both two and four wheels for some time.   But it was worth the wait, during which I finished all the farkling that I'd planned - rear luggage rack: new horn: front DRLs: rear flashing/pulsing brake light LEDs: mirror risers.   Since the immaculate GT already had some useful farkles on it, the package is now extremely complete.

The first outing was a brief one of only about 40km or so, mainly because the gear-change lever was still in its original awkward-to-use position (for me) as set by the previous owner, and I had overlooked adjusting it to my own preference, but that's a two-minute job to be done asap.   Otherwise, the GT felt very comfortable and competent, also very familiar in most aspects as I'd had one before, and also was coming off an MT-09 SP, so much of it was 'old news'.  When the GT was delivered to me it was in sparkling better-than-new presentation (pix below), so I was hoping that its mechanical performance would match that excellent presentation, and so it was.   

One of the reasons why I swapped from the SP back to the GT was simply that I want to do a little more light touring before my riding days are over, and the relaxed 'sit-up-and-beg' riding stance suits me very well indeed - see below from cycle-ergo.

Happy days!

Edited August 22, 2022 by wordsmith
adding pix

[OZVFR]

3 hours ago, wordsmith said:

What did I do to my new-to-me 2019 Tracer 900 GT today?   I took it for its first outing since taking delivery almost exactly a month ago (on August 19th), thanks to a longer-than-usual bout of covid that floored me the day after the GT arrived, and then another longer spell of illness hot-on-its-heels that had kept me off both two and four wheels for some time.   But it was worth the wait, during which I finished all the farkling that I'd planned - rear luggage rack: new horn: front DRLs: rear flashing/pulsing brake light LEDs: mirror risers.   Since the immaculate GT already had some useful farkles on it, the package is now extremely complete.

The first outing was a brief one of only about 40km or so, mainly because the gear-change lever was still in its original awkward-to-use position as set by the previous owner, and I had overlooked adjusting it to my own foot position, but that's a two-minute job to be done asap.   Otherwise, the GT felt very comfortable and competent, also very familiar in most aspects as I'd had one before, and also was coming off an MT-09 SP, so much of it was 'old news'.  When the GT was delivered to me it was in sparkling better-than-new presentation (pix below), so I was hoping that its mechanical performance would match that excellent presentation, and so it was.   I'm happy!

That looks bloody awesome.

Can you confirm for me that the belly pan doesn't sit lower than the exhaust, as I'm also looking at the same one for my bike. A 15 but sure it fits the same.

[dazzler24]

49 minutes ago, OZVFR said:

 ...... A 15 but sure it fits the same.

Indeed it does according to the manufacturer.  And yes, it does look good IMHO.

 

 

[wordsmith]

2 hours ago, OZVFR said:

That looks bloody awesome.

Can you confirm for me that the belly pan doesn't sit lower than the exhaust, as I'm also looking at the same one for my bike. A 15 but sure it fits the same.

My apprentice has answered the question for me!!☺️   I must say that it does look pretty nice, even though it's largely out of sight, and it came with the bike from the original owner.   It's something I'd have liked to have anyway but wouldn't have been prepared to fork out for.   I'll remove it when the bike is due for a service as I don't fancy paying the dealership for the work involved - and it looks reasonably easy and all very accessible.

[2and3cylinders]

1 hour ago, dazzler24 said:

Indeed it does according to the manufacturer.  And yes, it does look good IMHO.

 

 

Ride it in good health but how many times have you had Covid?!

Your belly pan unfortunately doesn't look like it would fit over my SW-MOTOTECH skid plate.

BTW I like the nice straight and narrow (likely saw cut and not tooled in before) control joints in your concrete slab.  Big wide joints are such a literal jolting pain when you jamb down into them when shoveling snow!  Something I'd guess you don't worry about and never had the displeasure of experiencing!  I've been mixing and pouring concrete since 1970...  I love the smell of wet concrete in the morning, it smells like victory!  Cue in RIDE of the Valkyries

[wordsmith]

2 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

Ride it in good health but how many times have you had Covid?!

I can understand how/ why this is asked, as my post referred to a 'recurring illness', but that was not covid - and I shouldn't have got covid anyway having had all the shots and boosters (nor should my wife, who preceded me by about five days with the virus).   

The recurrent condition is/ was known as BPV - Benign (my arse!) Positional Vertigo: imagine waves of fierce sea-sickness-like nausea coming over you, eyes spinning in your head like the images on a poker machine, inability to stand up straight, and even to walk - and when I did it was a wobbling, weaving, swaying drunk-like progress!    I'd have to clutch at anything - door handles, even light switches - to be able to move around the house or even to stand in the shower. According to my GP it's quite commonplace in older folks, and I first had a bout of it, totally out of the blue, some two years ago, and this has been my fourth such experience.  Definitely not motorcycling-friendly!

According to my GP and Dr Google it's a malfunction of the highly complex inner ear, triggered by who-knows-what, but can be (and in my case is being) treated by a specific drug.

To coin a phrase, you would wish it on your worst enemy.  😬

Edited August 21, 2022 by wordsmith

[2and3cylinders]

Wow, sorry to hear about your dizzy dilemma! 

However, you can also understand if I presumed you'd contracted Covid more than once based on "thanks to a longer-than-usual bout of covid" could be inferred you had it before but it passed in less time.

[wordsmith]

1 hour ago, 2and3cylinders said:

Wow, sorry to hear about your dizzy dilemma! 

However, you can also understand if I presumed you'd contracted Covid more than once based on "thanks to a longer-than-usual bout of covid" could be inferred you had it before but it passed in less time.

 

"thanks to a longer-than-usual bout of covid" could be inferred you had it before but it passed in less time.

I understand your inference!   I must try harder to be clearer.

[texscottyd]

I did nothing to my FJ today.  But I did get my vintage Aprilia Mille R inspected yesterday, and back on the road after a couple of years of neglect… new fuel pump, injector cleaning, master cylinder rebuild, etc.   It’s now running as strong as ever.  

But what this did let me do was conduct a back-to-back-to-back comparison ride test of my 2015 FJ, the 2000 Mille R, and my new 2022 Triumph Speed Twin.   Three bikes, seven cylinders, vastly different personalities.   😀

I have about a 40 mile loop from my house that mixes up suburban traffic, some nice twisties, and a lot of rambling rural 2 lane highway.   In a successful effort to avoid doing housework, I made the same loop on all three bikes.   Some random thoughts, in order of ride: 

- Aprilia Mille R:  Once again, I remember why I’ve had a have such a long term love/hate relationship with this bike.   It’s miserable and magical, all at once.  Even for a supersport bike, it’s an absolute torture rack… I was more than ready to get off the thing after 40 miles.   Awkward at low speeds, roasts you with heat in traffic, very abrupt low speed fueling, and zero electronic aids… this thing will hurt you if you aren’t paying attention.  But oh, it’s still gorgeous & exotic in its advancing age, and in the 5 miles of curvy backroads, it’s unparalleled.  It’s like that line from Brokeback Mountain: “I wish I knew how to quit you…” 

- FJ 09:  Like coming home to an old friend… instantly comfortable.  It just does everything well:  If I could write my own script for the perfect middleweight hooligan-sport-tourer, this would pretty much be it.   Granted, mine is far from stock at this point, so the awesome suspension, great brakes, smooth fueling, and pretty good seat & wind protection all came at a price.   40 miles on this loop, but it would have been easy to roll past the house and make it 400.   I still love this bike, and especially the ‘just rough enough around the edges character’ that oozes from its pores.  It’s a keeper, and the one I would choose from my stable if (God forbid) I had to only have one motorcycle. 

- Speed Twin:  We’re still in the ‘getting to know you’ part of our relationship, but I can tell it’s a winner.  It’s small & compact for a 1200, but fits me like a glove at 6’1”.   Even though it weights just about the same as the FJ, it feels much lighter on the move.   Slow revving twin, boatloads of torque, perfect fueling (noticeably better at low speed than my 2WDW reflashed FJ), and nimble handling makes this hands-down the best city bike.  The ergonomics aren’t that far off from the FJ, with the pegs a little higher and the bars a little lower, and it’s really comfortable up to about 75 mph.  Above that, the lack of any wind protection becomes pretty apparent.   It’s a fun, comfy, sport standard for short-hop day riding.  I rode it 225 miles home from the dealership when I bought it, and that felt like about 75 too many.  150 mile days will be in the sweet spot, much more than that and I’ll be taking the FJ.  I suspect I’ll end up doing suspension upgrades and exhaust at some point, but for now I’m just enjoying having a new toy in the shop to play with.  

[wordsmith]

Noice words to go with noice bikes!

[wordsmith]

I adjusted the gear-lever today to bring it closer to my preferred position, in which I like to be able to just swivel my foot on the footpeg when in neutral to place my boot on top of the lever, rather than having to raise or lower the foot. 

I like the  GT's method of adjusting the gear-lever with the simple rotating rod with locknuts at each end, which allows millimetre adjustment.   On my previous BMWs the adjustment was via a splined connection between the lever and the outer end of the gearbox selector, which was quick and easy, but didn't give a lot of room for fine adjustment.   I'll try it out during the week...

Edited August 22, 2022 by wordsmith

[wordsmith]

21 hours ago, OZVFR said:

That looks bloody awesome.

Can you confirm for me that the belly pan doesn't sit lower than the exhaust, as I'm also looking at the same one for my bike. A 15 but sure it fits the same.

A bit late with this reply, but yes - I can confirm that the outer edges of the belly-pan on both sides are a whisker higher off the ground than both the triple-header exhausts and the bottom of the cat-converter (or what I take it to be - and which incidentally I now note that it is painted matte black rather than rusting unpainted steel, as I recall on earlier GTs and Tracers).

 

Edited August 22, 2022 by wordsmith

[ItsRichieRich]

Got a new wind screen and replaced hand grips and levers. Went on a 120 mile trip with my boss and his buddies.