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

[betoney]

5 hours ago, keithu said:

That is 100% correct. But there was a theory that perhaps the GT would wear a little longer. The carcass shouldn't have much effect, but I thought maybe Michelin also used a slightly different compound with the GT to reduce wear on heavier bikes. My experience suggests they did not. Traction felt the same and wear was effectively identical. 

Not sure if you noticed any difference in ride quality but I would assume that the stiffer sidewall on the GT could potentially result in a harsher ride?

[keithu]

11 hours ago, betoney said:

Not sure if you noticed any difference in ride quality but I would assume that the stiffer sidewall on the GT could potentially result in a harsher ride?

Possibly. I didn't ride the bike yesterday after mounting it, but I will go out today to run some errands. I'll report if I notice any major differences. Although when I first mounted the GT I don't recall thinking, "Gee, this new tire is harsh."

[Warchild]

Warchild-wife gets to have her comfy FJR1300 footpegs back just in time for a major 3000-mile tour. We depart in 6 days - can't wait. Now that the Ohlins has fixed the suspension issues, we are about set!

 

 

[keithu]

1 hour ago, Warchild said:

Warchild-wife gets to have her comfy FJR1300 footpegs back just in time for a major 3000-mile tour. We depart in 6 days - can't wait. Now that the Ohlins has fixed the suspension issues, we are about set!

 

 

What are those footpegs for the rider? They look like something from the secret drawer in the bedroom. 

[Warchild]

Those are

7 minutes ago, keithu said:

What are those footpegs for the rider? They look like something from the secret drawer in the bedroom. 

 

Those are Oberon Racing footpegs from my 2005 Yamaha YZF-R1 - they are so cool, they afford an extra 5-hp put to ground:

 

 

[Clegg78]

Did some maintenance like an oil change (motul 7100) , checked the chain and slack with a nice tool I picked up (BPA-Racing quick checker), adjusted the bars,  and other bits as I am about to throw another 1000mi on this weekend. 

minor thing of note.  I had a screw for the sw motec plate get buggered so I had to dremel a cut into it…  

but look at the state of the bottom plate after ~ 2000 mi with 100mi+ on dirt.   It’s nicely sand blasted and there are 2 nice gouges right under the oil pan area.   Worth it!  Reinstalled with new screws. 
 

also ordered a set of T32s to throw on after this trip and some shorty levers to try and help my hand pain. 

 

 

Edited June 11, 2021 by Clegg78

[Clegg78]

Also , fun fact, that’s my first real oil change (besides the break in change) in 6000 mi…. Because my first one was by draining the oil all over the highway in NM   turns out the sw plate mounts are kinda in the way of getting a socket on the oil drain bolt. 

[keithu]

On 6/10/2021 at 7:37 AM, keithu said:

Possibly. I didn't ride the bike yesterday after mounting it, but I will go out today to run some errands. I'll report if I notice any major differences. Although when I first mounted the GT I don't recall thinking, "Gee, this new tire is harsh."

Follow up: I rode to the office and back yesterday, so just 24 miles round trip. There was the standard "oooo, new tire" feeling but I can't say it seemed any less harsh than the Road 5 GT. So I don't think running the Road 5 GT on this bike is wrong, just a waste of money. 

That said, I'm not the most perceptive person when it comes to tire feel and suspension setup. 

[NYTracer]

Went to get my suspension set up at Washington Cycle Works in NJ, I haven’t been riding for a long time so I didnt think I was experienced enough to notice a suspension tune but I sure did immediately after this. We have a lot twisty roads up here where I live and I am getting more comfortable each time I ride to push the bike further, but I always felt uneasy leaning the bike as far as I know it could go, after the set up it was so much easier to do, I can only only imagine what swapping out the spring for a upgraded one would do, thats on the wish list for the future.

[bowlin01]

I joined the Elite group of riders with superb good taste and sartorial elegance and fitted a beak 🤣😂🤣

 

[TracerFZWR]

Installed a new set of Bridgestone T32's yesterday.  I have a good friend that is a tenured rider that had the T31's on a Honda ST and he raved about them. I currently have Pirelli Angel GT's on my FZ1 and I had been running Michelin Pr3's & 4's in the past. I liked them but wanted to switch back to Bridgestone and give the T32's a try. Plus they were reasonably priced at RMATV.  Initial ride impression is good.

A big "THANK YOU" to roy826 for his time and help in getting them mounted up !

[Clegg78]

3 hours ago, TracerFZWR said:

Installed a new set of Bridgestone T32's yesterday.  I have a good friend that is a tenured rider that had the T31's on a Honda ST and he raved about them. I currently have Pirelli Angel GT's on my FZ1 and I had been running Michelin Pr3's & 4's in the past. I liked them but wanted to switch back to Bridgestone and give the T32's a try. Plus they were reasonably priced at RMATV.  Initial ride impression is good.

A big "THANK YOU" to roy826 for his time and help in getting them mounted up !

Ordering a set next week when I get back from burning up the rest of my Pirelli's I have on right now this weekend (1000-1200mi in 3 days or so).   

 

[Wintersdark]

I like the T32's, they're a decent tire.  Having put good mileage on my T32's, I can confidently say Road 5's are a better tire (at least to me and my preferences), but I'd be hard pressed to say they are $200 better, which is the price difference I was looking at.  I certainly have no regrets with mine. 

[PhotoAl]

On 6/9/2021 at 2:27 PM, keithu said:

I just installed a new front tire. The old tire was a Michelin Road 5 GT and after 9500 miles it was almost to the wear bars. This is almost EXACTLY the same mileage I got from the non-GT Road 5 I had previously. I bought the GT to test the theory that it would wear longer. It didn't. 

So for me the Road 5 vs. Road 5 GT debate is settled. On this bike, save your money and get the non-GT version. 

I ran a set of Road 4 GTs on my BMW F800GT which is about the same weight as the Tracer GT.  Didn't notice any difference - think the Road 5 had a better ride but not much difference.  Do think the Road 5 is not quite as good as the Road 4 for tread life.  LOL ran Road 4GT because the bike came with a Road 4GT front.  After 4,700 miles the dealer thought when it was traded in needed a new front so they bought what they usually did for BMWs - a Road 4GT!  I talked to Michelin and the correct tire was a non GT but since it had a front GT went with a rear GT.  Front lasted well and think I wound up running it with a Road 5 rear.  I ran a lot of tires on that bike - did a few 5,500 mile trips and always started out with a new rear and a very good front.  I was in Cycle Gear one day getting a new rear put on and as I was walking out a fella came in looking for a cheap rear to do a track daw=y with.  Wasn't looking for a Q3 trip performance.  I said "there is a Michelin Road 5 with 6,000 miles out back you can have".  He took it and was happy as it had mostly center wear and the sides were in great shape.  At the time I had at least one if not 2 takeoffs at home with better tread.  

[Clegg78]

Rode 430 miles, did close to 2 hours with the ambient temp showing 104F (in full gear), dropped the bike in the worst parking lot ever designed, but made it :). Only minor scratches on the Gigi crash bar and case… I can deal with that. 
 

carved some awesome canyon riding out of Cimarron, NM and Eagles Nest today.