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

[Wintersdark]

6 hours ago, draco_1967 said:

Thanks! I bought some Ammo Frothe waterless wash. We are going to be hit with some heavy water restrictions this year, so waterless will be the way for a while. I really like how it works, and it makes the garage smell pretty 😄

I mounted the new tires yesterday - Bridgestone T32s. The old Dunlop RS2 rear was a beast to get off. I did get 12k miles out of the RS2s, which is a record for me. Usually my tires are toast after 8-9k miles. 

The Mustang is a '67 fastback GT with an all aluminum 427 stroked to 482. My dad and I bought it in 2001, when I was in high school, and we started working on it together. Then I went off to college, and it sat for a lot of years. He sent it off to a shop in Carlsbad, CA, called AVS Fabrication. The owner, Al, is a freaking artist! The car looks better than new, and drives wonderfully with the new suspension, brakes, and mods. 

Oh, my god.  That is a thing of beauty.  Wow.

[draco_1967]

2 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

That wild horse is a beauty!  The sound alone must be worth the price of admission!  And somewhat of a sleeper too.  Nice. 

You'll like the T32s.

Thanks! Yes, the engine produces a lovely music. It definitely isn't a sleeper when running. You can tell there are a few extra ponies under the hood!

[2and3cylinders]

1 minute ago, draco_1967 said:

Thanks! Yes, the engine produces a lovely music. It definitely isn't a sleeper when running. You can tell there are a few extra ponies under the hood!

Looks can be deceiving!  LOL

It's like the steamy brunet in the slinky dress at the bar who appears to be a femme fatale.

Until you ask her if she is with anyone and her response sounds like Della Duck with brains to match.

[3sum]

On 4/29/2022 at 8:25 PM, Wintersdark said:

Picked it up from the shop, now $650 poorer. We've got confirmation now though: at least for the 2019 Tracer 900GT, a fifteen tooth front sprocket for 15/45 gearing will break the factory cruise control.  

Expensive and very stupid mistake, but in my defense... Who would think that would be a problem, at least without throwing a diagnostic code?  +/- a front sprocket tooth is hardly an unusual thing to do, and at 16/47 it worked just fine.

Well, time to put that nightmare behind me and just be happy I've got my baby back with CC again.

Been away for a while but just read this. Sorry you had to pay that bill to find out. I’d changed my sprocket to a 15T also back in the Fall and like you, my CC would just disengage seconds after activating it. I always suspected it might be the sprocket but would then say to myself that it couldn’t be simply because of that. 
I ordered a new OEM sprocket and retaining nut months ago as a “just in case” and went about riding my new-to-me Monster 1200. Now that I have a set of PR5’s to put on before a weeklong trip at the end of the month, I’m definitely encouraged to put that new OEM sprocket on and get my CC back as well. 

[peteinpa]

Wow, just wow.  The only thing I can deduce is between the front ABS sensor, rear ABS sensor, TPS, etc. The system can't handle change.  Bikes have become too complicated. All I have/need is a throttle lock so I can do something with my right hand occasionally.

Before you all chime in about how great cruise is, I seldom/never use it even in my cars. Hwy 81 near me is so busy 24/7 can't even use it. Trucks so thick it's like a train. I don't know how far west I'd have to travel before roads open up enough. 

Took a road trip last year to Wisconsin. Very seldom did the roads clear out enough to use it.

[draco_1967]

It becomes a lot more useful out West, where you can go hundreds of miles without traffic issues, cruising along at 80+mph for hours at a time. It's not fun riding, but sometimes necessary to get to the good stuff out here.

[betoney]

26 minutes ago, peteinpa said:

Before you all chime in about how great cruise is, I seldom/never use it even in my cars. Hwy 81 near me is so busy 24/7 can't even use it. Trucks so thick it's like a train. I don't know how far west I'd have to travel before roads open up enough. 

Took a road trip last year to Wisconsin. Very seldom did the roads clear out enough to use it.

Sorry to hear that, sounds terrible... I'll stay out West. - No offense intended.

I recently bought a VFR1200 and the main criticism is the omission of factory cruise control, it was the first upgrade I added, just installed the MCCruise last weekend.

[betoney]

3 minutes ago, draco_1967 said:

It becomes a lot more useful out West, where you can go hundreds of miles without traffic issues, cruising along at 80+mph for hours at a time. It's not fun riding, but sometimes necessary to get to the good stuff out here.

So true, I have ridden across Nevada a few times and like you said, just set the cruise for 80+ mph and ride for hours.  I'll never own a bike without CC again.

[peteinpa]

36 minutes ago, betoney said:

Sorry to hear that, sounds terrible... I'll stay out West. - No offense intended.

I recently bought a VFR1200 and the main criticism is the omission of factory cruise control, it was the first upgrade I added, just installed the MCCruise last weekend.

It's far from terrible.  Just avoid 81 as much as I can. I've got tons of curvy, hilly, empty roads right out my driveway. Just not conducive to cruise control. I love where I live.

[2and3cylinders]

2 hours ago, peteinpa said:

Wow, just wow.  The only thing I can deduce is between the front ABS sensor, rear ABS sensor, TPS, etc. The system can't handle change.  Bikes have become too complicated. All I have/need is a throttle lock so I can do something with my right hand occasionally.

Before you all chime in about how great cruise is, I seldom/never use it even in my cars. Hwy 81 near me is so busy 24/7 can't even use it. Trucks so thick it's like a train. I don't know how far west I'd have to travel before roads open up enough. 

Took a road trip last year to Wisconsin. Very seldom did the roads clear out enough to use it.

Whether you bypassed Chicago on 294 on your way up to WI or went up through MI into the Upper Pennensula and over Lake Michigan (a wonderful route enhanced if you hug the east shore up to Traverse City) and then come down through northern WI, there are plenty of long stretches where a CC is a G-dsend!  Once you're on the maze of ABC roads throughout glaciated zones in WI (about half the state) you're on and off the joy tube and brakes constantly in a seemingly never ending carnival ride, so CC isn't needed. But there are plenty of quiet stretches of slab everywhere I've ridden in the upper central US and Midwest (which I define as being west of the Mississippi) that CC makes so much more pleasant.

[peteinpa]

We bypassed Chicago.  Pretty much the whole drive was busy traffic. Chicago...CRAZY! 

I grew up in the mid-west. Mich., Iowa, Kansas, Minn., Wisc.  Lots of changes in 40 years.

[Warchild]

Today I decided to try something new on the Tracer. Departing from my normal Dunlop love affair to go after major sticky.

I don't expect high mileage.

And I am not looking forward to dealing with those iron-stiff sidewalls that Bridgestones typically have, they make mounting a huge butt-pain sometimes.

HOWEVER - these seem to have a killer rep among the go-fast crowd, and I am taking Warchild-wife on a high-risk  run at the end of the month, so I want The Sticky - these are supposed to deliver:







Mounting these tomorrow, wish me luck! We shall see how this goes...  👍

[betoney]

@Warchild - Great tires.  I have worn through many sets of S20's, S21's and the newest S22's. 👍

[2and3cylinders]

6 hours ago, peteinpa said:

We bypassed Chicago.  Pretty much the whole drive was busy traffic. Chicago...CRAZY! 

I grew up in the mid-west. Mich., Iowa, Kansas, Minn., Wisc.  Lots of changes in 40 years.

But you're still insisting CC  is useless here?!

It just isn't so...

[Wintersdark]

To each their own.  I've used a lot of throttle locks in my day, and they're fine, but whenever I'm in a group, or riding around town, I use CC heavily.  If I'm leading a group, it's WAY better for me to set cruise specifically where I want it rather than changing speeds as I ride causing that wonderful accordian/spring effect... And when I'm in town, we've still got big open roads (Calgary, yo) but with low speed limits.  I get in trouble easily.

But going anywhere here, just to get TO a twisty road entails 30-60 minutes of big open straight roads.  Ugh.  Much nicer to just lock on CC and have my hands free.   I really struggle with my right hand in particular going numb, so being able to get it off the bars when not needed is a blessing (and, no, before the suggestions: in this case it's due to an old injury, not because I'm death-gripping the bars, and between my grip puppies and bar end weights, there's no vibration). 

For sure, it's value varies a lot from person to person, but for me?  Like @betoney I'll never buy another long distance riding bike without it.  I miss it a LOT on my Tenere, even with a throttle lock.  It's definitely a 100% requirement for me going forwards.