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

[Warchild]

15 hours ago, pilgo said:

Small local ride out to Middlegate station on highway 50 , quick drink and a Snickers then headed home.

Famous for being part of the old Pony Express route , now its a popular destination for local bikers and anyone headed to Sand mountain with their ADV's or 4 wheelers.

Thankfully they sell gas there as I completely mis judged how much fuel I had and I'm not sure I'd of made the 47 miles back to Fallon........😶 

( what is the range on the last bar / flashing low fuel warning ? 🤔 ) 

Middlegate Station is hallowed ground for our Endurance Rally events the past 3 decades. We used it as a Checkpoint, and used it as a bonus location. Some of the most awesome cheeseburgers on the planet are made there.

[2and3cylinders]

Sounds great but it needs a new roof badly if that's a recent photo

Who's Hayabusa is that!

Not exactly a couch for endurance unless the bars have been raised and the pegs lowered!

I bought my FJ for not really endurance but touring that being my endurance used to be 600 miles for a day not anymore

Of course those 600 mi days were on my VTR which also is not exactly a couch but a very fun and light one

freaking Busa's are pushing, what with all that gear, 700 pounds?

I know plenty also run a Kawi ZZR 1400 and then there's the Yami FJR1300; and of course Wings

Being raised on light singles and twins of the British persuasion, anything more than 450 lb is pushing it for me

[Ride365]

Busa's and ZX14's are well known for being modified up to be good sport touring machines, but always a compromise and a trade off for any bike.........and the rider. The new Wings feel and handle like a sport touring bike, truly a marvelous machine for long distance mile munching in comfort and fun. 

[2and3cylinders]

But how do you find one or make one that is about five hundred pounds and a quarter sans rider?

I think that's what I've done with my 15 FJ fastest red. Of course I have to say that because it is a nice color red.

I've got one more little mod to do. Put some extenders on the top risers to bring it up about an inch and back 3/4 of an inch. And that's with my third handlebar which is a Renthal street naked?

Besides the obvious mods, I put in a S/A clutch and the wonderful McCruise.

My Gentleman's Express before and concurrent with my FJ is my VTR.  I crafted it to glom with the old me to a T.  I even fabed a gallon + tank, and as a smooth V2, old me did fine with an ancient tech NEP throttle friction lock. It can use the same 2 Shad top cases (46 & 29 L) and semi soft seat and side bags total another 76L. It runs a HLM, twin driving lights, LED HL, T/M & auxiliary brake and position lighting.

That is when I saw its possiblities and got my FJ.

The VTR since has only slightly climbed from 111,000, but could do another 50k just with some normal mmaintenance. Even with 30 year old production tech, Honda design expertise and quality still shines through.

 

[betoney]

On 1/22/2024 at 1:30 PM, 2and3cylinders said:

Being raised on light singles and twins of the British persuasion, anything more than 450 lb is pushing it for me

 

8 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

But how do you find one or make one that is about five hundred pounds and a quarter sans rider?

I understand and appreciate the desire for "smaller and lighter" and was a little apprehensive when I first bought my VFR1200X - the DCT model is 630lbs wet.  I have to say I very much enjoy the larger bike on the highway during road trips, very planted feeling, doesn't get blown around by wind gusts and turbulence from large vehicles and it is shockingly agile on twisty canyon or mountain roads.  Of course the weight is evident when pushing it around the garage but seems to disappear the second its in gear and rolling, riding it back to back with my FJ makes the FJ feel like a toy, a comparatively small bike. 

I have owned the VFR for 2 seasons and while sharing equal riding time with the FJ, I have put 15k miles on it.  Several trips to California; Mt Shasta, Lake Tahoe, Mammoth Mountain, Inyo, Death Valley, Yosemite, Golden Chain Hwy/Priest Grade, PCH, Monterey and several of the Sierra Passes, PLENTY of very steep and twisty highways and never felt that the large bike was a hindrance or a burden and I never felt fatigued riding it all day long for a week at a time.  As a bonus, that 1,237cc V4 pulls like a freight train and cruises effortlessly 70-75mph at 4k rpm while getting 42mpg.

[OZVFR]

4 hours ago, betoney said:

 

I understand and appreciate the desire for "smaller and lighter" and was a little apprehensive when I first bought my VFR1200X - the DCT model is 630lbs wet.  I have to say I very much enjoy the larger bike on the highway during road trips, very planted feeling, doesn't get blown around by wind gusts and turbulence from large vehicles and it is shockingly agile on twisty canyon or mountain roads.  Of course the weight is evident when pushing it around the garage but seems to disappear the second its in gear and rolling, riding it back to back with my FJ makes the FJ feel like a toy, a comparatively small bike. 

I have owned the VFR for 2 seasons and while sharing equal riding time with the FJ, I have put 15k miles on it.  Several trips to California; Mt Shasta, Lake Tahoe, Mammoth Mountain, Inyo, Death Valley, Yosemite, Golden Chain Hwy/Priest Grade, PCH, Monterey and several of the Sierra Passes, PLENTY of very steep and twisty highways and never felt that the large bike was a hindrance or a burden and I never felt fatigued riding it all day long for a week at a time.  As a bonus, that 1,237cc V4 pulls like a freight train and cruises effortlessly 70-75mph at 4k rpm while getting 42mpg.

Never quite understood why the VFR1200 didn’t get a huge following. 
It is an outright awesome machine built to the legendary Honda V4 standards, absolute weapon on the highway or the canyons, while still able to cover long distances. 
Sad to say but no comparison to the FJ, even though the Tracer is an awesome bike in its own right. 
I guess it could be compared to the VFR being 007, and the Tracer Axle Rose. 

[2and3cylinders]

11 hours ago, betoney said:

 Several trips to California; Mt Shasta, Lake Tahoe, Mammoth Mountain, Inyo, Death Valley, Yosemite, Golden Chain Hwy/Priest Grade, PCH, Monterey and several of the Sierra Passes, PLENTY of very steep and twisty highways

Having DCT is very attractive to me!

Your trips make me very envious!

[betoney]

5 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

Having DCT is very attractive to me!

Your trips make me very envious!

I would highly recommend test riding a DCT just to see what it’s like, a lot of riders love it while others say it’s not “real motorcycling” if you don’t shift yourself  🤷🏻‍♂️  when I first bought the bike I went on a week long trip to bond with the bike and discover it’s pros and cons and really like what the DCT has to offer and am glad that I have both parked in the garage.

I am very grateful for the riding I have been able to do over the years, if it all ended tomorrow I have nothing but amazing memories and photographs of my adventures. I encourage anyone to get out and enjoy your bike as much as possible while you are still able. 
 

[2and3cylinders]

Thanks brian you're still a kid sort of

I'm hoping for many more miles down the road

It's just not in the cards for right now.

[miweber929]

14 hours ago, OZVFR said:

Never quite understood why the VFR1200 didn’t get a huge following. 
 

Of all the VFR's I have owned and ridden, I never got the chance to ride a 1200. The weight always turned me off, but it was supposed to mask it very well. 

I bet they are amazing. 

[jthayer09]

1 hour ago, betoney said:

I would highly recommend test riding a DCT just to see what it’s like, a lot of riders love it while others say it’s not “real motorcycling” if you don’t shift yourself  🤷🏻‍♂️  when I first bought the bike I went on a week long trip to bond with the bike and discover it’s pros and cons and really like what the DCT has to offer and am glad that I have both parked in the garage.

I am very grateful for the riding I have been able to do over the years, if it all ended tomorrow I have nothing but amazing memories and photographs of my adventures. I encourage anyone to get out and enjoy your bike as much as possible while you are still able. 
 

Just growing pains within the fan-base. It took years of cars putting up faster lap and strip times for people to finally accept DCTs. The computer is always going to shift perfectly; and if you want or need to manage the RPMs there's nothing wrong with paddle shifters (or buttons/triggers on a motorcycle).

If someone entered a partnership and put VW DCTs in a motorcycle I'd put a deposit down immediately; I'm actually a bit surprised Harley Davidson hasn't tried to rekindle their relationship with Porsche and make a DCT for their bikes. Anecdotally, my step-father is finding it harder to operate the heavy clutch on his 1998 Heritage Softail Classic as he gets older, and that is another drop in the bucket in considering giving up riding.

[piotrek]

4 hours ago, jthayer09 said:

Just growing pains within the fan-base. It took years of cars putting up faster lap and strip times for people to finally accept DCTs. The computer is always going to shift perfectly

The experience of driving or riding a manual gearbox is the attraction for many, in spite of all the speed, perfection and efficiency of the alternatives. These technological advancements won't always scratch the itch. 🙂

5 hours ago, betoney said:

I would highly recommend test riding a DCT just to see what it’s like, a lot of riders love it while others say it’s not “real motorcycling” if you don’t shift yourself

Apparently there is a mod available for the NC750X to convert/map DCT thumb controls to a modified foot shifter. A fellow on the NT1100 forum is looking to do just that to his bike. It sounds like a good compromise for someone wanting/needing a DCT, but with a more conventional feel to shifting (sans the clutch of course).

[jdub]

9 hours ago, piotrek said:

The experience of driving or riding a manual gearbox is the attraction for many, in spite of all the speed, perfection and efficiency of the alternatives. These technological advancements won't always scratch the itch. 🙂

+1. We bought our previous car with a 6-speed manual because my wife declared "now I'm having fun" when test driving it vs an automatic. After replacing that car with one that has an automatic tranny in 2022, she's always missed a manual so just before Christmas 2023 a Mini with 6-speed manual found its way into the garage. All is well in the household again.  😁 

I was pleasantly surprised to find a big demand for the manual when I went to sell the previous car, and for a change even had decent trade-in offer from the dealer where we bought its replacement. Easily sold it outright to a gent who came 400 miles to get it. 

Edited January 25 by jdub

[dpippin]

Not a VFR but I had an 2017 Honda Africa Twin with a DCT
In fact the DCT was the main attraction for purchasing the Africa Twin.
The bike had 3 modes (Auto sport1 and sport 2) plus a manual mode where you shifted with two buttons
Auto was a waste because it shifted way too soon so I most always used sport2 mode
I live in Western NC and the twisty roads start at the end of my driveway.
So I always used manual mode when I wanted to be aggressive in the twisties.
It worked very well.  If you were in a turn and needed more revs just a touch of the button made a seamless shift.
I was very impressed with the DCT. The only disadvantage was that it added quite a bit of weight.
When it was time to sell the bike I found that having the DCT was a disadvantage as prospective buyers didn't want a DCT.
I'd love to have a DCT in my current TracerGT but not if it added weight to the bike.
 

 

[Ride365]

On 1/24/2024 at 4:55 PM, jthayer09 said:

Just growing pains within the fan-base. It took years of cars putting up faster lap and strip times for people to finally accept DCTs. The computer is always going to shift perfectly; and if you want or need to manage the RPMs there's nothing wrong with paddle shifters (or buttons/triggers on a motorcycle).

If someone entered a partnership and put VW DCTs in a motorcycle I'd put a deposit down immediately; I'm actually a bit surprised Harley Davidson hasn't tried to rekindle their relationship with Porsche and make a DCT for their bikes. Anecdotally, my step-father is finding it harder to operate the heavy clutch on his 1998 Heritage Softail Classic as he gets older, and that is another drop in the bucket in considering giving up riding.

Yup.....I am loving my new KIA Forte GT with the DCT 7 speed, also fun to shift with the paddles. That car is "just sporty enough" as it handles great and can run low 6 second 0-60 times consistently, with a tune it will pull easy mid 5's and the quarter at over 100. My buddy had an Africa Twin with the DCT and he said "it's a game changer, and Honda has perfected it".