blindjoebeck Posted October 12, 2018 Author Share Posted October 12, 2018 Is the new 900 less wheelie-prone than the FJ-09 was? It seems to me that's why they would have stretched the swingarm by a not-insignificant 2 inches. Less wheelie-prone means you can use more throttle and accelerate faster. That seems like a major legit improvement to me. The almost 2 inches stops the front end from wiggling around, its why the 900 and 900GT dont have a speed limiter on them.. They tuned A mode down a little, it still comes up just not as easy and the 3 mode TCS has what ill call a wheelie mode holds that thing at 1-2 feet up and thats it.. My best 1 word description of the new bike after 30 thousand on the 15 FJ is REFINED!! I am still getting used to the new Tracer, so I'll defer to eggman17 on the wheelie and speed limiter observations (and I'm really glad to hear the latter!). As far as the engine modes are concerned, throttle response seems to be improved in all modes. On the old bike I liked the A mode but it was sometimes unpleasant and awkward on bumpy pavement and I never used the B mode because the throttle response was too vague. On the new bike, both the A and STD modes are smoother and the interplay between throttle and clutch is much nicer; I'll probably use A mode more often, it still gives a great rush. Also, on the new bike the throttle response in B mode is not as vague and I could see that it might be useful in the rain or in commuter traffic. "Refined" is definitely a good way to describe it. -- Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member alejandro Posted October 13, 2018 Premium Member Share Posted October 13, 2018 Ah, another Bay Area commuter! I see FJ-09s now and then, and I wonder if they belong to folks on this board... I removed the ginormous stock handguards, making lane-splitting easier. I'm still not as bold as the folks on narrow bikes. My regular commute is from Oakland to the Mission. I do it on the FJ once or twice a week, and take public transportation the rest of the time. It sounds like Yamaha was really paying attention. Everything except for the noisy windscreen. But I guess the speed limit in Japan is 60mph... I think electrics will be half the market within 15 years, and it'll go really fast after that, especially because cities are going to start limiting the number of IC vehicles allowed in city centers (that's already happening). Anyway, thanks for the info! Mine is also my DD and like you i commute the bay. The narrower bars makes all the difference in the world when splitting/sharing. I didnt farkle the shet out of the 15 with the hopes they would eventually make the GT or a version like it. First year of anything is always a gamble. Mine is all covered by warranty for all the upgrades i would want and yamaha likes that when things go wrong. I would love to get a hyper and looked at the multi but like most euors they can get expensive when its time to work on them. Oh, and an rc390. That would be in addition rather than as a replacement. This would be a blast! And maybe an electric. Not yet, too expensive for the amount of miles..But close. But we should enjoy the gas vehicles while we can. They won’t be around forever. Absolutely, its gonna happen and maybe in our lifetime.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fadkar Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 $7600 for the bike + ~$3k in upgrades isn't too shabby... Then I can just upgrade to a R1250 GS 5-7 years from now:D Nothing like planning ahead! And even if it doesn't pan out that way, you'll enjoy the anticipation... Exactly! The anticipation is all part of the fun When I bought my first bike 3 years ago, I thought that I'd be upgrading to a super sport motorcycle and here I am with a FJ09! Gotta love how life takes you in unexpected directions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkstar77 Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 I have one too. Came from a VStrom 650. It's neat to hear the perspective of a 15 owner, relative to the Tracer. I'm a big guy, 6'6", 280, and I am surprised at how easy it is the get the front wheel off the ground. I pulled it up in second gear in my first week of ownership; thought I was going to have a heart attack it was so unexpected. I wasn't aware TC1 got involved with wheelies... interesting, that would probably explain some things I've seen. I got a funny bounce going trying to control an unexpected wheelie in first (while leaned on the bars to keep the front end down), that felt like the bike was fighting me. Ended up pulling in the clutch and getting off the throttle. TC1 intervening would certainly explain that. It's cold and wet here now, so lots of riding around in TC2 and B mode to keep it tame. Biggest complaint is the buffeting I get in any wind. The bike gets pushed around, and so do I. My old VStrom 650 has virtually the same weight, but doesn't get buffeting or pushed around like the Tracer does. I'm going to invest in a CalSci medium screen over the winter and hope that helps. Highway in windy conditions is unpleasant, to say the least, currently. Otherwise, love the bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttownfj09 Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 I also came from Vstrom 650 and the wind seemed to blow me around on it much worse than the FJ09 to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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