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Out of the Cruiser World


kilo3

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Good day,
Looking to get into my first real bike.  I've been slowly working my way towards to a street bike of sorts but thought I should get the cruiser mentality out of my head once and for all.

Grew up on the dirtbike and thumpers  graduated to middle weight cruisers where I've stuck for quite some time.  Now it's time to to jump to a dedicated street bike for commuting and comfort.  I'll be buying a 2020 GT this spring and can't wait much longer.  I swear I've sat on the non gt version at my dealership for at least a good hour at this point waiting for the snow to subside.  Just waiting for the GT to come in.

Anyhow some previous rides because who doesn't like pictures:

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8 minutes ago, kilo3 said:

Good day,
Looking to get into my first real bike.  I've been slowly working my way towards to a street bike of sorts but thought I should get the cruiser mentality out of my head once and for all.

Grew up on the dirtbike and thumpers  graduated to middle weight cruisers where I've stuck for quite some time.  Now it's time to to jump to a dedicated street bike for commuting and comfort.   Just waiting for the GT to come in.

Welcome.  The GT is a very nicely appointed bike, most here would agree that it is a great do-it-all motorcycle, it adapts easily to your needs with minor modifications.  I use mine for twisty, mountain and canyon day rides as well as multi-day road trips. 

If you have any questions about setting yours up for your personal wants and needs, don't be afraid to ask, we are more than willing to steer you (and your Visa card) in the right direction.😎👍

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***2015 Candy Red FJ-09***

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Both of those cruisers are sharp bikes for sure.  The Tracer is going to be a whole new world for you.  If you have not yet ridden one I can only imagine the big grin you will have on your first ride!!  

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There is nothing like spending a day riding with friends in the grip of a shared obsession.

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Welcome from another newbie!

The speedmaster is an awesome ride, was my last bike before my year and a half hiatus from riding. You won't be disappointed with the GT got myself a 2019 last spring, makes me grin everytime I ride.  

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The Yamaha warranty extends to count April - April as full years.  I bought mine (2019) in November, and the warranty officially runs till April 2025 (5 year).  Something like that, though I don't recall the exact details off hand.  

To be honest, though, my experience with warranties is that they're typically less useful than you'd imagine, either because you end up not needing them (it's a Yamaha; they're the most reliable MC manufacturer) or because they find some BS reason not to cover what went wrong.   Generally speaking, it's easy to get stuff covered if it fails very quickly, then becomes very difficult over time.   So, TLDR: I wouldn't worry about it.

The GT is going to be a whole new world for you.  I find this type of bike wildly more practical overall.  I'd argue that a naked, or a sport bike, or a cruiser all look better aesthetically (depending on what you're after) but aside from that - there is a reason these sorts of bikes are eating cruisers lunches.  They're more comfortable, they perform and handle significantly better with lower weight and handling focused geometry.  Very much a "jack of all trades" machine - great for short commutes, long road trips, sporty canyon carving - basically, the only thing they don't do really well is look like a shiny chrome cruiser or fully faired sportbike.

And the GT in particular, it's awesome.  Really, really great.  

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Sealed the deal this weekend. 11.7k USD + tax, title, license.
Now we play the waiting game, sounds like they'll get delivery at the warehouse early march, then it's a matter of bugging them to ship I guess but with my down payment that usually helps speed it up a little.

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18 minutes ago, kilo3 said:

Sealed the deal this weekend. 11.7k USD + tax, title, license.
Now we play the waiting game, sounds like they'll get delivery at the warehouse early march, then it's a matter of bugging them to ship I guess but with my down payment that usually helps speed it up a little.

Congrats!  If I didn't already have my 2016 FJ all set up, I would be into a new GT myself.  I have to put at least 50,000kms  on it before I would even justify a new one...they're so damn good!

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Bike will be ready this saturday! Now the existential question, do I ride it home or hassle with loading it up into the truck? Lots of salt on the roads but it does look like it will be above freezing, 30 min ride home....

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Happy weekend!
Drove my new bike 60 miles this weekend, just a little above freezing.
Absolutely butter smooth.  I was a little worried about some saying the fueling is jerky but I didn't notice any of that.

Immediate thoughts are the display screen is a tad on the small side, but I honestly wasn't paying much attention to it.
Windscreen is well, just like everyone else says, noisy.
Quick shift is absolutely brilliant and low speed maneuvers are fantastic.
So damn comfortable and heated grips is a godsend. Just as a reference, I'm 6'4" and 280 and snug as a bug, might add a riser but time will tell.
I do wish the muffler was just a tad louder, honestly it's kind of hard to hear and I'm not used to shifting based upon a tach.

Changed the oil as soon as I got home from it's maiden voyage, lots of shiney in there, glad I didn't wait till 500 miles.
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3 hours ago, kilo3 said:

 I'm not used to shifting based upon a tach.

Changed the oil as soon as I got home from it's maiden voyage, lots of shiney in there, glad I didn't wait till 500 miles.

What do you mean by "shifting based upon a tach"?  Are you referring to some sort of break-in procedure or riding in general?

I too changed my oil earlier than suggested, twice by the 600 mile mark and there was a lot of particles in there.

Glad that you are loving the new bike!👍

***2015 Candy Red FJ-09***

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