New Guy, New GT, New Parts

[groundchuck]

Hello all, I just picked up this 2020 GT a few weeks ago.  I have 400 miles on it so far and really like it. I sold an ‘18 MT07 for this one because I wanted something more comfortable for my wife to ride 2 up.   I have done a few mods so far but nothing too crazy.  Akra Ti exhaust, 2WDW ECU flash, Custom LED Integrated tail light, TST LED turn signals.   So far I am pretty happy with the bike.  
I will likely look for a fender eliminator at some point.

 

[betoney]

1 hour ago, groundchuck said:

I have done a few mods so far but nothing too crazy.

Welcome and congrats on the new bike.  "Mods" and "too crazy" don't belong together in the same sentence.😎 

There is a lot of collective knowledge and opinions on what works for this bike, feel free to ask.  One recommendation right away though, get a radiator guard.

Your photos confirm some recent discussion here about the 2020 color, depending on the camera angle and lighting -to me- it looks dark burnt orange or a tomato red. 

Enjoy the new ride, its a fantastic bike.

[kilo3]

How do you like the exhaust and flash tune? Im on the fence myself. Is it truly a night and day difference?

[wordsmith]

52 minutes ago, betoney said:

Your photos confirm some recent discussion here about the 2020 color, depending on the camera angle and lighting -to me- it looks dark burnt orange or a tomato red. 

 

Well, the colour certainly isn't a true red, as in Ferrari or (more within my price-range) London bus.   I quite like it, but would like to see the 'flash or 'swoosh' on the tank more pronounced.

Edited May 17, 2020 by wordsmith

[groundchuck]

1 hour ago, kilo3 said:

How do you like the exhaust and flash tune? Im on the fence myself. Is it truly a night and day difference?

The short answer is I'm not sure.  The exhaust for sure sounds better.  I still have the baffle in so it's not crazy loud but it still has a nice deep sound but is just a bit louder when cruising at highway speed.  As far as the Flash Tune goes, I have not had the bike long enough and it's still in the break in period so I am not really going nuts with the gas so far.  (I think I had 300 miles on the clock when I sent it in for a tune).  Also, I only did the tune because I added the Akra Ti Exhaust rather than for the tuning benefits.  Compared to my 18 MT07 that I just sold, this bike has lots of zip (with or without the tune/exhaust) so my baseline is the slower bike which means I can't really point at the exhaust or tune to say, ya those are WAY better that stock (that was the long version of the answer).

[groundchuck]

2 hours ago, betoney said:

.....  One recommendation right away though, get a radiator guard ......

Enjoy the new ride, its a fantastic bike.

Thanks for the Welcome :-).

I have noticed a lot of folks doing the radiator guard.  Is that to protect from every day stones and pebbles and such?  Or is that more for the stray birds and jumping squirrels that may be in your path?  Just curious.

Thanks!

[betoney]

26 minutes ago, groundchuck said:

Thanks for the Welcome :-).

I have noticed a lot of folks doing the radiator guard.  Is that to protect from every day stones and pebbles and such?  Or is that more for the stray birds and jumping squirrels that may be in your path?  Just curious.

Thanks!

Its for ANYTHING that can fly up off the road and puncture the radiator, that's a quick way to ruin your day. 

[piotrek]

2 hours ago, groundchuck said:

I have noticed a lot of folks doing the radiator guard.

Good idea to choose a product that stands off a bit from the surface of the rad so that the guard can absorb the impact and deform without causing damage behind it. Some guards install flush with the rad... not ideal. Good investment IMO.

[mikerbiker]

2020 colors look great in your pics.

Congrats on new ride!

[groundchuck]

2 hours ago, mikerbiker said:

2020 colors look great in your pics.

Congrats on new ride!

Thanks!  I have been wanting this bike since last year but I am not fan of blue.  I was hoping over the winter they would have a red or black or gray option in the GT.  Thankfully they did :-).

[Bill H]

On 5/17/2020 at 6:49 AM, groundchuck said:

Hello all, I just picked up this 2020 GT a few weeks ago.  I have 400 miles on it so far and really like it. I sold an ‘18 MT07 for this one because I wanted something more comfortable for my wife to ride 2 up.   I have done a few mods so far but nothing too crazy.  Akra Ti exhaust, 2WDW ECU flash, Custom LED Integrated tail light, TST LED turn signals.   So far I am pretty happy with the bike.  
I will likely look for a fender eliminator at some point.

 

loosing those pumpkins really makes a diff,,,Looks nice,,,I just got rid of my fz07 for this same bike ,,I like the tank pads ,,had em on the 07 ,,I find myself using them alot more on this bike ,,the lower ones anyway,,. so how many miles  as of now? im guessing well past break in ,,notice any vibrations on the upper end of rpms  while hard on gas ? looks nice ,,im gonna go wash mine hahah

[KillEmAll4u]

I'm not sure why so many are 'pumpkin' haters. Lol. I installed the BlasterX with the two Y connectors so that the pumpkins work in conjunction with the BlasterX. In my opinion, the more information and lighting I can give to the driver behind me the better. Also with such a small surface area on the combo brake/blinker sometimes it's difficult to tell if it's a blinker flashing and even which one it is, right or left and that's from a fellow motorcyclist. Just my opinion. Nice looking bike though!

[johnmark101]

1 hour ago, KillEmAll4u said:

I'm not sure why so many are 'pumpkin' haters. Lol. I installed the BlasterX with the two Y connectors so that the pumpkins work in conjunction with the BlasterX. In my opinion, the more information and lighting I can give to the driver behind me the better. Also with such a small surface area on the combo brake/blinker sometimes it's difficult to tell if it's a blinker flashing and even which one it is, right or left and that's from a fellow motorcyclist. Just my opinion. Nice looking bike though!

Same here.  I don't like the appearance of the big, orange turn signals but am all about letting others on the road know my intentions.  Sometimes I will even use a hand signal for turning along with my blinkers.......especially when making a left turn with approaching traffic.

[groundchuck]

15 hours ago, Bill H said:

loosing those pumpkins really makes a diff,,,Looks nice,,,I just got rid of my fz07 for this same bike ,,I like the tank pads ,,had em on the 07 ,,I find myself using them alot more on this bike ,,the lower ones anyway,,. so how many miles  as of now? im guessing well past break in ,,notice any vibrations on the upper end of rpms  while hard on gas ? looks nice ,,im gonna go wash mine hahah

Thanks!  I am still less than 1000 miles so I have not put a ton of miles on it (I split my time across 4 bikes so they all get moderate use).  Regarding vibrations I have not really noticed anything too bad.  My perspective may be different that others though.  All my bikes are pretty low brow (no fancy bikes in my stable) so your view may be different that mine.

On the topic of pumpkins 🙂 .......... if Yamaha had clear lenses in the US, I would have considered keeping them (my Kawasakis have clear lenses and look decent to me).  My R3, (old) MT07, and now the Tracer have all been de-Pumkined 🙂 .

[Ftl900]

Funny. my 2020 appears much more orange or burnt orange, not red at all.