Ride365 Posted October 7, 2020 Share Posted October 7, 2020 WOW......the talk here about suspension woes really blows my mind, makes we wonder if a problem actually exists or simply too many with unrealistic expectations? I've owned "3" V-Stroms and a Concours 1400 over the last 10 years, and the current suspension on the GT is better than all of them by far. I know the spring rates are too low for most of us over 170 pounds or 2 up, but some of the insane ridiculous amounts of money some are spending on like Traxxion Dynamics drop in cartridges is crazy. A simple upgrade of springs and proper air gap, and setting the sag correctly......is gonna please about 90% of owners. Do as you must, but I'm about 200 without gear and can ride pretty aggressively, but no way I'm gonna be dropping the coin on suspension that some here are. I've read many reviews and watched many vid reviews about this bike, and there has been not much complaints about the suspension once the proper sag was made for the rider. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebruv Posted October 7, 2020 Share Posted October 7, 2020 (edited) I must admit the suspension is a bit laggy, just look at Dave Moss on youtube concerning MT09 suspension...heavier fork oil grade, ditch the progressive fork springs and get decent springs and the shock is true, can be a bit lame but if your on a budget then make do with what you can afford....almost like having an Harley with some of the things that need sorting, except of course than engine...GEM P.S. I have a 2017 tracer so not a GT Edited October 7, 2020 by littlebruv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted October 8, 2020 Supporting Member Share Posted October 8, 2020 13 hours ago, Ride365 said: WOW......the talk here about suspension woes really blows my mind, makes we wonder if a problem actually exists or simply too many with unrealistic expectations? some of the insane ridiculous amounts of money some are spending on like Traxxion Dynamics drop in cartridges is crazy. I don't think its as much "unrealistic expectations" as it is "knowing what is possible". If you have ever ridden a bike with premium suspension, then you know what is possible and how sublime a bike can ride. The difference is immediately noticeable. I have bought suspension from Traxxion Dynamics and would gladly do it for every bike I will own in the future. I have bought upgraded suspension for every bike I have owned, street and dirt, for the past 30 years and consider it the first (and by far the most important) mod in setting up any bike, ALWAYS. I don't know one person who has ever said "I wish I hadn't bought improved suspension", most people usually use words like "OMG" and "Holy Crap" or "Amazing" and "drastic improvement". 🤷♀️ 5 ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoAl Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 Recent bikes before the Tracer GT were a 2012 CBR600RR, 2014 Kawasaki ZX6R 636 and a BMW F800GT. BMW was nice but not adjustable. The Tracer GT is good but I think to maybe answer Ride365 it depends on what you want to do with the bike. If you are not heavy and want a sport touring bike for log trips with a 100 pounds of gear then it is good with no major changes. If you are heavier may need to do some spring changing. Some folks want a more aggressive bike and at that point the Tracer GT suspension is not as good as say a pure sport bike so a good suspension setup is the fix. I'm somewhere in-between and am thinking maybe new rear shock and springs, plus oil and fine tuning. My ideal setup is good performance when loaded - me plus 100 to 120 pounds of luggage. Have ridden some great mountain roads on long trips and want to have the confidence to enjoy them at a reasonable pace even though loaded. Looked at the F900XR but decided on the Tracer GT because the Tracer GT has a wonderful engine with character and soul. The Tracer is built to a price point, suspension isn't quite what might come on more expensive bikes BUT I got my Tracer GT for $11,500 while the F900XRs that I could find with sidecases and the options I wanted were $16,500. So for the $5,000 difference I can do a lot of suspension work. The Tracer is not a sport bike like an R6 or ZX6R but again it is a very capable bike that is light and upright with good power. A fun bike, I enjoy reading about mods others have made and what the results were. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ride365 Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 20 minutes ago, betoney said: I don't think its as much "unrealistic expectations" as it is "knowing what is possible". If you have ever ridden a bike with premium suspension, then you know what is possible and how sublime a bike can ride. The difference is immediately noticeable. I have bought suspension from Traxxion Dynamics and would gladly do it for every bike I will own in the future. I have bought upgraded suspension for every bike I have owned, street and dirt, for the past 30 years and consider it the first (and by far the most important) mod in setting up any bike, ALWAYS. I don't know one person who has ever said "I wish I hadn't bought improved suspension", most people usually use words like "OMG" and "Holy Crap" or "Amazing" and "drastic improvement". 🤷♀️ Yes sir I don't disagree with you at all in theory or application, as I've ridden a new Multistrada S owned by a good buddy of mine for a few weeks recently.....OMG that Sachs skyhook suspension is unreal, but hey it's a Ducati and Ducati issues will unfortunately rear their expensive ugly heads in many ways. I've upgraded my front springs on my V-Strom to .90 straight rate racetech units, and just doing that with fresh oil was a helluva improvement in every way. Suspension and brake upgrades are the single best money which can be spent to make a bike better IMHO, however the prices for some of these high end solutions is insane. I "almost" bought that Multistrada, but the known issues and all the electronics it has......scared me off, well that and the almost $2000 18k mile valve service as well. I'm sure should I pull the trigger on a new GT, that if I cannot suitably get the stock suspension set up to work well for me in most riding conditions, I will certainly upgrade the front spring and perhaps a whole new rear unit. But again I say that other than here on the forum, I haven't heard too much negative chatter overall about the GT suspension. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shizzle Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 I would say for the masses the Tracer GT is a formidable bike right out of the box. At 6' 230 I honestly don't notice any suspension issues what so ever. And for the money you can't go wrong. Why speculate on something you don't even own? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoAl Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 Ride365 agree with you about the Ducati, they are beautiful bikes but reliability and parts availability are issues I don't want to have to deal with in some remote spot. When my BMW F800GT had a rear hub failure in Nebraska it was an adventure looking at parts and availability plus someone who would work on it. Japanese bikes are not as common as cruisers but people do know how to work on them and parts are readily available. In 2011 contemplated a Triumph Daytona 675 but bought a Honda CBR600RR for the same reason. I put a lot of miles on a bike and want something that is reliable and maintainable. Service cost? LOL when I bought my BMW F800GT used with 4,700 miles also bought a 3 year unlimited mileage service contract. Added up the various service costs that was on the invoice and it totaled near $5,000 for the 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30 thousand mile services - in 26 months. If I had kept the bike it would had at least 2 more services. Big problem was a couple of times I need it service before a long trip and would up doing some long day trips to get the mileage to where it needed to be. On the Tracer GT I plan on doing all of the service myself. If it is early that doesn't bother me at all. On my FZ6 I did everything but pull the engine out of the frame and the Tracer GT is similar. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ride365 Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 7 hours ago, Shizzle said: I would say for the masses the Tracer GT is a formidable bike right out of the box. At 6' 230 I honestly don't notice any suspension issues what so ever. And for the money you can't go wrong. Why speculate on something you don't even own? If you are referring to ME, it very much appears I will own one by tomorrow or Sat. I did get a nice demo ride on a standard Tracer, love that engine and the suspension and brakes felt very much up to par for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shizzle Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 (edited) Here is one in Kansas for $11,999. May be worth the trip to save a grand. I have dealt with this dealer for years and they are fantastic. But call them first and see what other fee's they may have on top of that price. Usually that's the price but make sure. Hard to find any bike these days under MSRP. New 2020 Yamaha Tracer 900 GT Matte Raven Black / Reddish Copper | Motorcycles in Shawnee KS | Y000918 TURN UP YOUR EXPERIENCE The most versatile touring partner with... Edited October 9, 2020 by Shizzle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ride365 Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 10 minutes ago, Shizzle said: Here is one in Kansas for $11,999. May be worth the trip to save a grand. I have dealt with this dealer for years and they are fantastic. But call them first and see what other fee's they may have on top of that price. Usually that's the price but make sure. Hard to find any bike these days under MSRP. New 2020 Yamaha Tracer 900 GT Matte Raven Black / Reddish Copper | Motorcycles in Shawnee KS | Y000918 TURN UP YOUR EXPERIENCE The most versatile touring partner with... Got that same price here in central Ohio at a dealership I am fond of, also gave me a helluva trade in on my bike. Heading there hopefully today or tomorrow at latest to ride her home. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteinpa Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 (edited) Good luck on your new bike deal! Good luck on all of us with the weather! So far a mild fall for more riding time till the snow flies! I've already doubled and then some the mileage on my new to me 2015 (Had it now 1 month today).A 2015 with 1k miles...Why do some people even buy bikes? Edited October 9, 2020 by peteinpa 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ride365 Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 11 hours ago, peteinpa said: Good luck on your new bike deal! Good luck on all of us with the weather! So far a mild fall for more riding time till the snow flies! I've already doubled and then some the mileage on my new to me 2015 (Had it now 1 month today).A 2015 with 1k miles...Why do some people even buy bikes? Thanks she is in the garage and so far I am quite smitten, weather here in Central Ohio is still beautiful and I have plenty of miles yet to log before the snow and sleeze starts. Gonna set my sag tomorrow and give the bike a good workout in the twisty bits, I feel this is gonna be a nice long relationship. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoAl Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 Congrats on the new bike! Good you have nice weather, LOL we have a hurricane going by and tomorrow will be wet and windy but not a direct blast looks like. Couldn't ride anyway as I'll be at the vintage races at Barber Saturday and Sunday. peteinpa - agree, a lot of folks buy but just don't ride. Mine had 600 miles in 3 days and 2,000 in a week! Due to the fact it was a spur of the moment trade 1,400 miles from home. Exhilarating but nerve-racking to start out day one on a brand new bike fully loaded and have to ride 90 miles to where I was staying - after I rode 250 miles that day to trade. Great memories of a trip that didn't go at all as planned but was still a fun exciting time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ride365 Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 I just set my suspension adjustments per Dave Moss on the Tracer, will let y'all know what I think after my ride. I am about the same size and weight of Dave, but I'm sure I will need a new rear unit in time since the preload is at the max of stroke now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahadir Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 dudes, as per I set the suspension settings 2 months ago and used to ride it, I must tell you that the suspensions are fairly fine to me when hard cornering and I am 200 lb; I was scraping parts (fixed after rubbed the center stand stopper already, and also removed the peg rods) and the tires were replaced with Angel GTII The big influence is use of more body positioning during cornering and the good tires, now the confidence and the capability are both great. Almost cornering with double pace in the same corner, keping the line and steering are perfectly fine, the bike level is rigid, no collapsing to the front etc., no bouncing as well as good absorbtion of bumps. I feel like one piece with him right now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now