12,000 Miles Later.....

[duckie]

Recently went over the 12,000 miles on my 900 GT. It has been everything I thought it would be.

I'd been riding a 95 Seca II for over 20 years and I had somewhat lost the thrill of riding. I started wondering if it was  me or the bike, plus the Seca starting having a carb issue I could not figure out and was getting tired of chasing it. Funny thing is, after I put the deposit down for the Tracer, I found the problem which was something I created but didn't know it. So simple too....right there in front of me the whole time. Anyway.....

Started looking for a suitable replacement. The FJR was just not by style, but I noticed the FJ09 was pretty close to what I was looking for. I went and sat on a 2017 and liked it except for the bars and seat....nothing aftermarket would not take care of.

I then read about the 2019 Tracer GT 900 and the changes that were made to it. It was as if Yamaha read my mind on the bars and seat. I also wanted a bike I didn't have to add anything to, cept maybe suspension. My track bike has a quicker shifter, so I knew that was one thing I for sure wanted and I also wanted a fully adjustable suspension. 

12,000 miles later.......it has been what I was looking for. It has brought a new thrill to my riding. I've found that sense of joy, pleasure from riding that had diminished somewhat over the years. The only things I've added have been fork preload adjuster stars, but I'm putting on new levers this week. And thats it. The best handling improvement was a change of  tires which was due to the different front tire profile.

I thought cruise control was kinda silly on a motorcycle........until I started using it. It is quite useful in alot of situations. In the hills where I ride, it is not unusual to come up on a pack of car just cruising.......I'll set the cruise at about 1 MPH under the packs speed and just have a nice leisurely ride without any throttle input....just flow......

I like that it can go slow well, easy and in comfort.........and then really haul ass well, easy and in comfort.  It can drone down the freeway all day long, yet when the twistes are encountered, it doesn't disappoint in performance or handling. That 850 motor is just a joy. I haven't found its weakness yet in the power curve. It pulls from down low real well. That reminds me of the 95 900ss Ducati I had. Big twin torque with the revving capability  of a inline 4.

Something I've noticed about the motor is that it doesn't feel like the same motor when I first got it. Its smoothed out somewhat, power comes on different which made me wonder if there might me a  mapping change at a certain mileage. I went full synthetic at 7500. Not sure that had anything to do with it.

I can set cruise for 30 in 4th, and it just motors down the road...no issues, no surging, no nothing. I've even had cruise set for 35 in 5th riding on a road with small ups and downs and the motor just did its thing without any complaints.

Then again, I can spin it up to high revs and it still doesn't complain....its just does it.

The Tracer 900 GT came along right when I needed it.

 

 

 

 

[Shizzle]

Picked mine up on Saturday and so far I agree with you. It has everything I need.

[jrubicon]

im at 12500 miles, got mine may 2019, new chain at 6k miles. as much as i love  the tracer, im looking at the 1290 superduke gt. 

maybe i had gotten used to the power and would like some more? i really like the single side arm on the ktm, the power and lots of electronic goodies.

anyhow, only looking, still plan to putting alot of miles on the tracer

[Shizzle]

A new chain at 6K miles, is that normal?

[betoney]

24 minutes ago, Shizzle said:

A new chain at 6K miles, is that normal?

No, I would say 15-20k miles is closer to the 'average' that most people are reporting.

[Dodgy Knees]

2 hours ago, jrubicon said:

im at 12500 miles, got mine may 2019, new chain at 6k miles. as much as i love  the tracer, im looking at the 1290 superduke gt. 

maybe i had gotten used to the power and would like some more? i really like the single side arm on the ktm, the power and lots of electronic goodies.

anyhow, only looking, still plan to putting alot of miles on the tracer

I had a  17 sdgt before the tracer. I got rid because of niggles with all those electronic goodies. It also used oil. Left side switch gear needed replacing  Easier finding  bin laden  than neutral.  Suspension settings weren't great. Didn't fancy owning after warranty...  Buy discounted new if possible,  you may need your warranty. 

[jrubicon]

yeah, at 6k miles, i had alot of o rings peeling off. highly unusual, my last bike i had 10 k miles, i sold it after 4 yrs and was still on original chain. 

 

[betoney]

8 hours ago, duckie said:

12,000 miles later.......it has been what I was looking for. It has brought a new thrill to my riding. I've found that sense of joy, pleasure from riding that had diminished somewhat over the years.

That's all the reason you need right there.  Yamaha should use that quote on their website! 👍

[KillEmAll4u]

I just added Evotech levers to my 2019 Tracer 900. It's like a new bike. Much more comfortable and better control. Good upgrade. Make sure anything you currently order from the UK is sent UPS. USPS is having a very difficult time. 

[johnmark101]

2 hours ago, jrubicon said:

yeah, at 6k miles, i had alot of o rings peeling off. highly unusual, my last bike i had 10 k miles, i sold it after 4 yrs and was still on original chain. 

 

Have the same issue with my OEM chain.  The O rings started shedding quite a bit.  I now have 9500 miles and am getting ready to replace the chain and sprockets.  With the way I take care of chain maintenance I usually get twice this many miles.  Got 23,000 out of the OEM chain on my other bike.  It seems as if Yamaha may have gotten a bad batch of chains as several people have reported the O ring issue while others do not.    

[GTO MIKE]

12 hours ago, duckie said:

Recently went over the 12,000 miles on my 900 GT. It has been everything I thought it would be.

I'd been riding a 95 Seca II for over 20 years and I had somewhat lost the thrill of riding. I started wondering if it was  me or the bike, plus the Seca starting having a carb issue I could not figure out and was getting tired of chasing it. Funny thing is, after I put the deposit down for the Tracer, I found the problem which was something I created but didn't know it. So simple too....right there in front of me the whole time. Anyway.....

Started looking for a suitable replacement. The FJR was just not by style, but I noticed the FJ09 was pretty close to what I was looking for. I went and sat on a 2017 and liked it except for the bars and seat....nothing aftermarket would not take care of.

I then read about the 2019 Tracer GT 900 and the changes that were made to it. It was as if Yamaha read my mind on the bars and seat. I also wanted a bike I didn't have to add anything to, cept maybe suspension. My track bike has a quicker shifter, so I knew that was one thing I for sure wanted and I also wanted a fully adjustable suspension. 

12,000 miles later.......it has been what I was looking for. It has brought a new thrill to my riding. I've found that sense of joy, pleasure from riding that had diminished somewhat over the years. The only things I've added have been fork preload adjuster stars, but I'm putting on new levers this week. And thats it. The best handling improvement was a change of  tires which was due to the different front tire profile.

I thought cruise control was kinda silly on a motorcycle........until I started using it. It is quite useful in alot of situations. In the hills where I ride, it is not unusual to come up on a pack of car just cruising.......I'll set the cruise at about 1 MPH under the packs speed and just have a nice leisurely ride without any throttle input....just flow......

I like that it can go slow well, easy and in comfort.........and then really haul ass well, easy and in comfort.  It can drone down the freeway all day long, yet when the twistes are encountered, it doesn't disappoint in performance or handling. That 850 motor is just a joy. I haven't found its weakness yet in the power curve. It pulls from down low real well. That reminds me of the 95 900ss Ducati I had. Big twin torque with the revving capability  of a inline 4.

Something I've noticed about the motor is that it doesn't feel like the same motor when I first got it. Its smoothed out somewhat, power comes on different which made me wonder if there might me a  mapping change at a certain mileage. I went full synthetic at 7500. Not sure that had anything to do with it.

I can set cruise for 30 in 4th, and it just motors down the road...no issues, no surging, no nothing. I've even had cruise set for 35 in 5th riding on a road with small ups and downs and the motor just did its thing without any complaints.

Then again, I can spin it up to high revs and it still doesn't complain....its just does it.

The Tracer 900 GT came along right when I needed it.

 

 

 

 

Couldn't agree with you more . I went from a 07 ST 1300 Honda .wanted something lighter. and easier to move around when I'm, parking and putting away. The motor is a Jewel and all the options are great. It does bring the joy back into riding .Love it !

MIKE

[nhchris]

Yup. I just replaced the OEM chain at 12k miles.  What a difference.  Quieter, smoother ride, and easy to adjust without tight and loose spots in the rotation.  Well worth the $100 for a DID VX3 110 link GOLD  beauty!!

[duckie]

Just wanted to add that those 12,000 miles were on roads of all sorts. Here in the Bay Area there is a wide range of road types and surfaces.

From freeway to wash board rough, tight, twisty with lots of elevation changes.

There are 180 hairpin turns where there is a 20ft or more elevation change from entering and exiting the turn. You can be a smooth, flowing two lane, cross a county road and the road surface becomes bumpy, lots a bad patch work......in corners.........ripples from heavy trucks and so on.

You can start at sea level and be at 1900 or more depending on the road in no time.

The Tracer handled them all without issue. I haven't found a road it didn't like yet......or me for that matter.

 

 

[Motocheck]

On 7/13/2020 at 8:48 PM, johnmark101 said:

Have the same issue with my OEM chain.  The O rings started shedding quite a bit.  I now have 9500 miles and am getting ready to replace the chain and sprockets.  With the way I take care of chain maintenance I usually get twice this many miles.  Got 23,000 out of the OEM chain on my other bike.  It seems as if Yamaha may have gotten a bad batch of chains as several people have reported the O ring issue while others do not.    

My OEM chain is exactly doing the same, noticed kinks and shedding O rings. Although I have been taken care of my bike chain. My GT-19' ODM reads 24789KM (15500 miles) I got mine in the fall of '18. I think its due to tight chain. From factory Yamaha chain slack are way too tight.

With your new chain set it for min 40mm slack and you shouldn't worry about chain for atleast next 25k miles.

[duckie]

To me, tire and chain mileage is meaningless. Ive never been concerned with how long they last. I replace them as needed. They are consumable items.

Reason being is to do with the type of roads I road on and how I ride. I had to replace my tires recently. Roughly 4,500 on them...Road 5's.

There was plenty in the center, it was the sides that were toast cause of the type of roads I ride on and how I ride them.