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Hello from the Canadian Prairies


gerrychuck

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Hi from the heart of the Canadian prairie; Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.  I am so new here I don't even have my Tracer...yet.  I am trading my ski boat for a new 2019 Tracer 900 GT on Friday, so I have been busy researching the bike in advance.  I guess I shouldn't be in a rush; in this part of the world it will be months before I actually ride it.  Between now and then it will stay warm and comfy in my airplane hangar.

I am 61, and have been riding since I was 14.  I have owned a Suzuki 90 dual purpose as a teenager, then bought a CB750 at age 16, which I toured all over northwestern North America on.  Followed that with a Norton Commando 750.  Never owned a machine that was so awesome and so awful at the same time. After that, I was emotionally fragile and vulnerable for a bit, so I bought a machine that was the exact opposite of the Snortin' Norton in terms of maintenance; a Yamaha 850 shaft drive triple.  Toured and commuted with that bike for 8 years, with absolutely zero problems.  The guy who bought it from me lost the bottom end of the engine within a couple of years, which turned out to be a common problem with that engine.  Still, I loved the triple....

Got out of motorcycles for a few years after that machine, then re-entered with an FJ1200, which still has my favourite motorcycle engine to date.  What a locomotive.  That one met an untimely end under the minivan driven by our family veterinarian.  Long story.  Bought a true bad-boy bike after that; a Suzuki TL1000S.  A true juvenile delinquent machine.  Got out of bikes again after 5 years with that bike, but took a Harley softail on partial trade for a Corvette Z06, and boom! I was a motorcyclist again.  Thought I would give the whole cruiser thing a try, but I absolutely despised the forward foot control riding position on that brute, although it was a gorgeous bike.  Put it up for sale a few weeks later, and was offered a Harley XR1200 on trade (look it up; it is actually a really cool machine).  I took that trade, and have been enjoying that machine for 6 years now.  It is a bike with real personality, and with the right mods is a very capable sporting mount, which draws more looks and comments than any bike I have ever had.

However, I want something lighter and less sonically obnoxious for riding in town (my XR has a Vance & Hines Black Widow exhaust on it that guarantees social distancing at all times), and a better option for sport touring, so here I am rejoining the Yamaha Triple club.

Can't wait to get involved with this forum. Already learning a lot.  I do know how to use the Search function lol.  Will try to keep unnecessary questions to a minimum!

Edited by gerrychuck
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Wow, you got a motorcycle scene going on out there on the prairie! As a recovering Norton Commando 750 Roadster owner I can empathize and sympathize with you.  "It was the best of times... It was the worst of times."  I kept dropping mine and put many a clutch / brake lever on it and a few foot pegs too.  Musta been those damn narrow tires.

This is a great forum for all things TRACER and there are enough real gear heads here to get you through lots of maintenance chores.

Fasten your seat belt and hope for that record warm day in Dec or Jan.

Edited by nhchris
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1968 Triumph Bonneville 650
1971 Norton Commando Roadster
2002 Harley 1200 Sportster
2003 Honda ST 1300
2016 FJ 09
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Hey @gerrychuck, welcome to the forum. I'm new here too. A great community and unlike many forums, stays polite and friendly. I've driven across your great province, in the summer, and can only imagine how the wind and cold tears across in the winter. I like living near the Pacific Ocean for many reasons, including having a saltwater heater nearby in winter and a cooler nearby in summer. Oh, and yes, we can ride year round even here at 48 degrees north, so long as you don't mind getting wet. Been pouring here this week. Congrats on your almost new wheels and happy farkling. 

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Sweet!  Welcome!  Great crowd here, very knowledgeable.  I think you're going to love that Tracer - the throttle is just so linear all the way up the RPM gauge.

2015 FJ-09 / FJR touring bags / oil plug mod / Evotech rad guard / SW Motech bash plate / VStream touring windshield / Seat Concepts:  Sport Touring / Vcyclenut ABS rings (speedo correction) / Cosmo RAM mount

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3 hours ago, nhchris said:

Wow, you got a motorcycle scene going on out there on the prairie! As a recovering Norton Commando 750 Roadster owner I can empathize and sympathize with you.  "It was the best of times... It was the worst of times."  I kept dropping mine and put many a clutch / brake lever on it and a few foot pegs too.  Musta been those damn narrow tires.

This is a great forum for all things TRACER and there are enough real gear heads here to get you through lots of maintenance chores.

Fasten your seat belt and hope for that record warm day in Dec or Jan.

I always figured if I went down on the Norton, it would be because gas had filled up the primary case, causing the oil and gas mixture to leak out around the sprocket shaft and coat the rear wheel.  This was NOT a theoretical concern, although it would never have happened if I hadn't forgotten to shut the fuel petcock off once with the bike on the side stand.  One of those little life lessons!  Either that or a loss of control caused by reaching down to (for the 100th time) push the coil wire for the number 2 cylinder back on to the coil when the engine would, without warning, suddenly start running on one cylinder.  I got so I could do that in 5 seconds without ever looking down, and I think I could do it mid-corner.  But all was forgiven when you pitched that super light bike into a corner or whacked the throttle open and had that twin kick you in the backside.  Best of times, worst of times sums it up perfectly!

3 hours ago, Salish900 said:

Hey @gerrychuck, welcome to the forum. I'm new here too. A great community and unlike many forums, stays polite and friendly. I've driven across your great province, in the summer, and can only imagine how the wind and cold tears across in the winter. I like living near the Pacific Ocean for many reasons, including having a saltwater heater nearby in winter and a cooler nearby in summer. Oh, and yes, we can ride year round even here at 48 degrees north, so long as you don't mind getting wet. Been pouring here this week. Congrats on your almost new wheels and happy farkling. 

Oh, I am well acquainted with the charms of the Wet Coast!  I spent a lot of time in Seattle during my childhood, as my dad's sister and her family lived on a mountaintop above Bellevue.  I have had the pleasure of visiting the Olympic Peninsula a couple of times.  Oh, and my sister lives on Vancouver Island.  Road my Yam 850 down to Seattle the summer of Mt. St. Helen's.  Bags of ash were still sitting beside the highways waiting to be picked up and hauled away. Different zone, but I was actually in Cle Elum a year ago today for my cousin's wedding.  Couldn't do that this year...  Sigh.  Thanks for the welcome!

3 hours ago, knyte said:

Sweet!  Welcome!  Great crowd here, very knowledgeable.  I think you're going to love that Tracer - the throttle is just so linear all the way up the RPM gauge.

I'm looking forward to getting to know the bike.  It is about 100 lb lighter than even my "sporty" XR1200 (H-D's are made with "Harluminum" doncha know; a material that looks like aluminum but is mysteriously 5 times heavier), with 20 more hp, so it should be fun.  The XR's Buell based engine, however, gives you everything it has pretty much off idle.  Runs out of breath about 6 grand, but it is a hoot in the lower and mid-range.  This linear throttle response you speak of should be cool!

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Update:  After patiently (well, mostly) waiting through our prairie winter, I have had my first actual rides on the Tracer.  First impressions: LOVE the engine.  Even keeping it below 5 or 6k rpm to respect that there were zero miles on this thing, the throttle response throughout the rev range is very satisfying. Can't wait to whack it open all the way to redline. Handling is sweet, with very light steering; I found myself oversteering in corners because of the lower effort required compared to my departed XR1200.  I took my benchmark cloverleaf on ramp, taking it VERY easy to respect my lack of experience on the bike and the brand new tires, at 63 kph.  I could do it over 70 with a knee down and full focus on my TL1000S, and only got into the low 60's with that same focus on the XR, so I'm sure I can get to the same speeds as the ol' TL on this bike without breaking much of a sweat.  Nice.  Also love the speed shifter.  Feel like I may need a new university degree to turn on the grip heaters.  Or get the display to show the odometer.  The Thumbwheel of Frustration is not my favourite so far. Whatever, I'll figure that stuff out.  Drive mode and TCS are easy, though.  Windscreen; oh, yeah, that needs work.  I am 6'3", most of it in my legs, so not hugely long-waisted, and if I sit up REALLY straight with the screen in it's lowest position I can get my head into clean air.  Any other combination of windscreen and riding position equals loud buffeting.  Options for me would be a different screen or cutting the stocker down an inch or two.   Seat was an unpleasant surprise; felt ok on the center stand, but not so good on the road.  As many have noted, too much forward tilt.  May try the washers under the tank bracket trick before ordering a different seat.  Also need to try it with my cycle shorts under my jeans, which I used on the XR for longer rides.

Anyway, first impressions are definitely very positive.  I was surprised at how much more open the riding position was than on the XR, which was a lot more sport bike like, especially with the different (lower, narrower than stock) bar I had on that machine.  Pegs on the XR are a lot higher too, though, which surprised me a bit.  This machine should indeed be much easier on the knees over long rides.  I put the XR on a truck for Ontario this morning, and had my first rides on the Tracer Saturday, so I am now officially transitioned from being an XR rider to a Tracer rider.  Let the fun begin!

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Good to hear!!  Yeah, can't really beat these bikes for value.  For the money, the machine you get is just amazing.  There are a few places for improvement, but that's what customizing is all about.  To me bikes are more like shoes, less like shirts.  You and I might both wear a L shirt, but our shoes might be different sizes.  Making the bike fit for 'us' is half the fun.

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2015 FJ-09 / FJR touring bags / oil plug mod / Evotech rad guard / SW Motech bash plate / VStream touring windshield / Seat Concepts:  Sport Touring / Vcyclenut ABS rings (speedo correction) / Cosmo RAM mount

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Update:  After patiently (well, mostly) waiting through our prairie winter, I have had my first actual rides on the Tracer.  First impressions: LOVE the engine.  Even keeping it below 5 or 6k rpm to respect that there were zero miles on this thing, the throttle response throughout the rev range is very satisfying. Can't wait to whack it open all the way to redline. 

Oh dear!  hah stock the bike is kind of flat around 4000-5000rpm, so... yeah, you're in for a lovely surprise once you can get going on it.  The CP3 is an absolutely brilliant engine, crazy fun, and it sounds so amazing at 8k!

The thumbwheel is annoying, to be sure.  Mostly because it'll push in, but if you don't push it *straight in* it'll register the push as a turn, and I figured in my first months with the bike I was certain that I'd kill myself due to the distraction in trying to turn the grips on or off.  You do get it figured out eventually, but yeah that thumbwheel is an objectively terrible piece of equipment.

As a fellow tall guy... Yeah, the windscreen is hot garbage.  You basically need to get a bigger one, or a smaller one, because either of the positions it can be set in suck.  I've still got my stock screen, but I've had a browser tab open to this:

 for about a month now.

Quote

May try the washers under the tank bracket trick before ordering a different seat.

This totally fixed the issue for me, but on the other hand I hear the Bagster seats are amazingly comfortable while still looking pretty bike-appropriate.

Glad you're enjoying it! 

 

Something to keep in mind: The handlebars can be moved forwards or back by turning the clamps 180 degrees, so there's a pretty significant amount of easy egonomics customization there that people often aren't aware of.

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Welcome  and enjoy. Like you I.ve had many Bikes dirt and road and all Hondas.Also came so close to having a XR1200 roadster .I thought finally a Harley that i could like  with the performance of a Buell. Actually went to a dealer with a 1,000 bucks in my pocket for a down payment . Well none in stock to look at and wouldnt take a deposit so no deal . Ended up with a left over 07 Honda ST1300 in 09 at a steal until I got tired of the heavy weight and seen the GT900. .No regrets at all. Brings the thrill back into riding .Love it .

MIKE

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1 hour ago, Wintersdark said:

Oh dear!  hah stock the bike is kind of flat around 4000-5000rpm, so... yeah, you're in for a lovely surprise once you can get going on it.  The CP3 is an absolutely brilliant engine, crazy fun, and it sounds so amazing at 8k!

The thumbwheel is annoying, to be sure.  Mostly because it'll push in, but if you don't push it *straight in* it'll register the push as a turn, and I figured in my first months with the bike I was certain that I'd kill myself due to the distraction in trying to turn the grips on or off.  You do get it figured out eventually, but yeah that thumbwheel is an objectively terrible piece of equipment.

As a fellow tall guy... Yeah, the windscreen is hot garbage.  You basically need to get a bigger one, or a smaller one, because either of the positions it can be set in suck.  I've still got my stock screen, but I've had a browser tab open to this:

 for about a month now.

This totally fixed the issue for me, but on the other hand I hear the Bagster seats are amazingly comfortable while still looking pretty bike-appropriate.

Glad you're enjoying it! 

 

Something to keep in mind: The handlebars can be moved forwards or back by turning the clamps 180 degrees, so there's a pretty significant amount of easy egonomics customization there that people often aren't aware of.

I did know about the handlebar position options.  Based on very short experience, I have no complaints with the riding position; I do like a bit of a forward lean, so the handlebar setting may be something to consider at some point.  On the other hand, I love not having weight on my wrists.  Experience on my last two bikes (XR and Suzuki TL1000S) have let me know that high pegs=stiff knees and ankles after an hour or two, so I'm looking forward to a little less knee flexion and ankle extension.  With my 36" inseam I have no desire at the moment to run out and order rear sets!  One more ergonomic detail; I know lots of people complain that their heels run into the passenger pegs when they slide the balls of their feet up on top of the pegs.  I have size 14's, and I've already found that if I feel like scratching, I should leave the passenger pegs folded down, and with the size of my hooves I can actually put my heels right up on them.  Very comfortable, actually!  They built this bike for people with either really small feet or really big lol.

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46 minutes ago, gerrychuck said:

 I know lots of people complain that their heels run into the passenger pegs when they slide the balls of their feet up on top of the pegs.  I have size 14's, and I've already found that if I feel like scratching, I should leave the passenger pegs folded down, and with the size of my hooves I can actually put my heels right up on them.  Very comfortable, actually!  They built this bike for people with either really small feet or really big lol.

Hahah yes!   I've similarly gigantic feet, and that's exactly how I ride nearly all the time.  I was initially going to swap the whole kit for the FJ hardcase mounts (they mount the same as the Tracer hardcases, but don't have passenger pegs attached) but then I discovered the passenger pegs sit at exactly the angle I like to have my feet at when I'm getting right into it on twisty roads.  Balls of my feet on the main pegs, heels on the passenger pegs, it's like floorboards for a sportbike.  

Having typed that sentence, I feel dirty.  But damn if it isn't incredibly comfortable :)

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