Jump to content

New Member 900GT purchase - love your feedback


Recommended Posts

  • Premium Member

Since seats and windscreens are matters of personal comfort, and everyone's needs, ergonomics and tastes are a bit different I expect to change them.  I haven't ridden any bike for long with stock seat and screen since the 90's.  As for the suspension, it's cheap to keep the bike cheap.  Some people will like it the way it is.  I opted for the upgrade, because better suspension has never disappointed.

  • Thumbsup 2

https://ridemsta.com/oh-tmr/  Riding makes me happy. "Do it or don't do it - you'll regret both." - Soren Kierkegaard

2015 FJ-09, 60k miles, Hord Power ECU, K-Tech suspension, MC Cruise

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think this bike is probably one of the most overlooked on the market.  Whenever I have stopped somewhere that other riders gather for food / fuel / socializing, almost no one has seen or heard of the Tracer 900GT.  They see it as just a small touring bike but then are shocked when they can't run off and leave me in the twisties on their sport bikes.  

For me the beauty of this machine is that even for my 59 year old body and tall frame this thing is super comfortable for the long haul but can still be ridden in anger like a sport bike.  It is actually quite good in stock form other than the windscreen.    

 

  • Thumbsup 7
  • Like 1

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I also had a VFR800, which I loved.   Bought the 2020  GT  cause I hated those purple wheels on 2019.   Foolish I know, but I did get a great deal as I bought in Aug.   I upgraded to the madstad windscreen and it was well worth it.   Super quiet.   I am probably going to do something about the seat.   The downhill slide is annoying for certain.   But other than that the bike is pretty awesome.  

  • Thumbsup 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

@SilverSteve, if you're still looking, there's a 2019 Tracer 900 (nonGT) in my neck of the woods. It's listed for $8500 but with all their fees and what not, you'd be at $9600 OTD.

I offered $9k and they wouldn't budge... So I got my FJ-09 instead.

The Tracer 900 is still available if anyone is interested: 

6000000001.jpg

PRACTICALITY PLUS PERFORMANCE Adaptable performance, good value...

They've got a couple MTs as well, I rode an MT-09 to sample the CP3 motor and loved it.

It is a leftover 2019 model with (when I saw it) zero miles on the odo! If I could have made the deal work, it'd be mine today, but hopefully someone can give it a good home.

Edited by DR_DR3I
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/11/2021 at 6:27 PM, whisperquiet said:

Hello Steve....as the saying goes:  you won't miss what you don't have.  I have a 2019 Tracer GT purchased used with 4400 miles in October 2020.  I have ridden it 3900 miles in three months---the bike is addicting!  I will look at a 2021 in a few years.

I would not pay $2000.00 more for a 2020 over a 2019 as they are identical other than color.

You are a good weight for the bike...I am 6'4" 225 lbs and the suspension is OK with me with the preload set up for higher weight.  I did install 1" lower foot pegs and add an EBay adjustable windshield spoiler to the tall Puig windshield that the bike came with.  The seat is a compromise....not good, not bad. 

I will say that this is my 50th riding year and this bike is one of the most fun bikes ever owned.

 

I am purchasing a 900 GT within the week.  I would be interested to know what hardware and pegs you purchased to lower them.  I am 5'10" and when I sat on the bike with center stand up, it was clear to me.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Garby said:

I am purchasing a 900 GT within the week.  I would be interested to know what hardware and pegs you purchased to lower them.  I am 5'10" and when I sat on the bike with center stand up, it was clear to me.

 

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=fj+09+25+mm+foot+pegs&_sacat=0
 

This should help....take your pick👍
Also, make sure your bike comes with plastic seat height adjuster bracket so you can raise the seat to the high position.

 

Edited by whisperquiet
  • Thumbsup 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
On 1/12/2021 at 12:00 PM, roy826 said:

I am 5'9" tall, 32" inseam, 140 lbs tops and the suspension is fine on my 2020 GT. I did adjust it along the way during the first 2500 miles as I got used to the bike. Pretty much dialed in now on it. Could it be better, yes if you have ever had the 'good' stuff on a motorcycle. But having said that it is pretty decent for my size right out of the box. I won't be upgrading it anytime soon.

I have the OEM touring screen which is ok this time of year for me in the low setting. The stock screen is kind of noisey but I don't really mind that too much used during warmer months. I have a smoke Puig racing screen I have yet to use. Will use that during dead of summer months. Seat forward slope was a slight discomfort early on but not so much now after 2500 miles on it. No issues with the foot peg locations don't have big feet at a size 9 boot.

My only complaint with the bike to date is the crappy OEM dunlop tires it came with. Just junk for a $13k price point motorcycle! Wobbly front end at 40 mph and I am certain with a quality front tire going back on that wobble will be gone as well. They have literally no reliable edge grip either. I have not noticed the so called jerky throttle as much as others maybe it is the elevation where  live or maybe the fuel I buy here is better. I did add the Full exhaust Akrapovic on it but kept the baffle installed. Can't remove the baffle anyway it was installed at the factory with interference of the set bolt hole so it'll never be removed unless I drill the bolt out. Then I'd have to flash the ecu or add a external fueling device. No fueling issues before or after header install.

Couldn't agree more about the crappy stock tires. I took my front tire off at165 miles.  I took them off the FJ09 two years ago at under 500 miles. I was really hoping to use them up this year but turns out they were worse than I remembered.  Other than that, this may be as much fun as my 1972 Kawasaki 750 two stroke triple was back in the day. 

  • Thumbsup 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't find the OEM tires horrible but did replace them at 2,500 miles.  I didn't like the feel of the front - first 2,000 miles was long distance touring and mostly straight roads so didn't play as much.  Since then I've changed front to Michelin Pilot Power 5 and the rear to a Road 5.  Dropped the front 7mm, adjusted suspension settings and it works very nicely for me now.  Throttle isn't too jerky until you start to play in 1st or 2nd, I was messing around a bit on a tight uphill bumpy road well under what could have been done but was stunned a couple of time by how jerky the throttle was.  Smoothness with the right wrist makes a big difference but if not careful could easily catch you out.  I'm 5' 10" and rode in the higher position for a while then put the seat in the low position which I generally like.  I don't slide forward too much and like the shorter reach to the ground.  I can ride it either way but like the lower a bit better.  LOL my right knee is not 100% due to only having 75% of my kneecap left plus being over 65 makes it a bit more difficult to get my foot over the seat.  I keep telling myself I need to start doing flexibility exercises every day to improve flexibility.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The stock tires are okay  but that's about all I can say for them.  They don't last a terribly long time and don't feel very good, at least to me, but they aren't bad tires.  If you're not particularly choosy about tires, and are a regular fair weather rider, they'll be fine.

I'm much happier with my Road 5's, but I'll say that there's a definite personal preference here that I've found between Dunlops overall and Michelins(not just these specific tires, but brands overall), they have a different feel, and I don't really like how Dunlops feel.  

However, the stock tires on this bike are not "normal" - they're stock tires - and like most stock tires they're clearly made to a budget.  Even personal feelings about Dunlops aside, they're not great.  I found it was very easy to break grip in lower temps and wet pavement, so when I pulled mine in favour of my winters shortly after buying the bike, I just sold them on Kijiji.

 

Otherwise, my much-too-late negative thoughts about the stock bike:

  • The windshield is hot garbage.  It's not good.  Almost everyone is going to want an aftermarket windshield, be it smaller or larger.   
  • The rear pegs are positioned in such a way as to be a nuisance to people of around US Size 10 shoes.  For me (12/13) they're actually really nice, as I ride with the balls of my feet on the pegs and my heels on the pillion pegs, which supports my feet very comfortably.  However, I imagine a great many people will want to swap those brackets for the FJ09 hard case brackets (if they have a GT) to remove the passenger pegs entirely should they not need them.
  • The stock seat, unmodified, tends to make you lean forward more than the natural riding position on the bike supports.  We've found easy solutions for this, with a thread in the tech tips section - just propping up the rear of the tank with a couple washers, which lifts the front of the seat and fixes things.  Alternatively, if you WANT to be leaned forward all the time, then this could be viewed as a benefit.  That said, the seat itself is pretty middle-of-the-road: it's not like an MT07 seat (torture device) by any means, but neither is it great.
  • Stock, the bike's a bit... Unhappy, riding really slowly.  Like 20-30kph.  It basically always wants to be accelerating or be idle, and it requires feathering the clutch to ride slowly consistently and smoothly.  Flashing the ECU, or installing a Booster Plug, fixes this up nicely, but stock the bike is mapped quite lean at low RPM by default.  This is not nearly as bad on the 2018+ bikes with slipper clutches and updated fuel maps compared to the older FJ's, but it's still definitely a thing. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The OEM tires seem to be an issue for some.  I am a former track day junkie and ride a pretty aggressive pace at times.  I have never been impressed with any OEM tire and have owned about eight new bikes.  The Dunlop D222 were actually decent for OEM and I pushed them to some pretty deep lean angles at speed and they worked plenty good enough for the street.  Once the rear was down to the wear bars I got rid of them. 

Any tire you replace them with from any of the major brands will be a lot better, but I did not think they were bad enough to throw away before using them up.  Seems a waste of money to do so. 

 

  • Thumbsup 1

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
23 minutes ago, johnmark101 said:

The OEM tires seem to be an issue for some.  I am a former track day junkie and ride a pretty aggressive pace at times.  I have never been impressed with any OEM tire and have owned about eight new bikes.  The Dunlop D222 were actually decent for OEM and I pushed them to some pretty deep lean angles at speed and they worked plenty good enough for the street.  Once the rear was down to the wear bars I got rid of them. 

Any tire you replace them with from any of the major brands will be a lot better, but I did not think they were bad enough to throw away before using them up.  Seems a waste of money to do so. 

 

I could bring you  my Dunlop  front tire with 165 miles on it.  Or anyone,  $75.  

  • Thumbsup 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, johnmark101 said:

The OEM tires seem to be an issue for some.  I am a former track day junkie and ride a pretty aggressive pace at times.  I have never been impressed with any OEM tire and have owned about eight new bikes.  The Dunlop D222 were actually decent for OEM and I pushed them to some pretty deep lean angles at speed and they worked plenty good enough for the street.  Once the rear was down to the wear bars I got rid of them. 

Any tire you replace them with from any of the major brands will be a lot better, but I did not think they were bad enough to throw away before using them up.  Seems a waste of money to do so. 

To throw away for sure.  Like I said, they're okay tires, servicable, they're just not great.  And they're VERY bad tires in cold weather.

But being the size they are, they're super easy to sell on Craigslist/Kijiji.  

  • Thumbsup 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...
On 3/26/2021 at 7:34 PM, Wintersdark said:

The stock tires are okay  but that's about all I can say for them.  They don't last a terribly long time and don't feel very good, at least to me, but they aren't bad tires.  If you're not particularly choosy about tires, and are a regular fair weather rider, they'll be fine.

I'm much happier with my Road 5's, but I'll say that there's a definite personal preference here that I've found between Dunlops overall and Michelins(not just these specific tires, but brands overall), they have a different feel, and I don't really like how Dunlops feel.  

However, the stock tires on this bike are not "normal" - they're stock tires - and like most stock tires they're clearly made to a budget.  Even personal feelings about Dunlops aside, they're not great.  I found it was very easy to break grip in lower temps and wet pavement, so when I pulled mine in favour of my winters shortly after buying the bike, I just sold them on Kijiji.

 

Otherwise, my much-too-late negative thoughts about the stock bike:

  • The windshield is hot garbage.  It's not good.  Almost everyone is going to want an aftermarket windshield, be it smaller or larger.   
  • The rear pegs are positioned in such a way as to be a nuisance to people of around US Size 10 shoes.  For me (12/13) they're actually really nice, as I ride with the balls of my feet on the pegs and my heels on the pillion pegs, which supports my feet very comfortably.  However, I imagine a great many people will want to swap those brackets for the FJ09 hard case brackets (if they have a GT) to remove the passenger pegs entirely should they not need them.
  • The stock seat, unmodified, tends to make you lean forward more than the natural riding position on the bike supports.  We've found easy solutions for this, with a thread in the tech tips section - just propping up the rear of the tank with a couple washers, which lifts the front of the seat and fixes things.  Alternatively, if you WANT to be leaned forward all the time, then this could be viewed as a benefit.  That said, the seat itself is pretty middle-of-the-road: it's not like an MT07 seat (torture device) by any means, but neither is it great.
  • Stock, the bike's a bit... Unhappy, riding really slowly.  Like 20-30kph.  It basically always wants to be accelerating or be idle, and it requires feathering the clutch to ride slowly consistently and smoothly.  Flashing the ECU, or installing a Booster Plug, fixes this up nicely, but stock the bike is mapped quite lean at low RPM by default.  This is not nearly as bad on the 2018+ bikes with slipper clutches and updated fuel maps compared to the older FJ's, but it's still definitely a thing. 

 

 

Its funny ,,different butts different outcomes,,I didn't mind fz07 seat at all, ,,not fan of tracer seat at all,,I like the washer tip cause I'm always feeling pitched forward ,,Thanks ,,

and if you want to save a few bucks cutting about 3 inches off stock windshield was great for me ,,no buffeting ,and still some protection ,,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×