New member 900 GT questions

[sabre85]

New scoot and new member here. Got a couple of questions about my new 2020 GT ride and what to look for.

First I guess I should introduce myself. I'm 63 yrs young, been ridin for 40 years, never put a knee down, but the toes of my riding boots are pretty well scuffed up. Live in Cincinnati, make at least 3 trips to the mountains a year in N. Carolina for the last 35 years (was riding the Gap before it became "The Dragon" and all the cagers and Harley riders (no disrespect implied) turned it into a tourist nightmare). Been a Honda guy most of my riding career. Owned a KZ 305 CSR (tiny cruiser), KZ- GPZ 550,  3 V65 Sabres, 2 VFRs, 1 GL1500 Valkyrie, and a GL1800 F6B. Still have a 2000 VFR that I've been ridin since it was new, and the 13 F6B in the garage. My trackday junkie buddies call me "old guy fast," they all love my pace in the mountains. I've done a couple of track days, and spent two great days at VIR for the California Superbike School riding a Beemer 1000 RR. Probably have about 300,000 miles of street time on me.

1 - Is there anything I should check on the bike as it comes from the dealer, are there any things that most of you have found that need to be tightened, any fluid levels that need to be checked, or anything that Yamaha has overlooked that y'all think I should look at?

I already have a Sargent seat on order, had one for everything I've ridden except the Wings.

The weather sucks here in cincy this time of year so I've only got about 50 miles of seat time on my new scoot.

2 - I'm a sporty rider, are the stock tires bad enough that they need to be replaced before the riding season starts? Been using Dunlop Roadsmarts on the VFR since they were introduced.

3 - I'm a big guy, not tall,  5-9,  250 or so in gear, and ride 2 up a lot. The VFR has Ohlins upgrades at both ends, I know how good suspension can transform a bike. Do you all think there enough adjustment in the stock suspension to keep me satisfied till it's time to upgrade?

4 - I know there is probably a warning label someplace that says you should only put about 6 ozs of stuff in the bags, yada yada yada.....How well do the bags and latches seem to hold up?

Thanks for any input y'all have. These forums are a treasure of info and I'll be looking in regularly. Thanks again!!

 

[Ride365]

For 2 up you will wanna upgrade the rear shock for sure, in particular with your size and liking to ride agressive......by the way, these are not good 2 up machines IMHO.  

[roadrash83]

Welcome to the forum @sabre85 The one thing I would look at is the chain adjustment it always seems to tight from the factory. Also no need to torque the rear axel nut as tight as the owners manual calls for, ENJOY!

[knyte]

Yep, increase the chain slack a bit.  Lots of threads here about suspension (and tires).

Since you're a sporty rider you will LOVE that inline triple in no time

Windscreen - you will likely want something taller.  Then again, maybe you're short enough that it won't bother you, but it's personal preference.  Most want to replace it.

EDIT:  Panniers - wide variety of options.  I found touring bags intended for an FJR, but FJ-09's / Tracers use the same mount and bracket.  The city bags are too small for what I wish to do with the bike (touring...lots and lots of touring).

[nigel5]

With regard to the panniers there is a topic on this forum about the latch screws coming loose if not loctited by dealer, please check!

[RandyN]

First off welcome to Forum and a great new bike.

1. When I got mine I went over it with a torque wrench and found no problems. The chain is something that many on Forum have debated and I found it to be a little on the tight side.

2. The stock tires aren't the greatest so I'd say use them up as much as you feel comfortable with while learning the bike and go with the Roadsmart 3. I've been using them for about 3 sets now and love them. Very neutral steering and they don't seem to change for the worse as they wear out. I've been getting  about 4000 to 5000 a set out of them in NC mountains. Live much of the year about 1 hour from Deal's Gap. I'm a moderately aggressive 200 pound 60 yr old rider.

3. The suspension didn't feel very good to me so I went and spent the money on Traxion Dynamics front AK20 cartridges and springs and a Penske rear shock set for my weight. Made a huge difference. I think it is money well spent but was pricey.

4. Haven't used bags much but maybe 8000 miles out of 30,000 on bike so haven't found any major problems with them. Some have said that screws for lock mechanism have come loose and have re-tightened and locktited them and all was fine. I once lost a bag from another bike so I'm thinking of trying to find a way to secure better if possible.

I've put on some of the standard types of engine protection which is cheap insurance against breaking an engine sidecase. Also did ECU flash with full exhaust. Other small changes, such as Handlebars and levers, can be done to tune it to fit you.

[piotrek]

I ride the first generation bike (2015), but I think the suspension issue for heavier riders/loads is universal across the model years. I suspect that you will find it lacking. Heavier springs up front and a new shock, especially if you're going to take on a pillion. Ride it for a bit and let the kinks come to the fore... decide then for yourself where you'll need improvements.

[PhotoAl]

Welcome and congrats on the new bike.

You are a little heavier than me (175 wo gear), I find the suspension OK after tweaking the settings.  Ohlins would be better but I haven't gotten the urge to go there - yet.  I never had confidence in the OEM tires.  Probably due to reading too much and riding too little.  Around the time I got serious about tweeting the suspension settings I put a Michelin Road 5 on the rear and a Michelin Pilot Power 5 on the front.  I was looking for a bit more front end bite and figured if it lasted as long as the rear I'd be happy.  The rear was one I took off my old bike after 3,800 miles.  I had put it on for a trip and thought I'd take the old old tire and swap and keep the new one for the next trip.  LOL I never put it on and since it was only 2 years old I put it on the Tracer GT.  I like the combination and they work well together.  Typically I do 5,500 to 6,000 mile trips and usually start with a new set of tires.  LOL I did that for the start of my last trip, bike broke down I repaired and traded bikes mid trip.  Only had 1,400 miles on a new rear tire.  LOL I didn't care I had a new Tracer 900 GT :-)  I traded bikes in Sioux Falls SD which is 1,400 miles from home.  Rode in made the transaction, moved my gear from old bike to new 2020 Tracer 900 GT.  A wonderful moment when I rode away listening to the sweet sound of the triple!  IMO with me and 75 to 80 pounds of stuff on the bike it handled OK.  Rode 110 miles then stopped for the night.  After riding 700 miles in the area and getting the first service done I headed home.  It wasn't until the second day I thought to add preload to the rear.  For me for touring on a new bike it did well but I wasn't doing much cornering and pretty much causing along on secondary roads and some interstates.  After getting home started to ride more aggressively and thru corners.  With OEM tires and stock settings it wasn't great but after changing tires and tweaking the settings I like it.  A very maneuverable bike that responds quickly to steering inputs, more like my CBR600RR.  I found the front brake to be OK on total stopping power but not very good on initial bite.  Have some HH pads but haven't put them on yet.  Rear brake was almost grabby with strong initial bite.  I think during the showroom time something got on the front pads as the first time I used them they didn't work well at all.  Have improved particularly with some aggressive braking.  

As to parts to check IMO depends on the dealer.  I have found nothing out of adjustment or loose.  I do not like the OEM windscreen - too much buffeting and wind noise.  Put an MRA touring on and then added a cheap Amazon copy X Wing.  I'm happy with it now.  

[Shizzle]

The bike is fine right out of the crate for most. I wouldn't want to be a passenger one one though. I'm 6' 235 and the suspension works fine for me as do the stock tires. Wear that set of tires out and then buy what you want.

[GTO MIKE]

Welcome and Enjoy your new ride .You will just have to ride and choose your own upgrades as you see fit . I too was a life time Honda owner and wanted to replace my 07 ST 1300 with something lighter I could handle in my old age ,a young 65 and hence the 900GT came into the picture , and don't regret it one bit.. I of course looked at the Honda NX 750 and came close , but couldn't get over the 48 HP they make.So the research began and I now own my first Yamaha !

[Basket]

You will definitely need to get stiffer fork springs for your weight. I am only 195 geared up and I have to use almost all of the available preload adjustment to set proper sag. With a proper spring for your weight you may be able to get the front end to your liking with the available rebound and compression adjustments. If you’ve become used to quality suspension,  a quality shock might be your only satisfactory solution.

[johnmark101]

I am not far from you, just off I-75, about 65 miles south of Cincinnati.  There are some excellent roads in northern Kentucky where I run into a lot of riders from your area.

Keep an eye on your chain.  It seems Yamaha got a bad batch of them which started shedding o-rings very prematurely.  If this happens it is quite visible upon inspection and will occur fairly early.  There a a few on this forum have experienced this, including myself.  Mine became noticeable at about 6000 miles.  Yamaha is aware of this and has replaced them free of charge depending on mileage.  

[thewrenchbender]

Looks like you’ve gotten some good info.

3 Sabre’s eh? Only two brand new motor vehicles I’ve ever purchased have been my V65 (4 kids ago and long gone) and my Tracer GT...

and “old guy fast” is hilarious, was what R1 “kids” I useta ride with on my FJRs said...

Regards;

Mark

[2WHLOZK]

Upgrade to premium brake pads.  Turned the stock brakes on my '20 GT from "barely adequate" to "very good".  

[Waldo Jeffers]

5 minutes ago, 2WHLOZK said:

Upgrade to premium brake pads.  Turned the stock brakes on my '20 GT from "barely adequate" to "very good".  

What pads did you go with?