wordsmith

Pretty chilly out there overnight, I guess!

Noice! You have certainly achieved the 'higher the better' placement there! I looked long and hard at mounting mine there, but couldn't come up with a mount that looked half-decent. I suspect my LEDs are larger than yours...

The GT appears to have fewer easy-to-access mounting options for a DIY approach than Gen1 Tracers, IMHO. I had to crawl all over my GT and lie on the ground underneath it before locating something suitable! Even then, it was an exercise in working upside-down and 'blind' to secure it.

Agree - and also have to thank the OP. Just accessed this plug for the second time, and what a tedious process it is, but cozza's post makes it all so easy for a first-timer!

Living in Australia I doubt we'd get any such restrictions, and I have not detected any loss in power.

Great-lookin' job there, John - really makes the bike, IMHO! Gonna do my lid-painting over the next few days while the wife is away, but will paint 'inside' the two raised ridges. I like the idea of the Yamaha badge insert into the cut-out - might try placing a 'GT' there myself!

Look forward to reading that.

Thanks, betoney. I'll do some reading-up to refresh my three remaining brain cells on the subject, which has always seemed as much to me as some black-magic art rather than pure science! But on my previous non-GT Tracer I did manage quite quickly to hit the sweet spot - well, maybe not exactly sweet, but not too sour either - so I'm quite hopeful. I shall certainly ask here for any further guidance needed. i must say that after penning my words and re-reading them just now I do feel rather despondent - new $18,000 bike- crap seat, crap suspension, badly let-down! But both can be fixed, one with more dosh being thrown at it (which shouldn't be necessary), the other with some blood, sweat and tears. Yamaha can make a decent seat - the one on my 1763cc mighty MT-01 had the best - or maybe second best - of all OE seats I've experienced.

Me too - again, I reckon it's nothing more than a cheapskate thing. Painting them in the factory along with all the other stuff could surely cost no more than few yen - or dollars. Could anyone imagine Rolls Royce leaving the Flying Lady emblem off the hood/ bonnet to save a few quid?

That's exactly what I did on a previous BMW - worked a charm, cost nothing using a short length of PVC garden-irrigation pipe IIRC, 25mm diameter, held in place at each end with a black zip-tie..

Some personal thoughts and comparisons between old and new… After a decent outing today of a little over 300km (180mi) I thought I might comment on some aspects of my new 2019 GT, comparing it with the Gen1 Tracer in a few areas of significance. It’s very early days yet on the GT, and of course as always YMMV, and I will not overdo the IMHOs. Even at a few steps away, the Gen1 Tracer and GT have a very close visual relationship, so it’s likely a matter of if you love (or hate) the appearance of the earlier model you’ll love (or hate) the newer one. I have always much preferred naked bikes, and the tiny side fairings on it just about stop the GT from being so naked as to be pornographic – I like it! The GT’s new front end is simpler than on the original Tracer, but I did like the faux carbon and other small elements like the honeycomb on the earlier model: they gave an interesting blend of surface textures and finishes. The GT’s front looked initially a bit bland, but on closer inspection the charcoal grey finish (or is it black?), part of which has a discreetly-textured surface, is actually rather tasty. This textured finish is also evident on part of the upper cast frame that’s immediately under the rear of the tank – it breaks-up what could be a rather extensive flat painted area. Seated on the GT, an immediate point of difference is the appreciably slimmer handlebar width, narrower overall by 75mm/ 3”. That’s a lot, doubtless in response to reports from daily commuters that the original wide Tracer ‘bars made filtering tricky. I find the new ‘bars width OK, but felt I’d prefer the width of the original Tracer ‘bars as they so closely resembled those on my past GSs. I may regret the narrower ‘bar width, as I occasionally – and inadvertently – park carelessly, side-stand down, on a slope and have difficulty wrestling the bike back to upright. Having the upper-body strength of a gnat doesn’t help! I may have to carry a length of steel tube to slip over the ‘bar end and help me to lever the bike up if in need! Another very obvious change is the larger cluster of controls on the ‘bars, especially the lhs, brought about by new controls and fresh designs and relocations of some functions. An extra hand on each arm would be useful in dealing with all these! The new TFT display screen, smaller than the original, also stands out, being less angular and altogether neater. But the lettering is quite small, to the degree that in strong sunlight today and with my internal sun-visor down I had some difficulty taking-in everything at first glance. I imagine that if riding in the wet the effect of rain-drops on the external helmet visor may make readability even more difficult. Immediately above the new display screen the on-the-go screen height-adjuster seems a bit bulky for its task, but is infinitely less fiddly than the original’s system, which couldn’t be adjusted on the move. Riding off today I quickly realised that the helmet buffeting was probably due to the screen being in the lower position: an instant adjustment from the seat soon fixed that! The windscreen itself has a slightly changed shape, looks thicker, and is said to be a little taller and wider, but on the road seemed to perform much the same, but without that distracting back-and-forth oscillation of the top of the OE item. I believe I am that rare bird who found no real fault with the original screen! Sitting on the new seat it is apparent that it’s a good deal firmer than the OE Tracer plank, while visually it's much more attractive with its contrast stitching and better shape. The original hideous torture device was really bargain-basement in both looks and performance. I think the new perch gives a slightly higher seated position that the original, and I can only just flat-foot with it in its lowest position. But although it’s early days the new seat does not seem to offer me any improvement in comfort, being hard and unyielding and slipping me forwards on braking and when over lumpy sections of road. In fact today’s outing combining the seat’s discomfort and the (stock) suspension’s harshness was about as uncomfortable as any ride that I can recall: I believe I left a trail of dental fillings behind me, and certainly wouldn’t even consider longer rides or multi-day touring at present. With some long-ish tours planned, but also for shorter outings like today’s I may have to find another $450 - $500 for an aftermarket replacement seat, which is very disappointing. And for a preferred BAGSTER seat from France it’s going to be a long wait, as I understand that due to the need for new seat pans first production of GT seats may be ten weeks away (early October?). This is about the time I'd planned to depart for a ~4,500 trip north, so it may be delayed unless the stock seat breaks-in nicely - but I'm not holding my breath! What are others' experiences with the GT seat I wonder. A cautionary word here: the GT’s seat pans are markedly different to those on the Gen1 Tracers: those owners hoping to transfer an existing aftermarket seat will find it does not fit, and anyone ordering a new aftermarket seat is warned that ordering for a Gen1 Tracer will also not work. Talking of the stock suspension, out-of-the-box I found it very harsh, but knowing that the newly-upgraded suspensions front and rear are said to offer more potential for fine-tuning than earlier bikes, I’m quietly confident that I can get it to at least an acceptable level of performance, if not better that that, as indeed I did on my previous Tracers. We here in Oz do not appear to be blessed with a multitude of after-market suspension tuning gurus or parts, unlike our North American cousins, in fact I wouldn’t know here to go or who to ask for if seeking professional help – or, frankly, who to trust. The extended swing-arm – apparently for better touring-oriented stability – is not immediately apparent, and I didn’t find anything unfamiliar about the bike’s handling as a result of the added few inches. But – and it is a large and positive but – has the longer swing-arm and associated geometry changes made the GT seemingly easier to pop onto the main stand? I think it does… On earlier Tracers that I owned (2 x Matte Grey: 1 x Dark Blue/ Gunmetal: 1 x Lava Red)) the paintwork was so thin that it must have been photographed on. The GT’s paintwork – Midnight Black (how creative is that!) and silver – seems much thicker and glossier, almost ladled-on instead of sprayed-on, and certainly more in-line with Italian and other high-quality and much more expensive machines. ‘Deep and lustrous’ is the term that motorcycle media writers always use to describe such nice paintwork – in this case, it fits. In fact, I may go further and claim that the fit and finish on this new GT is about as good as on any new bike I have owned, including several premium-priced BMWs. The gloss paint on the front fender adds a touch of class to it all too. And I do rather like the ‘blurple’-coloured ‘swoosh’ decal on each side of the tank: not overdone, but just lifting it a little. If I can find a good colour-match I may put a matching ‘swoosh’ on the pannier lids too. (And talking of the tank, I find the shapely and multi-contoured GT (and Tracer) fuel tanks to be extremely attractive, very much along the lines of what may have come out of the Ducati, MV Agusta, or Aprilia factories. But then I do recall reading that the Tracer was designed and developed in Italy). The much-mocked Star Wars/ Buck Rogers hand-guards on the original Tracer – I didn’t mind them at all – have now been redesigned on the GT to a much simpler, smoother and less extreme look. They seem to work OK… The cruise-control couldn’t be easier to use, totally intuitive, and on some longer Motorway sections today was a bit of a blessing: it will be mighty handy on some of those l-o-n-g and boring outback roads Mirror stems on the GT are longer, and give a much clearer rearwards view, although the rider’s elbows and shoulders may now feel a bit neglected. I have already fitted the small 2” diameter ‘blind spot’ aux mirrors, as I have grown used to them, but it’s really not essential. Pannier mounts on the original Tracers were bolt-on additions, which worked but didn’t look very pretty, but now the new integrated mounts on the GT give a much smoother and integrated look. Pleasingly, the same key is now used for both ignition and pannier locks. The seat-release keyhole is well-hidden (until you know where it is) which will minimise any chance of bending the cheesy key while walking past the bike with it in its original very exposed ‘sticking-out’ position, which I did more than once. But in the ignition the key is deeply hidden and access made even harder than originally due to the extra numbers and larger sizes of assorted cables and wiring conduits surrounding it. I’m thinking about making a metal fold-up extension for the key just to make it easier to get at it. Passenger grab-rails are markedly different on the GT, silver instead of black and more aggressively styled, if that’s your thing. But I have fitted a Yamaha rear rack, in the absence of any after-market alternative, and that replaces and incorporates the grab-rails. I have no views on the new-to-the-GT slipper clutch, quick-shift, and heated grips as none has been in operation yet. And the heated grips and quick-shift likely may never be used! So - is everything quite perfect then? In a word – no. As noted, the ignition key is still located in that deep well in front of the handlebar riser and behind the display screen, and remains hard to get at and ‘fumbly’. The new location of the seat-release keyhole is also going to be fiddly. And I’d have liked the clutch-lever to be span-adjustable, as is the front brake-lever. The rubber ‘cap’, as Yamaha calls it, that hides the front seat-release catch, is a nightmare to remove and replace without the aid of dynamite, and is a very poor bit of design. I’ll leave it out from now on. And ‘tool-kits’ are getting worse. Next, they will comprise only the tiny black plastic sachet! But one of my biggest niggles is that in its wisdom Yamaha has decided to sell the GT on our Oz market with unpainted pannier lids, unlike elsewhere, which I consider a cheapskate move. Why? So - is the GT a step forward over the Gen1 Tracer? Definitely, although many differences are quite subtle. But once my issues with the seat and suspension shortcomings are overcome the other changes and spec upgrades should make the GT a better buy, a better bike, and more suited to a touring role than its predecessor. I’m looking forward to putting this new bike through its paces as the year progresses, and already have two long-ish ~4500km tours in mind for October/ November. (Last three pix are from today's outing). Let the farkling continue, then – Ride On!

Wow - tough luck, that! Get better soon, betoney. ☹️

Noice! Sadly, Amazon does not ship a lot of its stuff to Australia, which is pretty frustrating.

My son is in France at present......🤑

Motostorm.it. Bought my current BAGSTER seat with red stitching/ piping from them. Outstanding service - had it within three weeks.

Always - then a quick spin around the block and final check that the oil-drain plug is secure and no leaks.

Book says 2.7L.

Wow - I must have had the last one!

That was a good find, Ukblade - well done! Painting to match would really finish it off nicely, but what colour is the bike? Even for allowing for changes when photographing due to light, camera, etc., I have to say I haven't seen that colour before, but I do rather like it!

Actually three (3) including for my current bike! @jdavis has already contacted me and I passed on some info about sourcing, etc., both from local and European suppliers. Thanks for your interest...

That's positively empty and pristine compared to some we see here!

How strange - we came from the town of High Wycombe, not all that far from B'hamsted, about 12 miles due south. In addition to its better-known bikes, including some pretty high-powered TT models, Velocette also made the rather peculiar LE model - a VERY ugly water-cooled horizontally-opposed twin of about 200cc (I think), which was colloquially know as the Whispering Ghost (or some other words of similar meaning). It was much used by the Pleece, and it could quite literally pull up behind an innocent pedestrian in near-total silence and frighten the bejesus out of him!! A bit sneaky really! These were the days when, in the UK at least, there were such things as pedestrians on the streets.

Haven't seen a Velo in years - the 'fishtail' zorst was always highly distinguishable! Used to see lots when living in the UK... bit of a difference 'tween Tracer and Velo...

I set the size wanted in my camera.

Who'da known that....?