wordsmith

Cannot help wondering what the deer looked like!

Good eye! I should have known that ‘motorcycle people’ would also be ‘dog people’ Yep! Nice looking doggie, that! Here's a recent pic of the Shetland Sheepdog who owns my wife and me. Honey is 8.5 y.o. and in the prime of his life. He too had a bout of pancreatitis when young, necessitating a spell in vet hospital and so on, but happily it was soon over. But thank God for pet health insurance! Honey goes pretty much everywhere with us, and when out and about with him we are always hearing the word 'Lassie', for he is a dead ringer for Lassie, albeit quite a lot smaller in stature. He is the love of my life, my best mate, and the centre of my universe, and I don't mind saying so at any opportunity!

Instead of screwing-around with a machine that they may not even be able to give away, I wish that Yamaha would do something about supply of the new Tracer GT to my part of the world. Still none locally... A fairly positive report in the major Oz motorcycling mag a week or two ago would surely have stirred up some interest, but there's nothing to see. EDIT ADDED Nov 7th - visited a nearby dealer, who told me through gritted teeth that Yamaha Oz now say that the earliest deliveries of the GT will be FEBRUARY 2019. I guess that the very poor sales in Oz of the Gen I Tracer has put them in no hurry whatsoever.

Comparing the ergonomics of different bikes and how they might suit you is a very simple exercise. Simply go into <cycle-ergo> et, violin - you can enter different bikes, then your own height and in-seam measurement, and by toggling the mouse wheel get a one-off or an overlaid representation of how each differs in its ergonomics. Absolutely invaluable, IMHO - and free!

Not so much a motorcycle test, more of a travelogue with mobike touches. But interesting.

V noice indeed! I believe that's the colour scheme we'll get here in Oz - eventually.

From this article... "The 2015 Yamaha FJ-09 will be offered in two colors: Matte Gray and Candy Red. In Europe, the color options are Matte Gray, Lava Red and Race Blu." I've also seen it referred to as Deep Metallic Red up here in Canada... article. This is entirely in line with Yamaha's confusing, irrational, perplexing product names for the bike itself - FJ-09/ MT-09/ Tracer, etc. Keep it simple, folks! FWIW - it was always Lava Red here in Oz.

I'm seeing more and more of these devices - various brands no doubt - on different bikes. They clearly suit some/ many riders.

I recall reading somewhere once that the effect of driving on the (pick a location, L or R) side of the road is to slow the rotation of the earth. I thought I'd detected that...

Lovely bike, okie!

Accurate or not it sounds as plausible as anything... I salute you and from this day forward i will go with your explanation when the subject comes up. Surely this theory - neat tho' it is - is shot-down when considering that a sidecar may be mounted on one side of a m/cycle when in countries that drive (correctly) on the left and on the other side when in a country that drives on the right? I couldn't imagine Yamaha being so engrossed with possible sidecar attachments that they'd swap around the rivet/ clevis pin footpeg attachment according to country of destination. And BTW - I don't recall when I last saw a s/car combo on the road...

Anyone know the meaning of life while you're at it?

I saw one the other day - with a unicorn...

I like that!

Very neat, cuffy!

If you order from a dealer in Yoorop, as a non-resident you'll avoid having to pay the local VAT (sales tax), which would probably more than make up for shipping to you. VAT is currently around 19% I believe... FWIW. PUIG should be able/ prepared to give you some contact details for dealers over there who could help.

Now that the new GT and non-GT Tracer are becoming widely distributed we do need, I think, for posts to clarify which vintage of bike is being talked about, otherwise confusion may reign supreme, and we don't want that, do we! :-S

I have often wondered about these 90 deg stems - do they not throw out the wheel balance?

First - remove the tail-bag, then....

Redfjniner - when are you gonna learn to secure the lid?!

You are in the company of hundreds who have asked that very question, harraseeket.

Very nice, limpy - and a different 'take' using the drone. Whereabouts is that structure - we have a Mansfield here in Oz (state of Victoria), but doubtless there are many others...

Thanks, bob - they are - indeed - visible! One of a kind (well, two really, I guess) and nicely done!

Nice - if fiddly - job, bb. I take it these are a form of visibility lights - could we see a pic, please, of them on while in darkness. TIA...

Very nice job there, Cap'n! Just looking at the coolant reservoir in your pic above reminded me that it's not that easy to see the water level in it. I imagine that many here may have coloured anti-freeze coolant, but such is not necessary here in Oz. So I simply added a few drops of my wife's food colouring collection (blue, but any will do) on the basis that if it's OK to consume it cannot harm the bike's innards! Made it so much easier to check the level at a single glance.