betoney

Even with adjustable suspension, you are still quite a ways outside of the spring rate, even before luggage and/or passenger. Then as @wordsmith pointed out, the frame has a carrying capacity of less than 400lb, not to mention it might be crowded between the tank and rear of the passenger seat depending on you and passengers girth. I would suggest test riding several different bikes, with passenger, to see how they fit. All of that being said, if you enjoy the MT07 riding solo, you will LOVE the 09. The GT has been out almost a year and a half and there have been many actual ride reviews beyond press releases.

I’ve gone through 3 sets of S21’s and have a set of S22’s waiting in the garage. GREAT sport tires. 👍🏻

Never buy a helmet based solely on price, they all fit differently for specific shaped heads. Find out which mfg. makes one that fits you (I have a Shoei shaped head) and then see what’s on sale. I used to have a Scorpion that was fine for the first hour or 2, then was really tight on my forehead, after getting my head measured at Cycle Gear, they determined my head was long oval and recommended Shoei. Now I can ride 8-10 hours a day in comfort.

The mechanic I talked to said the same thing, he said if he ever did the job again he would make it easier and just cut the old lines.

😎👍🏻

@tktplz - If you go +2 teeth on the rear then go +2 links on the chain. I LOVE the +2 rear gearing and when I change the chain, I get a 112 link. FWIW, - Just my personal opinion - I don't like a lot of engine braking, I have ridden bikes before that almost feel like you are hitting the brakes when you chop the throttle, I like a smooth, gradual deceleration when I close the throttle. The slipper clutch swap is fairly easy and works wonders, especially in sportier riding. If I am at around 5k rpm or below, I don't even brake coming into a corner, I just drop a gear to set corner speed and roll on the throttle through the corner, it is sublime! Having the ECU flashed with a nice smooth transition in on/off fueling helps as well.

I think the front hard lines will be a pain to remove. Talking to the service tech at my local Yamaha shop, he said he did a line swap on an MT10 for a customer and said it was a pain in the @$$ to get the hard lines removed because they are buried way down beside the engine. I'm actually looking forward to the project though, just for the sense of accomplishment.

So, temptation got the better of me, I now officially have a winter down-time project.

Wow, you must ride REALLY hard, at least you are having fun!! 👍 A word of warning on the Angel GT's, once the center gets to that level of wear you will see the metal bands start showing through very soon. You can still get another ride or two out of them but keep an eye on them.

I hit 44k trouble free miles just as I pulled into my driveway yesterday afternoon. I am hoping to hit 45K by the time I hit 3 years of ownership in December.

I have been using Rocky Mountain ATV for over 15 years and cant praise them enough for their customer support, prices, return policy, price matching and selection. They are always my first choice when shopping for parts - especially tires and oem parts. If Rocky Mountain ATV doesn't have the parts in stock then my 2nd choice is Revzilla but they are usually a little bit more expensive.

Yes, last few sets of S21's were changed at 5,500 with life still left in them because I was leaving on a longer road trips and needed fresh rubber. I currently have the T31's mounted with 5,000 miles on them and they look like they have another 1,000 left, a set of S22's on standby in the garage... GREAT tires!

I have manually calculated many fill-ups and mine is much further off than yours is reading, usually a full 2-4 mpg difference. If the FUEL AVG reads 48mpg, manual calculation generally will be closer to 45mpg on mine. My ECO light normally goes off after 75mph in all modes as well, regardless of the gear or rpm.

Thanks for the review, I have heard nothing but glowing reviews on the RS III and the only reason I don't switch tires and try something new is cost. I have been using Bridgestone for several years - S21, S22 and T31, I ride pretty aggressively in the mountain and canyon twisties and they will outperform my abilities by a long shot, last 6,000+ miles and are only $230 a set before bi-annual rebates. I stock up during the rebates and always have a set or 2 waiting in the garage.

@flyfifer - Very nice fabrication job! They look great. 👍

And there are MANY options in addition to Sargent to get a custom seat built, Seth Laam, Russel Day Long, Bill Mayer Saddles etc. There may even be somewhere close enough to you to do a ride-in appointment to get one built, that way they can measure you and build it specifically for you. I happen to live about 2 hours away from a well known seat builder and did the ride-in option and couldn't be happier with the results.

One thing to note about Non-Ethanol fuel - and I am merely repeating this from the source - When I talked to Travis at 2WheelDynoWorks, he told me that they test and develop their fuel maps with Shell or Chevron E10 pump premium. When I asked about non-ethanol fuel he made a point of stating that it WILL alter the AFR and burn differently (richer) than the fuel map that they created. Not sure if that change is detectable by the right wrist or if the bike can compensate? or how the bike will run at 10,000' vs sea level?

Unbelievable that Yamaha puts stuff like this in the manual, some who don't know any better might actually take this as gospel and think there is only one "correct" position for the handlebar. Its almost as bad as their recommended shift points... "but the manual says..."

Yes, the FJ is almost 200# lighter, more agile with quicker steering.

There is no "correct position" for handlebars or your levers or the shift lever and rear brake pedal. They they are adjustable so you can set them to YOUR preferred position.

Good job modifying the mount to get it to fit but the fact that you had to do anything other than gently click it into place is not good. A finished aftermarket product should fit exactly like oem.

Its not as bad with older bikes using the slightly yellowish incandescent bulbs but on newer bikes with the white hyper-brite LED's it is extremely annoying, like a blinding strobe light coming at you. I was out for a ride the other day and a few bikes with modulators rode by me in the oncoming lane, they were flashing out of sync and at different tempo between bikes, I had to look off the side of the road and shield my peripheral vision with my hand as their bright flashing LED's were so bright and distracting. Yes, the bikes were noticeable and on a split highway or multiple lane road where oncoming traffic is further to your side they might not be so bad but on a two lane road where you pass a few feet apart from oncoming traffic they can be negatively distracting. YMMV.

That actually looks like it fits correctly and looks very nice on the bike. Much closer to the usual Sargent quality fit and finish.

I have to agree. I have seen many Sargent seats in the past and they all fit the bike, I'm not sure what they were thinking by releasing this to the public... and charging money for it. The photo of the seat in the low position with the huge gap, its like they didn't even try. Sargent usually puts out a quality product, I hope they fix this issue and offer to re-do the seat to make it fit correctly.

I have ridden all 4 bikes mentioned and find that they all have their merits but the FJ and Versys are the closest for a direct comparison. The FJR and Concourse are MUCH heavier bikes and the FJR feels much sportier than the C14 but I have riding buddies who have each and when they ride you would swear they were riding sport bikes!! Those bikes MOVE!!! Don't dismiss the Versys if you haven't ridden one yet, very smooth and comfortable and possibly more comfortable for a passenger since there is a bit more room. Test ride them back to back if possible.