What did you do to your FJ-tracer-gt today?

[CRFan250]

Sent my stock seat to Seth Laam for some magic treatment.  Sargent on the bike now and its good but could be better.  Never had a custom seat so let's do this, lol.

[angrygirafe]

4 hours ago, PeterL said:

I'm curious, why the shortys? I agree on the yummy ergonomic goodness (probably get lynched if I didn't, but I do) of adjustability- just unclear on why losing the ability to use any or all your fingers seems preferred by so many? Yeah, I'm older than dirt, verified by carbon dating, and on my first watching of "The Great Escape" I sat there critiquing Steve McQueen's form on the fence jump, but I've tried the short form levers and just didn't gel with the missing length.

Gawd, I hope I haven't just birthed the successor to the dreaded 'oil thread'!

I do two finger braking and one finger (middle) clutching. Shorties mean there’s no left over lever hitting my fingers that are still on the grips. 

[petshark]

4 hours ago, Butrzrulz said:

A lot of it depends on how you grip and use the levers.  If you are a "two finger" lever guy, shorty levers are great.  With regular length levers you are hitting the knuckles of the other two fingers.  If you use 3 or 4 fingers on the levers, then the shorty length is not really of use.  But, you can get these in the standard length. The ease of adjustably is a big bonus.  A quick flick of the lever as opposed to having to try and turn those annoyingly low profile dials (especially if you have gloves on).

I was completely sold on shorties for this bike, especially because I found the clutch to be lighter than usual.

i had almost the exact same ones, but found that the round end of the shorty was more in the way than the long lever. I sent them back and got the exact same ones in normal length and couldn’t be happier. It could be that the design was just a little off or it’s a hand/finger size thing. Anyway it’s great that we have options 

Side note for a bit of controversy: 

In a master class i did a month or two ago the instructors had just worked together with the government and a German science team to form a new program wirh at it’s core all the new statistics they have concerning casualties with bikes. We got to learn the new insights before they will start changing the school programs and official exams.

(Despite my arguments) they were adamant that we have to brake 4-fingered at all times. No more squeezing the orange but full on front braking and let the ABS do it’s thing. You will always stop shorter according to their tests.

Also swerving is useless… just brake hard. I didn’t like their black and white reasoning and believe there is a time and a place for every technique but have started switching back to 4 fingers when I want to brake hard. I’ve never been shy to work the ABS and often practise a few panic brakes so it’s not a big change for me.

That is the basis of all this; practising what you do when you panic because no matter how much you practise swerving you will not do it in a blind panic situation. So say the scientists at least.

I am not selling this, just sharing what they told us. 😅

 

 

[BBB]

That’s interesting @petshark. Our advanced motorcycling programme advocates braking slowly at the start, to compress the front suspension. That transfers weight forward, puts more force onto the front tyre which increases the contact patch. More importantly, you don’t get the alarming front end dip that panics riders. Once the suspension has settled, then pull like crazy.

I appreciate that this takes more skill than just one action, but that’s where I agree with you about practice so it becomes second nature. I practice coming in fast to speed limit changes and braking really hard to slow down to the limit, obviously only when there is no following traffic!

[Wintersdark]

22 hours ago, petshark said:

Installed the MRA touring screen and went for a three hour test ride. I am in love. I had no idea that getting rid of that Puig touring barn door would have this effect on me. I absolutely love it. Smooth clean air on the helmet and the best look  out there IMO. Highly recommended. 

I went to a Puig sport screen myself, and am sooooo much happier.  Buffeting on the helmet sucks, and it's amazing how you kind of get used to it, but once it's gone it's such a relief.

21 hours ago, Butrzrulz said:

A lot of it depends on how you grip and use the levers.  If you are a "two finger" lever guy, shorty levers are great.  With regular length levers you are hitting the knuckles of the other two fingers.  If you use 3 or 4 fingers on the levers, then the shorty length is not really of use.  But, you can get these in the standard length. The ease of adjustably is a big bonus.  A quick flick of the lever as opposed to having to try and turn those annoyingly low profile dials (especially if you have gloves on).

This right here.  

Im a shorty guy (though I still have my stock levers in the tracer) personally, as I brake/clutch with just my index and middle fingers.  Lots of reasons to do it - but mostly to have a hold of the bars/throttle and work the brake/clutch at the same time.  Particularly relevant when trail braking, as it reduces the hand movements (and potential throttle jerkiness) switching from braking to throttle in hard cornering - allows some crossover too.

16 hours ago, petshark said:

I was completely sold on shorties for this bike, especially because I found the clutch to be lighter than usual.

i had almost the exact same ones, but found that the round end of the shorty was more in the way than the long lever. I sent them back and got the exact same ones in normal length and couldn’t be happier. It could be that the design was just a little off or it’s a hand/finger size thing. Anyway it’s great that we have options 

Side note for a bit of controversy: 

In a master class i did a month or two ago the instructors had just worked together with the government and a German science team to form a new program wirh at it’s core all the new statistics they have concerning casualties with bikes. We got to learn the new insights before they will start changing the school programs and official exams.

(Despite my arguments) they were adamant that we have to brake 4-fingered at all times. No more squeezing the orange but full on front braking and let the ABS do it’s thing. You will always stop shorter according to their tests.

Also swerving is useless… just brake hard. I didn’t like their black and white reasoning and believe there is a time and a place for every technique but have started switching back to 4 fingers when I want to brake hard. I’ve never been shy to work the ABS and often practise a few panic brakes so it’s not a big change for me.

That is the basis of all this; practising what you do when you panic because no matter how much you practise swerving you will not do it in a blind panic situation. So say the scientists at least.

I am not selling this, just sharing what they told us. 😅

4 finger braking distance: in a panic stop, sure.  In regular braking though that's a great way to end up eating pavement.... Particularly if you don't have abs

 

Swerving: Statistically speaking you should always brake.  In practice though, if I can not hit something I'm not hitting it.  

Fun Fact: Here, if you swerve to avoid and hit something, you are at fault.  You're required to keep appropriate following distances to be able to stop, and stats apparently very clearly show that people fail at swerving very frequently, either still hitting what they where trying to avoid (but at much higher speed) or causing further damage and involving more vehicles in an accident.  

Really, I get it.  If you have proper following distances and a modern bike/car, you can stop in time.  If you're so close that you can't, you won't hit hard - and you are almost certainly too close to have good odds swerving, and in MANY situations maybe you can assess that you can miss the obstacle you want to swerve around, but it's doubtful that you can assess the whole situation accurately and instantly, to be sure you're not going to make things worse.

Still, if I can not hit something I'm taking my chances, because hitting things on a bike is not fun.

[knyte]

Installed new mirrors and bash plate yesterday.

Over winter, the left mirror cracked for no real reason - extreme cold, I guess.  I ordered another from a local dealer in April - I'm sure I'll get the call any day now.  Ordered some 3rd party knock-offs from Amazon and the pair arrived in three days.  They look identical with some minor exceptions to some of the bracketing - but it all fit fine, just like stock.

With the bash plate I finally feel ready for some longer gravel rides now that the eggshell oil pan has a carton under it.  Installation was ez pz.  I did drill a hole for the oil plug (off a bit) using the largest bit I have on hand, which isn't big enough, lol.  Need to get a reamer and sort that out another day.

 

[Butrzrulz]

Installed an MRA X-Creen Tour and Grip Puppies.  More details on the X-Creen will be posted over in the 900 GT forum.

 

[BBB]

2 hours ago, knyte said:

I did drill a hole for the oil plug (off a bit) using the largest bit I have on hand, which isn't big enough, lol.  Need to get a reamer and sort that out another day.

Why not use your plasma cutter?

[knyte]

6 hours ago, BBB said:

Why not use your plasma cutter?

Sharp eye.

It's a very light duty / entry level machine, I'm not sure it'd handle this gauge of alum ?  Honestly I'm not sure!  Good enough reason to bust it out of the box...

[whisperquiet]

I replaced the original chain and sprocket set on my ‘19 Tracer GT at 15,400 miles.  The front sprocket was noticeably hooked and was making a clicking sound as the chain was released from the teeth as it spun.  The OEM stuff was replaced with JT steel 525 sprockets and a Primary Drive 525 o’ring riveted chain.

I took it for a short ride and all is good.👍

 

 

[koth442]

On 7/11/2021 at 3:57 PM, knyte said:

I did drill a hole for the oil plug (off a bit) using the largest bit I have on hand, which isn't big enough, lol.  Need to get a reamer and sort that out another day.

This set does exist. I have one similar and absolutely love it. https://www.ebay.com/itm/302924811918?_

[pokey074]

Added my first farkles:

Chinesium FJ1300 pegs

Grip puppies

Pazzo shorty levers

OEM touring windscreen

Went for a test ride tonight. The touring screen is coming off and the stock going back on. Ordering a Puig racing/shorty to see if that's any better.

Now if my mirror extenders would get here...

[Xstoff]

On 7/11/2021 at 12:57 PM, knyte said:

Installed new mirrors and bash plate yesterday.

Over winter, the left mirror cracked for no real reason - extreme cold, I guess.  I ordered another from a local dealer in April - I'm sure I'll get the call any day now.  Ordered some 3rd party knock-offs from Amazon and the pair arrived in three days.  They look identical with some minor exceptions to some of the bracketing - but it all fit fine, just like stock.

With the bash plate I finally feel ready for some longer gravel rides now that the eggshell oil pan has a carton under it.  Installation was ez pz.  I did drill a hole for the oil plug (off a bit) using the largest bit I have on hand, which isn't big enough, lol.  Need to get a reamer and sort that out another day.

 

Out of curiosity, won't you need to remove the plate for every oil change?

 

[Clegg78]

1 hour ago, Xstoff said:

Out of curiosity, won't you need to remove the plate for every oil change?

 

On the old oil pan design, you just need to drill a hole to get access, on the newer one you likely need to remove the plate.   I do for mine ... its 6 screws... adds about 3 minutes to the oil change.   Its also nice to clean the plate. 

It's not an issue at all.   I was thinking of throwing a Fumotovalve on my bike to see if I can avoid using tools and removing the plate to change the oil in the future... but really... removing the plate is very fast. 

[Xstoff]

14 minutes ago, Clegg78 said:

On the old oil pan design, you just need to drill a hole to get access, on the newer one you likely need to remove the plate.   I do for mine ... its 6 screws... adds about 3 minutes to the oil change.   Its also nice to clean the plate. 

It's not an issue at all.   I was thinking of throwing a Fumotovalve on my bike to see if I can avoid using tools and removing the plate to change the oil in the future... but really... removing the plate is very fast. 

Thanks for the answer, I was actually thinking about getting this one https://sw-motech.us/fr/bike/YAMAHA/FJ09/2016/RN43/produits/protection/sabot+moteur/4052572027134.htm for my 2016...

But if this one https://sw-motech.us/fr/bike/YAMAHA/FJ09/2016/RN43/produits/protection/sabot+moteur/4052572036679.htm is easier to install/remove... maybe I'll get it instead