New Tracer GT

SHUMBA

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Dec 29, 2018
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ONTARIO, CANADA
Shumba, leveling the seat made a world of difference for me in long distance comfort. I have a 34” inseam though and the extra height of the mod does not bother me. I did the video mod that Is on this site.

If you want to keep the seat lower, search for the rubber bumper mod- you have to buy different length rubber seat bumpers from the Yamaha parts counter. This works to level the seat as well.

I have heard of shortening the oem bumpers by cutting them. I would just go buy shorter ones as they are not expensive.

Also it seems that my seat foam “broke in” after some time in the saddle. I am happy with my oem. Maybe it’s from riding my KTM dirt bike. That seat is like a wood plank.
Ok, thanks for the advice/comment, much appreciated
My inseam is just shy of 31", so perhaps I might be better off just getting a lower seat as that is what I did with my Africa Twin. What with all the gravel on the roads, I find my foot sliding laterally when I come to a stop.
Don't know if you read my comment the other day, but I was out for a ride and was practicing a right turn in a gravel parking lot on an upslope and yup, I stalled the engine and over she went.
My SW Motech crash bars paid for themselves. No damage all good, live and learn.
SHUMBA

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Tenman

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Dec 7, 2013
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Natchez Ms USA
It almost seems like when I stall turning around. The bike just seems to hammer down. I wonder if the driveshaft has something to do with it. I've stalled lots of other bikes with chains and they dont seem to just slam down. Maybe I'm just getting weak
 

Sierra1

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Nov 7, 2016
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14,812
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Joshua TX
....My inseam is just shy of 31".... I find my foot sliding laterally when I come to a stop.
Don't know if you read my comment the other day, but I was out for a ride and was practicing a right turn in a gravel parking lot on an upslope and yup, I stalled the engine and over she went....
It almost seems like when I stall turning around. The bike just seems to hammer down. I wonder if the driveshaft has something to do with it. I've stalled lots of other bikes with chains and they dont seem to just slam down. Maybe I'm just getting weak
My inseam is also 31" (with a height of 6'; cue the gorilla jokes). In the summer here, the pavement get oily, and your feet sloooowly start to slide when stopped at a light. I choose one foot or the other to be flat on the ground; the other is just a stabilizing toe. The Tenere's a big girl; gravity is not her friend. One of the smartest things that Yamaha did was to allow the application of the back brake only. It allows for super slow, super tight, bar lock turns. Get into the clutch/gas gray area. Apply a little more gas, while trailing the back brake slightly. It's hard to describe, but it will stabilize the bike. With practice, you'll even be able to balance stop....in the middle of a turn....and start again....no drop.
 

SHUMBA

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Messages
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ONTARIO, CANADA
My inseam is also 31" (with a height of 6'; cue the gorilla jokes). In the summer here, the pavement get oily, and your feet sloooowly start to slide when stopped at a light. I choose one foot or the other to be flat on the ground; the other is just a stabilizing toe. The Tenere's a big girl; gravity is not her friend. One of the smartest things that Yamaha did was to allow the application of the back brake only. It allows for super slow, super tight, bar lock turns. Get into the clutch/gas gray area. Apply a little more gas, while trailing the back brake slightly. It's hard to describe, but it will stabilize the bike. With practice, you'll even be able to balance stop....in the middle of a turn....and start again....no drop.
That's it, you described the technique exactly right, A fixed amount of throttle, clutch feathered, and gently ride the rear brake. (Keep your hand OFF the front brake).
SHUMBA

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SHUMBA

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Dec 29, 2018
Messages
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Location
ONTARIO, CANADA
My inseam is also 31" (with a height of 6'; cue the gorilla jokes). In the summer here, the pavement get oily, and your feet sloooowly start to slide when stopped at a light. I choose one foot or the other to be flat on the ground; the other is just a stabilizing toe. The Tenere's a big girl; gravity is not her friend. One of the smartest things that Yamaha did was to allow the application of the back brake only. It allows for super slow, super tight, bar lock turns. Get into the clutch/gas gray area. Apply a little more gas, while trailing the back brake slightly. It's hard to describe, but it will stabilize the bike. With practice, you'll even be able to balance stop....in the middle of a turn....and start again....no drop.
Yes, agree with you regarding conducting tight "bar lock" turns. This is the correct technique and only seasoned riders are able to conquer this. This takes a lot of practice and patience. Best to practice this maneuver on an older smaller bike equipped with crashbars. A few falls are bound to occur. On that note, if you are in a tight left or right turn and either lose control or stall the engine, then just accept it and swallow your pride and get away from the bike to avoid an injury. Let er drop.
Persistence is the key. I had to do a tight turn on a gravel road today, and all went well.
I still make a point of practicing this manoeuvre, but often enough.
Most riders "duck walk" their bikes in tight turns or get off and push it around.
I guess It's what ever your level of comfort is.
Comments more than welcome.
SHUMBA



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SHUMBA

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Dec 29, 2018
Messages
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ONTARIO, CANADA
It almost seems like when I stall turning around. The bike just seems to hammer down. I wonder if the driveshaft has something to do with it. I've stalled lots of other bikes with chains and they dont seem to just slam down. Maybe I'm just getting weak
Nope any two wheel machine including bicycles will come crashing down with the absence of gyroscopic force
Laws of physics dominate!!
SHUMBA

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WJBertrand

Ventura Highway
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Jun 20, 2015
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Ventura, CA
I rode a ski bike on snow one time. No spinning wheels, handled pretty much like a regular motorcycle. Forward motion is necessary (unless you have really good balance) but spinning wheels don’t seem to be.


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Sierra1

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Nov 7, 2016
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Joshua TX
….then just accept it and swallow your pride and get away from the bike to avoid an injury. Let er drop. Persistence is the key. I had to do a tight turn on a gravel road today, and all went well....
Yes, let her drop....as you're stepping off. I am fortunate, being 49% silverback, that I can usually prevent ground strikes; but , I have taken more than my share of "step offs" to prevent injuries. I agree with Mr. Bertrand, keeping the back wheel from spinning is key for stability. Although, I've seen plenty of dirt riders spinning the s**t out of their back wheels....with NO negative side effects. Practice makes perfect.
 

gv550

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Sep 14, 2016
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Listowel, Ontario, Canada
One year and 3 days, bought the GT last Aug 17 and sold it today. 34,500 kms of fun but daily chain maintenance was wearing very thin. Yesterday stopped in at a local Honda dealer and he had a 2018 Goldwing DCT Airbag that they just bought back from a customer, a bit dirty but only 3000 kms. Priced well below blue book and they offered a very fair allowance for my GT so we did the deal this morning.
I've been eyeing the new GW since it arrived on the scene, test rode several but could not get around the $35k here in Canada, but this deal just fell together and I'm happy to be rid of the dam chain drive.
 

twinrider

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Sep 28, 2011
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Yokohama
One year and 3 days, bought the GT last Aug 17 and sold it today. 34,500 kms of fun but daily chain maintenance was wearing very thin. Yesterday stopped in at a local Honda dealer and he had a 2018 Goldwing DCT Airbag that they just bought back from a customer, a bit dirty but only 3000 kms. Priced well below blue book and they offered a very fair allowance for my GT so we did the deal this morning.
I've been eyeing the new GW since it arrived on the scene, test rode several but could not get around the $35k here in Canada, but this deal just fell together and I'm happy to be rid of the dam chain drive.
Hope you have better luck with the DCT than I did, mine got stuck in third on my commute, stranding me. A friend in Michigan just told me he watched a GW DCT get towed two weeks ago after his tranny got stuck in second gear.
 

gv550

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Hope you have better luck with the DCT than I did, mine got stuck in third on my commute, stranding me. A friend in Michigan just told me he watched a GW DCT get towed two weeks ago after his tranny got stuck in second gear.
Thanks, I hope mine fares better. Is this an electronics issue or transmission or clutch failure? If it got stuck in 3rd could you not continue on in that gear for a bit?
 

twinrider

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Thanks, I hope mine fares better. Is this an electronics issue or transmission or clutch failure? If it got stuck in 3rd could you not continue on in that gear for a bit?
This was an AT. I was commuting in the city and as soon as I had to stop for a traffic light that was the end of the trip because the bike will not move forward from a standstill unless the DCT is in first gear. Furthermore, the bike can't be started unless it's in neutral. The odd thing is, the transmission would begin to function again after a couple hours of the bike being off. Then it would have the same problem about 40 minutes into a ride. The X-Adv was recently recalled for a similar sounding issue. No idea what happened to the Wing as I heard that story second hand.

Honda replaced my shift motor and linkage. That seemed to fix it, but several times after that the bike wouldn't shift out of first and I had to restart it. Ended up selling the bike because of a stalling issue that Honda couldn't fix either.
 
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