not much activity ...


frostbite

New member
Hi to anyone here ... Good question - it looks to be deserted around the forum/s - not much happening - but I have just signed up - I have recently bought a used 2017 MT-07 Tracer that had 3363 kilometers on it from new - one owner of course and have the books and all info with it ... I have managed to download a service manual for it as well which will come in handy for referencing for any needed service, tuning and repairs if needed ....

I have just last weekend changed out the fishoil in the forks for some PENRITE Dexron 3 Mineral ATF ... and also made shorter spacers for the forks as recommended by a highly regarded Suspension tuner Dave Moss - suggests approx 15mm shorter were 150mm each and new ones cut to 135mm and also fitted new Spring Preload Fork Tops and presently 2 turns to remove slack and 2 turns of preload and with the new ATF it has made a nice and positive front end out of a Good front end to an Excellent front end - I may fit a set of Emulators at a later stage but for now everything is working nicely - Rear Shock is set a First position but will be raised to 2nd position for next ride and see how that compares .

I just need fairly compliant suspension as I do have spinal problems and need to look after my back considerably - so far so good for me ... The bike feels well planted with the stock tyres and some Adventure style 50/50 setup will be looked at as I plan on doing dome outback riding on the good old Aussie Dirt roads and because of the Lightness and maneuverability of the Tracer it will be just as good as any of the other Japanese counterparts for Spirited Adventure riding without the extra cash for Tenere or KTM or anything BIGGER - this 655cc here (700?) Tracer is well powered with the Throttle plate limiter replaced so Full Throttle can be achieved it DOES have enough power for an old rider like me ...

Anyway Just thought I would see IF there is ANY LIFE around here - IF NOT then I woun't bother to come back ... it doesn't look used very much by the dates of the postings maybe one or two a YEAR ??? anyway it is what it is ...

Ciao - RIDE SAFE -
Greg
COOMA NSW
Australia.
 

NEALSMO

New member
This is a desolate forum, but there are more active forums out there.

I also did the Dave Moss front fork "upgrade" and noticed a difference. Unfortunately, the MT07 is a budget bike and suspension is where they really pinched pennies. My ultimate goal is a cartridge replacement up front and a complete rear shock swap eventually.
Jake the Garden Snake (youtube) did a complete MT07 conversion to an adventure setup before the Tenere was available in the US. Budget-wise it doesn't make sense to do what he did though.
 

frostbite

New member
Hi NEALSMO - Good to know there is life around here after all - (Only Joking) - I usually do that sort of thing with some of the New Forums I like to check out to see if the locals have any sense of Humor or Wonder who is this Old Fart from 'DownUnder ???
Yeah, You are right about the Suspension - For what the MT-07's are, they like others are built to a budget, as most of us are on a tight budget like my Disability Support Pension, Just keeps me with One Meal a Day and a Tank of fuel each week , and a bit of Insurance on the bike ..

I would like to GO FULL NOISE on the Tracer - BUT I would never get to use its potential - I am getting to old to play hard - BUT I still do enjoy getting out and about and enjoy the fresh Mountain air Except winter - It does Get Very COOL here - But the Stock Suspension isn't too bad really for what it is - I can't afford the fancy European suspension units - there are some budget things that can be done - just depends on what exactly you are wanting - I don't plan on going to hard on the dirt - IF i did I would have bought the Tenere 700 - I DO Like the Power Delivery from the MT-07 - Just a Very nice fairly substantial torque range from it . for a small parallel twin it is so very far from the last 650 Twin I had - Which was a 1972 XS2 Yamaha in the Orange Colour scheme ...

Yeah, the Garden snake hey - HE wanted to prove that an MT could be like a Tenere BUT I think he missed the mark a little - But an interesting concept but Seriously IF he was wanting to Build a BAD ASS ADVENTURE BIKE - Well - Maybe get a BMW GS800 with a BLOWN ENGINE/GEARBOX (CHEAP) and Pick Up a Good Low Mileage MT-07 Engine and GET TO WORK Making UP some BRACKETRY to BOLT it all together and THEN GO PLAY ... I have built a few different dirt squirters in my past life and it is surprising what you can do with a few scraps of Metal, an Oxy/Acetylene set and a Good Mig or Tig welder and a Bit of ingeneuity and a scribble pad ... Great FUN can BE had with BIG engines in Small frames - - Much Better than Small Engines in HEAVY CRUISER FRAMES ...

Hey - IT is All Relevant and as long as you are Enjoying what You are doing then IT is ALL GOOD ...

Great having a Bit of Banter here - Just wondering Where You might be ??? I am Down in the South of the State of New South Wales (NSW) Australia - a Little town called COOMA - it is the Gateway to the Snowy Mountains of Australia and the Highest Peak is Visible from where I am and I have ridden a few bikes up and around the mountain ranges here .... Beautiful Clean Pristine country around here - Mostly Sheep & Cattle grazing country .... and it is only 110k (70 Miles) Due South from CANBERRA - The National Capital City ...

Anyway Getting late here (again) 2:21am and time for some ShutEYE ...
Ciao for Now - Ride SAFE -
Greg.
 

NEALSMO

New member
Yeah, that MT07 off-road build was not ideal but was great for getting clicks on youtube.

I'm lucky enough to have a bike for street (MT07) and a great street legal off-road bike (DRZ400), so no need to compromise on either. My last few bikes have all been in the 650cc range (V-strom 650, SV650, and now MT07). Great power and flickable chassis. Although every time I ride an MT09 I have a sudden desire for MORE POWER!

I have found another FZ/MT forum that gets a little more action but is still light on activity and new posts. I'm surprised since these are such popular bikes:unsure: I enjoy reading others' experiences with their bikes and what the good mods are. Some parts are pretty expensive and involve a lot of labor, so prefer some feedback first.
I did find an MT07 with the exact suspension upgrades I'm considering on Twisted Road (bike rental app). Figure that is the ultimate way to try the suspension before purchase. For $70 I could rent the bike for 24hours and ride all my local roads for a true comparison.

I'm in San Diego California, so year-round riding on/off-road for the most part. Australia is on my bucket list for travel. The biggest thing holding me back is the lengthy plane ride.
 

frostbite

New member
Well with the MT-07 and the DRZ400 - Both Great Bikes in their own right and no doubt you have some interesting roads, tracks & trails and the climate that you can make the most of the year - Not sure on the Winters there - Where I am it is just on 1,000 Meters high and the Closest ski fields are about 35 - 40 miles away by road and about half that as the crow flies (Straight Line) - and the property is fairly Open and about 270* degree views and exposed to the south where the FREEZING Wind, Hail & SNOW comes whipping up from Antarctica and a CLEAR Alley way right up past Tasmania and then hits the Coastline of Victoria and comes howling up at winds sometimes up to 70 to 90 MPH Blizzard conditions usually a couple of times every winter ... with up to a foot of snow here at times .... BUT I will be looking for somewhere warmer and closer to my Sisters that I haven't seen for over 25 years now ...

There are some GOOD Roads around here and if traveling around during the week days - Less Traffic on the roads - Less traffic means less police on the roads and the normal shops and businesses are open if you need to do any shopping for anything ... Being on a pension does have some perks - Just that the money given to us by the government is just above the Poverty line and one has to budget wisely - Scrimp and save until enough is saved for things like a set of tyres, annual registration for road use, Insurance for me is paid monthly direct from a bank account ...

But I digress - Back to the Bikes - The DRZ400 would be a Good bike for the Dirt - Fairly lightweight and plenty of power, and I dare say fairly good Suspension & handling - Most every bike I have owned, I have had to Modify in some way to fit me - Handlebars, Seats, Foot pegs, and road use having a Useful Clear windscreen to stop the BEES - I am Allergic to Bee Stings - so a Windscreen is fairly well paramount for my road bikes over the years from the early '80's

That's why I chose the Tracer over the Standard MT-07 - and I bought a new piece of lexan sheet of 3mm thick 400mm x 600mm sized piece. It is a Clear Polycarbonate LEXAN, and I just need to Draw up a Shape and cut it out with a JigSaw, and sand the edges and fit it to the Tracer as the Stock Screen is only fairly short and needs to be taller and a bit wider - The Piece of LEXAN only cost me $26.00 Delivered against about 10 times that much for one from Yamaha or GIVI ... and Besides I like making my own accessories IF I CAN ... What I save on a Screen can go toward a set of 50/50 road/trail tyres in a couple of months time...

I nearly bought a second hand 2016 MT-09 Tracer that had 15,000 kilometers on it (9,000 Miles ?) but this covid lockdown bullcrap I couldn't get out of the area even to do that so it went by the wayside and after I watched a Video that a guy in europe had done and when HE had finished with the 09, he gave it to someone else and HE was an outright MANIAC on it - Popping wheelies everywhere and ripping through roundabouts and intersections - all the while recording it on a GoPro ... JUST Watching the Guy was scaring the crap out of me, I was waiting for him to BIN it - Mad Bastard he was.

I really started reviewing my Choice of motorcycle and the top priority for the next and most likely final bike I will ever buy and ride was the weight - Because as I get older I am getting weaker and just don't quite have the strength to muscle around 300kg plus motorcycles any longer ... so I wanted Something UNDER 200kg IF Possible ... The Tracer is 197kg With all Fuel and Oil, Cooling Fluids, etc and it has an 18 litre tank too (18ltrs is 4 Imperial Gallons - May be a Little More US Gallons ? Possibly a fuel range in excess of 400 kilometers .???

Well, IF you are chasing the Horsepower, then the MT-09 would be a fairly good bike - I think it is about 220kg or thereabouts and around 110hp not bad for a 900 triple (858cc?) ... AND if you can HIRE one for a Few bucks it would make sense to take it for a good ride and evaluate it against the 07 ... With the Motorcycle Road Registration fees they charge here in NSW - there are 4 categories and they go up in cost as the different capacity limits are reached for the categories ... The 07 is in the Second division being 655cc here for Australia and USA & Europe it is a 685cc I think (?) - and it makes for Cheap to register every year and it is extremely economical at approx Nearly 70 miles per imperial Gallon of fuel - 24.992 Kilometers per Litre - Not bad - and that is fairly consistent cruising around 110kph to 140kph (70mph to 85mph) on average ..... so I am fairly well pleased with the whole package and I think I chose well with the Tracer 700 - I checked the Odometer again the other day and it is just over 4,600k's on it now and I have done about 1,300k's in 3 weeks .... I can on average for 12 months here about 10,000kilometers - and if I really wanted to I could probably manage 15,000k's quite easily ... and that's just doing rides anything from 170k to just about 320k's ..a day ...

Certainly Take the 900 out for the day and Evaluate it - BUT BE CAREFUL with it as they are fairly Potent for a Mid sized triple ... HAVING FUN is What it is about.

Take Care - Ride Safe -
Ciao -
Greg.
 

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