This started in the The Paulcb Memorial Coldest Ride, Winter 2023-2024, but to answer Mellow's question, I thought it best to start a new thread and keep that one more or less on topic.
My criteria for a new bike has always been:
I don't want to offend anyone with my next comments. So don't take it personally if you own a Tracer. I think they are ugly. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I think it is a good example of function over form. I saw one at Artist Point last summer. I thought the owner said it was the previous model, the Tracer 900 GT, which I thought was beautiful in the pictures. But maybe it was the latest version. In any case, I thought it was ugly. So when Carol said to buy a new motorcycle, the choice was down to one. The BMW F900 XR.
I was ready not to like it. But as I pulled away from Seattle BMW on a test ride, I started noticing little things that I appreciated. The F800GT was easy to stall for the uninitiated. This XR was not. In fact, the bike was incredibly stable at less than walking speeds. Hmm... That was a relief because I was in mostly stopped, stop-n-go traffic. The feeling I came away with was like I had when I test rode the F800GT. The bike I rode in on, the Honda NT700V had nothing wrong about it. I liked it. But there was something about the F800GT that made me think this was the right way to go. And as it turned out, it was. Same thing here. Nothing wrong with the F800GT...except the rear axle bearing...but this XR is subtly better.
Engine. The throttle mapping modes are interesting. "Rain" is like you would expect. Muted throttle response. It was handy to try that on the sub-freezing temps of the past week. "Road" is much like the feeling I had on the F800GT. Responsive, but in a linear fashion. "Dynamic"...Wow! The Tracer folks can brag about their throttle response from that wonderful triple, but in Dynamic mode, this engine is no slouch at all. It seems to work on the principle that if I turn the throttle quickly...I must want to go quickly...and it does. It'll respond quick enough that it has pulled my left hand off the handlebar twice. It's fast. It'll bring a grin to your face that goes from ear to ear. And at those forementioned almost stopped times, it seems like it senses the clutch positioning and keeps the rpms up just enough to not stall. It's a delight, pure and simple.
Suspension. It's a bit firmer than my F800GT was. Good responsiveness in twisties. Dynamic mode is not too harsh, like what I found when I test road a R1200RS years ago. Dynamic mode is quite acceptable for even riding all the time. And the Road mode, is just a bit smoother, but not too much.
Wind management. I'm impressed. The Honda NT700V had excellent wind management. Little to no turbulence behind that adjustable screen. The fairing did its job well. The F800GT took that a step higher, which surprised me. When I test rode it on the freeway, I was amazed to notice the trucks weren't pushing me around. Later, I did get some turbulence, but I'd just change the F800GT's suspension setting from Comfort to Normal or Sport even. As you firmed up the suspension, the F800GT was more stable in those cross-winds. The F900 XR is another step higher. I was riding out to the coast and hitting some fairly decent cross-winds. They made no effect on the bike or me at all. And even though it seems like the fairing is minimal...it does what you need. I'm learning that all those angular bits and pieces on the fairing are there for a reason. The gas tank is narrower between my knees and I can get them in easily. The rest of the fairing just cuts through the wind...and when you move your hand out from your leg...you can feel the full force of what you're missing.
I'm impressed with the windscreen too. It's small. And yet it works well enough that I doubt I'll ever replace it. It also has two positions that you can adjust it to while riding. The upper position does let some wind hit your arms, but the torso is out of the wind. The lower position will be great during the summer in hot temps as it allows a lot more air to flow to your chest. But all this is without turbulence.
Ergonomics. Again, I'm impressed. The riding position is more upright than on the F800GT, but not overly so. Last summer, I was getting a lot of pain in my hands on the F800GT. My doc says I had bursitis. There were some days I would get to the motel and be in absolute pain. One of the COG members introduced me to CBD oil. It helped a lot. (I'm sure the tequila did too.
) But on the XR, the riding position is such that there's no weight on my hands. In fact, I don't even see a need for foam grips! That will be wonderful next summer.
The seat is a surprise too. I have short legs. The XR is a bit taller than the F800GT was. So I got the Low Seat option which means there's less padding in the seat. I expected it to be like a wooden plank to sit on. It's not. There is very little padding in the area where your tailbone hits...but that's great because the tailbone doesn't hurt. And while the padding under the butt cheeks is not generous, it seems to be enough that I can do a full day's ride without discomfort.
The footpegs are a little high, but not too much for me.
The TFT Dash and Wonder Wheel. This is far better than I expected. (Are you sensing a trend here?) The information is laid out very well. Going from the main screen, you can easily get into all the details you want to know about, and more. And yet the interface with the Wonder Wheel is so well thought out that it isn't distracting. What's more, you can pair your smartphone up and answer phone calls, listen to music and even access written GPS directions. With the GPS, BMW still wants you to buy their expensive GPS, but if you can do without seeing a moving picture, this could be all you need.
In comparison, not only is the Tracer ugly to me to walk up to, but this is what you see when you're on the bike.
Once I heard of the comparison to a scuba diver with goggles, I couldn't get it out of my head.
Negatives. Few actually, and two can be fixed fairly easily.
And that's it. No regrets. Just looking forward to taking this awesome bike out on some multi-state trips like the other one.
Chris
This won't last long, but it puts me in the top 10 for now.
28F on the road to Damascus House.
Chris
This started back last spring at the COG Bun Cooler in Kamiah, Idaho. To make a long story much shorter, my rear axle bearing "grenaded" inside the rear hub. If that had happened as we were riding along the river out to Elk City and back, I wouldn't be writing this post. The rear bearing parts disintegrated and locked up the rear wheel. A new part was $1200. I picked up a used swing arm from eBay and installed it instead. Then last September, it seemed some of the same characteristics of the same bearing failing were beginning to show up. My wife decided she wanted to keep me around for awhile and told me to buy a new motorcycle, and trade-in the old one. The F800GT lasted me 107K. Lots of fantastic memories and except for that rear bearing, it never let me down.
My criteria for a new bike has always been:
- Less than 1000ccs. Above that, IMO, you're getting into the two-wheeled car category. Most of my cars had less hp than my last two motorcycles have.
- Less than 500 lbs. Above that, and I'm getting into the category of not wanting to stop for a picture at the end of the day because I simply can't bear the thought of manhandling that much weight on the road shoulder.
- Full fairing. I ride too much in rain and cold. A naked bike would become just a toy for me.
- Shaft or belt drive. You can't have it all, I guess.
I don't want to offend anyone with my next comments. So don't take it personally if you own a Tracer. I think they are ugly. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I think it is a good example of function over form. I saw one at Artist Point last summer. I thought the owner said it was the previous model, the Tracer 900 GT, which I thought was beautiful in the pictures. But maybe it was the latest version. In any case, I thought it was ugly. So when Carol said to buy a new motorcycle, the choice was down to one. The BMW F900 XR.
I was ready not to like it. But as I pulled away from Seattle BMW on a test ride, I started noticing little things that I appreciated. The F800GT was easy to stall for the uninitiated. This XR was not. In fact, the bike was incredibly stable at less than walking speeds. Hmm... That was a relief because I was in mostly stopped, stop-n-go traffic. The feeling I came away with was like I had when I test rode the F800GT. The bike I rode in on, the Honda NT700V had nothing wrong about it. I liked it. But there was something about the F800GT that made me think this was the right way to go. And as it turned out, it was. Same thing here. Nothing wrong with the F800GT...except the rear axle bearing...but this XR is subtly better.
Engine. The throttle mapping modes are interesting. "Rain" is like you would expect. Muted throttle response. It was handy to try that on the sub-freezing temps of the past week. "Road" is much like the feeling I had on the F800GT. Responsive, but in a linear fashion. "Dynamic"...Wow! The Tracer folks can brag about their throttle response from that wonderful triple, but in Dynamic mode, this engine is no slouch at all. It seems to work on the principle that if I turn the throttle quickly...I must want to go quickly...and it does. It'll respond quick enough that it has pulled my left hand off the handlebar twice. It's fast. It'll bring a grin to your face that goes from ear to ear. And at those forementioned almost stopped times, it seems like it senses the clutch positioning and keeps the rpms up just enough to not stall. It's a delight, pure and simple.
Suspension. It's a bit firmer than my F800GT was. Good responsiveness in twisties. Dynamic mode is not too harsh, like what I found when I test road a R1200RS years ago. Dynamic mode is quite acceptable for even riding all the time. And the Road mode, is just a bit smoother, but not too much.
Wind management. I'm impressed. The Honda NT700V had excellent wind management. Little to no turbulence behind that adjustable screen. The fairing did its job well. The F800GT took that a step higher, which surprised me. When I test rode it on the freeway, I was amazed to notice the trucks weren't pushing me around. Later, I did get some turbulence, but I'd just change the F800GT's suspension setting from Comfort to Normal or Sport even. As you firmed up the suspension, the F800GT was more stable in those cross-winds. The F900 XR is another step higher. I was riding out to the coast and hitting some fairly decent cross-winds. They made no effect on the bike or me at all. And even though it seems like the fairing is minimal...it does what you need. I'm learning that all those angular bits and pieces on the fairing are there for a reason. The gas tank is narrower between my knees and I can get them in easily. The rest of the fairing just cuts through the wind...and when you move your hand out from your leg...you can feel the full force of what you're missing.
I'm impressed with the windscreen too. It's small. And yet it works well enough that I doubt I'll ever replace it. It also has two positions that you can adjust it to while riding. The upper position does let some wind hit your arms, but the torso is out of the wind. The lower position will be great during the summer in hot temps as it allows a lot more air to flow to your chest. But all this is without turbulence.
Ergonomics. Again, I'm impressed. The riding position is more upright than on the F800GT, but not overly so. Last summer, I was getting a lot of pain in my hands on the F800GT. My doc says I had bursitis. There were some days I would get to the motel and be in absolute pain. One of the COG members introduced me to CBD oil. It helped a lot. (I'm sure the tequila did too.
) But on the XR, the riding position is such that there's no weight on my hands. In fact, I don't even see a need for foam grips! That will be wonderful next summer.The seat is a surprise too. I have short legs. The XR is a bit taller than the F800GT was. So I got the Low Seat option which means there's less padding in the seat. I expected it to be like a wooden plank to sit on. It's not. There is very little padding in the area where your tailbone hits...but that's great because the tailbone doesn't hurt. And while the padding under the butt cheeks is not generous, it seems to be enough that I can do a full day's ride without discomfort.
The footpegs are a little high, but not too much for me.
The TFT Dash and Wonder Wheel. This is far better than I expected. (Are you sensing a trend here?) The information is laid out very well. Going from the main screen, you can easily get into all the details you want to know about, and more. And yet the interface with the Wonder Wheel is so well thought out that it isn't distracting. What's more, you can pair your smartphone up and answer phone calls, listen to music and even access written GPS directions. With the GPS, BMW still wants you to buy their expensive GPS, but if you can do without seeing a moving picture, this could be all you need.
In comparison, not only is the Tracer ugly to me to walk up to, but this is what you see when you're on the bike.
Once I heard of the comparison to a scuba diver with goggles, I couldn't get it out of my head.
Negatives. Few actually, and two can be fixed fairly easily.
- Space is a premium on this bike. The underseat storage area is not generous. If you add electronic accessories, you'll find the room runs out quickly. It was a challenge, but I had just enough room, and no more.
- There is no service manual available. BMW decided to quit putting their service manual on DVDs, so they are no longer available to purchase. It's a bother, but there are a couple ways around it. One is forums like this one where others share what they did. YouTube "University" has lots of videos. And you can access BMW's service manual in the cloud. There's a license fee, but for a reasonable cost, you can get a day subscription and then print off as much as time allows. I'll be doing that soon.
- The kickstand is too short. Way to short. The advantage is that you can park on the side of the road and not worry about the bike tipping over if the pavement on the left is higher than the pavement on the right. But this is a chore to get the bike vertical when parked. You can buy sidestand extenders that will take care of that. So it is fixable.
And that's it. No regrets. Just looking forward to taking this awesome bike out on some multi-state trips like the other one.
Chris
I like having Great Days! 
