Yamaha 900 gt?

[BigLee]

Anybody tried a yamaha 900 gt for the possibility of changing their explorer? I rather like the look of them and they generally get good write ups. I use my tiger for touring and the comfort for my 6'6" self is pretty good as it allows me to stand up on the pegs for a stretch 
Lockdown fad on 

[Simmo]

I've had no riding experience of one myself but I did have the pleasure of following one for a couple of thousand miles in September last year around northern Spain and Portugal.

The chap riding it was heavier than I (and I'm 214lbs) and I couldnt keep up with him!

The bike was brand new, seemed to run faultlessly and I heard no complaints re comfort.

I'm not sure I'd be comfortable as I've got long legs (34ish inseam)

Simmo

[BigLee]

I've got longer legs than you but I believe they do a comfort seat which is a bit higher 

[knapdog]

I've thought of one. They have really good write ups but J think they're ugly. I also don't like the look of the panniers.  They're like two cup cakes stuck on the side.
When the next generation come out they'd have to improve the looks for me to have one.
No one wants to own an ugly bike
All my comments are subjective, of course.

[XCaTel]

They seem great value for money bikes with a lot of kit as standard. Note Yamaha say panniers OR top box, not both. Also note the load capacity with the standard panniers is a very small 167Kg, fine if you are a solo rider but not so great for heavier loads, two up etc. The new BMW 900 has a load capacity of 219Kg (without the panniers) which is mighty impressive. I think the Tiger 800 has a load capacity around 220Kg too so imagine the new Tiger 900 must be something similiar.

[KenW]

Originally Posted by XCaTel

... Note Yamaha say panniers OR top box, not both. Also note the load capacity with the standard panniers is a very small 167Kg, fine if you are a solo rider but not so great for heavier loads, two up etc. The new BMW 900 has a load capacity of 219Kg (without the panniers) which is mighty impressive. I think the Tiger 800 has a load capacity around 220Kg too so imagine the new Tiger 900 must be something similiar.

There seems to be two categories in here, those that carry a pillion, and those that don't.  The "don'ts" forget that all the time.
167kg - I'd exceed that as soon as the missus got on the back, without any panniers, tools etc on board.  Useless.
And top box OR panniers?  Also useless (for me).

[pcarnut]

Not sure how the 900GT differs from the FJ09 we had over here, but owned an FJ09 for about 6-7 months.  Bought it to replace my Tiger 1050.  The FJ motor is very strong and a hoot to ride, but vibes from the cross-plane crank were intrusive.  Suspension was cheaply done, but even with adding an Ohlins to the rear and re-valving the forks I could not get it to ride well.  I've generally been a big Yamaha fan, have owned a bunch of FJR1300s, but the 900 felt cheaply done compared to my 1050. In the end I sold it and kept the Tiger.

[KenW]

Is the FJ09 what we had in Oz called an XJ900S (Diversion)?  I had a couple of those S/H.  The TEx weaned me off them.
They were deliberately made as a low cost, bulletproof bike, with a long production run, to keep costs down.  Decent tourer with decent load capacity.
Mine had an aftermarket Ohlins rear shock, but the ride was still inferior to the gen1 TEx (which was inferior to my gen3).

https://waggies.net/piwigo/_data/i/galleries/BikeStuff/XjStuff/myXJ900S-me.jpg

[pcarnut]

Originally Posted by KenW

Is the FJ09 what we had in Oz called an XJ900S (Diversion)?  I had a couple of those S/H.  The TEx weaned me off them.
They were deliberately made as a low cost, bulletproof bike, with a long production run, to keep costs down.  Decent tourer with decent load capacity.
Mine had an aftermarket Ohlins rear shock, but the ride was still inferior to the gen1 TEx (which was inferior to my gen3).

https://waggies.net/piwigo/_data/i/galleries/BikeStuff/XjStuff/myXJ900S-me.jpg

No, completely different bike.  In Europe I believe the FJ09 was called the Tracer?  Small front windshield that was pretty much useless and cheap plastic shrouds.  Could be had with saddlebags similar to the FJR1300.  Probably the single hardest bike I've had to clean, nooks and crannies every where.

[CaptainTrips]

I think that the Tracer has gone through a number of revisions. The current version sounds like it is a lot more refined than the originals. I have been thinking about taking a test ride on one, purely out of curiosity, you understand.