Black bodywork with blue stripes. I suddenly found myself remembering that TDM850.
The lineage is close… don’t you feel like history repeats itself?
A rare Yamaha Tracer900GT came in for regular maintenance, plus air filter and spark plug replacement.
Anyway… removing the bodywork on new bikes is a real hassle.
You have to remove almost everything just to access the tank. There are all sorts of fastening elements—clips, pins, hooks, velcro and more.
If you yank something with a “huh!” it can snap right off, so you have to be careful and it really wears on your nerves.
Air filter replacement complete.
The box interior was clean, so I just wiped it down and we’re done.
I’ve upgraded the spark plugs to iridium.
When you spend all your time looking at 20th-century bikes, you really notice how new these plugs are.
Coolant should be replaced every two years. It cycles continuously between room temperature and around 100 degrees.
The rubber was deteriorating, so I replaced it with an NTK P541A. Pressure and shape are fine. Yamaha used M5 with a locking feature, so I drilled a hole to match.
The manufacturers who make this stuff are incredible… but compared to 20th-century bikes, the serviceability is… well, if I could just work on these all day… but you know.
I cleaned and lubricated the chain.
Just proper cleaning and lubrication makes a huge difference in durability. The chain will run smoother and quieter, and you’ll enjoy a much more comfortable ride.
I lubricated both levers.
*Regular maintenance was external lubrication only… oops, my mistake.
I was impressed by the side stand design—it’s quite modern.
The springs have a protective cover and a nice dual rate.
Noting the free length and compressed length of these nice-looking springs might help build up some useful cross-reference information.
I cleaned all three calipers. Whether it’s because Yamaha partners with Brembo or not, I’m not sure… but these MOS calipers move really smoothly.
They’re almost like Brembo. Personally, they remind me a bit of Spiegler, so I quite like these calipers.
I’ve replaced the brake fluid with Golden Cruiser DOT.
The front master is black because it’s anodized aluminum, so don’t worry about it.
After charging the battery, a test ride and we’re done.
The most challenging parts were removing the bodywork and replacing the spark plugs.
