[kj7687]

Hell yea brother! You're going to have an absolute blast on that thing! Just be extremely cautious of cars on the road and ride with the mindset that all of them are constantly out to get you and expect them to do anything possible to kill you in all situations LOL (I laugh, but seriously...) -- like pulling out in front of you from a driveway at the last possible second.

 

[kj7687]

I already picked up a Tusk rack, and I've ordered 2" Rox risers, IMS pegs, and IMS shifter.

I want the tall cycle concepts seat, but I'm hesitant to order because of the long delay from order to shipment. Also, I'm not excited about stapling the cover and foam onto the seat. I wish I could just find one, already done, for sale locally.

I had good luck with an upholstery guy doing it one time, although at this point, I'd probably just do it myself.

 

[kj7687]

Hey look, actual smart people actually giving good advice! Are you guys aliens, or something? I don't see this sort of thing here on Earth.

Anyways...here is a copy of the new engine break-in methodology that I developed for myself after many hours of deep research on the topic. I have done the factory method (religiously followed what you will find in your TW owner's manual...) on a TW200, and I have done my research-driven method on two other new bikes. Although admittedly very much anecdotal, my experiences suggest that the latter is far better/more complete/more accurate than the former (in terms of overall power, oil consumption, etc.). Feel free to follow as much or as little of it as you wish LOL (some of it will be "too late" anyway), but yea here it is.


*Do several complete heat cycles (warm up the engine then let it cool completely over several hours) in the first couple of hundred miles; the very first heat cycle should simply be about 3 minutes of engine idling -- after that cycle, the rest should be around 10 to 15 minutes of riding.


*Always warm up the motor for a minute before riding; go easy on it while it's still cold (3 to 5 minutes of riding).


*During "normal" break-in riding, very frequently vary your throttle, engine RPM, speed, and gear selection (but don't use top gear too much); punctuate this about every 10 miles with a wide open (full throttle) blast up to about 90% of engine redline (max RPM) and then letting engine braking slow you back down to a low RPM (around 25% of redline); ideally, this should be in second or third gear (being mindful of speed limits...).


*Do not CONSISTENTLY/CONSTANTLY operate the vehicle at over 1/2 throttle for the first 600 miles; do not consistently/constantly operate the vehicle at over 2/3 throttle from 600 to 1,000 miles; note: still ensure frequent acceleration and deceleration under engine braking (just NOT normally at or near full throttle, except as noted^^).


*Change the engine oil and filter very early and very frequently during the first thousand miles -- at 0 miles (immediately after first heat cycle) and then at 25, 100, 250, 600, and 1,000 miles.


*Avoid running the engine for too long (not more than 10 or 15 minutes during the first few rides) without letting it cool down completely, especially during the first 250 miles.


*Be careful not to lug the engine too much during break-in: generally, keep the transmission a gear lower than you would normally use at any given speed and try to avoid riding on steeper hills.

 

[kj7687]

Congrats man. That new-bike honeymoon period is always the greatest. I do hope to get "married" again soon LOL! I have found that motorcycling is indeed a fantastically therapeutic form of blissful escapism: no work, no BS, no worries!

 

[kj7687]

Is it just me, or do more Yamaha customers tend to end up as repeat customers compared to other brands? The only exception being KTM guys...? (they all just refuse to even consider anything else? ahahah)

I am not a brand loyalist; I really break things down and make categories of comparison and such whenever I buy a vehicle. Interestingly enough, when doing that with motorcycles, I guess I somehow "always" land on Yamaha LOL. Out of the six motorcycles I've owned over the years, three have been Yamahas. Out of the four brand new bikes I've owned, three have been Yamahas... LOL. That hasn't been "by design", but rather simply because Yamaha has tended to have the best product within the category / market niche that I've been shopping when making new-bike purchases: reliability, value for money, technology, power, handling, simplicity and focus/purposefulness, etc. Yamaha knows what's good!

Welcome to the multi-Yamaha club

The T7, in my book, replaced the V-Strom 650 as the #1-choice ADV bike. I might still take the V-Strom if I planned to use it for at least 95% street (which was kind of always the case with it, anyway; I just am not the type who would really want to ride off road on any sort of "traditional" Adventure bike). With the T7, I'd be fairly comfortable taking that ratio as far as about 80/20 street/dirt. Great choice!