What do we now think of the bike

So now you've got one how well does it stack up?

  • It surpasses my expectations

    Votes: 779 56.2%
  • It's exactley what I thought it would be

    Votes: 514 37.1%
  • It's not quite what I thought it would be

    Votes: 88 6.3%
  • It's nothing like I thought it would be

    Votes: 6 0.4%

  • Total voters
    1,387

De-Silva

Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2013
Messages
30
Location
Cary, NC, USA
Over a year ago, bought a used 2014 with about 13.5K miles on it... have put on an additional 7 K miles in the last year.... this bike is just PHENOMENAL!!!!!!!!! Does everything I want without a fuss.....easy lazy power, endless mile munching capability, awesome ergonomics... I'm gonna keep this one around for a LONG TIME! I came off a FJ-09 which was also a good bike, bit not as well built as this one...
 
B

ballisticexchris

Guest
This bike is amazing. Two big things impress me the most so far. One is the miles you can do at each sitting. The only thing that limits my staying planted in the saddle is having to piss.

And what is just a mind blower is the build quality. I have had both Japanese and European bikes. Asian bikes have always been reliable but had a "tinny" quality to them. Not so with this bike. I noticed high quality fasteners, panels, rims, etc are used throughout the bike. And the hydraulic clutch has a really good feel to it.
 

sutol1

Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2014
Messages
35
Location
Toronto
I love this bike. It handles better than I ever thought it would. Seems to just fall into the corners so well and is flickable.....doesn't make sense looking at it yet.

I have spent many 12 - 15 hour days in the saddle of this bike and could still walk after stepping off. Just seems to do it all for me. Japanese army knife.

wished it were lighter, wished the motor was less agricultural but fin with both and will own it for a long time as I just got it to where I like it. All options fitted and sorted.

Great bike
 

Boris

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2013
Messages
2,078
Location
midlands. UK
I love this bike. It handles better than I ever thought it would. Seems to just fall into the corners so well and is flickable.....doesn't make sense looking at it yet.

I have spent many 12 - 15 hour days in the saddle of this bike and could still walk after stepping off. Just seems to do it all for me. Japanese army knife.

wished it were lighter, wished the motor was less agricultural but fin with both and will own it for a long time as I just got it to where I like it. All options fitted and sorted.

Great bike
Hi Sutol, assuming from your pic that you have a Gen1 bike, have you updated the clutch basket to the Gen 2 version? I too have a Gen1 and thought it very agricultural, however an updated basket made a big difference to my bike. Now so so much nicer and more refined to ride.
 

sutol1

Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2014
Messages
35
Location
Toronto
No I havn't. What does that change do and how different does it feel? I will research this as I am not sure what that mod does but excited I could improve the feel. :)
 

Boris

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2013
Messages
2,078
Location
midlands. UK
No I havn't. What does that change do and how different does it feel? I will research this as I am not sure what that mod does but excited I could improve the feel. :)
The Gen2 basket is a lot lot quieter, a lot smoother, the revs pick up quicker, so much nicer to ride.

My bike had about 3k miles on it when I bought it and was fine really, noisy and not very refined, but ok. As the miles when up the clutch got noisier and definitely more vibey, with a clear chudder (only word I can think of) at about 3-4K revs, it was getting on my nerves. I rode a mates 2014 bike and was shocked at the difference.

A bit of digging about on here and other internet stuff and it became clear that the Gen1 bikes did have a problematic basket, albeit not unreliable, just a vibey, noisy and somewhat irritating set up, which seemed to affect some earlier bikes worse than others. A few had upgraded to the newer version basket with good results, and as mine was tainting ownership for me I decided to upgrade to the gen 2 basket.

Once fitted I knew it was better as soon as I started the bike, riding it confirmed a huge improvement. Mine was a night and day difference and riding the bike was again an enjoyable experience.

My bike had about 13k miles on it when I swapped parts.
 

sutol1

Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2014
Messages
35
Location
Toronto
Cool thanks for the heads up. Was this something you did yourself or dealer? Cost? I would love to have it a bit smoother and refined.
 

Boris

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2013
Messages
2,078
Location
midlands. UK
Fairly easy to do yourself, but you will need a clutch holding tool, and a torque wrench that goes to 125nm, takes about an hour tops, no need to drain any oil. I followed the details in the link below.

I'm in the UK and got the part from the US as it was about half the UK price, I didn't get the gasket for the cover as mine was fine to reuse. Unfortunately the part I was sent was faulty, and due to different the countries involved I ended up with some hassle, so ended up getting a UK part and the dealer to fit it for an hours labour. Nonetheless, it is a fairly straightforward job.

I think the US price was just over $290


http://www.vibefreev.com/downloads/Removing and Replacing the Yamaha XT1200 Clutch Basket.pdf
 

Checkswrecks

Ungenear to broked stuff
Staff member
Global Moderator
2011 Site Supporter
Joined
Mar 7, 2011
Messages
11,506
Location
Damascus, MD
Easy to change the clutch basket and it's just like most any other Japanese bike, so there are plenty of videos on Youtube for how to do it without buying special tools.
 

AlsoRan

Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Messages
467
Location
West Coast
No I havn't. What does that change do and how different does it feel? I will research this as I am not sure what that mod does but excited I could improve the feel. :)
The newer clutch basket was one of the better mods for my Gen-1. Much smoother overall and especially accelerating through the 2,500 - 3,500 RPM range. Now I don't have to attempt to avoid that RPM range anymore.
 

tallpaul

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2017
Messages
912
Location
Whitworth, Rochdale, UK
Just cast my vote now that I've had the bike for a year. It meets my needs for size, fun and economy. I love the engine and the cruise control. The only minor downers I have on it are that I would like to have cast wheels rather than spokes, plus I'd like the footpegs just a touch further forward than they are at present. I'm looking into the footpegs at the moment. Not sure there are any other shaft drive bikes in the Yamaha range that have wheels that will fit. Still wouldn't swap the bike for a brand that has the above though!
 

BaldKnob

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2012
Messages
776
Location
SENC
Perhaps I am lucky but don’t notice any issue through the range.
The vibration didn’t become a problem with my 1st Gen until the 50K mile mark and I swapped basket/fiber plates at around 60K. It made a huge difference in the mechanical clatter, vibration and overall ride quality.

Not many reports of clutch issues and I have never heard of the basket actually failing so no worries if you’re OK with the ride. It’s a stout piece of engineering despite the springs rattling in the backside.
 
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sutol1

Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2014
Messages
35
Location
Toronto
Guess I will look for the definitive thread to noodle if I can do this and what I will need as I would like to get it done. Smoothness and less chatter is a goal now that I know it is achievable.
 

Boris

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2013
Messages
2,078
Location
midlands. UK
This pic is from a 2013 bike, part 1 is clearly different, it's the springs and how they are located that cause the problem,

image.png
 

SHUMBA

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2018
Messages
1,242
Location
ONTARIO, CANADA
This bike is amazing. Two big things impress me the most so far. One is the miles you can do at each sitting. The only thing that limits my staying planted in the saddle is having to piss.

And what is just a mind blower is the build quality. I have had both Japanese and European bikes. Asian bikes have always been reliable but had a "tinny" quality to them. Not so with this bike. I noticed high quality fasteners, panels, rims, etc are used throughout the bike. And the hydraulic clutch has a really good feel to it.
Yup, me too, this bike has a far greater range than my bladder.
Anyone know how to pee on the go??
SHUMBA

Sent from my SM-T380 using Tapatalk
 

SilverBullet

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2014
Messages
1,175
Location
Harmaston, TX

Sierra1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
14,963
Location
Joshua TX
I've peed in my wet suit....in ice cold water....when I was in the Navy....but....in a tube....going down the road? With my luck, there'd be a kink in the line....causing a back-up....and quite the mess. :oops:
 

SHUMBA

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2018
Messages
1,242
Location
ONTARIO, CANADA
I've peed in my wet suit....in ice cold water....when I was in the Navy....but....in a tube....going down the road? With my luck, there'd be a kink in the line....causing a back-up....and quite the mess. :oops:
Yup I peed all the time in my boardsailing suit. Just wash and rinse in shampoo and all is good
SHUMBA

Sent from my SM-A520W using Tapatalk
 
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