[tknj99]

So excited to be picking her up today.. I will use this thread to post my initial thoughts and review as well as any mods I may undertake..

So far my plans are limited to:

• backrest (have 2 on order from Amazon - 1 with rack and 1 without - and will see which works best
• saddle bags - thinking of Viking or Matuzaka (sp) that i see on Ebay
• maybe new grips
• maybe a windshield.. i see the Vstream which looks nice but on the pricey side.. not sure yet if needed

Potential plans:
- I possibly may look to drill out the baffles although i have had loud bikes recently (a Honda Fury with Cobra swepts and modified baffles and a Mean Streak with V/H) so want to live on the quieter side of the street for a bit.
I have read some that commented that they loved the sound after drilling the baffles on the 9 but i may hold off for awhile.. perhaps at the June meetup there may be a brother that has that done and i can hear it in person. I can tell you that when i drilled the baffles on the Fury i hated the sound, it actually sounded more like a motor-boat than a motorcycle which led me to buy proper pipes..hopefully its better on the 9.

• ECU - not sure if this is needed.. i know it will if i mod the intake or install a spike as i did on my Fury.. im sure this bike is silly fast as it is, so if i did the ECU it would just be for drivability and not so much performance.
• Intake - maybe - I did a spike filter on my Fury and liked that look (paired with spike grips and pegs).. perhaps later down the line.

 

[SidecarJon]

So excited to be picking her up today.. I will use this thread to post my initial thoughts and review as well as any mods I may undertake..

So far my plans are limited to:

• backrest (have 2 on order from Amazon - 1 with rack and 1 without - and will see which works best
• saddle bags - thinking of Viking or Matuzaka (sp) that i see on Ebay
• maybe new grips
• maybe a windshield.. i see the Vstream which looks nice but on the pricey side.. not sure yet if needed

Potential plans:
- I possibly may look to drill out the baffles although i have had loud bikes recently (a Honda Fury with Cobra swepts and modified baffles and a Mean Streak with V/H) so want to live on the quieter side of the street for a bit.
I have read some that commented that they loved the sound after drilling the baffles on the 9 but i may hold off for awhile.. perhaps at the June meetup there may be a brother that has that done and i can hear it in person. I can tell you that when i drilled the baffles on the Fury i hated the sound, it actually sounded more like a motor-boat than a motorcycle which led me to buy proper pipes..hopefully its better on the 9.

• ECU - not sure if this is needed.. i know it will if i mod the intake or install a spike as i did on my Fury.. im sure this bike is silly fast as it is, so if i did the ECU it would just be for drivability and not so much performance.
• Intake - maybe - I did a spike filter on my Fury and liked that look (paired with spike grips and pegs).. perhaps later down the line.

Awesome! Congrats! I would definitely recommend an ECU flash regardless to improve the drivability. BCS can help you out with that. It will calm the beast while also unleashing more beast lol

 

[tknj99]

Thanks.. that sounds like a great thing, especially since where im moving to and building a new home, will be off a 1/2 mile of gravel plus another x00 feet of gravel driveway to the garage, so anything to calm it a bit from jumping at low throttle would be a plus... not really stoked about the new location as it can be quite a dusty ordeal

 

[Bering_C_Sparky]

Thanks.. that sounds like a great thing, especially since where im moving to and building a new home, will be off a 1/2 mile of gravel plus another x00 feet of gravel driveway to the garage, so anything to calm it a bit from jumping at low throttle would be a plus... not really stoked about the new location as it can be quite a dusty ordeal

Congrats on the new bike.
If your driving down dusty dirt roads daily, be sure to pull and clean/change the air filters regularly.
They are all too often forgotten about behind the salad bowl covers and clog up pretty quickly under those conditions.
Might want to consider installing K&N filters so they can be washed and recharged with filter oil. The stock filters are paper and are not able to be oiled.
After you take the stock intakes apart a time or two and see what a PITA it is, you will find yourself looking at aftermarket intakes that are much easier to remove the air filters.

Not sure where you live, but here are my thoughts on drilling the stock exhaust.
It's a band-aid move at best, it really does not give you anything extra by doing that, except some noise.
With the convoluted addenda's the liberal progressives in this country are pushing, it will not be long until mandatory vehicle inspections are brought back in all 50 states.
Then everyone will be searching high and low for an unmolested stock exhaust they can put on the bike for an hour or two, in order to get it to pass the inspections.
IMO, best move is to just install an aftermarket exhaust on the bike and squirrel the stock exhaust away with the rest of your "end of days supplies".
Chances are sometime in the near future you may need it again, to be able to pass yearly government inspections, in order to keep your bike registered.

Most guys that chop the stock exhaust, end up getting an aftermarket exhaust eventually anyway.
Aftermarket looks better, sounds better and are much lighter than the stock exhaust.

Enjoy the new ride.

BCS
LGB/FJB

 

[tknj99]

Thanks guys... rode home from the dealer, about a 1hr trip thru back country roads and some highway...here are my initial thoughts:

Feel: surprisingly the bike feels fairly nimble and handles quite well. I didnt want to push too much in the bends especially didnt want to scrape a peg but didnt seem worried that I was anywhere near that threshold.. note: i felt a bit more concerned of peg clearance around right curves

Power: Since i'm in the 500 mile break-in period i didnt go past 4k and tried to keep under 3500 with a few slight pulls here and there, but i can tell already that she is a real mover.. perhaps may even feel like my former 14R once i get the chance to let her loose after break-in

Shifting: As expected, clunk into first and then the 1-2 shift is the clunkiest, but getting to the other gears is nice and smooth.

Driveline: I did notice that she seems to not like chugging along at the slightest of throttle input and sorta has an on/off pulsing but nothing concerning.

Seating: the seat feels firm yet comfortable. My wife feels comfortable on the back as well

Seating Position: I'm about 5'10' and feel slighty stretched out to the bars.. perhaps may consider risers at some point

Suspension: Feels a bit stiff but not bad either

Overall: Very happy with the purchase and can say that she feels similar to my former Honda Fury but differs in that she is quite a brawny brawler comparatively and the power is on another level. Same when compared to my former Kaw Mean Streak, when i would 2-up with my wife the Meanie would feel quite weak in the low end, but not the 9, she shrugs off the extra weight of the passenger without a second thought

 

[Metalman]

Welcome to the group.
I like the Blue and gray and black paint.
I drilled out my baffles and now it sounds like an ATV on steroids.

 

[tknj99]

Update: added some comfort mods including a new backrest with luggage rack, cell mount for tunes and mounted my old Kuryakn Bag which despite showing its age works quite well and would keep me from needing to add saddlebags or more storage.
Next up: I want to look into:
1. 2" Risers as my shoulders start getting cramped from the reach after awhile
2. Vstream Tall Windshield or something that may work well for wind. I see Amazon generic variants as well that clip on for less than half the price but not sure if any may work well or just be return candidates. I'd look to buy a tinted one and think that the color scheme would lend itself well with a tinted screen
3. X-TRE or A-TRE: whichever one is most plug and play.. I see how 4th gear already is the shining star of the powertrain and think having that extra timing in gears 1-3 would be very nice and usable. I have access to 93 octane where i live so i dont think i'd have some of the pinging issues i've read others talk about.

 

[Bering_C_Sparky]

If you put a A-TRE on that bike, your gear indicator will always show 4th gear, no matter what gear you are actually in.
X-TRE is the one made for that bike so the gear indicator will function properly.
But with the X-TRE you will also have to cut one wire from the ECU and series it through the TRE.....so its not exactly plug and play.
X-TRE cost around $150.00......or they used too at least. Have not looked to see how much the price has increased in the past 15 months. (everything else has gone way up)
For a few dollars more you can have the ECU flashed.
ECU flash does exactly what the X-TRE will, plus a whole lot more. Much better bang for your buck, and you would not have any add on aftermarket devices to add to the bike.
I will send you a link, in a PM, so you can read more about what is included in the ECU flash.

BCS
LGB/FJB

 

[SidecarJon]

Do not mess with a TRE! Get an ECU flash. A TRE is junk compared to an ECU flash

 

[Hogan109r]

I’ve always liked that color scheme also of blue and black
BUTT lol like the chrome things on my bike also
Makes the led s shine more !!!
The power difference is a lot more ridden both those bikes !!

 

[Hogan109r]

Just get BCS to flash it , you will be more happy .
Will run a lot better .Ive ridden them flashed and mine unflashed
Big difference.
I did flash my Concourse Big Difference !!
Hope you enjoy your bike I love my 109

 

[tknj99]

Thanks guys for the info and recommendations.. for now, I'm planning on the A-TRE atleast until warranty runs out and then can look into the ECU especially if I mod the intake..

In other news.. I just purchased a clear VStream knockoff on EBay and look forward to installing soon.. should help with the highway rides

Also looking at 2" riser extensions but it seems the newer year bikes have different brake line connections from what I read so will have to see if it can be done without needing new/expensive cables. On my Fury I installed 3" fork extenders and was able to reroute and relocate a cable attachment to make it work.. hopefully can be done.. the only sucky part is that the black ones are like $130 plus shipping now from Revo while the same thing can be had in billet aluminum color off Ebay for $35...wouldn't match but perhaps could be spray painted to match..

 

[tknj99]

Update: have 2" black anodized Revo riser extensions on order from Mean Cycle - best price and free shipping. Also have some black grips with the rubber finger pads on order..
I tried adjusting the handlebars to be more level and it seems to have helped with shoulder strain but now I found that my mid back started to ache so the risers are definitely needed and I hope will make it the comfortable ride I want for longer rides..
Went for a nice long ride with my friend who rides a Triumph Tiger 900.. we rode some very twisty roads and he was quite impressed as I was at how well the 9 handles.. when he was leading it was fun keeping pace around curves and then quickly reeling him in on the straights.. even limiting my revs to max 4k this thing books..
I am still pushing the limits of what I can do on the curves.. and so far thankfully I haven't scraped a peg and feel quite confident in the handling.. probably the only challenging point was a left curve followed by an immediate right curve and the bike not being very flickable is where it can be more challenging..
Fun times.. stay tuned

P.s.. I'm at 200 mile mark now and planning for the oil change and rear diff change at the 500 mark.. I think I'm going to buy a High Flow oil filter with the nut on the end to make the changes easier and I have leftover 75w90 for the rear. For the motor oil I'm planning to use Rotella T6 5w40 as I have in the past and have read good things on this site in real world usage reports as well.. now I just gotta find some lol

 

[tknj99]

Update: i found some scuff marks on the black plastic along both sides where the passenger puts their boots. It seems like there should have been some extra protection or something for these areas. For now i buffed out the best i could and added an approx 3"x5" vinyl black tape to both sides to prevent further scuffing. I will look into a way to protect these sections in a more fashionable way, perhaps an M109 sticker or something.

Pic below is before some buffing with plastic scratch remover, its definitely better than the pic but not perfect.

 

[meierjn]

Update: have 2" black anodized Revo riser extensions on order from Mean Cycle - best price and free shipping. Also have some black grips with the rubber finger pads on order..
I tried adjusting the handlebars to be more level and it seems to have helped with shoulder strain but now I found that my mid back started to ache so the risers are definitely needed and I hope will make it the comfortable ride I want for longer rides..
Went for a nice long ride with my friend who rides a Triumph Tiger 900.. we rode some very twisty roads and he was quite impressed as I was at how well the 9 handles.. when he was leading it was fun keeping pace around curves and then quickly reeling him in on the straights.. even limiting my revs to max 4k this thing books..
I am still pushing the limits of what I can do on the curves.. and so far thankfully I haven't scraped a peg and feel quite confident in the handling.. probably the only challenging point was a left curve followed by an immediate right curve and the bike not being very flickable is where it can be more challenging..
Fun times.. stay tuned

P.s.. I'm at 200 mile mark now and planning for the oil change and rear diff change at the 500 mark.. I think I'm going to buy a High Flow oil filter with the nut on the end to make the changes easier and I have leftover 75w90 for the rear. For the motor oil I'm planning to use Rotella T6 5w40 as I have in the past and have read good things on this site in real world usage reports as well.. now I just gotta find some lol

Let me know how the risers work out. I've been toying with the idea of adding a pair to mine as well. I have a 2016 that is the darker blue/BOSS color scheme.

Hopefully you can find the Rotella oil. It seems to be difficult to find these days! I started using the Amsoil 10/40 Metric after my first couple of changes. I did notice smoother shifting after changing to it.

Congrats on the new bike! Your going to love it!

 

[tknj99]

Thanks.. no luck on the Rotella but i did read good reviews and wound up purchasing 8 quarts of Valvoline 4T 10w40 to hold me over for the next 2 changes. It seems that this is a very good oil despite being conventional that other 109R riders have endorsed, so thats good enough for me, im not a high mileage per year type so im sure will be fine.. perhaps will switch to the Rotella T6 in the future. The only thing that has me worried at this point is the original oil filter, i do have a swivel strap wrench so hopefully it comes off without much trouble. I did but a HiFlo with the socket endcap for the replacement.

Today i installed a new pair of grips and tomorrow will be the A-TRE. Looking forward to that and should have a good test run with it on the ride home.

 

[meierjn]

The filters are supposed to be turned on two full turns after the rubber 0-ring makes contact with the case. That's DAMN tight. I used a pair of filter plyers to take mine off last night when I changed my oil. I got it off but needed two hands on the plyers to grip the filter enough to get it off. I really don't understand why they say it has to be on that tight.

 

[tknj99]

Yes it's crazy.. I think the torque spec I've seen is 16-17 ft/lbs of torque.. i remember years back with my Honda Fury I tried to torque one of the filters with the nut on the end to that spec and it gave me shivers how tight it became so I backed it out and went back to my old mantra of contact plus 1/2 turn or so until it's hand tight. Never had an issue. Plan the same with the 9

 

[tknj99]

Update: Installed the A-TRE today and loving how she purrs now in gears 1-3.. i also feel less of the push/pull feeling i had noticed on part throttle.. hard to describe but now she feels much smoother on slight throttle cruising, less hesitation if you will. Big thank you to Jonathan (84Yota) for hooking me up and helping with the install..P.s. for anyone going to do this, the connector is on the exhaust side.. we accidentally connected to the conector on the clutch side and the gear indicator still worked while i lost the speedo. Now ofcourse, the gear indicator always shows 4th, but its all good, its a novelty i can live without.
Also.. just broke the 500 mile break-in and got a chance to open her up.. feels great! awesome power sitting between 4k-6k rpms..
Next up.. the oil change and rear diff fluid.

 

[Zoom]

I always install the filter as tight as I can get it by hand and it's never leaked. Sometimes I can get it back off by hand too. Glad you like the ATRE.