So last fall I sold my trusty 2005 Triumph Sprint ST motorcycle and picked up a 2019 Yamaha Tracer 900 GT. The bike is brilliant out of the gate but needed some tweaks to get where I wanted it to be for longer rides, and the rocky mountain climates.
- Touring Windscreen
- USB Charger/Voltage Meter
- Powerlet plug install for heated gear
- Dual Camera Dash-cam (Innovv K2) install
- Crash protection for the engine
- 50L top case and bracket install
- And figuring out some basic tool storage.
Now the Puig Touring screen and USB charger were done months ago, but the rest of it just happened this last week. Most of these updates were done for a spring trip that I am planning around the south west of New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. I needed more storage on the bike as the 2x 25L cases are tight for that kind of trip. The 50L case on the back really helps with carrying bulky yet light items. The Touring screen keeps most of the wind at the top or over my helmet at speed as well.
Innovv K2 Dashcam install
The Innovv K2 Dashcam install was something I’ve wanted to do for a year or so on the old bike and now on the new one. I’ve had a number of near misses in town on the bike, and if I can install a dash cam that will double as a camera always recording adventures… that works. In some testing the Innovv K2 setup rivals my GoPro’s I used to use on the bike if not better than them. Which isn’t shocking since I was using Hero2’s.
The camera/DVR setup comes as a kit below:
It has the DVR unit, 2 cameras, a GPS mount, and then a power brick/relay unit. The cameras come with mounts, but I didnt like the options for the Tracer. So I went to work designing my own mounts for the entire system. First up was to design the camera mounts themselves. One for the front and one for the rear of the bike. There is a nice “nook” on the nose of the Tracer 900GT that looked like perfect spot for the camera to go. No one makes mounts for it, so I did. You can see the iterative design process below to fit the camera in and make sure it had a clear view.
Iterative Design Process 
TPU layers printed inside Carbon Fiber Nylon for the final mounts 
Rear camera mount, the final prototype and the real mount. 
The front mount on the left and the last prototype on the right. Notice no TPU printed on the prototype.
The prototypes were all first printed in some rainbow PLA I had loaded for another project, which gave a pretty neat progression photo of the design process. PLA costs 1/4 that of the TPU and Matter hackers NylonX (Carbon Fiber Nylon) material from the real mounts. This let me iterate fast and not worry about the cost or wasting material.
Hole Template 
Screw holes marked 
Template mounted to test the fit 
Mount being installed 
Camera install done
The front camera mount install went very simple but only based on all the prep work I did. I designed nut holder/inserts (can be seen in the previous gallery) to make it easy to install the nuts behind the panel blind. With the camera mount installed there is no flex on the front fairing and the video is very smooth at speed.
The mounts themselves are so strong I actually stood on the rear camera mount by accident and it took my entire weight with no damage. Speaking of the rear camera…
Camera mounted under the rear top case mount. 
3 x 4mm screws threaded into the rear top case mount 
The mounting for the rear camera was done in a way to protect it from damage on the rear of the bike, not interfere with any of the lights, and also simplify wiring. Turns out the wire can run into the under-seat area easily from there. The angle isn’t perfect and I’ve already designed a slightly tweaked mount that rotates the camera down a few degrees and to the right side of the bike. But it works well and shows minimal vibration where it is mounted.
To attach the camera mount to the top case mount I tapped the 4mm holes to ensure a secure placement.
Mounting the DVR under the seat was the most logical place, but I wanted to be sure the mounting was not only stable, but also able to be accessible so I can have access to the MicroSD card. So I went to 3D print a mount.
Printed in stylish NylonG 
Placement under the seat 
DVR Secured with velcro straps 
Since this part doesn’t need any real strength, but heat resistance is probably a good thing, I printed this in blue Matterhackers NylonG (Glass Filled Nylon) that has similar temperature resistance to NylonX, but fun colors, and is more durable. I designed the mount to also act as a case to hold extra memory, lens protector glass, etc… I had spare velcro wire straps that I used to secure the DVR into place. I also added some adhesive foam strips to keep the DVR stable but not rattle around (as there is a mic on the DVR itself).
One final piece I designed for this setup was not for the motorcycle but for the front camera itself. I designed from scratch a water tight and durable lens protector.
I printed it out of the same materials as the camera mount just way thinner. I used 26mm disks of mineral glass meant for a watch. The main case is a 2 material print with a TPU seal at the front to center and hold the lens, and the NylonX to build the frame. Then there is a TPU sleeve that goes on the camera and seals the inside of the lens protector. Giving some seperation of the glass protector and the front of the camera as well. This should keep condensation from getting into the cavity between the protector and the camera. Then there is a pinch closure at the back very similar to how the main mount is used.
The 26mm glass is cost under $.50 each so I have a handful of them on hand if they get damaged in use. It would take minutes to replace a broken lens. The lens will also be treated with Rain-X as well. No lens protector is needed for the rear as it is much less prone to rocks hitting it.
So with all those parts printed, the last part was to install the power brick to power the camera.
There was a nice spot behind the battery to mount it with some 3M VHD tape. I tapped into the rear license plate light as the switched 12V supply to trigger the DVR to start. I did run the trigger line through some extra shrink tube I had to ensure that 12V line is protected from any cuts or the frame as it is a full 12V run without a fuse in the line. The main power runs were run direct to the battery for the power brick.
I’ve done a couple test rides and the camera/DVR works great. I will share some videos from future rides. The quality of the video of the K2 rivals or exceeds that of my old GoPro Hero 2 and 3 cameras at 1080P/30. I did install some higher bit rate firmware that I found via the Innovv forums.
Powerlet Install
One of the key things I was missing on this motorcycle is a Powerlet jack for heated gear. I had one on the Triumph, and used it heavily primarily for a heated vest I use. I bought a jack off Ebay and then found a nice place to put it.
Tucked into the rear vents 
Easy to reach from the riders seat behind to plug in. 
The 3D printed brace to secure the Powerlet.
I printed a front and rear brace to press securely against the seat lock mechnism when it is tightened down. I printed the brace in NylonG since it was in the printer, and the Blue is pretty sharp and matches other parts of the bike. The rear/downward angle of the Powerlet will also help keep water and weather out of it when its used and unused.
Crank case protectors
I purchased a cheap set of crank case armor for the engine to protect the exposed bits on the motor. I scored the set off Amazon for $115, when on Revzilla they cost $300+. (link to these – not an affiliate link, just a normal amazon link)
I ended up using the Pulse sensor cover and the Alternator cover. The clutch cover isnt needed as the current CP3 comes with a full plastic cover over the clutch. The water pump cover also is kind of a PITA to install and the alternator protector will more than protect that area from any fallovers.
Only bad thing was the stickers were ugly.
So I designed a plate to fill in that area in place of the “Mad Racing” stickers. I printed these to say “Tracer” in the Yamaha font (using a vector of the actual tracer logo). The name is in blue NylonG, and the white is in white NylonG. Both should be more than capable of handling the heat and wear/tear where they are located. I installed them with some Gorilla Glue which seems fine at securing Nylon compounds. Even if I lose one, it takes 15 min to print a new one 🙂 I also may try them in black backing with blue text, but it seemed hard to read the text that way. I like the pop of the white and blue.
Up Next:
Next thing to take care of on the bike is tool storage, and finding a place for some items I cant fit. Namely a small 12V pump for the tires, and tire repair items. One concept I am working on is modifying the underside of the pillion seat to fit the tools/pump into it. Since I don’t ride 2 up, and don’t need that seat to be comfortable I could design a frame/mount to replace the underside of the seat.
Another thing I was looking to add to the bike is the actual Yamaha frame slider / crash protection. I am not sure I want to invest the $280 for a set of them… but it is something I am considering.
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