TRACER ON TOUR
Yamaha’s new Tracer 9 GT ridden & rated
Yamaha have sold shed loads of MT-09 Tracers and Tracer 900s since their inception six years ago and it’s easy to see why. It’s robust, dependable, a cinch to ride and superb value. It’s a machine that never broke the mould, but when you gave it a job to do – whether it was a ride to Morrisons or Monaco – it rolled up its sleeves and got on with it, all to the soundtrack of its rasping threecylinder engine. OK, so the screen could be as loud as a jet engine and it would get a wobble-on when pushed hard, but you could never stay mad with it for long.
But it’s all-change for 2021. It gets another new name: Tracer 9 and a smorgasbord of updates. Based on the new and improved MT-09 it has a bigger new longer-stroke engine (up 42cc to 889cc) with 3% more power and 6% more torque, a lighter, stiffer chassis, new IMU controlled electronic rider aids, lighter wheels, LEDs and a new radial brake master cylinder. Unique to the new Tracer 9 is its lighter, 64mm longer swingarm, revised styling (with a hint of TDM850 around its spotlights), a twin display dash and new Bridgestone T32 GT sports touring rubber. It costs £10,202, but for the full touring experience another two grand will get you the Tracer 9 GT we’re riding here in Wales, which comes with 30-litre panniers, 10-stage heated grips and semiactive KYB suspension.
Now £12,202 is a lot of cash (the original base model was eight grand in 2015), but when you tot up all the equipment you’re getting, it’s a lot of Yamaha for the money. Go down the PCP route and it’s £129 a month over three years with a £3133 deposit. And of course, if you want to throw the kitchen sink at it, you can choose from any number of official accessories, including a topbox for the first time.
We wanted to stretch our legs as well as the Tracer’s so we shifted the MCN250 over to Wales and added in a few extra miles. Our 336-mile, two-day route begins with a slow crawl through traffic, heading west from Tamworth Yamaha. It’s still the easy-going Tracer we’ve come to love with lots of room for a six-footer with long legs, even with the seat and pegs in their lowest position and although that makes it a big bike, it’s still nice and agile. Power delivery is predictable, the clutch action is light (although the bite is a long way out, which takes a few miles to get used to) and while
‘Cruise control is perfect in a sea of speed cameras’
the gear change and up/down shifter are smooth, the gearbox can feel sticky at very low speeds.
As the traffic thins out and Wales welcomes us in, the Tracer 9 GT gets into its stride and carries on impressing. It’s swift, still sounds fantastic and obediently goes where you point it. The new Bridgestones are excellent for OE tyres and cling on in constantly changing wet/dry conditions. In fact, there’s so much grip the Tracer’s fancy new lean sensitive traction control and ABS are never troubled, even braking and accelerating hard in heavy rain. And then there’s the new KYB electronic suspension, constantly adjusting to give the perfect ride. It isn’t the last word in plushness – the units are built to a price – but it’s perfectly acceptable and its two settings make a marked difference to the way the Tracer handles. In Comfort it’s soft and lollopy for motorways, but for most riding, even in the wet, you’ll want Sport for cornering accuracy and control. Disappointingly the heavyduty windblast from the manually adjustable screen is still present, although shorter riders may get away with it. At the end of each of our seven-hour riding days it feels like I’ve been standing next to a super club speaker, even with Yamaha’s accessory touring screen fitted for the return leg. Upright adventure-style bikes are always noisy, thanks to their near vertical screens and sticky-out bits, like hand guards and mirrors. Jump on more conventional sports tourer like a Kawasaki Z1000SX and you’ll find it almost silent by comparison. Long distance comfortable isn’t great either. The seat itself isn’t the problem because Yamaha’s comfort seat we try along the way is no better, it’s more the riding position. It puts weight down through your lower back, rather than spreading it around and the windblast tugs on your shoulders and arms. Again, different shaped riders might not have such a problem, but by the end of day two, ears ringing and muscles burning I was definitely ready for a riding break. Shorter blasts obviously won’t be such an issue. Yamaha have fixed the handling, though. It won’t carve as confidently as a Ducati Multistrada V4 or BMW S1000XR (or a GS, for that matter), but thanks to a lower front end that puts more weight over the front wheel you no longer have to dig your knees into the tank to stop it shaking and wallowing at very high speed. It isn’t slow by any means and the engine has a nice wide spread of power, but the extra weight the Tracer 9 GT carries (230kg including panniers) blunts much of its playfulness, compared to the MT-09 (although it’ll still as keen to wheelie with the TC switched off). Brakes do the job, but do lack feel and bite. But the Tracer 9 GT is a handsome, well finished beast with great road presence. It’s still the only choice for those who want an adventure style sports tourer with around 100bhp and a 17in front wheel. The BMW F900XR runs it close, but it isn’t as roomy if you want to load it up with luggage and a pillion.
The GT is also one of the best bikes to enjoy touring in Wales. Its tall stance gives you the perfect position to enjoy the view and whether the roads are straight, twisty, wet or dry it’s always willing, capable and enjoyable. With its extra oomph, stability and electronic adjustment it’s a more sophisticated, grownup Tracer and deserves to fly out of dealers once more.