Yamaha Tracer Middleweight knockout

Back in November 2013, I tested Yamaha’s all-new MT-09 – a no-frills, lightweight package with great handling and a truly superb three-cylinder engine.

That motorcycle forms the basis for the new Tracer, which weighs in at just 190kg, but is equipped with everything the MT-09 didn’t have, namely touring accoutrements, plus traction control and ABS. But the Tracer is much more than a cosmetic makeover; there’s a touring size fuel tank, a seat more suited to longer hours on the road (although still a bit on the firm side for me), standard lockable panniers and a new electronic mapping for that brilliant 847cc triple that in this guise, churns out 115hp (84.6kW) at 10,000 rpm with 87.5Nm torque at 8,500 rpm. Fuel economy is excellent and you can expect to squeeze around 300km from the 18 litre fuel tank.

Just to harp a bit on the motor, it pulls cleanly and strongly from just over 3,000 rpm and just keeps on going. There’s so much torque that there’s no point in buzzing the engine anywhere near the red line, which also means minimal gear-swapping around town. Like the MT-09, you can swap between any one of the three different throttle modes while you’re on the move – there’s a soft, a hard, and one in between (STD) which is where I did most of my riding.