A case of tainted love
YAMAHA TRACER 9 GT+ 4443 MILES Steve’s back in the saddle just as the Tracer 9 GT+ heads home
Fibula back in the as-natureintended one piece, I nabbed the keys back from Rich for one more go before the Yamaha mothership came to snaffle it back to base. After nearly two months of not riding and with Rich’s observations in mind, had my feelings changed?
While I’d never really considered the Tracer as being built ‘up’ from an MT-09, Rich is right. There’s a compactness to the bike that makes all its added on touring bits appear over-stretched. But being a human of average proportions (5ft 9in, 73kg) the Tracer is a great fit, no better than that - it’s ergonomically perfect for me. Reach to the bars, pegs, seat (lower position) are all exactly where I need them.
The CP3 triple is one of the best engines around. Smooth power, revvy, addictive induction roar and lively on the throttle, it’s a bike that wants to go. Some of my favourite roads were eaten up with just the right kind of exhilaration. Never wild, never unsettled; the Tracer’s fantastic semi-active suspension working imperceptibly hard.
It’s not perfect. The screen, now easily adjusted with one hand, is noisy. While the finish is generally good, the exposed exhaust (especially the downpipes) looks like it’s done 10 winters, not one. The panniers, while they will take a size small full-face lid and are suited to the bike’s design, are limited by their shape. The indicators and their poorly designed brackets are a constant source of annoyance and have spent more time flapping about than secured in place. The styling doesn’t give me the ‘oohs’ when I swing the garage door open. And let’s not forget the weird, vague handling from the slightly worn OE Bridgestones when I first got the keys. Although that was fully cured with a set of Pirelli Angel GT IIs, other riders have told me the nonOE Bridgestones would have likely offered the same improvement.
Having started 2023 on a Ténéré 700 World Raid before switching to the Tracer, the question of which one I’d buy – if either – inevitably rears up. The T7 was better suited to my type of riding, despite being too tall, too heavy and lacking all the Tracer’s toys and refinements. The Tracer – one of my favourite bikes since its inception in 2015, remains mega to ride anywhere, any time. The upgrades the ‘✚’ delivers over the base bike (excellent TFT dash, radar cruise, semi-active suspension, up/down quickshifter and radar-unified brakes) are all definite and distinct improvements, and while I won’t pretend £15K isn’t a significant slab of cash, there are very few bikes that are this good – or well equipped – as standard for the money. It’s hugely impressive and, best of all, great fun.
LIKES
Every upgrade over base is a genuine benefit
DISLIKES
Screen noise, manky exhaust, floppy indicators