VERDICT
Both bikes are remarkably good value. They’ll handle short blasts, commuting, longdistance touring, they’re fast, roomy and well equipped. Yamaha’s Tracer has come of age in this luxury GT guise. It’s easy to manage, characterful and practical, but seat comfort, high-speed stability and tyre performance could all be better. You won’t find as many toys on the Kawasaki and it too is fitted with typically cheap and cheerful Japanese-spec tyres, but those small niggles aside it’s hard to fault. The SX oozes grunt, is smooth, stable, quiet, comfortable and rapid. It’s one of the few bikes we’ve ridden on the MCN250 that’s left us feeling so fresh at the end, we were tempted to fuel up and do it all over again. All this for just 20 quid more than the Yamaha. It’s a no-brainer.