YAMAHA TRACER 900 + 900GT

WORLD LAUNCH of the TWO new middleweight sport tourers from Japan

Since 2015 the Tracer has been the sensible one in the otherwise lairy Yamaha MT family, with the GT model adding a bit more sophistication alongside it since 2016. They’re important models for Yamaha, with nearly 65,000 units shifted since the first Tracer was launched. That’s given the Tracer and GT a 44% share of what Yamaha (and probably no one else) describes as the ‘Upper Midsized Versatile’ segment of the market. For 2021 the whole MT-09/Tracer/ GT platform was due for an update to hit new Euro 5 norms, and rather than tweaking what was already there, Yamaha have gone for a complete ground-up revision – new frame, heavily modified engine and more tech than you could shake a stick at. We’ve already ridden the MT-09, and liked it a lot, but how do the new Tracer 9, and the higher spec Tracer GT, shape up? One way to find out – let’s go for a ride...

What's new

Straight from the MT-09, which we covered in depth when we rode it last month. But let’s a have a quick recap. At first glance the engine looks the same, but under the skin it’s heavily updated. The most obvious change is clear from a quick glance at the spec sheet – an extra 3mm on the stroke to take capacity up by 42cc to 889cc. More cubes is always a good strategy, especially when emissions rules are stifling your options to make more power by other means. That longer stroke gives a slightly less manic feel to the engine, as mentioned above, and it’s aided by a significantly heavier crankshaft, which gives more of a flywheel effect to the engine, making it a bit less snappy than before. It also probably helps with vibration and underlying noise. Revised camshafts also contribute to the change in torque peaks. There’s plenty more going on in the bowels of the motor though. New, lighter pistons are joined to that crankshaft by connecting rods that are each cast in one piece before being snapped to make a two-piece bearing to bolt round the crank (this allows a lighter casting, and fewer machining processes). The fuel injection system is heavily revised, with new injector banks squirting fuel more or less directly on to the tops of the intake valves, rather than further upstream in the inlet tracts. This is claimed to improve fuel atomisation and reduce the amount of fuel that resists combining with the incoming air and simply ‘sticks’ to the intake tract wall. The final link in the dynamic chain is a change in gear ratios for first and second, both of which become slightly taller, to damp out the previous model’s often criticised snappiness from low revs in low gears. Before I forget, the clutch is revised too, for a lighter lever feel and less of a clunk on downshifts.

Suspension: here’s where we have to start differentiating between the base model Tracer 9 and the GT. Standard Tracer 9 first. At first glance it’s the same set up as the MT-09, with 41mm upside-down forks and rising rate monoshock, bolted to a new chassis made by an innovative die-casting method which allows very thin walls where possible (just 1.7mm in places) but adds extra material where needed for stiffness (claimed to be 50% stiffer laterally than the old chassis. The swing arm looks the same as the MT but is actually 70mm longer for more stability (and fewer wheelies), and the wheels are the same ‘spin-forged’ design which is claimed to allow lighter weight, thinner sections (2mm at the thinnest point of the rim, where double that would be more usual) and lower manufacturing cost. There is one significant – and slightly puzzling – difference though. The MT has fully adjustable forks, with rebound and compression being furtled by adjusters on the tops of the right and left forks respectively, and preload adjusters both sides. The Tracer 9 has the preload adjusters, and the rebound adjuster on the right, but no compression adjuster on the left. I can’t imagine this would represent a significant production cost saving, so it’s a bit of a mystery really.

Fortunately the standard settings are pretty good for general riding.

Now then, on to the Tracer GT. New for this year is KYB semi-active suspension front and rear. It’s not the most sophisticated system in the world – it doesn’t alter preload, for example, just damping – but it’s still a nice touch, and gives a plusher ride than the Tracer 9’s budget set up, while also working better over a wider speed range. The system takes data from suspension travel sensors as well as from the IMU, and uses it to alter damping rates front and rear in real time.

The Tracer’s new rear subframe is significantly beefier than before, which goes some way to explaining the Tracer’s extra weight over the MT. It’s worth the penalty though, as the max load weight (rider/pillion/ luggage combined) goes up to a useful 193kg. It also allows for the use of panniers and top box at the same time, where the old model was only specced for one or the other.

Don’t get too carried away though, as by the time you’ve got two fully kitted people on board, that’s going to have used up most of that 193kg, so you’ll still need to pack light.

The brakes are the same as the MT-09, with radial four-pot calipers up front matched to a radial master cylinder pinched from the R1 Superbike, and a simple two-pot caliper at the rear.

As with the engine, pretty much all the rider aids are carried over directly from the MT-09, although there are slight differences between Tracer 9 and GT specifics. Taking the Tracer 9 first, it has cornering ABS which is switchable, although I doubt most owners will ever want to do so. It also has lean-sensitive traction control (TCS), but added to that it has slide control (SCS), which isn’t quite the same thing, and it also has an ‘Anti-Lift’ system to help keep the front wheel on the floor more of the time under hard acceleration. The thing that makes all that work is a 6-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), based on the one fitted to the R1. The IMU is a clever little black box which takes data from sensors measuring the bike’s movement from front to rear, left to right and up and down. Not just movement either, but the speed of that movement. It uses that data – sampled 125 times every second – to tailor the ABS, traction, slide and lift controls to real-time conditions.

You have a choice of four different engine modes (Mode 1 is full power and sharpest delivery, through to Mode 4 which makes it feel like it’s only using two out three cylinders) and three rider aid modes (TCS 1, TCS 2 and Manual), all accessed via the left-hand switchgear. TCS 1 is the lowest intervention on all aids, TCS2 ramps it up a bit, and Manual allows you to tailor the whole lot to your tastes, with a choice of three intervention levels for each, plus the option to turn the Slide Control and LIF off while keeping some Traction Control. There’s also an option to just turn the whole lot off, although I suspect few riders will do so. Manual mode settings are accessed via a scroll button on the right bar giving access to a sub-menu on the left-hand TFT screen – once you’ve done it once, it’s easy. The right-hand screen shows four parameters including fuel consumption, range, etc. (you get to choose which you want to prioritise) in a nice, clear format, while the left-hand screen takes care of all the ‘normal’ info – speed, revs, engine temp, modes, fuel level, etc. There’s a fair bit of customisation available.

The GT also adds a pair of options for the semi-active suspension – A1 for a firmer, sportier feel, and A2 for a more comfortable ride.

“If you liked the older model Tracers, then you’ll like these, no question. You’re getting the same recipe as before, with a bit of added spice in the shape of more torque and more tech.”

The Standard Tracer 9 doesn’t get the MT-09’s up/down quickshifter (the GT does), but both bikes get a cruise control as standard, easily set using the same buttons on the left bar which control the engine modes. Modes are only acessed at a standstill, cruise only above 50kph/30mph, so it makes sense for the buttons to multi-task.

Both bikes come with handguards as standard, which do help a bit, but the GT has heated grips as standard too and they’re seriously effective. There are 10 heat settings (controlled with the scroll wheel on the right switchgear), but with summer gloves on a chilly March morning I found anything over number five was overkill. While I remember, both Tracers have centrestands as standard – and they’re easy to use.

Riding impressions

The standard Tracer’s forks have a pretty good feel in most situations, and you get decent feedback from the front tyre which was welcome on the test ride, where we were barrelling into unknown corners on dusty, chilly tarmac. The rear shock’s the same as on the MT (although possibly with different settings due to the longer swing arm and extra weight) and it’s okay most of the time, although both the shock and forks tend to be overwhelmed by bigger bumps, especially when you hit two or three in sequence. This isn’t uncommon with budget suspension that often has relatively soft springs for ride quality/ comfort, and compensates with extra damping which only operates well within a fairly limited range. In summary it’s okay, but it could be better. If I were a Tracer 9 owner I’d be looking at aftermarket options for a new rear shock once the original gets a bit tired. Preferably one with a rear preload adjuster, as the longer swing arm accentuates the MT’s tendency to flop a bit at very low speeds – a little more ride height would almost certainly help with that, and no one needs to skin their knuckles skin wrestling with a shock-mounted preload collar if they can avoid it. What about the GT’s fancy new semi-active suspension though? If you’re expecting some kind of magic carpet ride, then you might be disappointed. Big bumps still get through, although without the jarring crash you get with the standard bike over really big hits. Within those limits though, it effectively smooths out all the rough edges, and especially the smaller imperfections in the road that you don’t really notice until suddenly they’re not there. Going from standard Tracer 9 on to the GT is like going from old gravel-dressed tarmac to a nice freshly-laid surface, as if someone’s going ahead of you, sweeping and rolling and smoothing your way. It’s a slightly strange feeling to be honest, and at first it seems to reduce tyre feedback, but as soon as you start throwing it around you realise that’s an illusion – my first go with the GT was for photos, so no warming up, just straight into a corner, and straight to peg-scraping lean, no problems – it works. As mentioned, that competence doesn’t extend to changing preload settings, so there’s no touch-of-a-button swap from solo to two-up as you get with more sophisticated versions. What you do get is an easy-access remote manual preload adjuster for the rear shock. I experimented with more ride height to try and reduce the slightly vague low speed steering I’d noticed on the Tracer 9, and it did seem to help. I reckon for a pillion and/or a lot of luggage, you’d want to wind the rear shock up close to maximum.

The front brakes are strong, with a decent amount of feel, allowing you to trail brake deep into bends should you wish. Like the MT, some riders will find the feel at the lever a bit soft, but I like that for the road, as it helps give you that fine control, especially over bumpy surfaces where feel for the lock-up point is more important than outright power.