Yamaha Tracer 9 GT review by Andy Bisson
I’ve been waiting a long time to do this demo ride and review and even arranged to do it on several occasions and each time it was cancelled due to the bike being out with a potential buyer. When the time came, I had it for the day and I intended to make the most of it.
We own a Tracer 700 as part of our fleet, which I use when delivering lessons and I’ve reviewed a couple of different models of the 700, so I was looking forward to see what more the 9 GT had to offer. I’m a massive fan of the Tracer as it’s a rare bike that seems to do anything with the 700 as a perfect mid-range bike that does everything you want from it. It’s perfect for Jersey, easy to ride and capable for trips away, however, this review is on the 9 GT not the 700 and what I wanted to know was what more the 9 GT had to offer and I have no hesitation when I say, it offered a lot more.
The Tracer 9 GT is a sports tourer which provides a lot of motorbike for the money but has an upright riding position more in keeping with an adventure bike allowing the rider to sit up straight with no unnecessary weight on the wrists, helping maintain a relaxed shoulder posture which is what you really want of a sports tourer when you’re looking to get away and knock up the miles. Like the 700, this is a great all-rounder which is perfect for commuting and it will provide everything you need for touring. I’m confident you could enjoy it just as much if you took it for a track day.
The 2021 model has the larger 890cc triple, taken from the MT-09 providing a little extra power whilst still being a lot more fuel efficient. It also comes with Yamaha’s chip-controlled throttle-by-wire which has an accelerator position sensor grip making the acceleration smooth and refined. As you would expect, the 9 GT comes with all of Yamaha’s rider aids such as traction control, slide control, lift control and ABS.
It has a one-hand adjustable windscreen which is easy to use whilst riding and provides a good level of wind protection. It also comes as standard with cruise control, heated grips with 10 settings, a 12-volt outlet and a centre-stand, all things that are extremely beneficial for those tours abroad. Add in the LED lighting and dual-panel TFT display there really isn’t much extra you could ask for.
The panniers have changed in design and offer a massive 30 litre storage capacity, large enough to store a full-face helmet. They have an easy clip-on, clip-off function for them to be easily removed to take up to the hotel room when touring.
The rider’s seat can be adjusted as can the bars and foot pegs so the variants in height and distance make it virtually perfect for all rider heights and preferences.
So off I went to put it though it’s paces and with a whole day set aside I made the most of the clear skies, dry roads and cool breeze. As always, I started with a trip around the town to assess how agile it is in traffic and the riding couldn’t be easier. I was slipping in and out of the traffic and filtering through without any concerns at all.
Waterworks valley was a blast. It was a real pleasure to ride and handled so well through the bends with loads of torque. Heading north and around the coast the quick-shifter was superb. Over 80 miles of varied road conditions and I am in ore of what this bike has to offer in performance whilst sounding awesome too.
As I said earlier, I’m a massive fan of the 700 and this blows it out of the water. I love this bike and there’s nothing not to love. It’s so easy to ride whilst still delivering an adrenaline fun filled experience. If I had to be picky and find one negative, the only thing I could come up with is that the seat may not be the most comfortable for long journeys. It was fine for the day I had it but towards the last few miles I was starting to wiggle slightly, but Yamaha offer a comfort seat as an extra which I’m told is as comfortable as an armchair.
This is one of the best bikes I’ve ever ridden and I’m sure with a little effort of moving others around, I could find the space to add this one to the fleet. You really do need to pop into Inmotion and try to test ride the Tracer 9GT.
The bike itself is superb value at £11,685 on the road but as a special loyalty members deal, Inmotion are offering a free top box valued at £400 and a comfort seat valued at £350 if you purchase one of the three new Tracer 9 GTs in stock. That’s a massive £750 in extras and as a full package it leaves nothing else to add.
