The Yamaha Tracer 9 has been on the market since 2015 and has gone by various names. Now it seems to have been baptized definitively and is undoubtedly better than ever. And it was on the roads of Sardinia that we had our first contact with the brand new Tracer 9GT+.
The metamorphosis of names over the last few years on the Tracer has caused a lot of strangeness for some, but in 2021 with the Tracer 9 name, Yamaha seems to have decided on the definitive name for this sport tourer. In 2021, the first GT version was launched, with side cases, KYB semi-active electronic suspension and a few extras that made it more of a touring bike than the base version. For 2023, the Japanese brand not only introduced the Tracer 9 and Tracer 9GT to its catalog, but also the Tracer 9GT +, which clearly indicates that there is something more.
The base is all the same for the three “sisters”, but each one has its own particularities, with the GT and GT + clearly more suited to long rides, with the latter offering a technological arsenal that not only targets those who want to travel comfortably, but also those who want to take the bike to the limit of sportiness, making it possible to cover both spectrums of this duality of purpose that we find in this model.
THREE IN LINE OUT OF STEP
It’s impossible to talk about this bike without highlighting the famous and acclaimed CP3 that powers it. It’s one of the most important engines for Yamaha at the moment, and has been a huge success story in recent years. Now with 890 cc and complying with EURO5 standards, this block has 119 hp and 93 Nm of torque at 7,000 rpm, which allows us to ride extremely smoothly in the city and at lower speeds. The linearity of the Japanese brand’s three-cylinder even manages to replicate the smoothness of a four-cylinder engine, offering torque similar to a two-cylinder. At highway and freeway cruising speeds, the engine is full and has few vibrations, but offers a fantastic intake and exhaust sound – something that has been worked on and improved by Yamaha – even with all the pollution restrictions. But being a sport tourer, we also expect it to have a sportier side, and we know what this CP3 is capable of in that respect, since it’s the same one that powers the MT-09 and XSR 900. And the Dark Side of Japan is also very much present in this Tracer 9 GT+.
From 7,000 rpm the soul of the engine changes, as does the sound, to let us know that we are unleashing all the caged potential. The different driving modes help to make this happen, and it is in Sport mode (which also has Street, Rain and Custom modes) that we feel the most pronounced change in the engine’s sound and character. It is also the mode that allows us to fully exploit the 119 hp, thanks to greater throttle sensitivity and a sharper power curve – although in Street mode the power delivered is the same, but with a different, more linear power curve. But this potential is clearly augmented by a host of technology and cycling that Yamaha has not neglected at all.
TOURING OR SPORTY?
It’s a pertinent question given what we were able to do on the curvy roads of Sardinia. Despite all its potential as a touring bike – with an almost infinite range of features to justify it – the Tracer 9 GT + drove us “crazy” (or crazy) on twisty roads. The potential for sportier riding on this bike is extremely high and, with the CP3 and all the technological aids, we were soon riding beyond what we thought was reasonable before we got on the bike. In addition to the excellent Kayaba semi-active suspensions, which pass on all the feedback from the road very clearly, the traction control and slide control systems are constantly adapting to our pace and way of riding to satisfy our need to extract a little more from what the Tracer 9GT+ has to offer. Now with the bi-directional Quick Shifter that allows you to shift gears on acceleration and deceleration, it’s impossible not to want to crank the gearbox and hear the electronics at work. However, the best thing about all this is that we never felt limited by the electronics, feeling quite the opposite and realizing that it helped us get more out of the bike.
WHAT DOES MORE MEAN?
The + sign on this model clearly indicates that there is something… more to this Tracer, which we don’t find on the other two variants. And that sign could be represented by the letter T – for technology – or G – for gadget. The differentiating factor in this model is undoubtedly the technology, which, as usual with Japanese manufacturers, is put into their bikes after a lot of testing and near certainty that it will work and be a help rather than a problem. The focus of attention on the technological side is undoubtedly the new radar system that allows the introduction of adaptive cruise control and assisted braking. Starting with the adaptive cruise control, we can say that it works well and quite intuitively. As well as slowing the bike down – with engine brake and brake actuation if necessary – when it detects vehicles and accelerating when the road is clear, Yamaha has introduced an overtaking feature that allows us to activate the left turn indicator so that the bike accelerates on its own to make overtaking easier. In the event of an oncoming vehicle, this acceleration is immediately interrupted.
As for the brake assist, we were a little reluctant, but it turned out to be a useful system that can be a great help to less experienced riders, as it makes the bike more stable and easier to read. With the help of the radar, the Tracer 9GT+ will read a situation in which we are braking and will, if necessary, intervene by braking harder and managing the front and rear braking. And it’s important to note that this system is a brake assist, not an automatic brake. All this is interconnected with the suspensions, which change their rigidity and behavior according to the bike’s reading, so that the bike’s behavior is as natural as possible. And after a few doubts, we can say that both in the city and in sportier riding the system works and when approaching bends more quickly we feel the Tracer’s “brain” trying to maintain the bike’s balance under heavy braking, with the help of the rear brake.
REBUILT POINT
The truth is that a few years ago electronics were often felt in a negative way, with a very pronounced intrusion that took away some of the sensations and pleasure of riding. Today, few motorcycles retain that characteristic, most offering highly sophisticated systems that amplify our riding pleasure without taking away the feedback we need.
The Tracer 9GT + is in the so-called “sweet spot” of the sport touring segment, with an extremely generous range of technology, combined with what is needed for comfort on long rides and a more “crazy” ride at high speeds. The mechanical and technological set-up is very well tuned and looking back at 2015, the evolution of this model has been very, very great. There are always points for improvement and the Tracer 9GT+ isn’t perfect, but Yamaha is making an effort to make it difficult for us to criticize this bike.
