The Yamaha Tracer 900 is now available here in Ireland. The engine is Yamaha's new 900 triple and it has oodles of wonderful, useable torque. The motor was well proven before it ever got to be used in the Tracer having been used on the MT 09 roadster, as was the frame. The bodywork is, of course, very different and the standard fitment on the bike even includes a pair of luggage rails. While the riders screen is tall enough to do the job without being obtrusive.
The seating position is neutral. There is a number of settings to adjust the height of the riders pad. And the bike is very much a pillion friendly affair. The range on the 18-litre tank is excellent and will get a rider, passenger and a set of luggage across Europe without stopping every 120 kilometres!
The electronics and drive equipment are also excellent. There’s a slipper clutch as standard. This makes the two up riding just that bit more comfortable. The traction control system has three different settings. All controllable from a toggle on the handlebars.
There are also three riding modes. They are rain mode, standard mode and “Yee-ha”. On the full power mode this is a bike that wouldn’t let you down on a track day. The clocks are well laid out with all of the information including speed, modes selected, revolutions per minute, indicators, time of day and tank range, are displayed on a clear digital instrument panel. There is, of course, a power take off (PTO) socket built into the fairing for your sat nav.
The motor of the Yamaha Tracer 900 is where it’s at with this bike. The early delivery of torque rewards the rider and the bike is easy to hold a gear in. The performance is, indeed, similar to what we would expect from a bigger engine machine. Then again that’s the joy of using the triple, and a Japanese one at that.
This is one that goes up against the smaller GS range or maybe a V Strom, but feels bigger and more competent. The rolling weight is reduced all around the bike with lightweight components as well as features such as LED lights and a single button instead of a set of kill switch and starter buttons.
