News 14 Feb 2015

Review: 2015 Yamaha MT-09 Tracer

CycleOnline.com.au test rides the 2015 Yamaha MT-09 Tracer.

Have a look at any motorcycle manufacturer’s model range in 2015 and you will see some very different capacity classes that weren’t there just a handful of years ago. This emergence – particularly of the 800cc class – has come as a result of people becoming more sensible when purchasing. Who needs the biggest, fastest machine out there when you’ll never use all of its potential?

Leading this change was BMW in 2008 with the F800GS. In the years since a flourish of new models of mid-sized capacity followed – nakedbikes, adventure bikes, motards and sports-tourers from all over the world.

This capacity class makes sense. On the road there is no need for all the power and torque bigger bikes produce – you’ll never use it all without losing your licence.

It’s also less intimidating in size for a lot of riders, particularly those that have come off a restricted licence and this mid-sized class makes for a more natural progression than jumping to 1000cc machine that start tipping the scales at over the 210kg mark dry. And it delivers excellent performance too. In the case of Yamaha’s 847cc in-line triple, it’s a powerplant that’s hard to beat.

Source: Yamaha Motor Australia.

Source: Yamaha Motor Australia.

Based around the same engine and chassis as the much-lauded MT-09, Yamaha has wrapped a very different motorcycle over the top of the highly-versatile MT-09 platform. Like it is with the MT-09 nakedbike, the in-line triple is superb and its best attribute is its torque – there are bucket loads of it!

Teamed with a three-mode power delivery selector and traction control, the engine can be simply flicked between aggressive power delivery and mild traction control, through to a docile power delivery and total control of rear wheel traction, and somewhere halfway in between.

In the most aggressive of these three modes, the power delivery is rapid and the triple runs through the rev range with the urgency you’d want from a sportsbike making it a hoot on any tight and twisty road. In the softest mode, the engine brings the power on smoothly and softly with none of the terseness of the sportiest mode. Pillions will appreciate this mode most off all.

In the standard mode the Tracer is a perfect balance of the two other modes with no abrupt throttle response, but plenty of power to ground when you want it. This is the mode most riders will find themselves using a majority of the time.

Source: Yamaha Motor Australia.

Source: Yamaha Motor Australia.

The chassis dimensions on the Tracer are identical to that of the MT-09. Carrying supersport-like 120-section front wheel and 180-section rear wheel through to the geometry and brakes, the Tracer still looks like an adventure bike but it is most definitely built for the road.

The Tracer’s suspension has more pre-load and damping range than the MT-09 nakedbike, and so it should for its intended purpose to carry more on board and cover a greater variety of roads.

Yamaha has done its homework in producing a very balanced chassis dynamic though it does benefit from firming up the rear with more preload and rebound if you are to ride it more like a sportsbike than an tourer. That’s the way it goes when you are trying to please everyone with a bike in a genre like this. Standard suspension settings aren’t for everyone.

The Tracer turns quickly and is stable at high-speed. The wide handlebar and tallish seat give you a commanding ride position, and it’d be a hard machine to beat along a twisty backroad. The nimble handling characteristics couldn’t be this good if the Tracer wasn’t as light as it is.

Source: Yamaha Motor Australia.

Source: Yamaha Motor Australia.

The Tracer’s ergonomics have obviously been tailored towards being more comfortable for the rider and even better for the pillion. The ride triangle is higher in the seat and both higher and more set back at the handlebar than the MT-09 to give a much more relaxed position. The seat is wider and deeper than the nakedbike.

There’s adjustability in the riders position with the handlebar moving at the risers 10mm and seat moving to two different positions, 845-860mm. The screen has three-different height settings and will cocoon shorter riders well and take a brunt of the airflow off tall riders.

While the engine and handling characteristics make for a great sports-touring bike, as the Tracer is intended to be, Yamaha has also delivered a top-notch braking package, multifunction dash, excellent pillion comfort, accessory power socket, panniers as standard and a centrestand. That three-cylinder engine is also brilliantly economical – you can 400km out of a tank.

The Tracer truly does it all and deserves to be considered by more than just people that want to go riding two-up for weekends away. This is a highly-functional sports-touring machine, a bike that does everything well and at a price that delivers exceptional value for money.

Specifications

Capacity: 847cc
Power: 85kW @ 10,000rpm
Torque: 88Nm @ 8500rpm
Wet weight: 210kg
Seat height: 845-860mm
Fuel capacity: 18L
Colours: TBA
Price: $14,999
Warranty: TBA
Detailed specs: www.yamaha-motor.eu/eu/products/motorcycles/mt/mt-09-tracer.aspx

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