First, I owe some thanks to the folks at YCH in Camp Hill, PA for letting me try out the Yamaha Tracer 900 GT. One of the things that occurs to me is that buying a bike is a lot like getting married. You get the spouse, but you also get the in-laws and the extended family. So, while buying a motorcycle (the spouse) is critical to get right, it's also worth noting you're going to get a dealership to support you (or not), and it would make the whole relationship better if they were knowledgeable, likeable, and even a tad welcoming. The same could be said about the (extended family) people on the boards that represent the bike and the brand. Of the dealerships in my immediate area, the one who meets these criteria the best, in my opinion, is YCH.
The Tracer GT has a fantastic power plant, and I have to say I LOVED that engine - it pulls from absolute EVERYWHERE! I found it to be lively and spirited, and there is torque from the bottom to the top. It's not the low-down power I feel from the Multi, but it is more immediate, and because the bike I sighted, it feels more pronounced. I also felt that lighter weight in the steering, because the bike goes EXACTLY where you point it, and it gets there in a hurry. With the Tracer GT, there is no wasted movement in the cornering, and it just gliiiiiiiides through corners on a rail. That said, the bike is not twitchy, which it easily could be, so much as it is exacting. If the Multistrada is a Swiss Army knife, the Tracer GT is a scalpel. The bike has one job - carve the road - and it does it with precision. I was thinking, “I want to cut in there” and I found myself magically in the exact place I wanted to be, without shortcoming, waste, our excess. The brakes are spot on, and grab with incredibly strong but smooth stopping power. It is nice to note there is a front AND rear brake on this bike, unlike the Ducati, which has an admittedly lacking back brake.
Is the Tracer GT perfect. Negative. First, the screen sucks (and is kind of ugly, to boot) and would need to be upgraded or discarded, depending on your needs. But, screen choice seems an almost immediate and invariable upgrade item on every bike, and there seems to be an already growing aftermarket for this bike to meet the riding and touring needs of it's aficionados. Similarly, the seat would probably need to find the trash bin as well. My commuting and touring include longer rides of 3-500+ miles, and I expected the seat to be comfortable, certainly more than it was. I suspect the seat/plank was designed by the same people that brought us the Spanish Inquisition (nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!). If you are thinking about touring, budget for a seat.
But, if these are the only niggles, they are small ones. This is especially true in consideration of what I would get for an MSRP of $13K (I did not talk out-the-door price at the dealer, that day). In addition to the fantastic 849 triple engine, the GT bike comes standard with a center stand, making tire work, chain maintenance, and the like, so much easier. It has Anti-lock Brakes which, for me, are a minimum-level safety requirement, in the same way ATGATT is (and part of my agreement with Mrs. Fishr). The bike has cruise control, and it is easy to access, use, and turn on and off. The full-color TFT dashboard is big, easy-to read, and offers some customization, which I did not get into, but which would be helpful as riding needs change. The heated heated grips worked great, and it was in the mid-to-high 40s (another reason I appreciated the guys at YCH coming out with me to test the bike). The bike comes standard with side panniers, and they are integrated wonderfully into the bike. Overall, the Yamaha Tracer GT is a FANTASTIC weapon for that price, and nothing else comes close, IMO, when approached from a value perspective.
However, there were some areas it did not meet my needs. I am coming off the Multistrada, and I am looking for something more substantial and more “planted”. It might sound weird to say I want a bike that is heavier,, but I left the heft of the Multi. It was windy on the test ride, and thee Tracer did get blown around a bit, though the power of the bike carried me through. That does not happen much with the Multistrada, even on I-81 with the notorious truck traffic and cross winds that are part of my everyday riding. This is part of the trade-off nature of what I was thinking about, and I am not certain it is one I would like to make.
Another thing I noticed was that I felt like I was perched up on the Tracer GT compared to the Multistrada. The position is both higher in the seat, and more forward in the cockpit. This gives the Tracer an overall position that feels more akin to a naked bike. I will say, this is not a bad thing, if this is what you like, but it made me feel a little disconnected from the bike. I have ridden friends' Triumph Triples, Buells, and the like, and this bike felt the same way. The best way I can describe it is like bodysurfing a wave; you know you are a part of something really powerful, but because your face and eyesight are so far out ahead of it, it feels like you are not a part of it. In riding the GT, I realized how much I prefer to sit "in the bike" rather than on it. There is a line, of course, where one can get so low that you feel sunken behind the bike, and it's like riding in a cage. In my experience, I've never ridden a bike that blends "in the bike" connection better than the Multistrada.
With all of that said, if I was still in my twenties, or if my daily commute involved canyon-strafing and absurdly twisting roads, or if I could have two bikes, I’d have a hard time thinking of a bike I would like to have more. I haven't closed the door completely on this bike, but at this point: close, but not quite a cigar.
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