The newest member of the MT-09 family, the Tracer is a superb all-rounder and it’s already a big commercial success. It’s a keenly priced, aggressive looking bike with great power-to-weight ratio, powerful three-cylinder engine and enough practicality for longer tours. But is it better than the big-name competition? Yes it is! The MT-09 is good enough and cheap enough to make a big impact on its competition.
2015 Yamaha MT-09 Tracer
Yamaha did some big changes on its lineup in the last two years and we are glad that they did. They introduced a new middle-weight parallel twin, the MT-07, an entry-level all-rounder, the MT-125 and the brand new triple, the MT-09. The MT-09 had two version when it was launched: Sport Tracker and Street Rally.
The newest member of this family is the Tracer, the largest of all MT-09’s. Although the Tracer shares the same engine and frame, it is a genuinely new model. It features some sharply styled fairing, an adjustable screen, larger fuel tank, adjustable riding position as well as switchable traction control, ABS and revised D-MODE settings. The bike is equipped with a multi-layered twin headlight cowling that benefit from an adjustable windscreen. Riding position can be adjusted and thanks to the low seat, the Tracer is very good manoeuvrable for a sports-tourer.
Yamaha’s newest sports tourer
The Tracer offers much better wind protection than other MT-09 models while the hand-guards divert most but not all breeze from the bars. Riders can adjust the screen after loosening two plastic knobs, adjustment range is not very wide, though.
Are you interested in a solo MT-09 seat? See this Yamaha FZ09 / MT09 Solo Seat Cowl: Black 12411A
Steering geometry and suspension travel is the same as on the base MT-09 but the suspension’s spring and damping rates are increased. This move was necessary because the Tracer is 20kg heavier than its siblings, although at 210kg it’s still light for a sports-tourer. For comparison, the BMW F800GT weighs 213 kg but the Honda VFR800X is much heavier with its 242kg.
Sharp lines
Thanks to the adjustable seat, riding position is nice and upright. Since the Tracker is a sports-tourer, Yamaha’s focus was on a more comfortable rider and pillion seating position and it paid off, the Tracer is very comfortable.
The Tracer is powered by the same 849cc, four-stroke, liquid-cooled, three-cylinder engine as the MT-09. The engine has three cylinders so it’s less vibey than a twin or a single and it combines the torquey character of a V-twin with the free-revving thrill of a four. The 12-valve powerplant has maximum power output of 115 hp at 10,000 rpm and 87.5 Nm at 8,500 rpm. Power builds smooth, there’s plenty of usable mid-range torque while top-end rush begins at around 8,000 rpm. Peak power is at 10,000, and at 11,500 lives the rev-limiter. Thanks to the Akrapovic exhaust system, the engine sounds fabulous. Traction control can be switched off. Yamaha fitted a large, 18-litre fuel tank, giving a respectable range of 160 miles or more.
The Tracer’s powerful three-cylinder
Braking is just as smooth as acceleration and handling is light and precise. Brakes consist of twin 298mm front discs with four-pot calipers at the front and a single 245mm rear disc with a single-pot caliper at the back. The ABS is pretty sophisticated and the traction control didn’t seem particular keen to intrude.
Check this MT-09 slipon muffler out: Yamaha MT-09 FZ9 GPR Exhaust Systems Catalyzed Road Legal Furore Slipon Muffler
The LCD comes from the Super Ténéré
The LCD display comes straight from the Super Ténéré and it offers plenty of information. It consists of two digital windows. The larger one is for the usual information (speedometer, tachometer, clock and engine mapping) while the smaller for the ancillary functions like gear indicator and temperatures.
The MT-019 Tracer has great value
So how good exactly is the MT-09? According to sales figures, riders love the new MT-09 family. Yamaha already sold over 10,000 MT-09’s in Europe so it’s an imressice commercial success. But that’s not a surprise if you look at the price tag. At € 9,999, the overall price is appealing. To put it into perspective, the Ducati 821 Hyperstrada costs € 13,050, you can take the Triumph Tiger 800 XRX for € 11,290 with you while the Honda VFR800X Crossrunner is available against € 11,999. The new Kawasaki Versys 1000 costs € 12,699 and the much weaker BMW F800GT carries a price tag of € 10,550. Being good and cheap enough at the same time, the MT-09 Tracer could have a similar impact on its competition.
