Rode a T9GT at Yamaha demo...kind of blown away

[stevesweetz]

So yup, Yamaha did their yearly demo at the one big dealers near me and they actually had a Tracer 9 GT.

For reference, I currently ride a 2016 Fj-09 with 23K miles on it; Sargent seat (and some minor cosmetic things), but otherwise stock.

I can not believe how much improved the Tracer 9 GT is. 

• The ride was very noticeably smoother, I now understand why people think the previous gen's suspension is bad.
• There's still some on/off throttle jerkiness, but the surging/unevenness when at very low input (parking lot maneuvering speeds) is pretty much gone. 
• I 've seen some people say the Tracer 9 seemed taller in the seat than the previous generation, for me this wasn't the case.  I'm 5'9" and 29" inseam, and I still can't flat foot it, but I could get more of my feet down vs my FJ-09.
• Ergonomically, the foot pegs seem just a smidge further forward and that makes the seating position feel a lot more neutral.  I definitely preferred it to the FJ-09.
• Windscreen is so easy to adjust and in the high position it kept me (again 5'9") almost entirely out of the wind.
• I already thought the Fj-09 had one of the best stock exhaust notes, but it's even better on the Tracer 9. 

As is always the case, these test rides are pretty short.  It was an 8 mile/20 minute ride.  Nowhere near long enough to make a judgement on the seat and really had no opportunity to mess with cruise control and other electronics.

There only downside that I found: the dash truly sucks. The screens are too small and I already knew from reviews the angle was bad, but man, even with me being shorter, it still felt like they're pointing at my chest, not my face.  This is not a deal breaker for me, I don't spend much ride time looking at the dash, but I really don't understand what Yamaha was thinking here.  Must have gotten a good deal on on tiny TFT screens that no one wanted.

Anyway, now I'm quite depressed.  I was already sold on the Tracer 9 GT and I have been trying to get one since April, but no dealer in 150 miles that I called/emailed has them and none could provide an estimate for when they would get them.  Now I know just how good the bike I'm missing out on is

  

Edited August 2, 2021 by stevesweetz

[Wintersdark]

hah there's 5 that I know of here in Calgary (they kind of stand out to me when I'm wandering through shops) - I imagine importing it from Canada would be more trouble than it's worth though 😃

 

[stevesweetz]

Yeah importing vehicle to US is not easy. I did find a red one at a dealer around 250 miles away, but the problem is that I want the silver and even though I desperately want one, if I'm paying like $17K for a bike (after fees and tax) I'm going to get it in the color I want, even if that sadly means waiting till next year.

[stevesweetz]

Mildly interesting follow up anecdote on this.

About 2 weeks a back, there was finally a dealer within 100 miles that got one in stock that hadn't already been reserved.  I texted them in the morning to confirm this, but it was on a weekday and I was busy at work.  I told them I was very interested and would call later in the afternoon to confirm details.  By the time I called back they had sold it. ☹️

The tires on my FJ were starting to get down to the wear bars and I hadn't intended on replacing them since I was supposed to have traded in the bike by now, but since it looks like I'm not going to get a new bike this year, I bit the bullet and took it to a nearby dealer to get new tires this past weekend.

I ended up talking to a sales guy at the dealership (my "local" one, not the one that got the Tracer 9) while waiting for my tires to be replaced and mentioned I had found a Tracer 9 at a close-ish dealer that was sold within a few hours of me texting.  It turned out that it was one of the mechanics at the dealer where I was getting my tires replaced is the one that bought it!  The sales guy said the dealership owner wasn't too happy about him buying from another dealer, but couldn't fault him too much since the bike is so hard to get right now.

I never did ask to talk to the guy that bought it, figured I wouldn't have much to say other than "congrats...you bastard" 😄

Anyway, the sales guy also said the Tracer 9 GT was one of the most requested bikes at the Yamaha demo and they still have no idea about Yamaha's US allocation for the bike so it looks like I might still be "competing" for one next year too.

[p2smith]

Here we are in Mid October and it seems there is almost no inventory. Bummer.  There are a few dealers advertising them, but when contacting the store i'm told they are on order.  Its a sellers market.  

 

[PhotoAl]

Thats not good, I bought my 2020 GT in early September last year and could have waited if I had known it was coming but still happy with my 2020.  I would suggest looking on Cycle Trader and seeing where there might be one.  I'm thinking midwest or even western states might be good.  I traded bikes in Sioux Falls SD and then rode it home.  Takes time which you may not have but could be an adventure.

I'm about to go to the San Jose CA to see my new granddaughter.  Find one out there and I could ride it most of the way back for you 🙂

[betoney]

On 8/1/2021 at 3:41 PM, stevesweetz said:

There only downside that I found: the dash truly sucks. The screens are too small and I already knew from reviews the angle was bad, but man, even with me being shorter, it still felt like they're pointing at my chest, not my face.  This is not a deal breaker for me, I don't spend much ride time looking at the dash, but I really don't understand what Yamaha was thinking here.  Must have gotten a good deal on on tiny TFT screens that no one wanted.

That is the biggest downside for me, when every other manufacturer is releasing bikes with larger 5, 6 or 7" screens with non reflective coating, Yamaha uses 2 miniature bizarre looking screens with a highly reflective gloss coating??  🤷‍♀️ 

I have yet to see a video review where I can legibly see the dim readout as they are riding. 

[stevesweetz]

 

2 hours ago, betoney said:

I have yet to see a video review where I can legibly see the dim readout as they are riding. 

FWIW I noticed the same in videos, but I did not have a problem with the brightness in real life.  The screens were bright enough to be legible, just small.

Ultimately, in real world use, all that I really need to see while riding is the speedometer and occasionally the trip meter and it does that job ok enough.  Tach is useful when getting to know a bike, but even heavily revised, the character of the engine was familiar enough that I already had a feeling for where I was in the rev range without having to look.

 

Edited October 20, 2021 by stevesweetz

[1moreroad]

8 hours ago, stevesweetz said:

The screens were bright enough to be legible, just small.

100% agree. Very clear, just too small. I was staring a little too hard to look at traction control settings. Lots of info for the screen. Most bikes let you cycle through it. 

Definite improvement on the '15 although I'm not as enthusiastic as @stevesweetz(and I don't mean that in any bad way). But I keep vehicles long enough that every car, bicycle, and moto company would have gone out of business long ago if they relied on me as a their only kind of customer. 

[peteinpa]

I can read everything on my 15's dash...Yet. I can't go smaller.

I'm nearsighted. I think if I got bifocals I'd be hitting road debris all the time.

still think I'll be keeping my 15 till they plant me.

[2and3cylinders]

I don't have time to ride and wrench on the 3 scoots I have.

If I do get something new to me it'll probably be a used pre-21 KTM Super Duke GT, or something similar.

I need more power Scotty!!

[PhotoAl]

15 hours ago, peteinpa said:

I can read everything on my 15's dash...Yet. I can't go smaller.

I'm nearsighted. I think if I got bifocals I'd be hitting road debris all the time.

still think I'll be keeping my 15 till they plant me.

LOL I have progressive lenses and don't have trouble with reading screens. However disappointed to hear about the small screens.  Mostly speedometer is what I look at but a significant amount of my riding is long trips.  Seems like I'm always looking at miles since the last fuel stop, gas mileage and current gas mileage as I'm thinking ahead to my next fuel stop - that fuel for the bike and the rider.  Have to wonder if it is a cost cutting move, I'd like a big screen but can live with a smaller one if the suspension is great.  

I'm not a Suzuki fan and generally not impressed, IMO they have lagged way behind on stuff like ABS, traction control and IMUs.  However I'm impressed with the phone connected screen they put on the new GSX1000GT (I may have missed a letter or number in there).  That is truly what I would like to see for a display on a bike - just works with my phone.  Doesn't seem like it is that difficult but folks seem to struggle doing it.

 

Edited October 21, 2021 by PhotoAl

[Clegg78]

I also test rode a T9 GT a couple months ago and it is a nice bike.  But really, I think most of it is down to the suspension.   I think my 2019GT with Ohlins all around feels more nimble  and responsive than I did with the T9 but it was a short test.      Suspension seems to have long been the weakest point for these bikes and it seems Yamaha is fixing that!

I am of the opinion I am not into mid-range electronic suspension.  Because when it comes to upgrades and work on the suspension you are essentially boxed in unless you can get the ECU to stop managing the suspension and go to high end but manual ones.     But the suspension on the GT is very nice compared to the T900 GT sock suspension!

Look at the shocks they put on the MT-09 SP, just some nicely refined manual suspension, easily modifiable if you want  

[betoney]

2 hours ago, Clegg78 said:

I also test rode a T9 GT a couple months ago and it is a nice bike.  But really, I think most of it is down to the suspension.   I think my 2019GT with Ohlins all around feels more nimble  and responsive than I did with the T9 but it was a short test.      Suspension seems to have long been the weakest point for these bikes and it seems Yamaha is fixing that!

I am of the opinion I am not into mid-range electronic suspension.  Because when it comes to upgrades and work on the suspension you are essentially boxed in unless you can get the ECU to stop managing the suspension and go to high end but manual ones.     But the suspension on the GT is very nice compared to the T900 GT sock suspension!

Look at the shocks they put on the MT-09 SP, just some nicely refined manual suspension, easily modifiable if you want  

I agree, I don't want to be stuck with only 2 settings, I am very picky when it comes to suspension and have spent a LOT of time and miles tweaking and fine tuning.  

When you rode the new Tracer 9 did you feel that it needed different damping settings or just correct springs for your weight?

[OldBikers]

About the T9 dash, I like it.  Had an FZ-1 before and that had so much less information and still small fonts and you needed to cycle through the odometer to see trip 1, trip 2, odo and F readings.  However, I only glance at the speedo once in a while when riding.

 

I wear progressive lenses and over 70 and have no issues with the T9 brightness and reflectivity.  The only complaint is that the clock is small and you can't add it to the right screen as you can trip functions etc.  Overall I do miss the huge round analog gauges of the 70s but the new stull gives you more data.

 

Every time I get on my T9 it brings a smile to my face.  I ordered it in April and received it in June, the dealer only had two coming in and I got the Liquid Metal one.  The red is too Ferrari looking and makes me think of a tomato.