I sold my Tracer 900 2019...

[WastedMind3500]

This summer, I went on a 5 000 km road trip with my newly purchased 2019 Tracer 900.  My girlfriend and I do this for our annual vacations.  She rides her own bike, so we carry our camping gear.  This year, we decided to do the loop from Quebec, Labrador, Newfound Land, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and back to Quebec.  What a nice ride, and adventure!

In general I loved the Tracer, but some details were deal breakers for me:

1. the 6th gear whine.  It would hit a resonance frequency and go very high in pitch and very loud.  I annoyed the *&^%$ out of me.  It was an issue even when wearing ear plugs.  In the maritime provinces, the speed limits are between 80 km/h and 100 km/h.  That is the exact sweet spot for the 6th gear whine.  
2. Other gears also produced that high pitch noise, but not as bad as the 6th.  High rev in 3rd and 5th gear were also problematic.
3. the ergonomics.  My previous bike was a VStrom, so adapting to the "sportier" position was a problem.  I never quite got used to having my feet to the rear.  The seat is tilted forward (although it was less of an issue with the luggage.  It tilted the whole bike back to that helped).  
4. it burned oil during the trip.  I did not find any leak anywhere, all gaskets were clean, all screws tight.  I did have to carry oil with me to top it off 2 times over the 3 weeks.  In 7 years with my VStrom, I never had that happen.  Same with my girlfriend's Versys.

Some issues I had fixed through farkles:

• got a taller windshield (Marstad).  This works great.  One detail, the Marstad logo which is cut in the windshield mount (a small "m") must be taped over, otherwise it whistles!
• put some O-Rings under the tank to remove some of the seat tilt.
• changed the pegs (use those from a FJR 1300) to have some rubber.
• added bar risers, 1" up, 1" back.

I will miss the power the engine provided.  But I will return to a more adventure style bike, for the seating position mostly.  And I will insist on a test drive, to make sure I do not get that transmission noise again.

Speaking of that, do you know if this is a Tracer issue, or a general Yamaha issue?  I am looking at the two Tenere models (T7 and Super 1200).  I wonder if they have the same problem...

[2and3cylinders]

No issues with "gear" whine on my 15?  No seat slope pain either also not on my Sargent.  Now I came from sportier STs and sport bikes.  Also did the peg and screen mods though.  In 50k miles does not, knock on plastic, "burn" any oil? I also feel it's very smooth in all gears, or maybe some tingles when near redline.

GL with your next choice.

[betoney]

I have never heard a gear whine in any gear or burned any oil on my ‘15 either. 

[MSandikci]

Same here. I also don't have any burning oil on my '16. There was something strange in there as we all agreed @WastedMind3500

[peteinpa]

No oil burning for me, but 6th gear whine, yep still there.

Not a deal breaker for me, but I wish it was gone. All my Hondas never had this in any gear. Some 9's might be louder than others.

I still think the whine is why so many used ones are on the market with no miles.

I've ridden a few other Yamahas but not enough to know about their gear whine. 

It just seems like Yamaha doesn't take the time or care at assembly to make things perfect.

I'm convinced those 2 gears for 6th are too tight, not shimmed correctly. I wonder if you bitched hard and long enough if it would be fixed under warranty.

[OZVFR]

Sad to hear that the gear whine is still a problem with some of the newer Tracers. 
Third and sixth is a problem with mine, and it’s nearly a deal breaker as it’s so bad. 
If the rest of the package wasn’t so good I’d be quickly unloading it. 
Not really sure what the cause is, or why some bikes suffer from it and some don’t. 
No oil issues with mine though. 

[CRFan250]

No gear whine or oil burning of any kind on my 20 GT.  So far this bike has been stellar.

[draco_1967]

22 hours ago, WastedMind3500 said:

 

• got a taller windshield (Marstad).  This works great.  One detail, the Marstad logo which is cut in the windshield mount (a small "m") must be taped over, otherwise it whistles!

Yes, I discovered the same thing. At first I thought it was my helmet, but it didn't change no matter how I moved my head. On a whim, I taped over the little "V" on the adapter plate, and the whistle was gone. 

Good luck in your search!

[nhchris]

Oh yeah on gear whine; in 3rd and 6th.  I went up a tooth on primary but whine is still a nuisance.

im going to demo an S 1000  XR in search of a more refined ride for touring.

[WastedMind3500]

I am "glad" to see I was not alone with the transmission whine problem.  At first I wondered if it was my tinnitus (pretty loud already, from army days), but I got my girlfriend to test it out and she confirmed.  Her exact quote was "I can't here myself think!".

I would have been ok with the other "problems".  And I could have figured out the oil issue.  But the whine I could not tolerate.  

As for trying to get it fixed, my bike is not under warranty since I bought it used.  And since I read that others had the issue, I think it is not a fixable issue (i.e. it is a design issue, not a problem specific to my 1 bike).  I could be wrong.  But service around here is pretty limited.  They sell bikes.  That's it.  Basic stuff and maintenance ok, but when it gets to more complex issues, you are SOL.

Good on you guys that have good bikes though!

 

[PhotoAl]

Sorry you had that experience and are moving on.  Lots of great bikes out there.  For places with speed limits like 80 to 100 KM it would be tough unless there was some great scenery or good twisty roads.  Rode across Minnesota (no interstates) and the constant 55MPH speed limits were really frustrating.

I have the whine but generally not so bad.  I generally listen to music with with speakers or earbuds and really don't notice it.  Do think my skid pan make the sound louder.  At 17,500 miles no oil consumption.  IMO the Yamaha gearbox is more race oriented and very reliable but not the quietest.  Shifting at low power and RPM can be a bit clunky.  When working the bike and the gearbox it is smooth as butter.  Riding thru mountain passes while not going super fast but having some fun it is an absolute delight.  

Mine is a keeper.

[petshark]

2 hours ago, WastedMind3500 said:

I am "glad" to see I was not alone with the transmission whine problem.  At first I wondered if it was my tinnitus (pretty loud already, from army days), but I got my girlfriend to test it out and she confirmed.  Her exact quote was "I can't here myself think!".

I would have been ok with the other "problems".  And I could have figured out the oil issue.  But the whine I could not tolerate.  

As for trying to get it fixed, my bike is not under warranty since I bought it used.  And since I read that others had the issue, I think it is not a fixable issue (i.e. it is a design issue, not a problem specific to my 1 bike).  I could be wrong.  But service around here is pretty limited.  They sell bikes.  That's it.  Basic stuff and maintenance ok, but when it gets to more complex issues, you are SOL.

Good on you guys that have good bikes though!

 

For it to resemble tinnitus (which I also have) it must be pretty shrill. Yikes. I've voiced the opinion a few times here already that while some gear whine is a characteristic of triple engines, there are too many reports of people who find it intolerable for it to be as simple as that.

The "normal" whine is actually quite pleasant IMO, and could never be mistaken for something that makes you want to sell the bike. Many people don't even hear it. You are not alone though and I really feel for all of you. In none of the discussions that I read or took part in did I see a solution. Mostly just people sharing their vastly different experiences (and a few unfriendly people harassing the OP that it was all in their head and they should quit crying about it... mostly on FB)
It is my undestanding that this whine has many faces and the problem is not the rider being overly sensitive.

I can only add that I have a used bike that had some really weird symptoms and writing this inspires me to share my newfound conclusions in a post and see if no-one can figure out what could be going on. I think it is related as I have a whine that comes and goes.

I love the bike and the engine but my experience and the many that I read about make me believe that this engine is not very robust at all. Too many people suffer symptoms that are hard to describe and are seemingly never solved. True, it doesn't break down but I think we have a right to expect more than that. It should run as intended, without loud whines, jamming gears etc.

[fjray]

Some of you guys would  complain if they hung you with a new rope.

[koth442]

1 hour ago, fjray said:

Some of you guys would  complain if they hung you with a new rope.

Damn straight, I don't want to get hung with any rope

[peteinpa]

1 hour ago, fjray said:

Some of you guys would  complain if they hung you with a new rope.

Well of course, they stretch too much.