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Tracer 9 GT test ride & comparison to 900 GT


petshark

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2 hours ago, petshark said:

I hadn't expected to be this impressed so here is a quick comparison.

What I loved:

  • attention to detail. Everything looks neater, cable routing is perfect. You can actually see the front wheel while riding. Also more room between the engine and frame so easier to clean and dry.

What I loved less:

  • the display. It is a very geeky interface so it's kind of fitting that it looks like a pair of glasses. Lots of options but not really nice to look at but that wouldn't be a deal-breaker to me.
  • The seat is lower that the 900, even in the high setting, which I don't like (I'm 6'). I would get an aftermarket seat with extra padding as I like to sit higher that this.
  • I don't like the look of the front so much (yet?) but again no deal-breaker. The 900 looks better to me.

I didn't get a test ride but after a thorough inspection on the showroom, I came away with the exact same reactions. 

The fit and finish is greatly improved, especially compared to the original FJ09 but I personally don't like the stacked headlight look (to me it looks like they stacked the lights from the Tracer 700 and R1) or the split TFT gauges.  I will probably wait a few years to see what they offer on the Gen IV.

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***2015 Candy Red FJ-09***

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How many miles on your test ride bike? These pads take a bit to “bed-in” and the performance is much better after 500 miles or so IMHO. 
 

9GT is a far better bike, period. It’s just so much more refined and smooth. The extra price is worth it for what Yamaha has improved, IMHO. 
 

it’s like comparing a GL1800 gold wing from 2002 to a new 18-21 model.
KTM’s are exciting to ride until they start to spend time in the shop, which they all do eventually. Then you’ll be excited about the cost of maintenance vs a Yamaha. 

-Skip

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Yup it's super nice and remarkably improved from prior gens. I came away from a Yamaha demo event far more impressed than I thought I would be.  Only thing I didn't like was the dash.  The lower seat height was a plus for 5'9" me.  I have a 2016 FJ-09 and was considering upgrading to a Tracer 900 GT in 2020. I'm glad I held off as that wouldn't have been nearly as significant an upgrade from my 2016.  Even though the price jumped a lot, I think it's worth it.  Now if I only they were actually available for purchase anywhere...

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What about the seat curvature? Seems even worse than the 900 GT. That is close to a deal breaker for me, although with the lower height an alternative seat that is a little higher might work. I also don't like the dash, but that is less of a potential deal breaker.

Regards, Grumpy Goat | 2019 Yamaha Tracer 900 GT & 2016 BMW R1200RS

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Interesting to read about everyone's preferences for seat height.  On my 2019 GT, I wish my body was down in the chassis a bit more, this bike feels like your riding "on top of it" to me...and the seat is already  in the low position.  I'm just shy of 5-11.  And no problems at all flat-footing at stops.     I am currently re-working the seat foam to make it softer with a more dished contour, strictly for comfort and somewhat eliminating the forward slope.   When done, I will be sitting about a centimeter or 2 lower in the chassis.

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5 hours ago, petshark said:

After doing test rides on the KTM 1290SAS (really not my thing) and the Honda CB1000R (loved it a lot but the tracer is the better package) I now tried the new Tracer 9 GT!

I hadn't expected to be this impressed so here is a quick comparison.

What I loved:

  • attention to detail. Everything looks neater, cable routing is perfect. You can actually see the front wheel while riding. Also more room between the engine and frame so easier to clean and dry.
  • more room on the footpegs
  • rubber footpegs
  • high turn signals. Brilliant. You can see it when you forgot to turn it off and they won't snap off if the bike is dropped.
  • smoothness of the engine. I don't think I would do an ECU flash on this one. Almost no on/off feel. I runs way better than my 900 before the ECU flash.
  • high revs sound killer. I love my 900 engine but this one sounds even better. Hard to describe but I get goosebumps thinking about it. Very exciting.
  • Screen is improved.
  • turn radius. the lighter wheels really make a difference, it's even more agile and happy to turn in.
  • rear wheel adjustment is much more robust. big block of aluminum
  • the swing arm pivot uses the same axle as the rear wheel I think. Looks neat and easy to remove.
  • The electronics package is great, and you can tune everything quite granular If you wish. I rode it in full power on wet roads and the electronics never had to intervene. I had to keep it civil as there is no insurance on these test rides but did let it rip on straights.
  • stock tyres were good.
  • Suspension was good. It did not feel like a huge downgrade compared to my Ohlins.

What I loved less:

  • the display. It is a very geeky interface so it's kind of fitting that it looks like a pair of glasses. Lots of options but not really nice to look at but that wouldn't be a deal-breaker to me.
  • Still the clutch lever is not adjustable.
  • The mirrors are still no good.
  • The thumb-wheel is the same. I can use it without problems most of the time but it shouldn't be so hard and I know that many people struggle with it. (the trick is to keep the thumb low and push up instead of only forward)
  • The center-stand is harder to engage, but no big deal.
  • Brakes feel less squishy but also less bite. My brakes are better so I'm thinking that the master cylinder on the 9 gives more direct pressure but the brake pads need to be upgraded to EBC HH's as well for me to feel that the new brakes are actually better.
  • The seat is lower that the 900, even in the high setting, which I don't like (I'm 6'). I would get an aftermarket seat with extra padding as I like to sit higher that this. The Tracer 900 wins in that regard. I do have a comfort seat that I love.
  • I don't like the look of the front so much (yet?) but again no deal-breaker. The 900 looks better to me.

I probably forgot some things but that's all i have for now.

I've invested too much in my 2019 900 GT to jump on this and now I kind of wish that I hadn't done that. It is going to be hard to keep resisting the upgrade. The thing is that I would not need to do most of the upgrades on the new one (ECU, suspension). I'm almost hoping that someone hits it with their car while it's parked so I can use the insurance money to buy the 9 GT. Just kidding, well kind of...

Sounds like the new engine will be around for a long time.

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I own at 19 Tracer GT. I got a chance to ride the 21 9GT at the IMS show a month or so ago.  While the bikes are very similar, IMHO the suspension was a nice improvement.  The fueling / throttle response was good, a little better than my 19. I also don't care for the dash.  I much prefer the 19-20 dash.  The screen and seat aren't great for me, but I don't expect any bike to a seat and screen that works for the masses.  I accept that I will probably need a different seat and screen. The larger fuel tank and panniers is a nice improvement.   The brakes could use an improvement, but perhaps they were seated properly at break-in. OH, and that QS, esp on downshifts, I love it. 

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1 hour ago, p2smith said:

I own at 19 Tracer GT. I got a chance to ride the 21 9GT at the IMS show a month or so ago.  While the bikes are very similar, IMHO the suspension was a nice improvement.  The fueling / throttle response was good, a little better than my 19. I also don't care for the dash.  I much prefer the 19-20 dash.  The screen and seat aren't great for me, but I don't expect any bike to a seat and screen that works for the masses.  I accept that I will probably need a different seat and screen. The larger fuel tank and panniers is a nice improvement.   The brakes could use an improvement, but perhaps they were seated properly at break-in. OH, and that QS, esp on downshifts, I love it. 

Ow yes! How could I forget. The QS is a huge improvement. Better than the KTM and about the same as the Honda. 1st to 2nd without hesitation.

I'll edit the post and add that.

5 hours ago, Grumpy Goat said:

What about the seat curvature? Seems even worse than the 900 GT. That is close to a deal breaker for me, although with the lower height an alternative seat that is a little higher might work. I also don't like the dash, but that is less of a potential deal breaker.

I bought my 900 GT with a comfort seat and never had any issue with it. The 9 GT seat is different, wider at the back and narrower at the front. Maybe that causes you to sit in the bike more as @Skidood mentions. It's not great but I had no pain after a one hour ride (which doesn't say much but I do have a lot of back pain issues which rules out the CB1000R riding position). I think that Yamaha still cut costs here, it seems cheap and thin but that makes sense as you can never please everyone with a high quality seat. So expect you need to upgrade this and the screen probably but then you are done.

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6 hours ago, skipperT said:

How many miles on your test ride bike? These pads take a bit to “bed-in” and the performance is much better after 500 miles or so IMHO. 
 

9GT is a far better bike, period. It’s just so much more refined and smooth. The extra price is worth it for what Yamaha has improved, IMHO. 
 

it’s like comparing a GL1800 gold wing from 2002 to a new 18-21 model.
KTM’s are exciting to ride until they start to spend time in the shop, which they all do eventually. Then you’ll be excited about the cost of maintenance vs a Yamaha. 

-Skip

There were about 1000 miles on it. I agree that they probably were never bedded in probably but the sintered EBC pads will also add that extra bite that I'm used to.

I did not find the KTM exciting to ride. It felt like a lawnmower to me, albeit a very fast one. I probably expected too much and this has left me feeling very underwhelmed. I never expected to get back on the Tracer after that test ride and have it feel like the superior bike, while costing less than half.

Maybe my next experience will be better. People seem to love them so I must be missing something.

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KTM does allow you a lot of control with their Ride Modes, if it wasn’t on “Sport” it may have been subdued to the point that it felt less sporty-like while riding, leading to you not being impressed acceleration/responsive-ness wise. 

1290’s are quite fast and love to wheelie, whether it’s an adv or a duke GT. The engine packs quite a wallop. And yes, they are quite “rattle-y” as well. 
-Skip

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7 hours ago, petshark said:

I bought my 900 GT with a comfort seat and never had any issue with it. The 9 GT seat is different, wider at the back and narrower at the front. Maybe that causes you to sit in the bike more as @Skidood mentions. It's not great but I had no pain after a one hour ride (which doesn't say much but I do have a lot of back pain issues which rules out the CB1000R riding position). I think that Yamaha still cut costs here, it seems cheap and thin but that makes sense as you can never please everyone with a high quality seat. So expect you need to upgrade this and the screen probably but then you are done.

Thanks for the reply. My concern is not about the hardness / softness or even the width, but in the fore-aft slope of the seat which causes the rider to "roll forward" into the tank, causing discomfort in other parts of the lower region.

A solution was created by another member on this forum, and this works well, all things considered. However, from my inspection on the showroom floor it seems that the 21+ Tracer 9 GT has even more curvature to the seat pan which exacerbates this "rolling forward" tendency. Your comment on the comfort seat is noted and I may have to get one of those since it seems flatter, although from what I have read it also makes the seat a little taller and I have a 30" inseam and am 5'-8".

Great list of test ride impressions, by the way. Thanks for taking the time to share.

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Regards, Grumpy Goat | 2019 Yamaha Tracer 900 GT & 2016 BMW R1200RS

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1 hour ago, Bimbim18 said:

2019 GT. I'm 5'5" I'd love to have a slightly lower seat. 

 

I can't get over that dash... I'm looking at everything and everything is such an improvement.. but that dash is a serious downgrade IMO.

If you have the nerve, pull off the seat cover and carve away at the foam, very carefully, with a very sharp, curved  butcher knife.  To make it softer, do what I'm doing and also cut a hundred or so holes in the foam with a rotating piece of 3/8 OD copper tubing, with the cutting end sharpened and spun by a cordless drill.  I will post pics of mine when I'm done.  So far I'm at about 60 holes and it's not much softer yet.  I also used this technique on my bed, a 6 inch slab of foam with memory foam on top.  The slab was too firm.  The holes I cut in this case were 1 inch in diameter using a copper pipe.  Looks ridiculous but who cares, you don't see it.

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