Tracer 900 vs GT 2018/9 what should I buy

[stringman]

Firstly apologies as I was not sure on whether to post in this or the Tracer forum- so I did both- please delete one if required.

Sadly I am pretty sure I have written of my 2017 tracer 900. 

I have managed to salvage some parts from the bike namely:

Heated grips ( on MT09 bars) 

Akra Ti full exhaust

Nitron R1 shock

Shad topbox.

I am looking at buying a 2018/9 model which I understand has the longer swinging arm and narrower bars.

originally I was looking at buying a tracer 900 as I could put the salvaged bits back on it. But I have been informed that the shock wont fit and I will need a new mounting plate for the topbox.

So with that in mind I started to look at the GT.

With that comes questions.

I am not that bothered by the paniers- if I kept them they might get used once in a while, but i would consider selling them, is there a used market for them in the UK?

Is the rear GT shock on par with the Nitron R1?  on my current bike I have the R1 and updated fork springs and it handles ok but I would like to get it a bit better. I wonder would I be better of keeping the rear shock, selling my R1 and buying some front cartridges?

I guess what I am asking is the GT worth the difference when the only real benefits seem to be QS ( which you can buy) Cruise ( not sure if you can buy, but not that bothered, heated grips ( which I have),  luggage (I'm a bit indifferent) and the rear shock)

Thanks in advance

[PhotoAl]

Sorry to hear about your 2017.  Here in the US there was no 2018 GT only 2019 and 2020, not sure about UK.  

I would not be too concerned about the luggage as you have said it could be sold but handy to have is you decide to take a trip or even for putting gear away when somewhere and don't want to lug a jacket and boots around.  Yamaha recommends against a top box and sidecases.  Some think it is aerodynamics but I believe it is the ability to overload the bike.  On my 2020 I have a top case and sidecases and have rides many miles with all of them.  Typically on a long trip the sidecases are full and a 58 liter duffle is on the rear seat.  The Topbox is used for the rain jacket and to store the helmet during stops.  However as you know stuff accumulates so it sometimes has a bit more int it.  Another advantage of running with sidecases is you are viewed as a more mature rider.

Heated grips, QS and cruse control:  I like all three and use them a lot.  It is very nice to have them OEM and installed at the factory - better fit and less issues than say aftermarket.  I enjoy the QS, not so much when just puttering around but when accelerating briskly it is quite nice.  For example when pulling out into traffic I let 1st get me close to the speed I want then use the QS to make a couple of shifts up.  No need to use the clutch and throttle to make a shift.  Just press on the shift lever and it is done.  CC is nice when riding thru town with speed limits and don't want tone fined by an overzealous officer.  On the interstates I use it a lot.  I have done 3 long trips not my Tracer GT and really like the CC.  

[ZigMerid]

18 hours ago, PhotoAl said:

CC is nice when riding thru town with speed limits and don't want tone fined by an overzealous officer.  On the interstates I use it a lot.  I have done 3 long trips not my Tracer GT and really like the CC.  

Everyone I speak to reckons that once you have CC you never go back.

As @photoal says, speeding tickets, boredom and being able to stretch your right arm/wrist on longer rides are benefits not to be underestimated. I've been on three longish rides in the last four days with three more to go, and boy, what I wouldn't give to be able to get the circulation back into my right wrist at times!

While a new Tracer is on my Santa list, even if I go with something else, CC is a must.

So I wouldn't discount CC simply on the basis that you might be able to add an aftermarket version.

[Bimbim18]

Sorry to hear about your 2017. I just totaled my 2019 GT. I loved it. Was my daily driver for a bit over 3 years. The whole package worked well together (except the windshield)

 

I'd see if the exhaust fits, if not maybe sell it and put it towards an exhaust for the 2019 and keep the top box. Should be fine as long as you keep it light. I was just about to get either an OEM or shad for mine because it gets old carrying my helmet everywhere. 

I never saw the benefit of CC till I had it on my GT. Rarely used it but when I did I was happy I had it and will definitely want it on my next bike (2022 tracer 9 GT probably), especially in those long stretches on the interstate when no other cars are near me and I can relax a bit.

 

Oh and yeah, CC to keep speed.,... Way too easy to go above the speed limit on that tracer 🙂

Edited April 6, 2022 by Bimbim18

[ZigMerid]

1 hour ago, Bimbim18 said:

Oh and yeah, CC to keep speed.,... Way too easy to go above the speed limit on that tracer

Not to belabour the point, but sitting on a dumb speed limit when you're controlling the throttle is way more frustrating than setting the CC and just watching the world go by.

There's something psychologically different about CC and speed limits. I just zen out with them. But if I'm forever managing the throttle manually to stay under what feels like a frustratingly low limit, I'm anything but zen.

So it's not so much that CC is magic at controlling speeds, it's that it helps with your mind-set as you ride thru painful speed-limit areas.

Ok. Ok. I have belaboured the point. My awful 😇

[petshark]

I definitely recommend the GT and would personally never buy a non-GT if this one is totalled. factory CC, heated grips and QS all are luxuries I don't want to go without.

No-one has addressed the shock yet. I have no experience with the Nitron R1 but have considered it while researching the shock upgrade (went for Ohlins in the end). The stock shock on the GT is really not on par with any aftermarket quality shock. It is still a budget part so if you're used to something good you'll likely not be satisfied.

GT + ECU flash + suspension upgrade = perfection IMO

[Cogswell]

Important features for me on the GT are cruise control, heated grips, fully adjustable suspension, and hard bags.

[stringman]

Thanks for all the replies.

It seems the main things people like are the heated grips, cc and QS

I have oem heated grips off my bike ( dead easy to fit) the qs can be bought for under £200

Now CC- I was not bothered by it in the least  as most of my riding is town riding ( except the 15mile each way motorway stretch) but everyone raves about it so maybe its  a " it would be nice" thing.

Luggage, again I was never that bothered but the more I think about it the more I think it might be nice on the odd occassion i want to use it. That said I bought a waterproof givi bag to put on the bike and have used it about 3 times.

The real crux for me is the suspension.

Is the rear shock actually better than the standard shock. I know its got remote adjustment, but whatever i get i will take to the local suspension place, get it set up and leave it be.

And is the front better? again its got more adjustment but is it better?

 

On my tracer I changed the front springs and put a Nitron R1 on the rear. It wasnt brilliant but it was so much better.

I wonder whether the front is better so that if I change the springs again in will be better ( thus saving the need for new cartridges.

I guess what i need to do is find a defined budget and see what machine i can get for my money.

[Bimbim18]

On 4/6/2022 at 5:47 AM, petshark said:

 

No-one has addressed the shock yet.

Wish I could. All I know is I was happy with mine, but I have no experience with upgraded suspension. It was worlds better than my last bike (2003 Honda shadow) and the adjustment knob was great (I constantly used it since I dropped my kid off at school daily) 

[petshark]

47 minutes ago, stringman said:

On my tracer I changed the front springs and put a Nitron R1 on the rear. It wasnt brilliant but it was so much better.

I wonder whether the front is better so that if I change the springs again in will be better ( thus saving the need for new cartridges.

I guess what i need to do is find a defined budget and see what machine i can get for my money.

My suspension guy said that for my style of riding (sporty twisty roady) cartridges were overkill. The rear shock had to go but for the front we just did Ohlins springs for my weight, Ohlins oil and SKF seals. It wasn't expensive and I'm really happy with the result. 

I also went to another suspension tech first and had the stock shock and forks set up for my weight. He ended up lowering the forks in the triple clamps because he didn't like the geometry (too light on the nose). I wasn't satisfied but I'm not saying that the suspension is trash and that everyone should upgrade. It just transforms a very nice bike into a superb bike.

I know I said that I would never buy a non-GT but since you' really don't seem to have use for any of the extra's I want to change my vote to non-GT and get a good shock and springs for the front. That's what I would do in your shoes anyway. If the non-GT 2018+ have got the longer swingarm that is (I'm not sure about that)

[stringman]

10 minutes ago, petshark said:

My suspension guy said that for my style of riding (sporty twisty roady) cartridges were overkill. The rear shock had to go but for the front we just did Ohlins springs for my weight, Ohlins oil and SKF seals. It wasn't expensive and I'm really happy with the result. 

I also went to another suspension tech first and had the stock shock and forks set up for my weight. He ended up lowering the forks in the triple clamps because he didn't like the geometry (too light on the nose). I wasn't satisfied but I'm not saying that the suspension is trash and that everyone should upgrade. It just transforms a very nice bike into a superb bike.

I know I said that I would never buy a non-GT but since you' really don't seem to have use for any of the extra's I want to change my vote to non-GT and get a good shock and springs for the front. That's what I would do in your shoes anyway. If the non-GT 2018+ have got the longer swingarm that is (I'm not sure about that)

thats really interesting. Thanks Bizarrely I am almost tempted by the GT but then selling the luggage to recoup some costs 

[petshark]

10 hours ago, stringman said:

thats really interesting. Thanks Bizarrely I am almost tempted by the GT but then selling the luggage to recoup some costs 

Sorry, I think I made a mistake here.. if you get the non-GT you will not have the upgraded KYB forks that were the basis for the spring upgrade I had done. I'm not sure if the same can be done to the non-GT fork. It doesn't have the compression and rebound screws, right? 

You might have to get a GT after all 

[stringman]

1 minute ago, petshark said:

Sorry, I think I made a mistake here.. if you get the non-GT you will not have the upgraded KYB forks that were the basis for the spring upgrade I had done. I'm not sure if the same can be done to the non-GT fork. It doesn't have the compression and rebound screws, right? 

You might have to get a GT after all 

Im not sure what adjustments they have ( i know my bike has a special left to right twist adjustment!!!😀) but you can definitely change the springs  as I had mine changed -upgraded progressive I think

[Wintersdark]

10 hours ago, stringman said:

thats really interesting. Thanks Bizarrely I am almost tempted by the GT but then selling the luggage to recoup some costs 

This isn't even remotely strange to me, honestly. 

My hard cases see use only a couple times a year on major trips.  Day to day, they stay off.  As I own a set of soft bags for my Tenere I've considered just selling my hard cases, and slapping the soft bags on either bike as needed.

The GT offers a lot more than just the cases, though.  If it was just them, I'd ABSOLUTELY just buy the base model and throw soft bags on.  

But factory heated grips, cruise control, tft dash, quickshifter, adjustable suspension... mmm. 

[stringman]

8 minutes ago, Wintersdark said:

This isn't even remotely strange to me, honestly. 

My hard cases see use only a couple times a year on major trips.  Day to day, they stay off.  As I own a set of soft bags for my Tenere I've considered just selling my hard cases, and slapping the soft bags on either bike as needed.

The GT offers a lot more than just the cases, though.  If it was just them, I'd ABSOLUTELY just buy the base model and throw soft bags on.  

But factory heated grips, cruise control, tft dash, quickshifter, adjustable suspension... mmm. 

I agree to a certain degree, Heated grips I already have, quickshifter  i can add on.

Adjustable suspension isnt that important as the load changes on my rides will be  + - 10kg.

What is important is if the GT has better suspension. and I do like the new dash.

A whole lot of my problem is i want something new- different from what i already have!