help! analysis paralysis- moving from 2019 tracer 900 to tracer 9 GT? other?

[phats22]

so, i currently commute year round (barring ice) in NYC on my 2019 tracer. when i purchased the bike, i was upgrading from a 2008 sv650 which i loved but felt didn't have enough zoom, brakes were weak, suspension not great (roads here are murder), etc. in looking at the tracer, i anticipated doing some 2 up riding with my better half in addition to commuting but, a few years later and its 99% commute- 25-35min mix of dense urban and highways each way.

i love, love, love the engine on my tracer but its a bit tall and a bit heavy in the city. would also love better fuel range/efficiency (get ~145-165mi/tank). i've looked at v stroms, versys, honda 500x (thinking too underpowered), sv650 (again) and everything else under the sun  

i lane filter but dont split, believe the best defense is a good offense on the highway (ie, be able to accelerate out of trouble), have come to appreciate having a fairing and windshield in the winter vs the naked bike setup. 

as i've searched, i realize maybe the updated tracer is my best option?  lower seat, larger tank, better mileage.  weight is not much different but thinking the lower seat height might make that less of a factor

anyone urban commuting on the newer model?  thoughts?

[OldBikers]

I don't commute since I retired a few years back but I do ride in heavy Chicago traffic and my 21 T9GT performs better than my old 13 FZ-1.  I'm 5'9" and have no issue with the seat in the low position.  MPG is variable anywhere from 38 to 50 mpg depending on traffic and roadway. 

[Rick123]

Seems like you’ve been getting pretty low gas mileage... Comparing 900 to 9GT the only advantage is a lower seat height (which looks like it worked for you for last few years). Disadvantage - big price increase. Just my 2c.

[Wintersdark]

I dunno.  Just my opinion of course, this is all very subjective, but I'd argue that the gains are very minor and most aren't relevant for your stated use case (urban commuting) - the electronic suspension, slightly more power, etc.  The seat height difference is pretty minor and unless you're having issues getting feet down I don't see it really making a noticable difference.  

All of which and more are all things that are better with the new T9GT.... But they're all small, too.... And it's a HUGE price difference.  I know personally I couldn't justify that spend for such minor gains - again, particularly given your use case.

I mean, if seat height is that important to you, why not just lower the existing Tracer and save several thousand dollars?

[Heavy]

12 hours ago, phats22 said:

99% commute- 25-35min mix of dense urban and highways each way.

You can't have that many miles on your 2019.  I'd agree with Rick123 and Wintersdark.  A big expense for nominal gain.  Just my personal, cheap-ass, opinion though.  🙃

[skipperT]

MT/FZ07 if you can find a clean one. 

but even with a heavy throttle hand, I’m surprised by your fuel mileage. Are you up to date on maintenance?

-Skip

[Torbeach]

Triumph Tiger 660 Sport? It's getting good reviews and has a triple engine and good gas mileage. Lots of optional add on's from Triumph like up/down quick shifter, heated grips, blue tooth pairing etc. They are selling the remaining 2022's with side cases at a pretty good price here in Canada and would expect the same in the US. A drawback is Cruise Control and centre stand are not available. 

[betoney]

23 hours ago, phats22 said:

i love, love, love the engine on my tracer but its a bit tall and a bit heavy in the city. would also love better fuel range/efficiency (get ~145-165mi/tank). 

as i've searched, i realize maybe the updated tracer is my best option?  lower seat, larger tank, better mileage.  weight is not much different but thinking the lower seat height might make that less of a factor

You didn't mention your height or inseam, I ask since you consider the Tracer tall and heavy. 

The differences between the bikes physically aren't that much, looking at the specs online, the Tracer 900 has a slightly taller seat but the Tracer 9's weight is slightly higher, possibly due to the IMU and electronic suspension and actuators/components and the Tracer 9's fuel capacity is only a few ounces more (averaging only 150 miles per tank sounds abnormally low). 

You could save thousands of dollars and get the seat reshaped but otherwise the physical size and capacity of the 2 bikes are too close to make a difference unless you want the new technology related to the IMU and the redesigned look.

[DavidS]

1 hour ago, betoney said:

You didn't mention your height or inseam, I ask since you consider the Tracer tall and heavy. 

The differences between the bike physically aren't that much, looking at the specs online, the Tracer 900 has a slightly taller seat but the Tracer 9's weight is slightly higher, possibly due to the IMU and electronic suspension and actuators/components and the Tracer 9's fuel capacity is only a few ounces more (averaging only 150 miles per tank sounds abnormally low). 

You could save thousands of dollars and get the seat reshaped but otherwise the physical size and capacity of the 2 bikes are too close to make a difference unless you want the new technology related to the IMU and the redesigned look.

What betoney said!!!!!!!!!

I once traded my old FJ09, fully outfitted with after market sparkles to the Tracer 900 GT. I quickly realized I had the newer version of my old bike, but not much improvement or extra features. I had added all the extra sparkles after market on my old bike, and my old bike was about the same in almost every way to the new tracer. And I still wish I could have the shorter wheel base like the original bike, I miss the character of the old FJ09.

[Wintersdark]

4 hours ago, DavidS said:

What betoney said!!!!!!!!!

I once traded my old FJ09, fully outfitted with after market sparkles to the Tracer 900 GT. I quickly realized I had the newer version of my old bike, but not much improvement or extra features. I had added all the extra sparkles after market on my old bike, and my old bike was about the same in almost every way to the new tracer. And I still wish I could have the shorter wheel base like the original bike, I miss the character of the old FJ09.

Hah this is a good point too.  All the farkles you put into the bike have zero resale value but if you're going to need to spend that money again farkling the new bike pushes the price up even more.  

Incremental upgrades at thousands of dollars... eh, that just doesn't really work for me.  I know I'd never consider trading my 900GT in for a Tracer 9, and if I'd bought an FJ I wouldn't have considered a Tracer 900.  

7 hours ago, skipperT said:

MT/FZ07 if you can find a clean one. 

but even with a heavy throttle hand, I’m surprised by your fuel mileage. Are you up to date on maintenance?

-Skip

Honestly, around town, I enjoyed my prior bike (2018 MT07) more than the Tracer 900GT.  The Tracer is a better bike, but the MT07 was wicked fun and super maneuverable.  It just fell down on longer rides, and was pretty small for my 6'4" frame.  If I had to choose one for primarily city riding however it would be an MT07 every single time, without a second thought.

Interestingly, I bought a Tenere 700 last year, and frankly it too is significantly better to ride around in town than the Tracer is.  That CP2 is a delight at low speeds, and it's height (directly in opposition to the OP's ask) is IMHO a huge benefit: I can stand on it and easily see over pickup trucks, and seated I've got clear LOS over cars.  Vision is safety riding in a city, you're never surprised by someone obscured by the car in front of you.  It's the same weight as the Tracer and taller, so if OP is very small that'd probably be a problem, but frankly the Tenere is an absolute beast of a city bike.  Gravel on the road?  Who cares.  Curbs?  Just ride over them.  You can put the bike whereever you want, don't need to care about roads at all.  I'm a bit of a hooligan on mine  

 

[whisperquiet]

I owned both the Tracer 900 GT and a Tenere 700……the Tenere 700 CP-2 engine is one of the best engines that I have ever owned and the MT-07/XSR700/Tracer 700 should be at the top of your list.

[phats22]

On 3/18/2023 at 8:04 PM, whisperquiet said:

I owned both the Tracer 900 GT and a Tenere 700……the Tenere 700 CP-2 engine is one of the best engines that I have ever owned and the MT-07/XSR700/Tracer 700 should be at the top of your list.

Can you compare contrast the two engines?  Or what did you like about it vs the triple?

[phats22]

Thanks for all the replies, definitely helpful.  Agree that it doesn't make much sense to replace my bike with the newer model. 

Still thinking about other bikes though...😀

 

Btw, I'm 5 10.5 32 inseam I think.  I can usually get both feet down flat but the roads are weird here.anf sometimes it's just the balls of my feet down.  in the winter it can be tricky to land securely

[OldBikers]

I spent a week on a 2019 Tracer 900 GT while touring the Pyrenees.  I sold my 2012 FZ-1 and purchased a 2021 T9GT and have over 8K miles on it.  As far as I can tell both Tracers are very similar.  However, the newer one's QS works in both directions.  That would be the biggest change other than the engine and chassis. 

Edited March 20, 2023 by OldBikers

[Wintersdark]

5 hours ago, phats22 said:

Can you compare contrast the two engines?  Or what did you like about it vs the triple?

As I said, I've got both too. 

This is something I've rambled on about at length, and while it may be less popular on this specific forum you'll find it's not an uncommon opinion.

The CP2 is a more fun engine.  It's not a faster engine, but it often *feels* faster.  The CP3 is more refined and powerful, but needs to spin up more to make that power and (particularly before the refresh) has kind of a flat spot around 4000-5000rpm.  On the other hand, the CP2 hammers the power on *immediately*, giving it a very raw, visceral feel with acceleration being hard and fast.  

The problem with the CP2 is that it kind of runs out of steam at the high end, and while the CP2 bikes will hit top speeds just a little shy of the CP3, after 100mph the CP2 noticeably lags where the CP3 roars.

On the flip side, to get the CP2 experience out of the CP3 you need to rev it up into the 7000-8000rpm range.  There, it's a monster, tons of power on tap.  But the problem you run in to in town is that with that power and at high rpm you find yourself hitting unusable speeds too fast.  Where the CP2 bike can roar off a stop pulling power wheelies gear after gear as you bang through the gears... But not end up going felony speeds.... The CP3 is either in its flat spot (where I'll note it's still very powerful, just not exciting) or accelerating *extremely* rapidly and god I hope there isn't a cop around.

So.  If you're riding mostly in town, or on windy highways where you're not really exceeding 100mph/160 kph, the CP2 feels gruntier and more exciting. It's simpler, direct cable throttle, no ride modes, traction control, or other degrees of separation between wrist and zoom. Put a short throw throttle tube on it for $20 and it feels almost frenzied. 

But once you're on highways more often, open roads (winding or otherwise) where being able to put significant power down when you're already moving pretty fast is important, and suddenly everything changes.  Or if you want to ride two up, and need more power to overcome the weight.

As well, if you ride like a hooligan on both, you'll tend to get better gas mileage out of the cp3 as it gives fewer phucks about wind resistance due to the higher power, whereas after around 120kph/75mph the CP2 becomes very inefficient as too large a percentage of its output is going to just countering drag.  This specific point is less relevant for the R7, however.