Thinking about a Tracer

[pugwash]

UK based owner of another popular 3 cylinder middleweight "adventure" bike who is thinking about a change.
 
Got a Tiger 800 and have covered 16000 happy miles but have caught shiny new bike fever. As well as rides out and occasional commuting, I get a European tour and a couple of long weekends away in each year. The Triumph does everything I want, good on fuel with a fantastic tank range, performance and handling exceed my capabilities and I have kitted it out with all the farkles I need. 
 
One option is to upgrade to the latest Tiger, swap all my luggage and accessories over at zero cost, and have more of the same. Hassle free but........
 
The Tracer looks on paper like an all rounder like the Triumph but with that little bit extra. The price is right (although I would have to spend to spec it up to suit me) and I have liked the Yamahas I have had in the past.
 
A couple of hours on a demonstrator doesn't tell you what it is like to live with a bike so I will be reading up on your experiences and maybe asking some stupid questions.
 
Regards
 
Pugwash  

[happy01]

UK based owner of another popular 3 cylinder middleweight "adventure" bike who is thinking about a change. 
Got a Tiger 800 and have covered 16000 happy miles but have caught shiny new bike fever. As well as rides out and occasional commuting, I get a European tour and a couple of long weekends away in each year. The Triumph does everything I want, good on fuel with a fantastic tank range, performance and handling exceed my capabilities and I have kitted it out with all the farkles I need. 
 
One option is to upgrade to the latest Tiger, swap all my luggage and accessories over at zero cost, and have more of the same. Hassle free but........
 
The Tracer looks on paper like an all rounder like the Triumph but with that little bit extra. The price is right (although I would have to spend to spec it up to suit me) and I have liked the Yamahas I have had in the past.
 
A couple of hours on a demonstrator doesn't tell you what it is like to live with a bike so I will be reading up on your experiences and maybe asking some stupid questions.
 
Regards
 
Pugwash  

 
 
I'd go with the new tiger if it's in budget

[magpie]

I have rode both bikes I would say
 
Off road.... The Tiger
On road..... The Tracer

[santacruz]

Welcom pugwash, I traded my tiger 800 in for the tracer, after 4 years ,thought the new xrx was to exspensive, I see triumphs just launched 2 more tiger 800s, xrt, thats 6 to choose from now, I have to say I dont miss the tiger, the tracer is the bike I wished triumph had built in the first place with 17 inch wheels.

[pugwash]

A little update. I took a Tracer demonstrator out for an hour this morning for a run around my local A and B roads.
 
First impressions: feet flat on the floor with seat in low position, engine feels turbine smooth, nice exhaust note from standard system, mirrors a bit narrow but not the worst I've seen. At slow speed the transition from closed to open throttle seemed a little jerky, don't know if this was a fuelling issue, how it was set up (did seem to be a lot of throttle movement before anything happened) or just being on an unfamiliar bike. The pegs were higher than I am used to but I soon got used to it and the riding position suited me fine.
 
Once on the move the bike felt really nimble, slow speed manoeuvres were a doddle and felt good in the bends. Once I was out of town and had the chance to open it up she gathered speed with absolutely no effort. I surprised myself a couple of times by looking at the clocks not expecting them to be reading so high. I only needed third and fourth gear for most of the ride. I really liked the power delivery. Suspension seemed quite firm but I have no idea what the settings were. The screen seems to the subject of debate, I tried both extremes and felt little difference in wind but it was noisy in the high position, low was fine for me. If the fuel gauge is to be believed I was getting low 50's mpg (imperial).
 
Bad points: the seat has got to be a vinyl cover over a slab of concrete, the hand guards are ugly as and the side stand was a bit awkward to get to as the foot-peg got in the way.
 
 
All in all a good bike and definitely on my list of potentials.

[bobaintstoppin]

I have devoloped a system for the side stand that seems to work well.  If you bring your heal up from under the foot peg, and spring it out of the way, the side stand is right there and you catch it on the way back down.  I've only done this a few times so far, but it seems pretty easy and reliable.  Give it a try.

[odisspunkmuer]

Pug, hello, welcome. I'm going to add a few notes to help with some of the points you mentioned. Hopefully I'll help clear some stuff up for you.
 
-The stock windscreen is terrible. You will guaranteed have to change it out to get rid of that terrible buffeting and noise. A quick search on the forum will enlighten you to the struggle that we have all been facing with the windscreen.
-The seat is serviceable. I've put about 300 miles on it in a day and was fine. Although I've learned, unbeknownst to me, I'm kind of an iron butt, so take that with a grain of salt. There's already some good aftermarket support though if you don't fancy it.
-the throttle is twitchy no doubt. That's the ride by wire at work, it sucks, but it's the way the world is going. Taking the slack out of the throttle and an ECU reflash(which also helps with power and fuel economy) cleans it up beautifully though.
-this isn't a "sport tourer" it's a sport bike with an upright seating position and luggage options. And it drives like it . You'll be happy it has traction control, my front wheel leaves the planet quite frequently, even with it on (in pretty much every geear but 6th)
-suspension is meh. Once you get it setup right(with the choices you have...) it works good, it's not an R1, and it's not smooth like a BMW. It works well enough, after its set up that is. This is another component of the price point.
 
The thing I love most about this bike is how it really dose split the hair right down the middle. You can take this thing to the track and have a ball, communte to work and be economical, hit the twisties and punk the SuperSports, and load it up and head across the country. Is it the best bike for any one of those things? No. Is there another bike and can service all of them as well as the FJ? I haven't been able to find one. It's an everyman bike, at its heart. It has more personality than any other bike I've seen. It's cheap(price wise not build wise), and has its flaws, no doubt about it. But if you spend just a liiiiittle bit more on making it fit you (like you would on any bike anyways) you'll be able to create a bike that really does fulfill any riding craving or passion your spirit can conjure up. For me, it is the most complete and serviceable bike I've ever come across, and my smiles per dollar are at an all time now high having one sitting in the garage.
 
Some other great parts about this bike for me are; the engine, it's so pretty, it sounds so beautiful and is silky smooth in all Rev ranges with more power than you'll ever "need" just in B mode alone. Traction control and ABS standard. Dash and menu options work well and there's a lot of nice info on the HUD. IMHO it's the perfect wieght, light enough to be flickable and heavy enough to not be abused by the wind on a highway. The way this thing handles really IS fantastic, it dives into the corners with a sense of urgency my old gixxer 6 didnt even have. It WANTS to be tipped over, and when you get in the fun bits and have her rocking you'll be able to feel it in the throttle, and in the handlebars, begging you for more. It's so stable, even at parking lot speeds, I've had the back tires chirping and have unsettled my front end a couple times and never even flinched because of it, The bike really does inspire confidence and not false confidence. It is a proper two up machine. I've had the Mrs on the back couple times and the bike handles all the well. The luggage options are fantastic already, and the bikes still new! Aftermarket support is picking up, and it's going to get bigger, that's huge for me. I hate fudging around trying to find specific parts or having to custom order crap because they don't make it for my lame ass model that nobody else wants or buys. I could go on but I have to stop. I just love this bike, it's MY bike. This is the one I've been waiting for and didn't even know it, it's perfect for me in every way.

[beberle]

If Mamma' ain't happy, nobody's happy   My wife rides with me quite often. The FJ is the most comfortable two-up sport bike that I could find.  Swap the wife for touring bags, and you have a similar argument.  If I was riding solo, and just around town, the Speed Triple sure had my eye!
Have fun looking at all the shiny new bikes. It's crazy how many options there are!
 
Brian

[Guest lawrenceofsuburbia]

Pug, hello, welcome. I'm going to add a few notes to help with some of the points you mentioned. Hopefully I'll help clear some stuff up for you.  
-The stock windscreen is terrible. You will guaranteed have to change it out to get rid of that terrible buffeting and noise. A quick search on the forum will enlighten you to the struggle that we have all been facing with the windscreen.
-The seat is serviceable. I've put about 300 miles on it in a day and was fine. Although I've learned, unbeknownst to me, I'm kind of an iron butt, so take that with a grain of salt. There's already some good aftermarket support though if you don't fancy it.
-the throttle is twitchy no doubt. That's the ride by wire at work, it sucks, but it's the way the world is going. Taking the slack out of the throttle and an ECU reflash(which also helps with power and fuel economy) cleans it up beautifully though.
-this isn't a "sport tourer" it's a sport bike with an upright seating position and luggage options. And it drives like it . You'll be happy it has traction control, my front wheel leaves the planet quite frequently, even with it on (in pretty much every geear but 6th)
-suspension is meh. Once you get it setup right(with the choices you have...) it works good, it's not an R1, and it's not smooth like a BMW. It works well enough, after its set up that is. This is another component of the price point.
 
The thing I love most about this bike is how it really dose split the hair right down the middle. You can take this thing to the track and have a ball, communte to work and be economical, hit the twisties and punk the SuperSports, and load it up and head across the country. Is it the best bike for any one of those things? No. Is there another bike and can service all of them as well as the FJ? I haven't been able to find one. It's an everyman bike, at its heart. It has more personality than any other bike I've seen. It's cheap(price wise not build wise), and has its flaws, no doubt about it. But if you spend just a liiiiittle bit more on making it fit you (like you would on any bike anyways) you'll be able to create a bike that really does fulfill any riding craving or passion your spirit can conjure up. For me, it is the most complete and serviceable bike I've ever come across, and my smiles per dollar are at an all time now high having one sitting in the garage.
 
Some other great parts about this bike for me are; the engine, it's so pretty, it sounds so beautiful and is silky smooth in all Rev ranges with more power than you'll ever "need" just in B mode alone. Traction control and ABS standard. Dash and menu options work well and there's a lot of nice info on the HUD. IMHO it's the perfect wieght, light enough to be flickable and heavy enough to not be abused by the wind on a highway. The way this thing handles really IS fantastic, it dives into the corners with a sense of urgency my old gixxer 6 didnt even have. It WANTS to be tipped over, and when you get in the fun bits and have her rocking you'll be able to feel it in the throttle, and in the handlebars, begging you for more. It's so stable, even at parking lot speeds, I've had the back tires chirping and have unsettled my front end a couple times and never even flinched because of it, The bike really does inspire confidence and not false confidence. It is a proper two up machine. I've had the Mrs on the back couple times and the bike handles all the well. The luggage options are fantastic already, and the bikes still new! Aftermarket support is picking up, and it's going to get bigger, that's huge for me. I hate fudging around trying to find specific parts or having to custom order crap because they don't make it for my lame ass model that nobody else wants or buys. I could go on but I have to stop. I just love this bike, it's MY bike. This is the one I've been waiting for and didn't even know it, it's perfect for me in every way.

I think you need to add 'my experience is...' or 'YMMV', as your points are often generalisations applying to yourself and no doubt others, but are not universally held. F'rinstance, although the [em]"terrible"[/em] stock windscreen comes in for a fair bit of criticism, I for one and many others find it OK, and we have not all been [em]"struggling"[/em] with it ...   I'll not be making any changes there.   The seat is [em]"serviceable"[/em] for you; many here - again I'm one - find it intolerable.   I don't find the throttle [em]"twitchy"[/em] - but I certainly did on an early FZ-09 that I rode way back. 
Of course, all this IMHO and YMMV and all that.
PS - I do agree with your view that the bike is not a sport-tourer - but now I've tweaked mine a fair bit I'm happy with it.
L of S
 

[trench]

Very good summary.  My stock screen works OK and suspension is fine for normal riding IMO.

[odisspunkmuer]

I don't know what you saw in my post that made you think I was speaking ironed out facts, L, but I clearly stated at several points that there's were all things "I" Liked or didn't like. The OP even asked for our experience and what we thought of the bike. I even said to take my opinion on the seat with a grain of salt. It's also common knowledge that a lot of people aren't happy with the windscreen. Just because you like the windscreen and don't like the seat doesn't mean I can't say I don't, or that a lot of other people don't. I don't say "L of S hates the windscreen" I said a lot of people are struggling with it. How is that not True?

[jimf]

I don't know what you saw in my post that made you think I was speaking ironed out facts, L, but I clearly stated at several points that there's were all things "I" Liked or didn't like.

FWIW, I think you've been pretty clear that all of this is your opinion, sometimes to a fault.  The rest of us, maybe not always so. :-) 
 

[odisspunkmuer]

I don't know what you saw in my post that made you think I was speaking ironed out facts, L, but I clearly stated at several points that there's were all things "I" Liked or didn't like.

FWIW, I think you've been pretty clear that all of this is your opinion, sometimes to a fault.  The rest of us, maybe not always so. :-) 

 
 
It's a forum Jim! Everything on here is opinion! The entire purpose of a forum is for people to come together and discuss something they like or enjoy. Even a how too video on installing something can have varying opinions on the proper way to go about it, or the best tools to use.
 
We all look at this bike, and every bike, and everything in life for that matter, through a different set of eyes based on our own experience and preferences. I would have thought that would be universally understood without the use of an acronym. But I am done derailing the thread. Sorry for the confusion I guess.

[b12ty]

FWIW, I think you've been pretty clear that all of this is your opinion, sometimes to a fault.  The rest of us, maybe not always so. :-) 

It's a forum Jim! Everything on here is opinion! The entire purpose of a forum is for people to come together and discuss something they like or enjoy. Even a how too video on installing something can have varying opinions on the proper way to go about it, or the best tools to use.
 
We all look at this bike, and every bike, and everything in life for that matter, through a different set of eyes based on our own experience and preferences. I would have thought that would be universally understood without the use of an acronym. But I am done derailing the thread. Sorry for the confusion I guess.

You're good odiss, thx for the post. I LOVE reading other people's opinions!
 
Ty
 

[1moreroad]

Good points made. I'll add my opinion.
 

-The stock windscreen is terrible. You will guaranteed have to change it out to get rid of that terrible buffeting and noise. A quick search on the forum will enlighten you to the struggle that we have all been facing with the windscreen.

 
It's fine. Me: 5'10", 31" inseam. Seat high and windshield low, the wind buffeting is like most sportbikes I've ridden when not in a full tuck. The only downside for me is that it feels like it handles better when the seat is low position. I might have to ride transfers and commutes in the high seat position and fun roads in the low seat position.
 

-The seat is serviceable. I've put about 300 miles on it in a day and was fine. Although I've learned, unbeknownst to me, I'm kind of an iron butt, so take that with a grain of salt. There's already some good aftermarket support though if you don't fancy it.

 
Agree. Of course, I've never sat in a seat that is uncomfortable. In the last few years, I've spent more time on bicycle saddles than motorcycle seats. Maybe that's why.
 
I find this seat very comfortable when: I wear bicycle shorts under my riding pants or wear thicker riding suits like my Aerostich. I understand, but, IMO don't agree with, some of the complaints made here if I'm just wearing boxer briefs or tidy whities and heavy canvas pants (like Sliders from Comp Acc - as an aside, terrible name for riding pants, IMO).
 

-the throttle is twitchy no doubt. That's the ride by wire at work, it sucks, but it's the way the world is going. Taking the slack out of the throttle and an ECU reflash(which also helps with power and fuel economy) cleans it up beautifully though.

 
About the same twitchiness as the FI Yamaha WR250X it replaced. A sensitive left hand in conjunction with a smooth right hand eliminates most of the twitchiness. No Japanese bike FI has ever been as smooth as older carb'd bikes. Again, IMO. The ECU reflash is on my long list of upgrades.
 

-this isn't a "sport tourer" it's a sport bike with an upright seating position and luggage options. And it drives like it . You'll be happy it has traction control, my front wheel leaves the planet quite frequently, even with it on (in pretty much every geear but 6th)

 
That's a sport tourer. But excuse me, the magazines call this an "adventure sport" bike! Can we get any more niche?
 

-suspension is meh. Once you get it setup right(with the choices you have...) it works good, it's not an R1, and it's not smooth like a BMW. It works well enough, after its set up that is. This is another component of the price point.

 
100% agree. It will do for now, and, like the reflash, it's on my long list of upgrades (like several years from now).
 
Did I caveat MOs with IMO enough?