Considering moving from '20 900GT to '24 9 GT+

[Jayzonk]

Have a 2020 Tracer 900GT.   Even though I found the stock seat comfortable, I have the comfort rider and passenger seat which I find to be the best motorcycle seat I've ever had.  I also have the top box and an MRA touring screen with the visor, so I'm really set up for some long-ish rides on it.  The seating position works very well for me and I always feel confident and commanding when I ride it.  

If I like my Tracer this much, I thought I'd consider the new one,  given the adaptive cruise control, the larger panniers, taller screen, and especially the electronic suspension.   

While I've read comments about the suspension and chassis being the potential weakness in the gen 1 Tracer, the general consensus is that the Gen 2 Tracer was noticeably better, but much much better in this new Gen 3 Tracer.  But I've never really had a problem with the suspension on mine.  I ride generally smooth roads, and it seems to me that the suspension is more than up to the task for brisk road riding.   

Given my satisfaction for the 2020, I haven't really seen the need to upgrade to the 2024 model, but am curious about how good the '24 really could be.  When I was at the dealer last week, I decided to inquire about pricing and a trade on my 2020.  For my low mile 2020 (it has 6000km on the odometer; I have other bikes that I ride as well so I haven't accumulated too many miles on it), the dealer offered me $9000 CDN.  With the new '24 coming in at $21,700, the dealer wanted $12,700 plus PDI plus taxes, which takes the total to over $14,000.  I think this is crazy.  I bought mine new for $13,200, which is less than the difference I'd need to trade up.   The new model is $21,700, or $8500 more (without taxes and fees), which is a gastronomical change in price.  I don't blame Yamaha for this - they added many new features to the bike which pushed the price up.  Coupled with the rampant inflation we've experienced recently, I don't think that Yamaha is gouging me , but I do think it's a difficult proposition to give up my awesome 2020 and basically shell out the same amount that I paid for it all over again.  If the improvements are marginal, then going new just doesn't seem worth it.  

Anyway,  I'll be keeping my 2020.  There's just too much value there to be giving it up and paying big cash for the new one.  I can and did adjust the suspension to how I like it ( I slowed the rebound in the rear a bit; just enough to make the one big highway bump i have on the highway more manageable)...the rest is just fluff.  Perhaps Yamaha is a victim of itself this time, where current Tracer 900 owners are too content to consider shelling out for the new model, which will reduce the number of new buyers, and increases the need to entice owners of other brands to be converted to the Tracer.  Am I alone on this?  Who made the change from the 900GT to the ew '24 GT+?  

Edited March 12 by Jayzonk
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[johnmark101]

I agree with your decision.  If you do not ride the Tracer very often the upgrades will not be worth the price difference.  Even if you were a high mileage rider I would seriously question the move to the 2024 unless you are someone with a good amount of disposable income.  

The bike you now have is very reliable and will last a long time with proper maintenance.  

[miweber929]

I’m sure the ‘24 GT+ is an incredible ride and probably worth the asking price but I couldn’t find anything wrong with my ‘20 Tracer GT when I had it. Fast, comfortable, sporty, sounded great, and to me the perfect amount of useful features and gadgets without being complicated or cumbersome to use. If I could only have one bike, the Tracer GT would have been it. 
 

Having said all that, the trade in value I got was ridiculously low, but local sales for these bikes have been pathetic ever since Yamaha dumped a ton of ‘21 and ‘22 units on the market for $10,500 brand new. I decided to eat the loss and move on but moving up to a GT+ was not going to be a feasible option because of that.
 

I think staying was the right move. 

[Warchild]

I occasionally think about the newer GT models, but they can't carry FJR1300 hard cases natively like my 2020 GT, and this best thing about my 2020 Tracer is that it's paid for, and carries wifey and I on some long trips just fine.














 

[Steve H]

There's also vanity to consider. I don't like the styling of the latest generation of tracers nearly as much as the 2020 and earlier versions.