Reflections on 15,000 miles on a Tracer

[johan]

Much has been said about the Tracer/FJ-09 and I doubt that I can add anything new. But there is so much lively discussion about the bike, its highlights and its shortcomings that it can be very difficult for a newcomer to get perspective.
 
I have just part exchanged my Tracer for a new bike. I had it for 15 months and did 15,000 miles. I used to commute to work in London in all weathers, and I did a few tours on it, to Europe twice and a couple of trips to Wales. On weekends I did some recreational riding as well.
 
The Tracer is a brilliant bike for what it is. It is a proper, "grown-up" serious motorcycle, very well equipped and with a cracking engine. You'd have to pay a lot of money more to get a better engine in any bike, from any manufacturer.
 
It is the most balanced, all round bike on the market, in my opinion. For my use; everyday workhorse on the commute, fun Sunday morning riding and touring nothing beats it. Sure, a BMW S1000XR will be a better tourer (perhaps), but it won't do the commute as well as the Yamaha.
 
This is a lively forum, as it should be, and perhaps a reflection of the popularity of the bike. There are forums for the new bike I bought, but none as lively as this. There is also a huge market for accessories and modifications and few bike will have been so popular and with so much choice in the first year of production.
 
And so I also participated and made some additions: I bought the bike with heated grips, fog lights and Yamaha side cases (manufactured by SW Motech). The heated grips were great, the slight imbalance never bothered me. The Yamaha side cases (European version) are a classic case of form over function and not very practical. The fog lamps, well the worked, but the powder coating lasted one year and they were expensive and looked like after market stuff with a stand alone switch.
 
I replaced the Yamaha cases with a pair of Shad cases as well as a Givi top box. All good quality, although the hard cases makes the bike as wide as a FJR.
 
I, like the majority on here found the seat very uncomfortable and replaced it with Bagster seat; great improvement. I suspect the very upright riding position means that you place all your weight on your backside. My next step would have been to rotate the handle bars as far forward as possible to allow the arms and thighs to take some weight.
 
The original screen provided adequate protection but causes much wind roar (I am 5'8"). I tried different sizes after market stream from National Cycle's V-Stream series. The large touring version was very quiet, but I hated it as it caused instability in cross winds and I had to look through it. The sport touring version was ok. My recommendation to a new buyer would be to not bother, other than try a clip on visor on the original and invest in custom moulded ear plugs.
 
The hand guards are horrible and I took to long to remove them or replace them with the KTM ones. If you buy this bike get rid of the hand guards, immediately.
 
I also upgraded the suspension using Andreani cartridges and a Nitron R2 shock. This improved the bike, but in my opinion not enough to warrant the costs. If you really think the suspension is bad, buy another bike. Some of the characteristics that people try to change with suspension are down to the riding position and the geometry. This was not intended and never will be a high speed tourer. Look at a Blackbird, K1300 or a ZZR, long wheels bases, different rake and seating positions and narrow bars. They suck on minor roads and mountain passes where the Tracer excels.
 
My recommendation would be: Buy the bike, add luggage as you need, but really accept it for what it is and enjoy it, save the money you want to spend on accessories and tour more, stay in better hotels. I will shortly put my stuff on eBay - Shad cases, Givi top box and rack, Bagster seats, tank cover and tank bags - feel free to contact me with offers.
 
Oh, I also found it utterly reliable, never missed a beat. After 15,000 miles, much of it in winter there are the first signs of corrosion. It can easily be fixed. Don't get excited about a little surface rust. Clean and polish the thing less and ride it more.
 
Ride safely and enjoy your Tracers. 

[wessie]

Your recommendation sounds familiar.

[johan]

Your recommendation sounds familiar.

 
Yes, you were right. Hoping my experience, having splashed out on items that ultimately were not important saves someone else the cash, time and effort.
 
Just ride the bike.

[wessie]

See you next Saturday. Try not to scare the cows in Camembert with that new thing.

[root]

Am I to assume you got a S1000XR?

[johan]

No, something very different. KTM 1290 Superduke R.

[cobby7]

Very Nice! That is a bit different.
I see the advert for your bike online, shame you didn't take the shock off.
How much are you hoping to get for the seat? I'd be interested. Is it the bultex one?

[wordsmith]

Much has been said about the Tracer/FJ-09 and I doubt that I can add anything new. But there is so much lively discussion about the bike, its highlights and its shortcomings that it can be very difficult for a newcomer to get perspective. 

I’m now on my second Tracer and agree with much of what Johan has said here.  
My second bite at the Tracer cherry doesn’t make me an expert, but it does give me a fair bit of experience with the bike, which here in Oz offers unbeatable value-for-money at around AUD$15,000 on the road including ‘free’ hard panniers. That would be for a 2015 model – 2016s would be about AUD$1000 dearer.
 
The twelve months between my two purchases – with another BMW in-between – resulted in the availability of a vast range of aftermarket accessories and parts. And as experience grew, the global readership here began to give lots of guidance and inspiration to help me – and others – to set-up the bike to its best advantage. I very much doubt I’d have bought the second Tracer without all that resource to help.
 
So much about the Tracer is highly subjective. Its quirky styling and looks are polarising – love-it-or-hate-it sort-of stuff, with little in-between. Many hate the OE seat (as I did) and screen (I find it quite OK, but then I live and ride in a pretty benign climate). The stonking engine performance comes in for universal praise, and seems to be bullet-proof.
 
For about AUD$1300 I have been able to set-up my Tracer to a point that suits me very well, and almost half of that was the cost of the excellent Bagster Luxe seat. DIY suspension adjustments, with no new parts, made a great difference to ride comfort and cost me nothing, as did chain adjustment to minimise that annoying transmission ‘whine’. Much of the rest of the spending was on small items that are nice-to-have rather than absolutely essential, and relate to added comfort and/ or safety. My signature line below lists most of my additions.   I think – and hope! – that I’m now finished spending, apart from on a new rear rack that is on order, and over time maybe for one or two small and inexpensive cosmetic items.
 
On the road, I find that the Tracer’s best attributes are its acceleration and overall engine dynamics, its apparent low weight, and its ‘flickability’, all a far cry from my previous BMWs, excellent though they are in so many ways. And my feeble, ageing, creaking 77yo body finds it easy to shove around in the garage too.
 
My biggest gripe with the Tracer remains its designation by Yamaha as a sport-tourer. It’s not – it’s an out-and-out sports bike with modest touring pretensions that can be enhanced with some effort and spending, but not sufficiently to place it firmly into the touring category. [em]Sport [/em]- 90%, [em]touring[/em] - 10%.  IMHO, and of course YMMV - but I accept that now…
 
As always, it’s interesting to think about alternatives that have roughly the same engine size. Kawasaki’s 650cc Versys is one, and I quite like its styling, but have doubts about the performance, although I have never ridden one. BMW’s parallel twin GT 800 is very nicely styled, and carries that brand’s cachet for quality, but I owned one, briefly, and its performance was sluggish compared to the Tracer, and of course it costs appreciably more. Suzuki’s 650cc mini- or wee-Strom gets good press too.   And there are many others.
 
In summary – with the Tracer as with most things in life, you get what you pay for. I’ve got no doubt that very many buyers will find it an entirely satisfying bike out of the crate and will happily ride it without any grumbles or issues or changes or additions. For others, a lot can be done with the basic Tracer platform, which is perhaps a nice attribute to have.
 
 

[johan]

It is the bultex one, with silver trim. All offers will be considered. I will list them on eBay, but right now I am very busy preparing to take annual leave, and that includes running the new bike in to get the first service done by Thursday. On Friday I leave for France where I will meet up with Wessie and a few other friends. Can't wait.

[duhs10]

...It’s not – it’s an out-and-out sports bike with modest touring pretensions that can be enhanced with some effort and spending, but not sufficiently to place it firmly into the touring category. [em]Sport [/em]- 90%, [em]touring[/em] - 10%.  IMHO, and of course YMMV - but I accept that now… 

I definitely agree that its more sport than touring, but 90% / 10% is a little harsh.. Of course like you said, these matters are very subjective.
 

[alejandro]

No, something very different. KTM 1290 Superduke R.

 
Johan, if I may ask, why not the 1290 GT? Seems like fz09 vs fj09. You wanted smaller and more raw and less practical? Did you try them both?
 
(Or if this is too off-topic then never mind!)

[wessie]

...It’s not – it’s an out-and-out sports bike with modest touring pretensions that can be enhanced with some effort and spending, but not sufficiently to place it firmly into the touring category. [em]Sport [/em]- 90%, [em]touring[/em] - 10%.  IMHO, and of course YMMV - but I accept that now… 

I definitely agree that its more sport than touring, but 90% / 10% is a little harsh.. Of course like you said, these matters are very subjective.

It's a UJM - universal Japanese motorcycle - you can make it what you want rather than subscribe to someone else's taxonomy. Mr W Smith forgets that some people even commute on one. I hope I'm still riding a UJM a decade after my statutory retirement date of 67 years.  
Although, the way I ride the bike on my commute it is more sport than commute, if you count wacky races as sport. 

[root]

No, something very different. KTM 1290 Superduke R.

Very cool. Congrats on the new bike.

[keithu]

My biggest gripe with the Tracer remains its designation by Yamaha as a sport-tourer. It’s not – it’s an out-and-out sports bike with modest touring pretensions that can be enhanced with some effort and spending, but not sufficiently to place it firmly into the touring category.

Interesting. We must have different definitions of sport tourers. To me, a sport tourer is something I can easily ride fast and also far. This encompasses heavier bikes like the FJR, R1200RT, etc, down to lighter mounts like the Bandit, VFR, F800GT, Versys, and FJ09.
 
The FJ can definitely be ridden like a sportbike, but it has very roomy ergos and easily accommodates luggage. If the VFR or F-GT are sport tourers, the FJ surely is as well.

[johan]

No, something very different. KTM 1290 Superduke R.

Johan, if I may ask, why not the 1290 GT? Seems like fz09 vs fj09. You wanted smaller and more raw and less practical? Did you try them both? 
(Or if this is too off-topic then never mind!)

 
Good question. Once I tried the R I was won over by the purity of design (lightness, simplocity and power) and I felt the GT was a compromise. The R is remarkably comfortable, it just lacks wind protection. No screen to argue about. My touring buddy gets us into the geart of France with the minimum of motoreay riding so we rarely ride at sustained high speeds.