Stupendously excited new MT-09 Tracer owner from Australia!

[chamelion]

Hi there,
 
I've spent the last 12 months (mostly) enjoying my  2015 Kawasaki ER6N-L as my 'learner approved' motorcyle. Now that I'm only a few weeks away from my full licence I developed the itch for something new.
 
The process in choosing the Tracer was long and arduous. My requirements were specific (capable of touring 2up, whilst being fun 1up in the twisties on the weekends, decent fuel economy/range, no more than $13,000AUD, among others.
 
It had some stiff competition from the likes of -
 
Aprillia Caponord - Too uncommon/hard to find, dearer to own and run
Triumph Tiger Sport - Same concerns as the Capo and I just couldn't develop a love for the looks
Honda VFR800x Crossrunner - heavier, less power, not as good looking
Honda VFR800 - LOVE the look, but I wasn't keen on the forward lean angle as I intend to do multi day trips
Suzuki GSX1250FA - My fallback option if I couldn't save enough for a tracer. Simple, reliable, tested and tried. A bit heavy though and by all accounts wouldn't have been as exciting to ride
Kawasaki Versys 1000 - I nearly bought one on the day I put down the deposit for my Tracer as it was priced at only 2/3 of its actual value. The owner needed a fast sale. Heavy, not as exciting and I knew I would ultimately wish I spent the extra on a tracer
BMW R1200GS - Thought about it for a while. But I find the look of them to be extremely boring and in my price range I would have had to settle for a 2008-2009 model with 30k miles on it
 
The nail in the coffin for all of the other bikes, though, really came in the form of the fact my best friend has an MT-09 (FZ-09) and I have ridden it once or twice. Ignoring the well known suspension issues I found it to be lively, willing and very comfortable to ride. So when the idea of a caponord fell through the tracer became the next logical choice. Not that I didn't put serious consideration into every other option. I've read enough on all of them to open my own stealership. LOL
 
Any way, pics show my old baby and my gorgeous new baby. I can't wait to get her home and I absolutely can't wait until I can ride her. 26 days... lol
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

[turbotanya]

Hi there, hope time passes quickly for you! I had no idea there were limitations on bike choices for your learner's permit, that's a pretty neat idea. I've seen a lot of new riders go out and get 1L bikes and end up selling them because it's a wheelie machine they are afraid of or end up crashing because they didn't learn the basics before going fast in the twisties.
 
I also was familiar with the engine from my friend's XSR. I like the suspension a lot more on the FJ as well.