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Do we know if the 2020 GT will be new and improved?


ZigMerid

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6 hours ago, chitown said:

Have seen this before online with do it all motorcycles. Current owners that actively post on forums want more touring oriented features. Manufacturers are more concerned about drawing new riders and don't see value in making the bikes more narrow in purpose when they already have touring oriented models.

IMO more bodywork and larger tank on a bike that already has poor aeros and high CoG probably wouldn't improve the experience. Vibe issues are very rider dependent. Good thing is with a chain drive owners change sprockets to what suits them. Fancy displays are nice but don't factor into my purchase decision  

Do you consider the Tracer to be high CoG?  it feels and handles like a very low and compact CoG compared to most other STs out there (the older the ST the worse the CoG is!)     Figure I would ask because I am amazed at how nicely composed the Tracer is for his heft. 

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Intuitively, the CoG on Tracers is relatively high up, which contributes to its light feeling and flickability on the road.   Just take a look at the engine which, despite being canted forward, is still quite tall.   But I don't recall ever having seen any pix or diagrams of any bike side-on showing the actual point of the CoG.   

My BMW Boxer twins had a very low CoG because of the heavy flat-twin engine being located so close to the ground, and the absence of 'flickability' - and difficulty of shoving them around in the garage - was very noticeable in otherwise excellent machines.

Edited by wordsmith

Riding a fully-farkled 2019 MT-09 Tracer 900 GT from my bayside home in South East Queensland, Australia.   

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1 hour ago, Clegg78 said:

Do you consider the Tracer to be high CoG?  it feels and handles like a very low and compact CoG compared to most other STs out there (the older the ST the worse the CoG is!)     Figure I would ask because I am amazed at how nicely composed the Tracer is for his heft. 

I do. But my emphasis is the sport in sport touring and seek out technical stuff. If I get on an interstate during a trip I've failed. Twisty Butt > Iron Butt :) Tracer handling is ok with suspension upgrades. But I immediately notice any addition of sprung weight or anything that adds surface area -- in part because of the light weight compared to other bikes. When loaded fuel and rider are carried higher than most street bikes I've ST'd such as RF900, FZ1, FJR. And, higher than other "adv look" bikes like the Versys. All of those bikes handle better. But that's not to say the Tracer is bad, it just could be better. And that's more an issue with geometry than CoG alone. Ymmv.

 

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2 hours ago, chitown said:

I do. But my emphasis is the sport in sport touring and seek out technical stuff. If I get on an interstate during a trip I've failed. Twisty Butt > Iron Butt :) Tracer handling is ok with suspension upgrades. But I immediately notice any addition of sprung weight or anything that adds surface area -- in part because of the light weight compared to other bikes. When loaded fuel and rider are carried higher than most street bikes I've ST'd such as RF900, FZ1, FJR. And, higher than other "adv look" bikes like the Versys. All of those bikes handle better. But that's not to say the Tracer is bad, it just could be better. And that's more an issue with geometry than CoG alone. Ymmv.

 

Thats great insight.   Coming from some old school STs myself (I've ridden Ducati ST, VFR800, and Sprint ST and Sprint GTs in the past)  and they all are way heavy toward the sport of sport touring to the point they are really just sport bikes with bags (except for the sprint GT I guess).     They all seem so heavy and cumbersome in their handling and very very top heavy.  For me even the stock suspension setup on the Tracer GT was a revelation.   But I did go through the effort to setup Sag and the fork compression/rebound settings a bit. 

I find myself just so excited to have a platform that isnt completely compromised from the beginning :)

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Hope they don't make it more touring. I only gave up my Honda FireBlade and Kawasaki Ninja ZZR1400 Sport because I was 72 years old, and struggled with low handlebars and rear set footpegs. The GT is so light and FUN to ride and comfy for my lady pillion. There are loads of better touring only bikes out there , so a big choice anyway. I would like a better rear shocker, and better tyres, plus easier use of the thumb wheel and switches, plus a larger dash as I am old .......... but still quick hahaha.

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3 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

Two things I'd like to see on my GT are:

  • Electronically adjustable suspension
  • Linked ABS braking when using the front brake only

Those things don't get added for free though.  Boy I would really like that linked ABS braking though.

I agree on the linked brakes, I was actually kind of shocked to see the bike has independent front/rear ABS and systems. 

 

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7 hours ago, Clegg78 said:

I agree on the linked brakes, I was actually kind of shocked to see the bike has independent front/rear ABS and systems. 

 

Innit strange!   I was a dyed-in-the wool and fully rusted-on BMWer for many years, and followed the R1200R Forum assiduously.   I well recall the shrieks of girlish outrage when linked-brakes were featured on a newly introduced and updated model.   One would have thought that BMW had decided to remove all braking functions, or some such thing!  Many Blokes vowed they hated the idea and claimed to be moving their loyalties and dollars to other bike brands. 

Me? - various of my Roadsters from the R1150 R of about 2003 onwards or thereabouts had the linked brakes, and the braking function of them together was entirely unobtrusive and undetectable, to the extent that it seemed it wasn't actually there.   Never a problem whatsoever.

Edited by wordsmith

Riding a fully-farkled 2019 MT-09 Tracer 900 GT from my bayside home in South East Queensland, Australia.   

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On 9/23/2019 at 9:14 AM, dmanteigas said:

I know what I need in my GT for it to be perfect:

- Better brakes

- Better suspension

- downshift quickshifter

Same here.  I would settle for just the suspension to be better.  It's not bad but I am spoiled by the custom suspension I have had on previous bikes.  May have to eventually do the same for this one.  

There is nothing like spending a day riding with friends in the grip of a shared obsession.

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On 9/23/2019 at 9:14 AM, dmanteigas said:

I know what I need in my GT for it to be perfect:

- Better brakes

- Better suspension

- downshift quickshifter

I wouldn't mind some better brakes.  The GT brakes are adequate, but that's about all.  The suspension is fantastic for me at less than 180 lbs.  Heavier riders might want to improve the suspension.  I just got back from a ride to Maggie Valley, NC from Pittsburgh, PA.  Spent a couple of days on the Smoky Mountains twisties and back home.  About 1400 miles total and when I got home I remembered I had a quickshifter.  Forgot to use it.  You know you can buy kits to have up and down quickshifts right?  Also, the stock seat was terrific for my weight.  I always say, break in your butt before you complain about the seat.

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  • 1 month later...

To answer my own question, the 2020 Tracer GT specs appears identical to the 2019 ones. The only differences are new color schemes.

If you read the 2020 PDF brochure on the Yamaha Motor Sports website they even accidentally refer to 2019 in a couple of places - which is understandable as most of the text is a mere cut and paste of the 2019 brochure.
 

img.jpg?id=5db75f172a0ab70310e55f55&w=40

2020 Yamaha Tracer 900 GT Sport Touring Motorcycle

 

So, does anyone know if the 2021 Tracer GT will be new and improved? (Just kidding).

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42 minutes ago, ZigMerid said:

To answer my own question, the 2020 Tracer GT specs appears identical to the 2019 ones. The only differences are new color schemes.

If you read the 2020 PDF brochure on the Yamaha Motor Sports website they even accidentally refer to 2019 in a couple of places - which is understandable as most of the text is a mere cut and paste of the 2019 brochure.
 

img.jpg?id=5db75f172a0ab70310e55f55&w=40

2020 Yamaha Tracer 900 GT Sport Touring Motorcycle

 

So, does anyone know if the 2021 Tracer GT will be new and improved? (Just kidding).

 Yep, Yamaha made the color ugly.

He who dies with the most toys wins.

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