Looking at upgrading to a Tracer 900 GT

[Wintersdark]

I've got a 2018 MT07 right now, and love it desperately.  Amazingly fun bike to ride, and I ride it year round, around 15k per year.  

However, I'm a 6'4" 300lb guy.  It's got a 364lb weight limit, and this rules out riding two up - I'd like to take my wife out from time to time.  I'm happy with the MT07 on road trips, but it would be nicer to be more comfortable and have carrying capacity, and the significantly higher seat height would be very welcome.

As well... I push the MT07 to its limits every day.  I could use a little more umph.

I considered the base Tracer 900 with a set of bags (significantly cheaper) but tbh, I really want the whole add-on package - quickshifter, color TFT, heated grips, etc.  

Being a big guy, a fully adjustable suspension is very valuable as well.  

All that said, anything I should keep in mind here?  Reviews online are basically just the Yamaha press boilerplate and specs readouts.  As owners, any pros and cons I should be aware of, particularly for someone coming from an MT07?

[wordsmith]

You are indeed a B-I-G guy, wintersdark.   The Tracer has a weight-limit of 395lb/ 179kg according to my 2019 GT's Manual in front of me.   Unless your wife is elfin-like in size and weight, you may be pushing things a bit - literally - if she is on the back with you, and even further if you take advantage of those hard panniers and load 'em up..   The stock Tracer/ GT is still pretty ordinary as far as suspension performance is concerned - better than on the Gen1 Tracer model, but still pretty low-rent.

If I were you I'd be looking at alternatives: having said that let me add as an always-solo 85kg/ 187lb rider fully-kitted I love my GT!

Best of luck with your search...

Edited October 15, 2019 by wordsmith

[betoney]

1 hour ago, Wintersdark said:

However, I'm a 6'4" 300lb guy.  It's got a 364lb weight limit, and this rules out riding two up - I'd like to take my wife out from time to time.  I'm happy with the MT07 on road trips, but it would be nicer to be more comfortable and have carrying capacity, and the significantly higher seat height would be very welcome.

Being a big guy, a fully adjustable suspension is very valuable as well.

Even with adjustable suspension, you are still quite a ways outside of the spring rate, even before luggage and/or passenger. 

Then as @wordsmith pointed out, the frame has a carrying capacity of less than 400lb, not to mention it might be crowded between the tank and rear of the passenger seat depending on you and passengers girth. 

I would suggest test riding several different bikes, with passenger, to see how they fit.

All of that being said, if you enjoy the MT07 riding solo, you will LOVE the 09.  The GT has been out almost a year and a half and there have been many actual ride reviews beyond press releases.

[Wintersdark]

48 minutes ago, betoney said:

Even with adjustable suspension, you are still quite a ways outside of the spring rate, even before luggage and/or passenger. 

Then as @wordsmith pointed out, the frame has a carrying capacity of less than 400lb, not to mention it might be crowded between the tank and rear of the passenger seat depending on you and passengers girth. 

I would suggest test riding several different bikes, with passenger, to see how they fit.

All of that being said, if you enjoy the MT07 riding solo, you will LOVE the 09.  The GT has been out almost a year and a half and there have been many actual ride reviews beyond press releases.

I generally can't test ride bikes with a passenger due to weird timing issues with our kids and no child care(Ignored the no-two-up issue with the 07 as at that time there was NO way we could both be away at the same time, but now there's a 2 hour window Monday through Thursday mornings we get sans kids!)  However, local dealerships not allowing off-season test rides really is problematic.  Seems everyone else thinks my year-round riding in Calgary is bizarre. 

Neither of us are particularly girthy; I'm just generally bulky due to a lifetime of heavy blue-collar work.  

1 hour ago, wordsmith said:

You are indeed a B-I-G guy, wintersdark.   The Tracer has a weight-limit of 395lb/ 179kg according to my 2019 GT's Manual in front of me.   Unless your wife is elfin-like in size and weight, you may be pushing things a bit - literally - if she is on the back with you, and even further if you take advantage of those hard panniers and load 'em up..   The stock Tracer/ GT is still pretty ordinary as far as suspension performance is concerned - better than on the Gen1 Tracer model, but still pretty low-rent.

If I were you I'd be looking at alternatives: having said that let me add as an always-solo 85kg/ 187lb rider fully-kitted I love my GT!

Best of luck with your search...

She's pretty small.  We'd still be a bit over, but not by so much as with the 07.  We'd fit inside the Versys limit; and just be at the edge of the VStrom; but only the VStrom is inside the budget.. and they're ugly   AFAIK there's not really much else that fits where the Tracer does in the sport touring lineup - ADV bikes push a lot more into off-road, which I don't do at all, so much of that's wasted on me.  The Tracer (at least that I've seen) seems pretty much the only one that's almost more naked bike with touring addons vs. a big touring bike (eww, no!) or much more ADV based (See: Africa Twin) 

99% of my riding will remain one-up - I commute to work daily, and take extended road trips fairly often.  I'm most focussed on more power than the '07 has, but as little weight as possible. The bulk of my riding is ultimately 1-up street riding, so agility is paramount.  I've considered just moving to an MT09, but that still leaves me needing to manually add everything else that the Tracer already has, and doesn't get me the higher seat height either.  

BMW/Triumph/Ducati tend to be substantially more expensive.  

Is there something I should consider otherwise?

[wordsmith]

8 hours ago, Wintersdark said:

Is there something I should consider otherwise?

With your size and height, wintersdark, and your desire to carry a pillion from time-to-time, plus some luggage, may I suggest that you consider a later-model BMW R1200 GS.   You may, especially as your winter sets in, be lucky enough to find one in good condition and at the right price... worth considering maybe?   They have an awesome reputation and may well fit you like a glove. 

I speak as a dyed-in-the wool rusted-on BMWer of many years standing, including some GSs - always my favourite machines until they became too heavy and bulky for my skinny seven-stone (I wish!) frame!

Edited October 15, 2019 by wordsmith

[chitown]

Just did a week long ride with a group led by a BMW service writer. Fourteen bikes and the only one that broke was a BMW stranding the rider. We made sure he had service to call for his AAA 200 mile ride and left him on the side of the road. Every time I mentioned a couple BMWs interested me the service writer would mouth "Nooooo!" then get back on his 20 year old Honda.  

If the manual loading figures are as rock-solid as the suggested shift points, chain slack, big fastener torque values... I might wonder about its accuracy, liability fudge factor, etc. If I were to push those limits I'd be giving extra love to the subframe. Strengthening if possible, inspecting regularly. 

[wordsmith]

Awl jew rispeck an' all that, chitown - a very small sample that you quote.   I owned very many - too many - Boxer twins and others over about 20 years and rode them fairly hard and long, and had only two very minor issues, both fixed under warranty and neither of which kept me off the road at all.

Edited October 15, 2019 by wordsmith

[betoney]

@wordsmith - I have wanted a BMW or Ducati for years but knowing riders (like @chitown mentioned) who own them and constantly hearing about being plagued with electronic issues and waiting weeks and weeks for parts from Italy (Ducati) have kept me from owning either one.  They have been rated among the lowest reliability for many years.

The reliability ratings are based on failure rates for 4-year-old bikes:

1. Yamaha/Star (11 percent failure rate)
2. Suzuki and Honda (12 percent)
3. Kawasaki (15 percent)
4. Victory (17 percent)
5. Harley-Davidson (26 percent)
6. Triumph (29 percent)
7. Ducati (33 percent)
8. BMW (40 percent)
9. Can-Am (42 percent)

Who Makes the Most Reliable Motorcycle? - Consumer Report

---

What began as a battle of the motorcycle brands, with a decisive ranking to...

[vincep]

@wordsmith you were very fortunate then. 

Having owned a few BMWs and many Ducatis, in my opinion they are more maintenance intensive/expensive, and more prone to failure / unscheduled maintenance.

Terrific bikes and I am glad I had a chance to own them all, but the Japs know how to build a reliable bike down to a price.

[wordsmith]

8 minutes ago, vincep said:

@wordsmith you were very fortunate then. 

 

I guess it was either good fortune or good luck.   Whatever - I'll take it!

[Tusk]

Is there ANY chance your wife may get her own ride Wintersdark? The MSF course (or an equivalent Canadian riding class) is an excellent venue to learn to ride! I was lucky enough that my wife did the same and rides her own. If clutch work is a question, try the Honda CTX700 with the Dual Clutch auto trans. Arthritis almost sidelined her riding. She had a Kawasaki Vulcan 750. 

Stay encouraged! It sounds like you're doing your homework. I hope you find a solution and are able to share a ride with your wife! Good times shared together on a ride are memories that will last!

[wordsmith]

This reply rings a very loud bell, for this is exactly what happened in my own household when I decided, upon an early retirement, to take up motorcycles again.   My licence having long elapsed I had to do some training and take a test - failed first time!   My wife 'sneaked' along to a training day to watch me, and said to me that evening "I'd like to have a go at that". 

You could have  knocked me down with a Mack truck, for she had never expressed the least interest, and (awl jew rispeck, my love!) could not have told the difference between the handlebars and the foot-pegs!   I encouraged her (never wanting to take her as a pillion) and lo! - she passed the test the first time. 

And so began the happiest of joint biking careers, my wife progressing to a series of larger bikes once the statutory 12 months on a 250 had passed, and I - later - on a BMW R1100 R boxer twin.  We had many wonderful outings together, and several very long trips away up and down the east coast of Australia, with very few scary moments, and although my wife is now 77 y.o. it would take only a slight nudge from me for her to be back in the saddle! 

Tusk nails it in his last words above - cherished memories indeed.

Edited October 16, 2019 by wordsmith

[maximo]

12 hours ago, vincep said:

@wordsmith you were very fortunate then. 

Having owned a few BMWs and many Ducatis, in my opinion they are more maintenance intensive/expensive, and more prone to failure / unscheduled maintenance.

Terrific bikes and I am glad I had a chance to own them all, but the Japs know how to build a reliable bike down to a price.

This reflects my experience as well, just on the BMW side. I love my K bike, but she's a jealous mistress.  It takes a lot to keep her happy, and has been the only bike to ever leave me stranded. Every once in a while I think to myself that I should just sell her and get a Goldwing, then I go out to the garage and I'm again seduced by her curves, and take her for a quick ride and remind myself why I keep her, despite the headaches. 

[StealthAu]

On 10/15/2019 at 10:39 AM, Wintersdark said:

I've got a 2018 MT07 right now, and love it desperately.  Amazingly fun bike to ride, and I ride it year round, around 15k per year.  

However, I'm a 6'4" 300lb guy.  It's got a 364lb weight limit, and this rules out riding two up - I'd like to take my wife out from time to time.  I'm happy with the MT07 on road trips, but it would be nicer to be more comfortable and have carrying capacity, and the significantly higher seat height would be very welcome.

As well... I push the MT07 to its limits every day.  I could use a little more umph.

I considered the base Tracer 900 with a set of bags (significantly cheaper) but tbh, I really want the whole add-on package - quickshifter, color TFT, heated grips, etc.  

Being a big guy, a fully adjustable suspension is very valuable as well.  

All that said, anything I should keep in mind here?  Reviews online are basically just the Yamaha press boilerplate and specs readouts.  As owners, any pros and cons I should be aware of, particularly for someone coming from an MT07?

I  weigh 220lb. With stock suspension setup as best as possible, I was bottoming out the forks and shock frequently. I never took a passenger on stock suspension, was bad enough riding it on my own. 

I've since upgraded the springs, front and rear. I can now ride as aggressively as I like with complete confidence in the bike. 

I've taken passengers, had the bike loaded up to 420lb without an issue. I upped the preload front and rear to suit and it handled fine, even under hard acceleration and braking.   

 

For yourself, at 300lb, I'd suggest if you purchase one of these, upgrade springs before even riding it. 

I wouldn't be too concerned with the max capacity rating, I would think this figure relates to the stock suspension more so than the chassis. 

Still, at your size, I would think there are probably going to be other bikes that would be a better choice. 

[Wintersdark]

There's not really much that's a valid option at anything near this price point.  The BMW 1200GS is an amazing bike, but it's close to twice the price.  I decidedly do not want a cruiser, and the 13k CDN I can get the Tracer GT for new is pretty much an upper limit for me.  

Keep in mind, I'm coming from a 2018 MT07 with stock (albeit upgraded for 2018) suspension.  Maxed out the preload on the rear (front is not adjustable) and it's alright for me.  I'm pretty sure the adjustable, upside down KYB's will at least be an improvement on the stock MT07 forks.  I *am* aware that the Tracer is a fair bit heavier, though, so it may end up being a bit of a wash when all is said and done?

Really run into that, though: The Tracer 900 GT is a hell of a lot of bike for a really low price.  I'm not opposed to swapping springs, as I figure I'd end up with a lot more for the dollar than otherwise.  Most similar bikes are substantially more spendy.