2021 GT Updates

[keithu]

1 minute ago, betoney said:

Now it is a feature-for-feature direct competitor to the Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE LT+ but is about 80lbs lighter and $3,300 cheaper. 👍

The side bags look a little funky... 

Are you talking about the Kawasaki's bags, or the new Tracer bags?  

[texscottyd]

5 minutes ago, keithu said:

Are you talking about the Kawasaki's bags, or the new Tracer bags?  

Yes

[betoney]

9 minutes ago, keithu said:

Are you talking about the Kawasaki's bags, or the new Tracer bags?  

 

3 minutes ago, texscottyd said:

Yes

Yes, both bikes have funky looking/angled side bags, not a fan of either.

[Salish900]

I had heard about a turbo version being developed. I guess that is still a few years away. I don't prefer this bike's looks, and the features do nothing to make me wish I had not spent more than the $9,500 on my brand new 2019 900. I've been busy farkling the hell out of my 900, and am still not in it for more than $11,000. If in fact the turbo is coming, then they should expect poor sales of anything between now and then at that price. Our 900's are great bikes for the price and value, not the fastest or best bikes one can purchase. My Aprilia Caponord 1200 Rally had better fit and finish and parts and features all over the place, but like Ducati, cost a fortune when new and was not reliable or cheap to fix. Kawasaki and YamaMama have to be careful of who their clients are. I'm not dropping $15-17K on a bike that is not very substantially better than what I can get for $10K. 

[PhotoAl]

WOW didn't intend to write so much but my book on the 2021 is:

Having spent some time looking at the pics and thinking it over IMO it will look better in person than photos.  The red shows it better but looks to me like the fairing pieces are kind of like MotoGP wings - a tunnel on the inside.  Air intakes have the scoops added which is interesting.  I would have preferred a smoother fairing shape but not that bad after I study it.  I like the look of my 2020 Tracer GT but not totally crazy about it.  Looking at the changes to the chassis and geometry looks like they have been reading the forums and have matured the bike further giving it more stability probability at the expense of some nimbleness.  Have to wonder about ground clearance.  Other day noticed that although the Tracer GT is a tall bike the engine is set low in the frame which contributes to it nimbleness and lightness.  My old FZ6 was very top heavy and could be a beast to hold up if it tipped over a bit - almost dropped it in a parking lot when someone cut in front of me and I had to hit the brakes while turning at 4 or 5 MPH>  Said they angled the engine over more which would keep the weight low but allow them to possible raise the bottom a bit for more ground clearance.  I agree the bags don't look so great but again good space in and good room for pillion legs.  Again a more grown-up bike.  More like a baby FJR now.  

Price?  It's more than the 2020 (I paid $11,500 in September for mine) but still at $14,899 it is $2,000 to $2,500 less than a comparably outfitted BMW F900XR.  Comparing that bike to a 2020 Tracer GT it has a more refined suspension but not as fun as the Tracer.  I'm very happy with my 2020 GT and not looking to trade it but will quit worrying about it - if someone steals it I'll buy a 2021.  But I'm not leaving it outside but keeping it locked up in my garage.  There are fun bikes out there but for lots of touring miles on a reliable, easy to get parts for bike that is relatively lightweight I'm sticking with the Tracer GT be a 2020 or a newer one.  Using a very scientific study and analysis of Cycle Trader listings looks like BMW has a lot of the F900XRs sitting in dealerships.  

I see the original FJ-09 GT as a hooligan bike trying to be a touring bike, then the Tracer 900 GT added more refinement and tamed a lot of the hooligan nature but it still is there.  Now the Tracer 9 GT has even more refinement (judging from suspension and chassis changes) and will be a great sport touring bike that is still very sporty.  Over the years the FJR has always been the sporty sport touring bike even when others went for bigger engines the FJR held true to it heritage.  Crazy thing to me is this is a 900cc bike - almost a liter bike.  Not a 675 saying its a triple making the same power as a 600 I4 but a 900cc ripple with loads of torque and good HP.  I've always had a 600cc bike until my BMW which was a 800cc twin but needed the displacement to get much less HP.  My Tracer GT gives me sport bike acceleration (LOL by the specs it is theoretically a tick quicker to 60 than my ZX6R was) great handling and I can add luggage and go touring for 2 weeks or longer with no issues.  

Finally the "thing" between the screens?  Maybe it's a EU mandated spy camera to record who is riding like a hooligan :-)

[daboo]

A thought occurred to me while reading this.  Actually, two or three thoughts.

First, this is a good distraction while the weather turns lousy for riding in the Northern Hemisphere.  🙂

Second...I'm always amazed at the interest in the new bikes.  Sure, its a cool distraction, but...  What's wrong with what you have?  I thought the FJ-09 and the Tracer that followed it were great bikes.  You guys seem to love them.  But then I can sense the drool on your keyboards as you want to have this new, better, more improved, model that the marketing folks say "you just gotta have this". 

I look at a bike like this and ask myself what it gives me that I don't have already.  Then I look at what that will cost me.  MSRP isn't where it stops...it's only the beginning.  My current bike has about $3K of add-ons, and I suspect a new bike would end up with a few as well.  Plus, there's always dealer prep, transportation and taxes.  

And then I get on my bike and ride away into the sunset (or rain now) with a smile on my face. 

Chris

Edited November 18, 2020 by daboo

[Michiel900GT]

I think the general opinion here is that most people are very content with the bikes they have. Sure, a new model will draw a lot of attention and people will compare but there's not too much drooling going on.

Personally, I don't feel like there's much reason to drool. There are some nice features on the new model. Perhaps it's a bit more ready for touring (given the fact that the rake and trail changed too). But the design is too aggressive for my likings. I think the renaming from Tracer 900 to Tracer 9 therefore makes sense. Not a big fan of the front, the dashboard and the panniers either. 

But I do think I'll give it a try next year. Just to see how it handles. Not that I'm planning on buying one. I've completely fallen in love with my Tiger 900 Rally Pro. I'm hoping to keep that bike for a very long time.

To be honest, the Tracer 900 GT has now become an instant classis for me. Especially in Phantom Blue I think it's one of the best looking bikes of recent years. 

 

[keithu]

1 hour ago, daboo said:

I'm always amazed at the interest in the new bikes.  Sure, its a cool distraction, but...  What's wrong with what you have? 

You ride an F800GT so you might not remember what excitement feels like (😁), but sometimes it's gratifying to get something new. If enjoying that endorphin rush makes me a sucker for consumerism, fine. My dog is the same way so at least I'm in good company.

That being said, there are compelling practical reasons (to me) to upgrade. The active suspension, improved subframe, IMU, and better fuel economy are all functional improvements that would be difficult or impossible to retrofit on my old FJ-09. 

[daboo]

Now that post I made was worthwhile, just for the laugh I just got from keithu's post. 

See, this looks beautiful to me.  The lines flow.  The colours are nice.  This would be on my short list.

On the other hand...only a mother could love this.

 

I'm not impressed by the electronic wizardry.  I've ridden BMW's with it, and found my "inferior" suspension to actually be better in comparison.  And in talking to others who have the "Dynamic" suspension on a BMW model, they turn that off because it is too harsh to be enjoyable.  But...it sounds cool when you're trying to justify why you spent $15K to buy this new bike...after the trade-in. 

The only thing that is appealing, is the LED lights.  And I can retrofit LED lights to the 2019 model just fine...for pocket change in comparison to the new model.  

The increase in gas mileage...hah!    You lose that much by sitting in traffic for a few minutes.

I'm just saying that you already have an excellent bike.  And the new offering isn't so much that it is "better", but that it has toys to entice you to sell what is already good to buy what is not that much better.

But it is your money, not mine.  And I've already learned that I keep up with bikes just fine that have double the hp that I have.  More hp is only good for the marketing execs to convince you to buy a bike, and for you to justify why you spent that money when you had a wonderful bike to begin with. 

Chris

[Michiel900GT]

There's an old Dutch saying: "Het bezit van de zaak is het einde van het vermaak". It roughly translates in: "Possession of the matter is the end of the entertainment"

Sometimes the dreaming of something and the anticipation are the best part. (come and think of it, it sums up my first marriage 😁)

[HGP61]

1 hour ago, keithu said:

might not remember what excitement feels like (😁), but sometimes it's gratifying to get something new.

It was the excitement of the tracer and that sublime engine that swayed me from my dependable workhorse of the Honda  CBF 1000 when I test rode the Tracer GT model a few years ago. and as much as some of the improvements to the Tracer 9 are functional I din't think that the small capacity change and wee power increase are going to increase the excitement levels that much. But as I said on a previous topic our motorbikes can be as much I maybe don't need it But I want it and I'm having it so If you want it and if you like to change your bike every few years (particularly if you stay in the UK) go for it and look after it treat it lovingly and I maybe buy it cheap in a few years.

[Funnelli]

I haven't long had my  Phantom blue 2020 gt just a couple of months. 

Initially i was a bit distressed at the prospect of a new version but now looking at the price difference i am quite content. My gt was my my first touring style bike having moved from sports bikes, last being the striple 765rs.

I think the price hike and the marmite looks of the new version will see me heading in the direction of Triumph, ducati, or maybe a K.T.M, its a shame but i think the Tracer had a niche place in the market which it has now stepped out of.

[Shizzle]

I wouldn't have bought a Tracer GT at the $15k price, I don't think that's a bargain in any way shape or form. But at $13k for my 2020 GT I'm quite content with the bike and value for the $$. Sure I upgraded my seat but that would have been the case with any bike. And those new colors do nothing for me. Those blue wheels are hideous and the saddlebags look out of place compared to the 2020 FJR Bags. 

[vincep]

YAMAHA'S NEW TRACER 9 GT RAISES THE BAR - Australian Motorcycle News

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Lighter, more powerful – and now equipped with the most sophisticated...

 

[kilo3]

^ I hate articles like that, it's just regurgitated bs from a yamaha press release without any thought or insight.