FIRST RIDE 2023 YAMAHA TRACER 9 GT+
New tech adds to Tracer 9 GT’s already-impressive offering
YAMAHA’S NEW TRACER 9 GT+ is more than just a simple up-spec of the already-excellent 9 GT. With a host of new features, world-first technology and owner-driven improvements, this latest member of the Tracer 9 family elevates Yamaha’s favourite sports tourer into the prestigious premium category. It puts it alongside fully-loaded all-rounders like Triumph’s Tiger 900 GT, Moto Guzzi’s new V100 Mandello and BMW’s R1250RS.
The GT+’s underpinnings are familiar territory — its engine is the same proven 890cc CP3 inline triple as used in the other Tracer 9s, producing a midrange-rich 68.5lb·ft at 7000rpm and 117bhp at 10,000rpm. With four modes to choose from — Sport, Street, Rain and Custom — this ride-by-wire-throttle-controlled mill is always composed and willing, whether trickling through town, holding a steady cruise on the motorway or blasting between hairpins on a mountain pass. The frame and main componentry are also shared with the Tracer 9 and 9 GT. But it’s what’s unique to the GT+ variant that really makes the difference.
Up front, mounted between the running lights and weighing just 200g, is a Bosch Millimetre Wave Radar. This piece of tech gives the Tracer 9 GT+ the ability to run adaptive cruise control as well as a feature Yamaha claims is unique to motorcycles — Radar-Linked Unified Braking.
In short, the GT+ can detect obstacles ahead, then amplify deceleration through computer-controlled application of both front and rear brakes (the rear disc diameter has been increased from 245mm to 267mm to provide extra bite). It’s not a crash-prevention system — it works in conjunction with manual braking — but it’s a welcome addition to safer riding, particularly on dual carriageways or motorways where speeds are high.
The adaptive cruise control offers similar benefits, automatically controlling the gap between you and the vehicle ahead. There are four time-options for the gap — minimum being one second, maximum two seconds — which are easy to set thanks to simplified switchgear.
The real genius of both systems is the subtlety of intervention. Working in conjunction with semi-active KYB suspension, both the adaptive cruise control and radar-linked braking aid deceleration without pitching the bike forward or upsetting its natural balance. Yamaha sees the GT+’s role as that of eff
