YAMAHA TRACER 9 GT+
BIG QUESTIONS ANSWERED
This is the highest-tech, highest-spec sports tourer ever. But with sophisticated radar-assisted braking as well as a host of other electronic aids, is it all now over the top?
AFTER YEARS OF being ignored and underdeveloped, sports tourers are back with a bang at the top of manufacturers’ flagship priorities. Yamaha’s 2023 Tracer 9 GT+ takes the already outstanding 890cc, 113bhp CP3 inline triple and semi-active Deltabox-based chassis of the current Tracer 9 GT, and adds a layer of top-drawer technology that elevates it to become the most electronically sophisticated motorcycle Japan has yet produced. Because not only does the ‘+’ in GT+ signify radar-assisted adaptive cruise control – the radar sits under the nose of the bike – it’s also used to introduce a world-first radar-assisted braking system.
In addition, the GT+ gets a new 7in TFT dash, new switchgear, a third-generation up/down quickshifter that now allows clutchless changes in any circumstance (and won’t disengage cruise control), a reshaped seat, central dash-mounted USB port and larger 30-litre panniers – all on top of the Tracer’s existing spec list of heated grips, semi-active suspension, extensive traction and wheelie control, adjustable screen and a centrestand.
Does all this mean the Tracer 9 GT+ is the best sports tourer ever built, or has it tipped over into a techno nightmare?
Find out here, as we answer all the important questions.
ELECTRONICS
This bike has the lot, including six-axis traction control, wheelie control and rider modes (instead of individual settings). But the big news is the GT+’s radar, used both fo
