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A great light sport-tourer is now also a tech junkie’s dream. If slaying miles and miles of twisty roads on the way to a far off destination is your goal, the 2024 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+ might be the choice for you but is it worth it?

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https://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle-reviews/yamaha-tracer-9-gt-plus-first-ride/

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Transcript
00:00 This is the 2024 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+.
00:05 Let's see how this $16,499 motorcycle performs out on the open road here in Boise, Idaho.
00:12 Yamaha is trying to prove that technology doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg.
00:21 The Tracer 9 GT+ is Yamaha's most sophisticated sport tourer to date
00:25 and offers features and technology rarely seen in the middleweight class.
00:28 Here are five new things that are on the Tracer 9 GT+ that you need to know about.
00:33 First of all, it has radar-linked adaptive cruise control.
00:37 It has industry-first radar-linked unified brake system.
00:41 It has a new 7-inch full-color TFT display.
00:44 It has brand-new algorithms in the KYB semi-active suspension
00:48 that work in conjunction with the unified brake system.
00:52 And it also has a new quick shifter that works with the cruise control.
00:55 The engine is the same CP3 crossplane crank inline-three engine
01:00 that's been in the Yamaha Tracer in the previous generation.
01:03 This engine is a fantastic fit in this motorcycle.
01:06 We really like the way that this engine makes power.
01:09 It's got ample torque off the bottom. It revs out really nice.
01:12 On this bike, it's the perfect engine to tackle sporty roads,
01:17 to accelerate past cars when you make a downshift.
01:20 It's just got a really nice power band to it.
01:23 Now let's talk about the electronics.
01:25 We've got four power modes. We have sport, road, rain, and a custom mode.
01:30 You can go into your custom mode, and you can choose between
01:33 three traction control settings. You can choose between
01:36 three wheelie control settings. You've got slide control.
01:40 You've got multiple options there. And then you've got two suspension settings
01:43 that you're also going in and changing in the modes.
01:46 Some other electronics that we absolutely have to talk about is
01:49 the new dash, which is absolutely the best Yamaha dash that there has ever been.
01:54 But one of the best things about the whole package is that
01:58 on the left handlebar, there's a new joystick, which allows you to get into the menus
02:02 and access all of those modes and see all of the things that you need to see.
02:06 But this simplifies the navigation a lot.
02:09 Another addition that they have is they've got the MyRide app.
02:12 So you can go and link your smartphone to the phone via Bluetooth.
02:16 There's a Garmin app that works in conjunction, so you can navigate from the screen.
02:21 The screen is bright. This is such a huge upgrade compared to those older generation screens.
02:26 This is the way that Yamaha is going to be going, and we're super happy about it.
02:30 So the key to the chassis here, the new suspension that is working in conjunction
02:35 with the unified braking system. So it's KYB units front and rear.
02:40 It's a 41mm inverted fork. There's preload adjustability, the preloads manual,
02:45 rebound damping is active, that's all handled by the computer.
02:48 Same goes for the rear. There's a remote preload adjuster, so you can set your preload
02:53 when you load your bags or carry a passenger.
02:55 But everything else, the damping is all controlled by semi-active algorithms.
02:59 So the unified braking system is working in conjunction with the radar on the front of the bike.
03:05 So the way it works is if you're braking into a corner, you already have your brake activated
03:12 and it senses that an object's coming up, a vehicle in front of you, that it needs to intervene,
03:18 it will balance the brakes between the front and the rear. It'll add rear or add front
03:23 depending on which brake you go to to make the bike stop as efficiently as possible.
03:27 Now that also links to the suspension. In particular with the cruise control,
03:32 which I played a little bit with today. So the new cruise control system,
03:35 when it senses that the car in front of you is slowing down, it'll feed in more compression
03:40 to the front end and keep the bike from diving if it has to slow down and brake.
03:44 The quick shifter is now to where you can actually shift the quick shifter through the gears
03:49 without disrupting the set speed that you've set.
03:52 So let's talk about the Ergos. This is a sport touring bike, so you want to have adjustable seat,
03:57 you want to have some other things that you can play with.
03:59 Yamaha's done a really great job. You've got a two-position adjustable seat.
04:02 The positions are 32.3 inches in the low position and 32.9 in the high position.
04:08 But another cool thing is you can adjust the foot pegs to two positions.
04:12 So there's a higher and a lower position. Ours were in the lower position today.
04:16 But you can also adjust the handlebar to two positions.
04:19 And then the windscreen has an easy adjuster up here.
04:23 You've basically got two, three inches of travel when you pull that thing up,
04:27 which basically can put you in a complete bubble if it's raining or if it's super windy.
04:32 And that was really nice and comfortable. The rider triangle is extremely comfortable.
04:37 The reach to the bar is just a natural reach. You can put your arms out and just feel comfortable.
04:42 Overall, the ergonomics are exactly what you would want on a bike like this.
04:46 Now let's talk about a couple of the other touring amenities.
04:49 The bike comes with these 30-liter hard bags, which are very nice.
04:53 They're big enough to haul enough stuff for a couple people for an overnight trip.
04:57 Or you can stuff a bunch of your extra commuting stuff in there.
05:01 They're really nice quality, but they also have some dampers that are rubber-mounted
05:05 and keep the bags from vibrating and the contents inside.
05:08 Another cool thing, this bike comes with a center stand.
05:11 So overall, after spending an entire day on the Tracer 9 GT+, we're really impressed.
05:16 At this price point, $1,500 higher than the previous model did.
05:20 But you get all this technological package that most bikes that have radar, have adaptive cruise control,
05:27 anything like that, you're not going to see any other bike in the middleweight class that has that, period.
05:32 And the bikes that do have those features are usually $30,000 bikes.
05:36 And Yamaha's done a great job at pricing this bike fairly for all the features it has.
05:41 So that's it from Boise, Idaho, with Yamaha's 2024 Tracer 9 GT+.
05:47 And as always, if you like what you see, subscribe, comment, and thanks for watching.
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