Mellow
Admin
Been looking at this since it was the FJ-09.. but there were some issues in forums that just kept me away.. the 2019 model seems to addressed a lot of those and added some nice upgrades as well on the GT trim.
Lots of wind noise but the ST1300, V-Strom 650 and even Super Tenere had that before addressing w/different windshields or deflectors. I'm planning on adding the touring shield and if that doesn't fix it I'll add the same spoiler I have on the Super Ten.
Definitely nimble... you can hit a 30mph curve in 6th gear and just roll on, doesn't seem to lug at all.. or drop to 2nd and it just glides through..
Quickshifter - the GT version gets this along with the new display, saddlebags and upgraded suspension components. I've never had a QS before and it was pretty cool to go up the gears without messing with the clutch, it's only for up-shifting.
Gear Indicator - very nice, it tells you the gear all the time.. on the SuperTen it is only if you don't have the clutch lever pulled in which is a slight annoyance.
Been keeping it under 5k rpm for the break in but have bumped up to 9k briefly and the engine will sing a very sweet song.. lol Can't wait 'til after the 1,000 mile break in when I can really wind it up.
The TFT display is VERY nice and has lots of custom settings. It's pretty easy to read although I do wish they'd made it a bit larger. It's basically a copy of the one used on the R1 and maybe some other bikes but with a couple different features suited to the Tracer. The white background for daytime and black for low-light conditions switches pretty fast and is always readable.
The luggage, coming from the perspective of a Super Ten owner with large top loading bags, is tiny.. so, I'll have to rethink my packing routine but there are always trade offs and that's just something you deal with. Some do opt to find the FJR bags w/larger lids or find the lids and install them on these bags. I'm fine with just packing differently. I always bring more than I need anyway so no big deal. I'm planning on adding a top box.
On the highway, it feels very planted and stable but again, I've barely ridden the thing.. hope to get past the break in mileage this week/weekend and get some some real highway time in on it to see how it reacts to things like large trucks.
One thing is certain, in the twisties this will be a fun bike... NOT because it's some fast hooligan bike, it can be with the right rider I'm sure, but because it's light and nimble and that makes it less effort to ride.
It's got 3 ride modes A-STD-B
A: Aggressive throttle response
STD: Medium throttle response
B: Relaxed throttle response
A can be pretty twitchy..
STD is not bad and probably what I would use in the twisties.
B is pretty good and what I'll keep it in most of the time.
TCS (traction control system)
Off - Oh no!... Not me, I don't want to wheelie as I'm old and my bones don't heal like they used to... that's all I have to say about that.
1 - Some intervention is used to keep the wheel spin to safe levels - I'm still not comfortable with this setting.
2 - Maximum intervention to keep wheel spin to zero or close to that - This is what I'll have it on and it may never come off. yeah, my hooligan days are past me.
Headlights
They are LED and the left one is the low/right is high. The one low beam is actually not bad at night. A good spread of light. There are 2 signature/parking light strips.
Yamaha still has incandescent bulbs in the turn signals for this bike which I don't understand BUT.. with how low they are, you almost get that triangle of lights at night that everyone tries to aim for so maybe it's pretty visible.
Overall, a fun light bike... will it replace the Super Tenere for my purposes? Not sure, once I get some more saddle time on it, it just might... I don't go off road on purpose and that was never why I purchased the SuperT, I just wanted a lighter touring bike that had some more options and a good track record of reliability. It has served that purpose well. If I was taking the long haul to California, I may take the SuperT... a short ride to Arkansas, the Tracer... it's great to have options. Time will tell if I stick with one or two.
Lots of wind noise but the ST1300, V-Strom 650 and even Super Tenere had that before addressing w/different windshields or deflectors. I'm planning on adding the touring shield and if that doesn't fix it I'll add the same spoiler I have on the Super Ten.
Definitely nimble... you can hit a 30mph curve in 6th gear and just roll on, doesn't seem to lug at all.. or drop to 2nd and it just glides through..
Quickshifter - the GT version gets this along with the new display, saddlebags and upgraded suspension components. I've never had a QS before and it was pretty cool to go up the gears without messing with the clutch, it's only for up-shifting.
Gear Indicator - very nice, it tells you the gear all the time.. on the SuperTen it is only if you don't have the clutch lever pulled in which is a slight annoyance.
Been keeping it under 5k rpm for the break in but have bumped up to 9k briefly and the engine will sing a very sweet song.. lol Can't wait 'til after the 1,000 mile break in when I can really wind it up.
The TFT display is VERY nice and has lots of custom settings. It's pretty easy to read although I do wish they'd made it a bit larger. It's basically a copy of the one used on the R1 and maybe some other bikes but with a couple different features suited to the Tracer. The white background for daytime and black for low-light conditions switches pretty fast and is always readable.
The luggage, coming from the perspective of a Super Ten owner with large top loading bags, is tiny.. so, I'll have to rethink my packing routine but there are always trade offs and that's just something you deal with. Some do opt to find the FJR bags w/larger lids or find the lids and install them on these bags. I'm fine with just packing differently. I always bring more than I need anyway so no big deal. I'm planning on adding a top box.
On the highway, it feels very planted and stable but again, I've barely ridden the thing.. hope to get past the break in mileage this week/weekend and get some some real highway time in on it to see how it reacts to things like large trucks.
One thing is certain, in the twisties this will be a fun bike... NOT because it's some fast hooligan bike, it can be with the right rider I'm sure, but because it's light and nimble and that makes it less effort to ride.
It's got 3 ride modes A-STD-B
A: Aggressive throttle response
STD: Medium throttle response
B: Relaxed throttle response
A can be pretty twitchy..
STD is not bad and probably what I would use in the twisties.
B is pretty good and what I'll keep it in most of the time.
TCS (traction control system)
Off - Oh no!... Not me, I don't want to wheelie as I'm old and my bones don't heal like they used to... that's all I have to say about that.
1 - Some intervention is used to keep the wheel spin to safe levels - I'm still not comfortable with this setting.
2 - Maximum intervention to keep wheel spin to zero or close to that - This is what I'll have it on and it may never come off. yeah, my hooligan days are past me.
Headlights
They are LED and the left one is the low/right is high. The one low beam is actually not bad at night. A good spread of light. There are 2 signature/parking light strips.
Yamaha still has incandescent bulbs in the turn signals for this bike which I don't understand BUT.. with how low they are, you almost get that triangle of lights at night that everyone tries to aim for so maybe it's pretty visible.
Overall, a fun light bike... will it replace the Super Tenere for my purposes? Not sure, once I get some more saddle time on it, it just might... I don't go off road on purpose and that was never why I purchased the SuperT, I just wanted a lighter touring bike that had some more options and a good track record of reliability. It has served that purpose well. If I was taking the long haul to California, I may take the SuperT... a short ride to Arkansas, the Tracer... it's great to have options. Time will tell if I stick with one or two.
