Fully Loaded
The world of motorcycle touring has changed rapidly over the last two decades or so. When it came to any sort of long distance travelling bigger was always better. Bikes like Hondas Goldwing and the Pan European come to mind. Lots of luggage, lots of comfort and the bigger the better.
As the adventure bikes such as the big GS from BMW, the Multistrada from Ducati and pretty much something from every major manufacturer in the segment came to the market the opportunities to travel to far flung places with less weight and more dynamism was taken up enthusiastically.
Keeping the wind off
One of the interesting things about this new market was that these bikes weren’t being used off road. They were being used as tourers. The moniker ‘Tall Tourer’ was born and it hasn’t gone away. While they might have been very capable off road and trail machines, the vast majority of these bikes were bought to be run on the street. Â
Meanwhile the traditional tourers were beginning to get extraordinarily sophisticated. TFT screens, reverse gears, central locking for the bike and its luggage were all becoming the norm on the flagships offered by traditional manufacturers such as Harley-Davidson and Indian.
Taking all that tech, marrying it to the idea of road touring and making it significantly lighter and more accessible either the heavy old school bikes and the tall new ones was one that Yamaha began to present with the Tracer 900. The Idea was, and still is, a winner.
The question of space never arises!
It’s triple cylinder cross planed crank engine and a chassis that evolved from the Delta Box frames of old, first appeared in the MT09 where it was a big hit on the naked sports bike scene.
Since then the company have created several different categories of bikes in their range that all run off the same platform.
The Tracer range, meanwhile has grown to include the original standard 900, a GT model which comes with luggage and a GT+ model which is so technology rich that it’s putting some of the bigger tourers to shame. The A2 class now has the Tracer 700. This bike has a parallel twin engine, which also appears across the Yamaha range in other categories. It too is also available in a GT spec. All of the range being offered from Yamaha are now  third generation machines.
Easy on the coxis!
Yamaha, like most other manufacturers, has a full line of accessories available for all of the bikes in their range. Some are made in conjunction with partners in the motorcycle business, such as Akrapovic and Gilles. A lot more is made in house and a lot of the pieces for the Tracer range make for an even better rider experience.
Never run flat again!
Accessories for the Tracer range are, naturally, designed to enhance the touring experience. A high screen, a topbox with an optional pillion friendly backrest, a USB charging socket and, my very favourite, the comfort seat, are all available as add on pieces from your local store. One of the things that Yamaha have done now is to offer the lot as a Travel Pack. All of it adds up to €1,950 and the rider still owns all the original pieces. All Tracer GT models are now supported by Yamaha here in Ireland with a complimentary full Travel Pack. This offer is only running until the end of August ’24 so get your order in and we’ll see you on the Stelvio as we pass a flock of Goldwings on the way into the first turn!
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