YAMAHA TRACER 700 (2016 - 2019) Review

It’s a trade off, suspension soaks up the bumps nicely but the rear feels quite bouncy. Riding position is great for me, I’m 5ft 10 and never really feel achy in my legs or arms/wrists. It’s a nice position, just high enough to see over cars, but not that high that feel like you’re on a bigger bike and the balls of your feet. One thing of note, at speeds over 80 you feel like the bike is moving around a bit at the rear, really noticeable on thiose UK autobahns! The buffeting is also pretty bad even though I’ve fitted a bigger screen. Usual daily running , it’s nice and light and flicks around nicely. Just enough power to nip past traffic but you won’t keep up with your mates on bigger bikes. You really need to keep it in the correct rev range though. The brakes are ok, hard on and the front sinks down considerably. Never yet felt the abs go off. The rear brake light didn’t work or was intermittent. There’s a little micro switch within the linkage that needs adjustment now and again. A little bit of loctite will help there.

It’s pokey enough but as mentioned without the torque it would be rubbish. It potters along in 6th in 30 zones and it will pull from there, although for a smile you’ll need a few downshifts. I’ve had this bike for 4 years now and last year I tested a few others last year, a CBR650r and a CB1000r. When I got back onto the tracer it felt like a tractor. I guess you get used to the rattly twin so when you try a nice smooth revving bike with crisp power delivery it leaves you wondering how long you can live with it. I’d have got rid by now but the money boss is a bit reluctant (why do you need a new bike?) and the market is pretty overpriced at the moment

My starter switch stuck on and fried the start solenoid. A common fault apparently. The switch itself is dead easy to take apart, clean and relube. The solenoid was about £50. Weirdly my throttle stopped working. Engine fired up but twist grip did nothing. After a bit of a faff around I managed to removed the twist grip and figured out that the adhesive holding the twist grip to the handlebar had had enough. A bit of contact adhesive sorted that out!

I use my local Honda garage. They are a franchise and have another one 20 miles away who are Yamaha based so parts and bits are easy to come by.

All this bike came with was heated grips, which are pretty good. I bought an aftermarket screen, the original funnelled wind straight onto my helmet. The new one is an MRA and has a small spoiler at the top. It’s about 3 inches higher and helps massively. Having said that I get horrendous buffeting at 75+

The brakes do the job really well. Ride quality is fine for me, but I don’t really have anything to compare it to. The suspension is on the more harsh side which I’m happy with. I know this is an area which gets criticism from those that know about these things, which fortunately I don’t!! I can usually ride the bike from fuel tank full to empty without a problem, so wouldn’t mind a bigger fuel tank...

Bloody love the engine. Plenty of on tap power and torque where you need it. I have decided the best performance enhancement would be to personally lose two stone in weight, so I might try and do that.

It is built well enough. Plastics used for cost saving and weight reduction. With 6500 miles completed in 12 months, I have no complaints about build quality and no corrosion anywhere. A great local dealer, Woking Yamaha, have given all the support I have needed. Would definitely recommend the bike and dealer.

Service costs could always be cheaper, but they have been as detailed when I bought the bike, so no surprises there. Tyres and brake pads are still fine, all wearing well. No additional costs expected until the 12,000 mile service.

Apparently the bike is quite basic, which suits me. The LCD dash has all the info you need and nothing you don’t. I added a Yamaha touring screen, which is brilliant. A USB socket and the usual radiator guard, R&G crash bung things, Givi monokey luggage system, which all comes off when not being used. I use my phone as a sat nav, which is also connected to a Cardo Packtalk system in the helmet for music, sat nav instructions and phone. The radio is good as long as you don’t go anywhere! Very pleased with it all and would certainly recommend any of it.

great comfort up to 3 or 4 hours at a time

brilliant

so far so good

all you need really

The seating position is more upright that sportsbikes, so less stress on the wrists and arms. Suspension suits my riding style.

Lots of torque and runs well with very little vibration. Averaged 70MPG (over the life of the bike) ridden 11 months of the year.

Generally well built, but I did have a problem with the starter switch which was replaced under warranty. Coolant pipes are prone to corrosion, however many of these bikes are ridden year round. People complain about the fuel gauge on these as there is plenty of fuel left with the gauge starts flashing to indicate low fuel, but I just fill up at 200 miles.

Lifetime average of 70MPG. Above cost is estimate as my wife pays for the services

I have a front fender extender - useful to keep the crap off the engine and pipes, a radiator guard to prevent stone damage, a pyramid rear fender extender colour matched, GivI/Kappa engine bars (upper and lower) and Givi/Kappa pannier and top boxes with rack. After 3 years the Givi/Kappa paintwork is blistering and corrosion is evident, so I have repainted these with smoothrite. The colour matched Pyramid rear fender has suffered stone damage and is chipped. The PR 4 tyres were great, but I changed to Road 5 when the needed replacement at 14K miles. The Road 5 tyres are great. Would recommend heatedgrips and bar muffs for winter use. Rad guard is essential.

As standard, both ride quality and brakes are very average - depending what you're using the bike for. If you want to sit on a motorway for an hour or two, the ride is ideal. Suspension soaking up most of the bumps with very little vibe through the bars. The standard seat is comfortable enough to do a fair few hours in the saddle without worry (occasional stand up needed to stretch the legs). I can easily make it for the duration of the tank and then filling up is enough of a rest to get back on without wincing. Same could be said for commuting on it - it's got enough to it to suffice for average use. It will do it all very well without shouting about one particular part. If, however, you want a bike that's happy to do your weekend blat around the B roads, it leaves somewhat to desire. It's fine to keep up with your mates middle weight naked bikes, but any sports bike or adventure with WP set up or similar will leave you wanting more in the corners. After around 6 months on it, and as my riding starting to improve, I began to notice that the suspension is pretty soft. Tight corners can find you squirming a little and unsettled. Same deal with if you're wanting to do light off road - my sump (added after an accident of this type) often makes a nice clang noise on sharp speed bumps so wouldn't risk going on anything past a dirt track or grassy field. Having said that.. was incredibly manageable when I decided to try it. Compare it to the MT-07 though and it's planted and very confidence inspiring for someone learning their craft. Longer swing-arm and slightly more weight helps with this no doubt. It's still very light and flickable for a sports tourer/commuter though. Pillion is a breeze too.. plenty of space and comfy enough - the bike does need a bit of encouragement to get up to speed though. The brakes were the first thing I changed and decided that I'd do that on the test ride. Standard, they left a lot to desire. They will eventually stop the bike, but you will be worrying if you're going to hit whatever you're heading toward for the entire time you're wrenching on them. I upgraded to the EBC sintered pads and they make a substantial improvement.. still not going to rip your face off but at least you can trust them. The EBC pads also don't fade very much so make a vast improvement whilst trying to keep up with your mates Street Triple RS.

If it didn't have the torque, it would be very dull... BUT... it does. Although relatively low on power, it powers out of every corner and up to speed with ease meaning you can keep up with your mates, and sometimes surprise someone on a much faster bike. You do feel like you're working it to achieve the outcome but that's always quite satisfying. You can easily sit at 80-90mph on the motorway without it complaining or screaming it's nuts off. Sits around 5k revs at 75 so plenty to go up to the red line. It will definitely do over 130 "on closed roads officer" but is quite active shall we say so you wouldn't want to sit at that.

Reliability has been near on faultless on this so far. Bought as an ex-demo around 2k miles and racked up to nearly 24k miles in 1.5 years. It's been an all-season daily commuter (including snow) for the lion's share of that, with a 2.5k mile Scotland tour and the odd trip to the coast thrown in. Occasionally on cold morning's it takes a few seconds to kick into life but most day's it starts without a doubt. There is an overly annoying ticking cam-chain tensioner which Yamaha refuse to believe is a problem (that's probably dealer based issue though). It's documented on all 700's and 900's in the last few years (MT-07/MT-09/XSR's/Tracers) and It's been ticky for the last 15k miles so guess there's no real issue with it apart from annoying me. Quality is standard Yamaha - it's nice enough that it doesn't feel tacky or cheap, but still comes with the odd rattle and squeak. Maintain it properly and most of those go away. I wash it most weekends (250 miles of commuting a week + misc rides) and tend to give it a quick hose off after the grimey-est of days - I've also ACF-50'd it among other protective coatings just for ease of cleaning.

Service int's are every 6k - minor, mid, minor, major and so on, Depending on the dealer, the minors are around £200, mids are between £250-300 depending what needs doing. The 24k Major is valve clearances which I've got around the corner.. heard this can be a good £500+. I'm racking up over 15k a year easily so to make this cheaper I do most of the service myself - I think the 18k was only oil, oil/air filters, tyre pressures and a general health check so paying £200 odd for the privilege of a dealer doing that seems crazy! Using official Yamaha parts which aren't expensive (for warranty), means that service cost is more than halved and takes all of an hour or two if you know your way around. MPG for those that are interested.. My commute consists of about 15miles sat on a motorway around 75, then followed by another 10 miles of worming my way through London traffic, stopping starting and pinning it to get through traffic lights before they go red for what seems like a life time. I average around 62mpg most weeks which gives me about 190 miles before reserve light flashes, then you can push another 20-30 miles out of the tank. Normally fill up around 210miles. On a motorway run sat around 70, you can easily hit 70mpg which will give maybe a 230-240 mile range.. the most I've ever achieve was 81mpg which was up to Scotland loaded with full panniers, top box, tent and roll bag.. getting to the pumps at 259miles (reserve light had been flashing for near enough 60 miles) so was risky enough pushing it that far. Insurance for me being 2nd year on a full license, doing 15,000 miles a year commuting into London is high (around £600) but you compare that to anything else in the class (Vstrom 650, Versys 650, NC750 etc), it's the same if not cheaper.

Not amazing as standard - mine came spec'd with heated grips, a 12V socket and a set of hard panniers (ABS standard - non switchable) but if you want rider modes, traction control and adjustable suspension, look elsewhere. I've added aftermarket fog lights, better heated grips (the Yam ones aren't that hot), and a few other bits which were pretty simple. Taking the bike apart and putting back together is very easy too bar the odd snapped clip. Adding a topbox with standard panniers was a pain in the rear-end... really... it was a bodge job to get the rack to fit on with the panniers but cable ties hold a hell of a lot nowadays. I've run it with both Michelin Pilot Road 4's and Road 5's - both great tyres and grip regardless of the weather.. although prefer the slightly noisier 5's for grip and feel.

Yamaha offer a host of accessories to aid comfort including a comfort and a heated seat. Brakes are adequate. I have fitted a Hagon rear shock built for my weight. The oe Pilot Road 4 tyres are very well suited to the Tracer 700.

The MT-07 / Cross Plane 2 engine is a best seller. What more needs to be set. The engine is very efficient, torquey and fun. I believe the 0-60mph time is 3.4 seconds.

100% reliable as you’d expect from a Yamaha. The only aspect letting the Tracer 700 down is the finish on certain parts such as the coolant pipes, but these can be replaced under warranty. The Tracer 700 replaced my FZS600S Fazer, which was an excellent bike, again the finish on some FZS600S parts was poor.

The 6000 mile service was £150 without the brake caliper cleaning. Fuel economy can be incredible if you potter around ~35mph (~95mpg) if you have to ride through a lot of built up areas. I average 67 - 70mpg. The worst I have achieved is 46mpg keeping the revs mostly above 7000rpm.

For the basic price the Tracer 700 represents good value. Yamaha have offered a Touring Pack and Winter Pack over the years to offer accessories at good value. I spent almost £1000 on accessories when I purchased my Tracer because they were well made and offered good value I felt.

The rear abs activates too easy and the horn is too hard to reach when it is needed

Engine bars work really well, got hit by a car that pulled into oncoming traffic and stopped both me and the bike getting a scratch, can't recomend them enough

Handlebar switches look cheap Reliability - its a Yamaha so no worries

Can only go about an hour withou needing a break, could do with a touch more padding in the seat.

I still can't get used to the sound, but then I've never ridden a twin before.

Would have given it 5* if my wing-mirrors would stay in position!

Fantastic running costs - I'm getting 60mpg.

Bike comes as standard with Michelin Pilot 4's, which are faultless. Could do with a little more space under the seat. The standard Yamaha luggage needs some alteration to fit, which is a pain - but very nice once on.

The seat is ok - quite hard but room to move around to relieve pressure on different parts. Pillion seat is quite small but I'm told is comfortable enough. Brakes are quite adequate for road touring. I will going to the Alps on it later this year and don't expect dramas. I bought the touring screen as I'm 6'1" and the standard screen meant my shoulders were being buffeted at 70-80mph. Hence the 4/5. Also, the bike is light and carries the weight very low down so it feels completely manageable during low speed manouevres - someting the Superten was a nightmare with and to a much lesser extent the Vstrom.

It's a cracker - good fuelling and no stuttering at any revs

Actually, don't know yet as I've had it 2 months but Yamaha are normally very good on this and, actually, I couldn't fault the SuperTen on this either.

Don't know the cost so put £1 above so the field would accept it. Once a year or 7,000 miles so twice the interval of the Vstrom 650. A year is perfect as I need the bike checked out for safety etc at the end of a year. I don't imagine the cost will be any greater than my previous 3,500 mile services and there will be half the number of them!

Good display info with 2 trips, mpg, ave mpg, ambient temp, engine temp - 4/5 because you don't select options on the handlebar as per, say the Vstrom, but you have to lean forward and press the button under the display to toggle the options. It's a bit too budget for the bike but I can live with it. Accessories ordered for touring - Givi Racks for side panniers which can be easily removed - brilliant. Centre stand from SW Motech - vital in my view. Heated grips - Yamaha and very effective. Buzzer for indicators so you get an audible warning when you've left them on - could save you from a car pulling out one day! 12v socket. Crash mushrooms.

Great fun and much more nimble feeling that other bikes in the class.

Gutsy and has quite a poke for a 700cc

seems good so far. Not had a chance to put to many miles on it but as a budget ended spectrum bike the equipment all seems ok. The indicator switch is a little fiddly.

seems good so far. as a new bike had not had to service it yet but its average Yamaha service costs and it seems very frugal on the juice as well. Got a great deal with all the touring kit for free as a demo unit with 300 miles on it. well pleased.

great tyres and lovely dash with everything you need or would expect.