Long-term test: Yamaha Tracer 9GT+, the good, the bad and the fugly

Published: 23 November 2023

Yamaha’s top-spec sportstourer has been gathering plaudits from riders, winning minds (if not hearts) any time it’s compared to its rivals.

But after a couple of months of living with what should, on paper, be my perfect bike it’s time to get down into the
details and dish the dirt on whether the T9GT+ really does tick all my boxes.

It’s two bikes in one

Forget the headline tech; the single most impressive thing about the Tracer 9 GT+ is how broad its range of abilities is.

Remember when sports-tourers were overweight sportsbikes with high bars, and sat in that stodgy middle-ground of being average at both? Not the T9…

By Steve Herbert-Mattick

Group Art Director - Steve rejoined the MCN team in 2023 and has 20 years experience working in the publishing industry. He originally joined MCN as junior designer in 2003 after achieving a distinction level Higher National Diploma in Graphic design and Advertising. During his career, Steve has worked on numerous publications and projects including sister title RiDE, and launching Bike and Built magazine’s digital editions. Steve developed his passion for motorcycling on the job and passed his Direct Access in 2005. Since then he’s ridden hundreds of bikes thousands of miles including touring with his wife as pillion to MotoGP rounds in Spain and Austria. While he’s a fan of all things two wheeled, he has a strong preference for big adventure bikes and is a self-confessed tech nerd who’s always interested in the latest gadgets, and as a passionate vegan is always on the look out for new, cruelty-free kit. A keen greenlaner, Steve swapped his Aprilia SL1000 Falco for a heavily-modified Honda CRF250L and loves nothing more than spending a day in the sunshine riding the trails of Thetford Forest and the Peak District.