2022 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT Long-Term Review

After riding the 2022 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT for a year, we talk about its long-term performance.

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Over the course of the past year, we’ve been riding Yamaha’s 2022 Tracer 9 GT. Introduced in 2021, the Tracer 9 GT is a middleweight, sport-touring bike from the Tuning Fork brand. We’ve reported on its performance and capability during the 2022 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT Review and 2021 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT MC Commute Review articles and videos. Now, after riding this machine for nearly a year and logging almost 4,000 miles, we’re discussing what it’s like to live with from day to day.

Our original review discussed a couple of annoying hiccups, but fast-forward to now and those bugaboos irk us much less. We’re keen on the versatility and function of the Tracer 9. We really like this middleweight’s size; because it’s a bantam sport-touring bike, it has great everyday utility. It’s great to have a bike with manufacturer hard cases, eliminating the need for a fanny pack or backpack as the lockable and removable luggage swallow nearly 8 gallons of goodies on either side. And even with the luggage mounted, the bike remains svelte and nimble.

Traffic is a bear in Southern California, and larger touring bikes and cruisers can be a handful to slide in and out of traffic. Not so with this Tracer 9 GT; it may weigh just over 500 pounds with a full 5 gallons of fuel, but it’s surprisingly responsive, really fitting our SoCal lifestyle.

We love the ergonomics, particularly the adjustability. The broad seat is nice and plush and can be easily raised or lowered without tools; at 6 feet, the tall position worked for me personally. And the ability to adjust the rider's footpegs made us happy. This was already a common feature on sportbikes many years ago, so it’s a no-brainer for Yamaha to include this. We kept the pegs in the low position to reduce painful knee contortions. Rounding out the triangle, if you will, the handlebar is proportioned well and can also be adjusted to rider preference. Overall, a really accommodating ergonomics package.

The manually adjustable windscreen is easy to use, and we value how tall it is in the high position, where it does a fine job of flowing turbulent air over the rider. The OE-fitted plastic hand guards are another valuable touch, and do a marvelous job of keeping hands warm in cold weather. This along with 10-way-adjustable electronic heated grips make riding in chilly conditions much more bearable.

Of course comfort is only half of this bike’s appeal; performance measures up as well. The 890cc inline-triple is awesome, with gobs of torque, more than 50 lb.-ft. from as low as 2,500 rpm. And there’s right around 104–105 ponies at the business end of the Bridgestone Battlax 180-series rubber, so the Tracer 9 has plenty of get-up-and-go, which is easy to use thanks to its electronic quickshifter, a nice add-on. No need to use the clutch when upshifting or downshifting makes for a much more entertaining experience with the torquey punch of this inline-three, which as a bonus, sounds really, really cool.

What’s also cool, in a quieter way, is this bike’s elevated maintenance intervals. Yamaha Motor recommends engine oil swaps every 6,000 miles, engine oil filter changes every 12,000 miles, along with fresh spark plugs and an air filter. The valve adjustment intervals are spaced to 24,000 miles. This streetbike goes quite a ways between services.

The KYB semi-active suspension is decent, and it’s neat that Yamaha added this feature to the bike. But the actual function of the semi-active suspension is meh; we’ve ridden other bikes with semi-active suspension that performed near-magically. Around town the Tracer 9 handles nicely, soaking up the bumps well. But when you’re getting some in the corners on a favorite curvy road, it has a tendency to get a little bit unglued. Still, most can certainly live with the minor disappointment given the bike’s day-to-day capability.

Photography: Joseph Agustin
Video/edit: Ray Gauger Media, Inc.

Motorcycle Riding Gear Worn

Helmet: Shoei RF-SR
Jacket: REV'IT! Tornado 3
Pant: REV'IT! Jackson RF
Gloves: REV'IT! Sand 3
Boots: TCX Rush 2 Air

[seanfahey]

Good update video, a bit more informative than the first ride reviews for people who end up buying these things. A bit of bummer about the electronic suspension, I'm interested in the tech but maybe a few more years for the Japanese brands it'll become a must have. I wonder how you would compare this bike to the latest Z1000SX, seems fairly similar but in a more traditional sports bike style rather than adventure style. Looking forward to more videos and articles as always.

[MrRide]

Personally, I have the Tracer 9 GT, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. The engine is an absolute delight, and the versatility it offers is unbeatable. Incredibly fun.

[MGman]

I bought one of these brand new in June. 4, 000 miles later including some touring in awful weather conditions I can categorically say it's a great all round bike 👍

[drwaqasmubarik]

Bought it last week. Traded in FJR. FJR was getting heavier for me and narrow handle bars weren’t comfortable. Had Previous generation tracer and I couldn’t forget the triple 😂. So went back and bought this one. Amazing bike and quick shifters are worth every penny.

[SticksAandstonesBozo]

The 2023 model is the one. Mark my words it’s gonna be the king of this category for people who want all the fancy new features this bike has this year at 15k when I can’t find another bike with those same features under 26k

[barrykrakovsky]

I've owned this motorcycle for about a year and a half and in general really like it. I've got just a tick over 12, 000 mi on it. But I must have a defective manual, because I read 4, 000 mi interval, oil changes and 8, 000 mi interval oil filter changes.

[WheelPursuit]

Adam Waheed is my #1 favotire motorcycle reviewer no cap

[LeoSilva-gfhr]

Thank you for the update! I have a first gen 2015 FJ-09 and I absolutely love it! It's my daily rider.
Hoping to one day upgrade to a 2021 but $$$... Oh well 😅
Enjoy it! Stay safe!

[kevinmason]

Enjoyed your thoughts and honest perspective, ride safe...

[KestrelYI]

Appreciate the review! Lots of competition in this market. Features sound nice but I probably could have done without some of them in order to bring the price back down to what the FJ-09 was. Thanks.

[acherouvis]

Thanks for a great review.. The best review are from a person who actually spent time with a motorcycle like yourself. In NH, the out the door price is $14, 400 for a 2022. I think at that price point, including the bags and it's features your getting is a good value. There are a lot of competitors. in this class. I think the number one competitor is the Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro. Which is a great motorcycle as well. The GT PRO is near the$17, 500 price point. I was leaning towards the Tiger, but what swayed me towards the Yamaha is the engine, and the OEM bags that come standard. The engine is putting out 115 HP. The 900 cc class is perfect. I checked out the Tiger 1200, GS 1200, African Twin and also the Suzuki GSX1000 GT Plus. I found the 1200 cc adventure style bikes with the steel cases are extremely difficult to get on and off. The size and height for them is too tall. At 5'9'' for example the African Twin was a motorcycle that I know I would spend more time pickin up than riding. Another feature of the GT9 is the 17 inch front tire. Lets get real, I'm not about to be doing any crazy off road " The Long way around" rding. I was looking for a great motorcycle that is capable of touring. The GT9 is that motorcycle. I was also looking at the Kawasaki SX 1000 and suzuki GSX 1000 GT Plus. Great sport tourers with great performance. The downside is, and something that isn't talked about with reviews is the insurance cost. Both Suzuki and Kawasaki insurance cost are 3x more than what I am currently paying for a Speed Twin. Insurance on the 9 GT is extremely reasonable.

[mattkierce]

Enjoyed this review Adam because I generally find your style annoying(not that I have my own you tube channel to brag about) but this was really smooth & informative.

[victorNaitoTECH]

Here in Brazil we just have 900 GT, bizarre ! Such a great motorcycle!

[tomarAcar]

Source: Official T9 Manual
Minimum set cruising speeds:
1st gear: 30 km/h (20 mi/h)
2nd gear: 30 km/h (20 mi/h)
3rd gear: 40 km/h (25 mi/h)
4th gear: 40 km/h (25 mi/h)
5th gear: 50 km/h (30 mi/h)
6th gear: 50 km/h (30 mi/h)
Maximum set cruising speed : 160
km/h (100 mi/h)

[ebrahimmish]

Ahaha 👌 awesome... this dude talks so well ! Loved it... subscribing

[samirmainam]

my old yamaha nouvo 5 made me pay attention to Yamaha, the rev still feels great, i appreciate the quality!

[zyghom]

I am not sure what minimum temperature in California is but when you say it is cold there, I am wondering if you know what COLD means ;-)
Nice review.

[daniilrusanau]

really wanted to get this Tracer last year, test-rode it and loved it, but there's no stock in Ireland. Got BMW F900XR instead and have no regrets whatsoever :) Great review, and has good footage quality too.

[hfiemfn]

I prefer the previous generation, and yes I have one. Just couldn’t take that new dash, and I didn’t want the semi suspension. But, that’s just me and I hope the newer owners enjoy their bikes. Cheers 👍🇨🇦🤪

[Pmason]

I just saw the 2023 and Yamaha went with one 7" screen vs the two