All Duels – Duel Crossrunner Vs MT-09 Tracer: Goliath against David – The weight of motorcycles, the shock of philosophers…

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Crossrunner Vs MT-09 Tracer Duel: Goliath vs. David

All Duels - Duel Crossrunner Vs MT-09 Tracer: Goliath against David - The weight of motorcycles, the shock of philosophers…

In 2015, the two Japanese motorcycle manufacturers Honda and Yamaha competed in the segment of ” sporty road trail with a GT trend ”. Who from the Crossrunner VFR800X or the MT-09 Tracer wins this new MNC duel ? Ready, Set…

The weight of motorcycles, the shock of philosophers …

Damn. The confrontation between the Crossrunner and the Tracer would it be folded in advance? This is the question that Site testers suddenly ask themselves when they see the Yamaha humiliate the Honda during the repeat tests launched from the first kilometers of driving. On paper however, these two "GT sport road trails" (!) Are clearly rivals…

Admittedly, the competition of the biggest kiki of the strongest acceleration on the sixth and last report is absolutely not sufficient to award the victory to one or the other of these two great novelties in 2015, opposed today by Site.

However, this essential test makes it possible to brush the contours of this new duel. Although the Tracer is limited to 106 hp (Yamaha Motor France gave it to us!), Or the "full" power of the Crossrunner (in France as elsewhere), a difference in size or rather in weight separates Honda and Yamaha.

According to the manufacturers’ scales, the difference between the two motorcycles amounts to 32 kilograms all full. By taking possession of motorcycles from elsewhere, this gap that was obvious on the technical sheets (even on the last page) seizes the rest of the body: arms, back and legs are used more to move the Honda !

The MT-09 "David" Tracer is much easier to handle with the engine off than the VFR800X "Goliath" Crossrunner. During the "static" photoshoots, MNC therefore more readily moves the Yamaha around the Honda than the reverse, despite the greater turning diameter of the Yam ‘(30 cm more).

This striking difference in weight comes from the very design of the two motorcycles. Indeed, the Tracer is an extrapolation of the very recent and unpublished MT-09, the supermoto and superlight roadster from Yamaha which weighs 191 kg all full made with ABS. In its variation – very well – equipped for the road, the Tracer is heavier by 19 kg, that is to say a total of 210 kg "TPF".

In contrast, the Crossrunner descends from a prestigious and long dynasty of sportivo-GT road racing. Updated last year, the sculptural and imposing VFR800F (announced at 239 kg TPF) is in direct line with the VFR800F "i" which appeared in the century – millennium! – latest. In this second enhanced version "VFR800X", the Honda reaches the impressive value of 242 kg.

From a mechanical point of view, our two frames also stand out very clearly. We recognize on the Crossrunner the frame with double perimeter beam and the single swingarm moss and characteristics of the VFR, as well as the single telescopic fork (understand not inverted) and the latest version of the 782 cc V4 (read our).

The Tracer, for its part, exhibits a solid inverted fork – gold in our matt gray color – on which are mounted calipers in the purest Yamaha style. The latter are more charming than the Tokico calipers of the Honda flanked by large reflectors: the US standard is in force among the Reds, even in Europe. The Crossrunner’s slim LED indicators also function as night lights..

On the Tracer, of course, we find the 3-cylinder of the MT-09. The only modification made to this engine which has just blown its first spark plug concerns the injection: far from being perfect on the first version, it has been revised for 2015 (read our)

The Tracer, which takes 70% of the MT-09 "short", has its own reinforced and lengthened rear loop to improve its road performance. It also benefits from a larger tank (18 liters against 14 on the roadster) and a semi-fairing extended by prominent hand protectors.

The two motorcycles are also differentiated by their looks. Inspired by the very last VFR800F, the look of the 2015 Crossrunner is less clumsy than that of its predecessor. The new VFR800X (us) also appears more elegant than the Tracer, with its X-shaped optics, its hollowed out spout – practical for getting it out of quicksand ?! – and its covering with flat surfaces.

As the Honda fairings no longer house the radiators, they take on a more dynamic shape but at the same time reveal the thick welds of the aluminum frame spars. That of the Yamaha is much cleaner … Now facing the road, the radiators of the V4 receive protective grilles, the lowest of which is full in its center in order to resist the projections of gravel. Well seen !

Placed on each side of the collectors, the half-shoes will do nothing, however, against the "projection" of the low engine of the Honda against a sidewalk. MNC however recalls that the ground clearance on the Crossrunner went from 140 mm in 2011 to 165 mm in 2015, against a weak 135 mm on the Tracer, devoid of any shoe, even decorative..

At the level of the pots also, the two motorcycles are greatly distinguished: seeming borrowed from an NC750 – just like the imposing mud flap and its brake light – the exhaust of the VFR800X looks quite ordinary compared to the tiny – so very cute – silencer of the Tracer nestled in the hollow of its swinging arm.

Very "raw formwork" appearance, especially in its gray color which amplifies its side "Dark Side"touted by Yamaha, the MT-09 Tracer is also available in a warmer red or a" Race Blu "as icy as it is hypnotic. The Crosstourer offers a similar palette: black, red or white.

From very different philosophies therefore, the two machines nevertheless pursue a common goal: to satisfy as many motorcyclists as possible … To face short journeys and everyday worries as well as long journeys, their manufacturers have therefore equipped them with particularly complete.

In short (read our page on practical aspects and equipment for the long version), no information is missing on the two machines. The new Honda instrumentation on a black background offers a strong contrast that makes the screen perfectly readable, even when the sun is shining in. A success.

Larger, the double panel of the Tracer is however our preference because the display is more ventilated. In addition, the right part, which displays several series of three complementary and configurable data!), Is directly controlled via the left stalk. The Crossrunner, it offers only two keys … on the dashboard.

The new owner of the Tracer will just have to be careful, during the first uses, not to confuse the "info" buttons with the headlight control: MNC has made involuntary headlight calls to a few road users. Fortunately, none have been misinterpreted.

On the Honda, care should be taken not to sound the horn inadvertently when approaching a crossroads or a roundabout since the Japanese engineers have found it good to reverse – compared to the rest of current motorcycle production – the turn signal controls and horn…

At Yamaha for the moment, French bikers who do not limit the use of their motorcycle to "leisure" but also use it for "motorcycle-work-sleep", would certainly appreciate that the warning command – a little hard to go looking for the tip of the thumb – swaps its place with that of the engine mapping modes, more accessible and less often used.

The tour of the motorcycles thus made, Site takes advantage of the snow no longer falling to get back on the handlebars of the two motorcycles. The sky clears, the sun reappears, but the temperature remains desperately low: 4 ° C at the foot of the Parisian MNC Building … and even less as we get closer to Provins, destination of our little winter trip..

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