Yamaha Tracer 700 motorcycle test

Menus

• Sport touring or the modern day SUV
• Discovery
• In the saddle
• Contact
• In the city
• On the highway
• Small roads
• Braking
• Comfort
• Consumption
• Convenient
• Video test
• Conclusion

Sport touring or the modern day SUV

Don’t call me trail anymore! Call me sport touring! And here are all the certainties which disappear on all these new models of motorcycles which bring with them new terminologies. That it was simple when there were only basics and sports. So there you have it, now there are sport touring or SUVs, evolutions of trails with a predominantly road future but with character. So does the new Tracer 700 meet this definition? Test over two weeks and daily…

Yamaha Tracer 700: trail, road trail, sport touring…

Discovery

Fashion – or rather the search for global savings – leads manufacturers to offer platforms on which many models are available. Honda did it very well with these CB500s or even NCs. This is also the case for Yamaha with the CP2 base used first on the MT-07 roadster, then declined in a "trail" version with the Tracer 700. The model initially arrived in 2016 has meanwhile offered a Tracer GT version (mainly linked to accessorization, very practical to strengthen its ambitions on the road).

A furious urge to tease the right grip

And then, surprise, at the EICMA 2019 show, the Tracer completely changed, making the family resemblance disappear also with the 900 version, to return with a look out of nowhere, cleaving, with its two lenticular headlights overhung by lights at LED, a reinforced fairing, an adjustable screen (over 65mm), hand guards for a little extra protection and a much more futuristic style. Like it or hate it, but the new Tracer has personality. At Le Repaire, we like … because many competing machines are extraordinary but often with an ungrateful physique, or reserved for connoisseurs. And we also start to remember the CT.

For the rest, the new Tracer still relies on the CP2 twin-cylinder engine featuring 689cc crossplane technology, BUT now Euro5 with new modified injection and ignition parameters, a redesigned air intake and a new exhaust system. It loses in passing 1.4 hp now at 73.4 hp (against 74.8 hp before) but with a maximum power obtained lower than 250 rpm (8,750 rpm against 9,000 rpm before). The torque remains the same at 68 Nm at 6,500 rpm, low enough to be appreciated. Note that the 54.00 kW at 8,750 rpm model is available in A2 and 35 kW version.

689 cc twin

Side cycle part, there is a tubular frame with an aluminum swingarm with a wheelbase of 1,460 mm and a weight of 196 kg all full. The suspensions evolve with a new 41 mm cartridge fork and a rear shock absorber now adjustable in preload and rebound..

LED light, tapered turn signals

And then, there is a new saddle, better finished and prettier than the old one, without presenting the apparent comfort of the Tracer 700 GT saddle..

In the saddle

840 mm! As if the 835 mm of the previous version were too low! It is not a priori a motorbike for dwarves. And indeed from the top of my 1.70m, I barely touch the ground with the tips of my feet, but I still touch thanks to a sufficiently thin saddle at the crotch! At first sensation, the bike seems light. The controls fall naturally under the hands, the position is straight and natural, the legs are almost relaxed and the tank is perfectly enclosed for a natural and comfortable overall position. Personally, I like being near the reservoir. Those who don’t like it will have a hard time being far away due to a bent saddle.

In front of us, we benefit from a new counter, still LCD, just as clear and readable as the previous one even if the information is not displayed in the same way and just as synthetic (counter, tachometer, gear engaged, gauge gasoline), the information of which can be scrolled through a button on the stalk to have the average or instantaneous consumption. It’s simple. On the other hand, while Yamaha has added traction control including on the Tricity 300 or engine modes on other models, nothing like it here. We come back to the basics and the essentials.

Readable LCD instrument panel

Ah and we note the warning to the right stalk, warning which tends to disappear on a good number of machines.

Contact

The bi snorts almost furiously, sounding like a soprano rather than a baritone. First and we have some pep from the first turns of the wheel, even a distinct, impulsive character, more than the old one despite the drop in horsepower (but also explained by a larger crown at the rear of two teeth, 16×45 instead of 16×43). It wouldn’t even take much for the front wheel to lift. This was already the case with the old model. We find the playful, dynamic, lively character, hallmark of the Tracer all generations therefore. We immediately forget the weight that could have scared (196 kilos all full done anyway) to add to the saddle height, especially for small riders. This is where a weight alone indicated on a technical sheet is not enough to say or predict the ease of handling a motorcycle. Balance is everything. And there, the Tracer confirms its predecessor and has already won.

Sport and touring

In the city

On tiptoe at a red light, or even a foot, the light turns green and it’s gas! The engine is round, happy and makes you want to express yourself with this dynamic and these deep vibrations that make you want to pull in. You can drive calmly naturally, but it really makes you want to pull in and inevitably, if you don’t look at the speedometer, you are too fast right away, even in second or third gear … which makes the speed go up. conso significantly. But for all that, the bi is flexible is accepted to wind under 2,000 rpm on the last report at 40 km / h. You can drive very smoothly, which you only start to do after a few days, after understanding that the city is not a circuit, that you have to restrain yourself with this bike and that we can open wide elsewhere than there. This is perhaps why we can put it in a Sport-Touring category, rather than trail, more placid in general. We would even tend to go up one or two gears and drive in 3rd or 4th gear in town on a daily basis, in order to soften the rocking horse side, while remaining at 3,000 rpm at 50 km / h in 4th gear..

Lively, agile, precise

The handling is then at the rendezvous, allowing both to slip with ease between all the lines of cars but also to make tight U-turns in small streets and this without effort. The Tracer confirms its balance and homogeneity by being as easy as a smaller displacement and with the response of the motor character of a larger one. Frankly, euro5 may have caused him to lose a little more than a horse, but it does not feel at all, on the contrary, with the new settings. It can thus offer several faces depending on its pilot.

Now, in the wet, without traction control, it requires a little dosage on pain of going into a slight slip. Since you were told the engine is really bubbly !

On the highway

We hit the highway like a bullet with excellent protection offered by the adjustable bubble. It is almost frustrating to drive at legal speeds, so the bi-purrs at 5,000 rpm on the legal motorway and only asks to take its turns! You can set up at an illegal speed to get the 9,000 rpm (and peak power of the CP2) cruiser in complete comfort, due to the good coating present most of the time on the motorway and with excellent stability but at speed unauthorized.

Good protection offered by the bubble on the motorway

The bubble protects small riders well. Larger riders will have wind in the helmet, which can be inconvenient depending on the helmet.

Small roads

Obviously, the Tracer really shows itself on small roads, where it combines agility and nervousness, able to take turns to reveal its full potential and go on the attack, when it teases the switch at 100 km / h … in second ! Yes, it is still possible to ride quietly with it, but it’s anything but a "granny" but more of a playful ballerina, which might well make you like antics. And even more than in town, it can show two faces, capable of both winding under 2,000 rpm on the last gear to go into a bend and capable of resuming when leaving the village to go tease the 9,000 rpm / min without ever stopping.

73.4 hp (54 kW) at 8,750 rpm

Well, for 9,000 rpm, you will go down two gears, otherwise, you literally catapult yourself and you will quickly scare the widow and the orphan, not to mention your license. If the pace really accelerates, the fork can dive in an exaggerated way and the shock absorber hard in town is made rigid in the ferrule to offer a particularly healthy behavior … with a clear sensitivity to the pressure on the handlebars, more than d ‘others. You have to be really gentle on the pressure on the handlebars so as not to see the steering react quickly.

A sparkling engine making you want to tease the handle

You can go on small gravel paths with it, but the pep of the engine and tires not really adapted, will make you appreciate the joys of sliding and rear drift. This is where a Tenere 700 takes on its full meaning and returns to the definition of trail, facing the Tracer, undeniably more road.

Comfortable everywhere, even for short trips on any road

Braking

The 282 mm double discs of the Tracer 700 offer a frank attack and all the power necessary, even too much even with little progressiveness, with in addition an ABS which proves rather intrusive in solo, whereas there is only ‘a single 245 mm disc at the rear. In other words, it kicks in easily, which can lead to favoring the front, which is capable of getting you pounded. So, be careful in the rain to overconfidence, because the brakes respond well and strong, even very strong, too strong in the city where we would like a little more smoothness … a power that we will in fact appreciate as soon as the pace accelerates on small road where there, they are appreciated at their fair value, without too much bite and power that one experiences in town.

Dual 282mm disc and ABS

Comfort

This was not the strong point of the first generation of Tracer. This has improved significantly but it remains dry as soon as the road deteriorates. We gain in handling rigidity on the road, which we lose in everyday comfort, whether for the driver or the passenger. So don’t hesitate to change the settings, especially since the rear shock absorber is now adjustable in preload and rebound. But there is much more comfortable in the category.

A saddle higher at 840 mm (835mm in 2019)

Consumption

This habit of displaying the number of km per liter when we are used to the opposite. On average, the on-board computer displays 17 km / l, which is transcribed by a 5.8 l / 100. With the 17-liter tank, we therefore arrive at a range that can approach 300 km, even if during the test with the character of the engine, we had a little tendency to pull excessively on the right handle … which explains the difference between the normalized consumption announced by Yamaha at 4.3 l / 100 and which must be able to fall under 5 liters with a quieter ride.

A new, more modern design for 2020

Convenient

You can adjust the bubble with one hand. A detail that is very practical in use.

We would have dreamed of an original USB plug and not an option

Video test

Conclusion

The Tracer 700 was an excellent machine, both in its original version and GT, whose twin we had rented, still as sparkling in 2020. It comes back better by noticeably erasing a few flaws, with a modern look and above all a price. unbeatable for the performance / price ratio at 8,799 euros. Despite its saddle height, it is suitable for small riders … and appears as a trail – sorry sport touring – the easiest for the little ones. The big ones will not be left out with legroom without necessarily having to go for a larger displacement, even if they will be less protected and will be more comfortable on a larger displacement. It is therefore particularly well placed against the Versys 650 and other VStrom 650 and far ahead of the CB 500 X, necessarily, especially for its engine reinforced by its lighter weight than the competitors but also better than an F900XR for the engine part. It proves once again if it were necessary, that it is not necessarily necessary to go to take a big trail (more expensive) to have fun with the advantage of the agility and the nervousness of youth in the face. to heavier machines. And compared to an MT-07 type roadster, it gives you more protection and travel possibilities. In short, we find with the Tracer 700 a machine that is both simple without debauchery of electronics that brings you back to the pleasure of driving..

Strong points

• motor
• cycle part
• maneuverability
• versatility

Weak points

• comfort

The technical sheet of the Tracer 700

Test conditions

• Itinerary: small varied roads + interurban highways with a bit of town
• Motorcycle mileage: 300 km

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