The Yamaha MT-09 Tracer is basically an MT-09 naked bike with a swag of accessories that turn it into a tourer worthy of our wide, brown land.
It comes standard with hard panniers, adjustable seat, three-position windscreen, centre stand, hand guards, three engine modes, traction control, ABS, sporty fairing and larger fuel tank for $14,999.
That’s a whole lot of extras for just $4000 more than the standard MT-09 and $2000 more than the limited-edition Street Rally motard variant.
When it was unveiled at the EICMA show in Milan late last year, it was announced as a touring model for Europe only. However, it will make a great addition to the touring line-up in Australia.
There is no arrival date or price yet for yet another MT-09 variant, the matte-finish Sport Tracker. It comes with black frame and engine, Akrapovic exhaust, wider footrests, knee grips on the tank, gold upside-down forks and aluminium front and side number plates has not yet been .
Meanwhile, the Tracer is described as “the ultimate weekender” with its light weight of 190kg, weather protection from the fairing and screen, and its large carrying capacity with a top box available as an option.
It is still powered by the “Masters of Torque” 847cc triple engine, but now comes with three engine maps and sully switchable three-position traction control.
Yamaha claims the traction control will even help riders negotiate the occasional gravel road with ease.
While it has the same narrow and lightweight frame as the MT-09, the Tracer has a slightly more upright riding position with more space for the pillion.
The seat is also adjustable in two positions and the handlebars can be moved 1cm forward or backwards and rotated for best fit.
It also has four more litres than the MT-09, giving the 18-litre tank up to 300km range.
The dashboard is from the Super Ténéré and features the same useful functions including gear indicator, outside temperature, fuel level, drive mode settings, traction control settings, accessory grip heater settings, and more.
The handle holder has an empty M6 bolt thread, for an easy mount of accessories such as a GPS. It comes with a 12V outlet as standard, and a second one is available as an accessory.
The MT-09 Tracer is equipped with new twin LED headlights that feature LEDs built into the reflector lenses. The headlights can be adjusted without tools to accommodate varying angles for different load weights.
Despite all the extra gear, including panniers, windscreen, fairings and electronics, it only weighs 19kg more than the naked MT-09.
Yamaha MT-09 Tracer
- Price: $14,999
- Warranty: 2 years, umltd km
- Engine: 847cc 3-cylinder, 4-stroke, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 4-valves
- Bore x stroke: 78mm x 59.1mm
- Compression: 11.5 : 1
- Transmission: 6-speed
- Dry weight: 190kg
- Tyres: 120/70 ZR17; 180/55 ZR17