The Yamaha (MT-09) Tracer

MT-09Tracer motorcycle near MOS

I just got a new Yamaha (MT-09) Tracer, but in July 2006, just after buying a Honda CB400 Super Four, I wrote:

I wont be able to afford a new one any time soon, so I’m hoping it’s as reliable as people say.

Me

That time turned out to be ten and a half years, as today, after a lot of saving and the trade-in, I took ownership of a Yamaha MT-09 Tracer!

Yamaha MT-09 Tracer motorcycle near MOS
MT-09Tracer motorcycle near MOS

Yes, I know it’s quite angular, as is the way with the Yamaha MT series, but it’s an incredibly fun bike to ride, with a growling three cylinder engine, and yes, it has some (unnecessary?) horsepower, but for me it’s all about that sound, and the torque from that engine, which perhaps given my … er … mass, was sometimes lacking at times on the Honda.

It’s very easy to ride, and today I just stretched its legs a little on some expressways, before taking it down the narrow and busy roads around our station; and it was superb on both.

Too many differences to go into here, but just in today’s ~50Km, it assured me that this is another great bike. That said, “I wont be able to afford a new one any time soon, so I’m hoping it’s as reliable as people say.”

(For the record, the Honda was superbly reliable).