In love with a Tracer

In love with a Tracer

Author
Discussion

Chicken Chaser

Original Poster:

7,744 posts

223 months

Saturday 3rd October 2015
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Yet to test ride one, but the Tracer ticks every box me. Coming from my latest steed (xt660x) I'm sure it'll be sharp/quick/comfortable enough. Now I just need to work out how to afford one! Hoping (but not to hopeful) that at some point over winter they knock them out on 0% finance. When do they usually anounce next years colour schemes?

Tribal Chestnut

2,997 posts

181 months

Saturday 3rd October 2015
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Ticked every box for me until I test rode one.

moto_traxport

4,235 posts

220 months

Saturday 3rd October 2015
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Test ride it first before falling in love. No such thing as a perfect bike.

Rubbish cheap suspension, noisy screen, hard seat, restricted to 128mph. Everything else utterly perfect for me and I'll sort out the issues.

Dream scenario for me is 2016 model being available with cruise control and in sexy R1/R6 gloss blue.

New colour schemes out in a few weeks at EICMA, Intermot, NEC etc.

If the new colours are a bit meh I'm buying a grey 2015 one and spraying it.

Biker's Nemesis

38,536 posts

207 months

Sunday 4th October 2015
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Can we call you Chicken Chaser Tracer if you get one?

Chicken Chaser

Original Poster:

7,744 posts

223 months

Sunday 4th October 2015
quotequote all
Biker's Nemesis said:
Can we call you Chicken Chaser Tracer if you get one?
BN, you can call me what you like if I get one! Chicken Tracer? Chaser Tracer?


LiquidGnome

551 posts

120 months

Sunday 4th October 2015
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Budget £1500 for decent suspension. Great bikes other than that.

Tall_Paul

1,915 posts

226 months

Sunday 4th October 2015
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When I rode the tracer back to back with the standard MT09 the tracer felt like it had better suspension - the MT09 front end was too bouncy for me, but the tracer was much better. Comfy, fun, light, went well, throttle was a little jerky but that wouldn't hard to get used to.

Chicken Chaser

Original Poster:

7,744 posts

223 months

Sunday 4th October 2015
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Been riding the xt for the last year so I don't think that I'll notice the budget suspension. Its not a patch on my 950sm before it but I've enjoyed it in a completely different manner. I just find it a bit limiting, great for short runs but I can't do long journeys on it.

Fully intend to demo one first, but surprisingly theres not a Yamaha dealer on the doorstep. Got to go down into Yorkshire to test one.

jcelee

1,039 posts

243 months

Monday 5th October 2015
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Besides the Tracer, what do people rate as a reasonably lightweight, upright, moderately powered sports tourer with at least ABS in terms of modernity?

Steve Bass

10,186 posts

232 months

Monday 5th October 2015
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LiquidGnome said:
Budget £1500 for decent suspension. Great bikes other than that.
Silly question but if you're spending 1500 quid on suspension for the Tracer, surely you're now in the price bracket for substantially better machinery?
Putting 1500 quid into the Tracers suspension isn't going to up its resell value whereas a bike costing 1500 quid more will retain more of its value further down the line no?
And not sure how a bike can be considered great if the standard suspension is so woeful it needs 1500 quid throwing at it to make it work.

Fleegle

16,688 posts

175 months

Monday 5th October 2015
quotequote all
Steve Bass said:
LiquidGnome said:
Budget £1500 for decent suspension. Great bikes other than that.
Silly question but if you're spending 1500 quid on suspension for the Tracer, surely you're now in the price bracket for substantially better machinery?
Putting 1500 quid into the Tracers suspension isn't going to up its resell value whereas a bike costing 1500 quid more will retain more of its value further down the line no?
And not sure how a bike can be considered great if the standard suspension is so woeful it needs 1500 quid throwing at it to make it work.
What is the £1500 based on?

Steve Bass

10,186 posts

232 months

Monday 5th October 2015
quotequote all
Fleegle said:
Steve Bass said:
LiquidGnome said:
Budget £1500 for decent suspension. Great bikes other than that.
Silly question but if you're spending 1500 quid on suspension for the Tracer, surely you're now in the price bracket for substantially better machinery?
Putting 1500 quid into the Tracers suspension isn't going to up its resell value whereas a bike costing 1500 quid more will retain more of its value further down the line no?
And not sure how a bike can be considered great if the standard suspension is so woeful it needs 1500 quid throwing at it to make it work.
What is the £1500 based on?
It's based on making a shyte Yamakak less shyte( which is actually umpossible)..... hehe

Fleegle

16,688 posts

175 months

Monday 5th October 2015
quotequote all
Steve Bass said:
Fleegle said:
Steve Bass said:
LiquidGnome said:
Budget £1500 for decent suspension. Great bikes other than that.
Silly question but if you're spending 1500 quid on suspension for the Tracer, surely you're now in the price bracket for substantially better machinery?
Putting 1500 quid into the Tracers suspension isn't going to up its resell value whereas a bike costing 1500 quid more will retain more of its value further down the line no?
And not sure how a bike can be considered great if the standard suspension is so woeful it needs 1500 quid throwing at it to make it work.
What is the £1500 based on?
It's based on making a shyte Yamakak less shyte( which is actually umpossible)..... hehe
£1500 just seems a bit steep for suspension on this type of bike. It doesn't exactly 'need' Ohlins

Steve Bass

10,186 posts

232 months

Monday 5th October 2015
quotequote all
Fleegle said:
Steve Bass said:
Fleegle said:
Steve Bass said:
LiquidGnome said:
Budget £1500 for decent suspension. Great bikes other than that.
Silly question but if you're spending 1500 quid on suspension for the Tracer, surely you're now in the price bracket for substantially better machinery?
Putting 1500 quid into the Tracers suspension isn't going to up its resell value whereas a bike costing 1500 quid more will retain more of its value further down the line no?
And not sure how a bike can be considered great if the standard suspension is so woeful it needs 1500 quid throwing at it to make it work.
What is the £1500 based on?
It's based on making a shyte Yamakak less shyte( which is actually umpossible)..... hehe
£1500 just seems a bit steep for suspension on this type of bike. It doesn't exactly 'need' Ohlins
I agree.
At most, springs, valving kit in the front and a decent oil and set up. At most 500 quid all in fitted.
But even so, it's not good that the suspension seems so shonky in the first place.

MoelyCrio

2,457 posts

181 months

Monday 5th October 2015
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Binned the Dunlops for Metzeler M7RR at the weekend - bloody marvellous!

Chicken Chaser

Original Poster:

7,744 posts

223 months

Monday 5th October 2015
quotequote all
jcelee said:
Besides the Tracer, what do people rate as a reasonably lightweight, upright, moderately powered sports tourer with at least ABS in terms of modernity?
I'm comparing it with a Tiger 800 and a KTM 1050 ADV.

Cheaper would probably be a 990SMT, V Strom, Versys or one of Honda's midweight bikes.

Biker's Nemesis

38,536 posts

207 months

Monday 5th October 2015
quotequote all
The forks on the MT09 reminded me of the soft forks on early FZR 600's. To cure the problem of soft springs I had a piece of pipe that I would cut bits off and fit them onto the top of the springs.

It did work and this is what I would do if I had a MT09/Tracer.

£1500 for suspension work! Send the forks to me and I'll make them work for 50p.

Hooli

32,278 posts

199 months

Monday 5th October 2015
quotequote all
Biker's Nemesis said:
The forks on the MT09 reminded me of the soft forks on early FZR 600's. To cure the problem of soft springs I had a piece of pipe that I would cut bits off and fit them onto the top of the springs.

It did work and this is what I would do if I had a MT09/Tracer.

£1500 for suspension work! Send the forks to me and I'll make them work for 50p.
Funny, that's how people fix a lot of HD's too.

Fleegle

16,688 posts

175 months

Monday 5th October 2015
quotequote all
Hooli said:
Biker's Nemesis said:
The forks on the MT09 reminded me of the soft forks on early FZR 600's. To cure the problem of soft springs I had a piece of pipe that I would cut bits off and fit them onto the top of the springs.

It did work and this is what I would do if I had a MT09/Tracer.

£1500 for suspension work! Send the forks to me and I'll make them work for 50p.
Funny, that's how people fix a lot of HD's too.
The only way to fix a HD is with a fking great hammer

Biker's Nemesis

38,536 posts

207 months

Monday 5th October 2015
quotequote all
Fleegle said:
The only way to fix a HD is with a fking great hammer
I thought that's how you fixed scooters.