Is it time for a Tracer??

I rode back from Cornwall on the Thundercat on Thursday and I must admit I was in agony for a sizeable chunk of the trip. I need a sit up and beg distance bike. I have booked test rides on both a 700 and 900 Tracer GT.

I won't be selling the Thundercat, but it might have (another) friend in the garage soon!

Interested what you think of both, I took them both for a ride and for me it was chalk and cheese. The 700 wasn't a Tracer though. I liked the GT, but not enough to chop mine in and pay a chunk difference

This was part of my motivation for moving to the KTM. The Tracer is definitely of interest still though.

Same here when I moved from the blade, I loved the bike but just wasn't using it because i had the tiger, much less capable, underpowered bike, but much easier to ride. The XR is all the bike i need now.

Coming to ths topic a bit late, but here goes anyway.

I agree that over long distances a sports riding position is a pain. But speaking personally I also find the new generation of adventure-lite bikes too upright, and I'll include the Tracers in that. They also seem a bit wide for filtering. And on most of them you can't fit alternative (flatter and/or narrower) bars without them clouting the tank, as well as having to do major re-routing of cables etc.

The most comfortable bikes (for me) over long distances have been my Fazers - first the Fazer6 and then the 8 - in other words bikes with what used to be considered a normal touring riding position. They also have decent upper fairings, something that the Tracer 700 lacks, as I discovered when I test rode one.

Unfortunately the trend for adventure-style bikes has meant manufacturers have mostly dropped all-rounders like the Fazers, so it's not easy to find a modern-day equivalent without venturing into high-end (£10K++) territory. This was brought home to me about 18 months ago, when I was looking for a mid-sized 'runabout' with decent weather protection and an affordable price tag (and low weight for moving it around). I have ridden an MT-07 previously, and loved it, so was disappointed to find the Tracer 700 didn't fulfil my needs. The only bike I could find that came close was the Kawasaki Ninja 650 (don't be fooled by the name, it's really just a re-engineered and re-branded ER-6F). The clincher was the £99 down and 3 years 0% deal, on top of a very competitive price - so sometime in autumn 2020 it will actually be mine!

Like every bike I've ever owned, I've had to replace the standard screen which is too small for my height, but otherwise the bike does a good job. And 75 mpg on the motorway is not to be sneezed at, so although the tank seems small, the range is not far short of 200 miles at touring speeds. And it really is a decent all-rounder - I've used it for everything from popping to the shops to ride-outs with my local group (mostly on bikes with twice the power) to instructing at an IAM Skills Day at Thruxton.

Everyone is different, and what suits me may well not suit someone else, of course.

bobh wrote:Coming to ths topic a bit late, but here goes anyway.

I agree that over long distances a sports riding position is a pain.  But speaking personally I also find the new generation of adventure-lite bikes too upright, and I'll include the Tracers in that.  They also seem a bit wide for filtering.  And on most of them you can't fit alternative (flatter and/or narrower) bars without them clouting the tank, as well as having to do major re-routing of cables etc.

The most comfortable bikes (for me) over long distances have been my Fazers - first the Fazer6 and then the 8 - in other words bikes with what used to be considered a normal touring riding position.  They also have decent upper fairings, something that the Tracer 700 lacks, as I discovered when I test rode one.

Unfortunately the trend for adventure-style bikes has meant manufacturers have mostly dropped all-rounders like the Fazers, so it's not easy to find a modern-day equivalent without venturing into high-end (£10K++) territory.  This was brought home to me about 18 months ago, when I was looking for a mid-sized 'runabout' with decent weather protection and an affordable price tag (and low weight for moving it around).  I have ridden an MT-07 previously, and loved it, so was disappointed to find the Tracer 700 didn't fulfil my needs.  The only bike I could find that came close was the Kawasaki Ninja 650 (don't be fooled by the name, it's really just a re-engineered and re-branded ER-6F).  The clincher was the £99 down and 3 years 0% deal, on top of a very competitive price - so sometime in autumn 2020 it will actually be mine!

Like every bike I've ever owned, I've had to replace the standard screen which is too small for my height, but otherwise the bike does a good job.  And 75 mpg on the motorway is not to be sneezed at, so although the tank seems small, the range is not far short of 200 miles at touring speeds.  And it really is a decent all-rounder - I've used it for everything from popping to the shops to ride-outs with my local group (mostly on bikes with twice the power) to instructing at an IAM Skills Day at Thruxton.

Everyone is different, and what suits me may well not suit someone else, of course.

I see your point Bob, I had a FZ1 for four years and it was a very comfortable distance bike. I have now ridden both the MT07 Tracer GT and the MT09 Tracer GT, and I came away a bit underwhelmed by the 7 and loving the 9. Watch this space....in the meantime here are the reviews I wrote of each...

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I'm in the same boat myself these days.  
In my case it gets me in the back of the neck, which starts aching after half an hour, so been looking out for (sorry) a Kawasaki z1000sx. (In black, not green.)

Wooster wrote:I'm in the same boat myself these days.  
In my case it gets me in the back of the neck, which starts aching after half an hour, so been looking out for (sorry) a Kawasaki z1000sx. (In black, not green.)

Noice. Will you be replacing the cat or an addition?

Yer some man Tony.

That garage of yours needs an extension.

Enjoy.

Cheers
Rosco

Rosco wrote:Yer some man Tony.

That garage of yours needs an extension.

Enjoy.

Cheers
Rosco

It really does. The plan as it stands is to sell both of the Kawasakis and the MV. Trade the Ducati against a Tracer GT and keep the Thundercat. So five bikes will become three. I can't pull the trigger until I settle into the new job that I start on Monday next week

Radar wrote:

Rosco wrote:Yer some man Tony.

That garage of yours needs an extension.

Enjoy.

Cheers
Rosco

It really does. The plan as it stands is to sell both of the Kawasakis and the MV. Trade the Ducati against a Tracer GT and keep the Thundercat. So five bikes will become three. I can't pull the trigger until I settle into the new job that I start on Monday next week

Good luck in the new job Tony

You can try the new bike out at Big Mac if you fancy

Interesting thread,
I'm looking at moving from my Fireblade to something more upright and wondered what your thoughts or experience is of the FZ1 or the Z1000sx.
My blade has bar risers on it, as my Thundercat also had, but I still need a bit more height, but with a decent fairing.

Dogsbody wrote:Interesting thread,
I'm looking at moving from my Fireblade to something more upright and wondered what your thoughts or experience is of the FZ1 or the Z1000sx.
My blade has bar risers on it, as my Thundercat also had, but I still need a bit more height, but with a decent fairing.

Funnily enough I had a 2007 FZ1S for four years from 2009 until 2013. Lovely bike, I did three euro tours on it over 10,000 miles of ownership. Only negatives were that had a poor tank range compared to a Thundercat and it hard to get soft luggage to fit so I had a Givi rack and box/tank bag combo

I traded it in for my Ducati (which I still have... a 2008 S2R 1000 Monster)

Read about the FZ1S here:

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Do I regret selling it? In a way, but I had it for a decent stretch and fancied something different. Cracking bike though

Not tried a Z000SX but I understand they are excellent. A couple of friends have had stock Z1000s and really liked them

One forum member (Snowcat), traded a Fireblade for a BMW S1000XR and really rates it. I have ridden one, but in less then ideal conditions

Good hunting and let us know how you get on

Rosco wrote:

Wooster wrote:I'm in the same boat myself these days.  
In my case it gets me in the back of the neck, which starts aching after half an hour, so been looking out for (sorry) a Kawasaki z1000sx. (In black, not green.)

Noice. Will you be replacing the cat or an addition?

Replacing. (I had to buy a new car recently, so the available funds took a dip.)
Was talking to a mate last week who was talking about PCP finance on a Fireblade, but it's a lot of money on what's essentially a rental.
(It's just over £2k down payment then 36 months at £99pm, so just over £5k and walk away, or pay another £8k to buy it.)

It seems a lot of us are getting on a bit and not as flexible as we used to be.
(My big belly is starting to slam on the Cat tank going over bumps as well.)

That's a lot of money.

I've never considered PCP due to my mileage. In a previous life I did what is similar to PCP with a car ( no mileage restrictions though, no agreed value at end of 'lease').

Yes, it is a rental in effect. Stack that against devaluation of the bike, possibly a hundred squid a month isn't bad on new bike - problem is you then end up on a treadmill, always having to get another new bike at the end of the agreement.

I had tax relief on my car, so it was sweet for 3 years. The taxation became so toxic after that, I couldn't afford to change ( different country and tax).

Little update

I have decided not to trade in the Ducati as I like it too much, but the MV is now in the crosshair of the pex gunsight...waiting for my local dealer to come back with a figure

In other news one of the Kawasakis has been sold and the other one is being advertised, so if anybody wants a cool cafe racer give me a shout!

Good luck with the bike shopping Tony.

I may have just gone the other way and traded the Tracer in for something else...

The 900GT is on 0% interest over 3 years since Monday, may sweeten the deal Tony

Hope you get reasonable responses to your sales

I had a silly hour yesterday when seeing the 0% and few hours before that getting a message from my dealer saying they can, for a fee, fix the hard starting some of the earlier Tracers apparently have. When I pressed them on the issue, they said if the bike has been ridden 'hard' it is less likely to happen, oh dear have I been 'abusing' mine in a positive way to not have the problem?
However since the last service, it seems to have been orders from Yamaha HQ to play silly buggers, more likely the dealer thinks its time I 'upgrade'.



During my silly hour, thought maybe I'd take a look. I think I may have overestimated the value of mine by a factor of 2 There seems to be a mental block in the trade when a bike gets to 30, that's thou miles, it is end of life. Mine is nearing double that.
Today I tried a couple of these online valuation sites - most of these are buy your bike at a stupidly low price. One came back to me and told me outright mileage is too high not touching it, another just hasn't answered me and I gave up the will to live with the nonsense  a third wanted.

Think my ship has long left port on px-ing to something similar like the GT - mine has been maxed out to be like one, the GT is a better bike at the end of the day.

I love mine, much like SteveCat1, however engines don't last forever, let alone the rest of the bike. It is difficult when to say goodbye, made easier though when it starts playing up.

FatCat wrote:Good luck with the bike shopping Tony.

I may have just gone the other way and traded the Tracer in for something else...

Do tell...

SteveCat wrote:The 900GT is on 0% interest over 3 years since Monday, may sweeten the deal Tony

Hope you get reasonable responses to your sales

I had a silly hour yesterday when seeing the 0% and few hours before that getting a message from my dealer saying they can, for a fee, fix the hard starting some of the earlier Tracers apparently have. When I pressed them on the issue, they said if the bike has been ridden 'hard' it is less likely to happen, oh dear have I been 'abusing' mine in a positive way to not have the problem?
However since the last service, it seems to have been orders from Yamaha HQ to play silly buggers, more likely the dealer thinks its time I 'upgrade'.



During my silly hour, thought maybe I'd take a look. I think I may have overestimated the value of mine by a factor of 2 There seems to be a mental block in the trade when a bike gets to 30, that's thou miles, it is end of life. Mine is nearing double that.
Today I tried a couple of these online valuation sites - most of these are buy your bike at a stupidly low price. One came back to me and told me outright mileage is too high not touching it, another just hasn't answered me and I gave up the will to live with the nonsense  a third wanted.

Think my ship has long left port on px-ing to something similar like the GT - mine has been maxed out to be like one, the GT is a better bike at the end of the day.

I love mine, much like SteveCat1, however engines don't last forever, let alone the rest of the bike. It is difficult when to say goodbye, made easier though when it starts playing up.

You have certainly had your use out of it Steve, but that high miles will affect the value pretty drastically. Might be worth running it for another couple of years.

My dealer doesn't want the MV in p/ex, despite only 2800 miles on the clock...too specialist. I might have to trade the Thundercat which would bring a tear to my eye

Radar wrote:

FatCat wrote:Good luck with the bike shopping Tony.

I may have just gone the other way and traded the Tracer in for something else...

Do tell...

Well....

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FatCat wrote:

Radar wrote:

FatCat wrote:Good luck with the bike shopping Tony.

I may have just gone the other way and traded the Tracer in for something else...

Do tell...

Well....

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Looks underpowered...(not jealous...)

Bang Tidy Fatcat.

Reminds me of my first Thundercat.....well the colour scheme anyway.

Enjoy
Rosco

Radar wrote:
My dealer doesn't want the MV in p/ex, despite only 2800 miles on the clock...too specialist. I might have to trade the Thundercat which would bring a tear to my eye

Did you get a decent offer for the Cat Tony? Be a shame to let it go if you didn't.

FatCat wrote:

Radar wrote:
My dealer doesn't want the MV in p/ex, despite only 2800 miles on the clock...too specialist. I might have to trade the Thundercat which would bring a tear to my eye

Did you get a decent offer for the Cat Tony? Be a shame to let it go if you didn't.

Not had the heart to go and ask, at a bit of an impasse...