Yamaha Tracer 9 (2025) - Technical Review

Yamaha’s Tracer 9 – particularly in range-topping GT+ form – has already established itself as a leader in motorcycle technology and for 2025 there’s a huge set of upgrades that amount to an even more sophisticated package.

While other brands pack their most exotic tech onto the heaviest, largest-capacity machines in their ranges, the Tracer 9 bucks the trend by offering a unique combination of bells-and-whistles into a much lighter, lither sports-touring package. For 2025 the GT and GT+ come with Yamaha’s Y-AMT semi-auto gearbox (optional on the GT, standard on the GT+) as well as the first adaptive matrix LED headlights to be offered on two wheels. The GT+’s radar system is uprated, too, gaining a rear blind spot monitoring system to accompany the existing front radar and adaptive cruise control.

Throw in revised styling, more comfort and improved aerodynamics and it’s looking increasingly hard to find chinks in the Tracer 9’s sports-touring armour.

Pros & Cons

2025 Yamaha Tracer 9 - Price

Yamaha hasn’t announced the pricing yet but has confirmed that the 2025 model range will be spread across four distinct tiers.

The entry level will, as before, be the base Tracer 9 (£11,116 for the 2024 model, and likely to be at a similar point in 2025), with the Tracer 9 GT as the next step up the range (as a guide the 2024 version is £13,216). Above that, there used to simply be the Tracer 9 GT+, which cost £15,016 for the 2024 version, but for 2025 there are two versions above the GT – the GT Y-AMT and the GT+ Y-AMT.

We know that on the MT-09, which debuted the Y-AMT transmission earlier this year, the semi-auto box adds £550 over the standard model, so we can expect a similar jump from the Tracer 9 GT to the Tracer 9 GT Y-AMT, and since the Y-AMT system is mandatory on the GT+ for 2025 it’s also expected to get a price rise. Whether the matrix LED lights, standard on both the GT and GT+, have a significant impact on price remains to be seen, but on cars similar tech is often an expensive option.

2025 Yamaha Tracer 9 - Engine & Performance

While there’s no shortage of updates to the Tracer 9 for 2025, the 890cc ‘CP3’ triple isn’t among them. Although Yamaha has made sure the engine complies with the latest Euro5+ type-approval rules, which add requirements for emissions monitoring, there aren’t any differences that riders are likely to notice. Peak power remains unaltered – 119PS (117hp) at 10,000rpm – as does the max torque of 93Nm (68.6lbft) at 7000rpm.

Where things do take major departure from the previous generation is in the Y-AMT transmission that’s available on the GT and standard on the GT+ version. Having debuted on the MT-09 earlier this year and already announced as an option on the 2025 MT-07, the Y-AMT system is spreading rapidly through Yamaha’s range.

That, in part, is thanks to the relative simplicity of the system. It adds two electromechanical actuators and a computer brain to an otherwise standard manual transmission, making it relatively easy to adapt to a wide array of different bikes – unlike rival setups like Honda’s sophisticated DCT, which requires a completely new gearbox and a hydraulic-electric shift system.

Essentially the two actuators take on the jobs of your left hand and left foot. One modulates the clutch, the other shifts between the gears. Thanks to the combination of ride-by-wire that can match the throttle opening to the gear shifts, plus an IMU to monitor the bike’s attitude and angle, the system is intended to be able to change gears smoothly and at the right moment, while taking only a matter of milliseconds to actually accomplish the gearchanges.

As on the MT-09 and MT-07 versions of the system, there are three distinct modes. In the automatic (AT) setting there are two options: ‘D’ for more relaxed riding, where the bike will shift up relatively early and keep the revs down, and ‘D+’ for a sportier approach, holding onto ratios longer to maximise performance. Alternatively, you instantly swap to the ‘MT’ manual setting, which lets you control the gearshifts via a seesaw trigger on the left bar. Upshifts are made by pulling the trigger with your forefinger, and downshifts can be achieved either by a push of the left thumb or by using the same forefinger to nudge the trigger in the other direction.

With no clutch lever, the bike is always in charge of when to engage or disengage it. As well as simplifying the job of riding the bike, Yamaha points out that the Y-AMT system lets you focus on other elements of riding, like body position and cornering, and that because you don’t have to worry about shifting gears with your foot, you’re able to better position that foot on the peg.

Also new to the Y-AMT-equipped models is Vehicle Hold Control, which automatically holds the brakes when you’re stationary on slopes.

While some will bemoan the loss of rider-machine interaction that comes with an automatic or semi-automatic transmission, sales figures for rival technologies – Honda’s DCT being the market leader after more than 15 years on sale – show that automated boxes are now rapidly gaining popularity.

All versions of the Tracer 9 get five riding modes – sport, street and rain presets plus two custom settings – and where the Y-AMT box is fitted they’re also integrated with its behaviour.

2025 Yamaha Tracer 9 - Handling & Suspension (inc. Weight)

The cast aluminium Deltabox frame itself is largely carried over from the previous Tracer 9 models, but for 2025 there’s a longer rear subframe that’s simultaneously lighter than the one it replaces.

All models get KYB suspension, as in the past, and the GT and GT+ variants use a semi-active setup with electronically adjustable damping that automatically reacts to data from the bike’s IMU, including lean angle, acceleration and load, as well as information from suspension stroke sensors to show how fast the forks and shock are compressing or extending. As with the engine and transmission, the semi-active suspension’s behaviour changes depending on the selected riding mode, with a firmer rider in ‘Sport’ and more comfort in ‘Street’ or ‘Rain’ modes.

The astounding level of integration of the system means that on the GT+, fitted with radar, the suspension damping is also automatically adjusted when the adaptive cruise control system accelerates or brakes. It’s also tied into the GT+’s radar-linked Unified Brake System, which automatically juggles front and rear brake pressure and uses the radar to monitor the distance to the vehicle ahead. If you don’t brake hard enough to prevent a collision, the system can automatically increase brake pressure to both wheels, and the adaptive suspension works alongside it to maximise stopping ability.

Elsewhere in the chassis, Yamaha’s ‘Spinforged’ wheels help to reduce un-sprung and rotating masses, with a tweak to the rear wheel for 2025 that optimises the rigidity of the rim. The weight savings even extend to the tyres, which are Bridgestone Battlax Sport Touring T32s, developed specifically for the Tracer 9, helping to reduce front wheel weight by 200g and the rear by 300g.

A less obvious tweak is a change to the front fork bracket, which is altered to increase steering lock and reduce the bike’s turning circle by 0.2 meters from 3.1m to 2.9m.

In base form, the 2025 Tracer 9 comes in at 212kg (1kg less than the 2024 version).

The brakes are unchanged for 2025, with 298mm front discs and four-pot radial calipers paired to cornering ABS – part of a chassis electronics package that also includes lean-sensitive traction control, slide control and wheelie control, standard on all versions of the bike.

2025 Yamaha Tracer 9 - Comfort & Economy

Despite a style that’s familiar from the previous version, the 2025 Tracer 9’s bodywork is actually all-new and incorporates some key changes focussed on improving the comfort of an already capable long-distance machine.

As mentioned, the seat subframe is 50mm longer than before, while managing to be 150g lighter, to extend the space for rider and pillion. It’s topped by a flatter seat with more padding, and while the minimum seat height has increased from 810mm to 845mm thanks to the thicker pad, Yamaha claims that its shape – slimmer at the front than before – means the ‘stand-over distance’ is actually reduced, making it easier to get your feet flat on the floor.

As on the previous model, that seat is adjustable over two positions, allowing a 15mm higher 860mm height to be adopted without the need for any tools. A heated version is optional.

One of the few niggles we found with the previous-gen Tracer 9 GT+ was its screen design, which could lead to buffeting, but the new model has a completely new screen that’s been developed in the wind tunnel and should solve that problem. The base version is manually adjustable, as on the previous bike, with a one-handed system that gives 50mm of movement spread across 10 increments. However, the GT and GT+ gain an electric screen for 2025 with twice as much travel – 100mm in total – adding 25mm at each end of its movement so it can be set lower or higher than the extremes of the base bike’s manual screen.

With no massive changes to the engine, we’re not expecting the economy to be substantially different to the previous model, which achieved 44.1mpg during our last test.

2025 Yamaha Tracer 9 - Equipment

When it comes to kit, there’s no shortage on the Tracer 9, particularly if you head towards the GT or GT+ versions.

All the 2025 models get a new 7-inch TFT instrument panel, replacing both the unusual twin-dash setup of the last-gen bike and the single TFT of the previous GT+ model. With the choice of three themes, the new dash can show a vast amount of information including, on the GT and GT+, full map-based navigation via the Garmin Motorize app. The dash is also compatible with official options, so if you fit official heated grips or seat, for example, their status will be displayed on the screen.

As you’d expect, it’s also the main interface for all the bike’s tech, including the semi-active suspension and the Y-AMT transmission’s settings, on models where they’re fitted.

It’s on those high-end versions, the GT and GT+, that Yamaha’s world-first matrix LED headlights appear on the equipment list, and they’re a genuine step forward compared to rivals.

Matrix LEDs, which have been used on some high-end cars for a while, operate the headlights in cooperation with a front-facing camera that watches the road ahead, detecting things like light, weather conditions and oncoming vehicles to inform the headlights’ behaviour. As well as turning on and off automatically, matrix LED lights adapt to oncoming vehicles to prevent dazzling them while maximising the light on other parts of the road.

On a bike, there’s the added complication of the need to lean over, and here the matrix LED system means that the beam adjusts itself to suit the bike’s lean angle once over 7 degrees, again improving the view ahead in the dark. The base model also gets cornering lights, albeit not the matrix versions.

At the very top of the Tracer 9 range, the GT+ benefits from a forward-facing radar, as before, to allow adaptive cruise control and the Unified Braking System. For 2025, it works alongside the Y-AMT transmission, so can automatically adjust the bike’s speed over a broader range without the need for the rider to shift ratios. While KTM’s new AMT box, along with its own radar, allows its ACC to operate all the way to a complete standstill, the Yamaha adaptive cruise only works between 30km/h and 160km/h.

A rear-facing radar is a new addition for the 2025 Tracer 9 GT+, and as on other similarly-equipped bikes it enables blind-spot monitoring, with warnings that flash in the bike’s mirrors if there’s another vehicle lurking over your shoulder.

Yet more kit on the GT and GT+ models includes a Smart Key system that gives keyless access to the ignition, fuel filler, steering lock and the standard-fit side cases come with those models.

All versions also gain a new integrated storage area on the right-hand side of the fuel tank for 2025, purpose-made to hold a smartphone and complete with a built-in USB charging port.

2025 Yamaha Tracer 9 - Rivals

With the addition of a semi-auto transmission and even more advanced radar tech, not to mention the new matrix LED headlights and electronic suspension, the Tracer 9 GT+ in particular sports a level of tech that makes it hard to rival – at least without stepping up into a higher price and performance league. KTM’s brand new 1390 Super Adventure S Evo, for example, offers some similar functions but it’s expected to be substantially more expensive. The same applies to the BMW R1300GS, which similarly can be fitted with radar, BMW’s ASA auto transmission, adaptive cruise control and electronic suspension – but you’re in for more than £20k by the time you’ve reached that spec.

Opt for bikes with prices closer to the Tracer 9 GT+, like Kawasaki’s new Ninja 1100 SX or Suzuki’s GSX-S1000GX, and while you get a bit more power and performance, you can’t come close to the level of equipment.

Honda’s NT1100, particularly in its new-for-2025 Electronic Suspension form with DCT, is also worth a look – it has the most sophisticated of semi-auto transmissions, but lacks the radar options of the Yamaha and its Africa Twin based engine has less power.

Kawasaki Ninja 1100 SX SE | Price: £13,999

Read more

Power/Torque

134.1bhp / 83.3ft-lb

Weight

234kg

Suzuki GSX-S1000GX | Price: £14,799

Read more

Power/Torque

150bhp / 78.2ft-lb

Weight

232kg

Honda NT1100 DCT ES | Price: £14,099

Read more

Power/Torque

100.6bhp / 82.6ft-lb

Weight

249kg

2025 Yamaha Tracer 9 - Verdict

Once we’ve had a chance to ride the new Tracer 9 GT+ we’ll update this review to let you know all the details.

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2025 Yamaha Tracer 9 - Technical Specification

What is MCIA Secured?

MCIA Secured gives bike buyers the chance to see just how much work a manufacturer has put into making their new investment as resistant to theft as possible.

As we all know, the more security you use, the less chance there is of your bike being stolen. In fact, based on research by Bennetts, using a disc lock makes your machine three times less likely to be stolen, while heavy duty kit can make it less likely to be stolen than a car. For reviews of the best security products, click here.

MCIA Secured gives motorcycles a rating out of five stars (three stars for bikes of 125cc or less), based on the following being fitted to a new bike as standard:

• A steering lock that meets the UNECE 62 standard

• An ignition immobiliser system

• A vehicle marking system

• An alarm system

• A vehicle tracking system with subscription

The higher the star rating, the better the security, so always ask your dealer what rating your bike has and compare it to other machines on your shortlist.