Yamaha Tracer 7 GT on test: carefree traveling
A trip on the well-equipped tourer shows comfort, maneuverability and consumption perfectly combined, and at a below-average price.
(Image: Ingo Gach)
- Ingo Gach
If you want to go on a motorcycle tour, you don't necessarily have to go for expensive heavyweights like the BMW R 1300 GS, KTM 1290 Super Adventure or Ducati Multistrada V4. There are wonderfully light touring motorcycles that turn a vacation trip into a relaxing experience. A prime example of this is the Yamaha Tracer 7 GT. It is Yamaha's offering in the affordable middle class, which does not compromise on comfort in any significant way. We tested it on a 2300 km trip.
The Tracer 7 GT is also powered by Yamaha's brilliant CP2 engine, which has been tried and tested hundreds of thousands of times and is also fitted in the MT-07, Ténéré 700, R7 and XSR 700. The two-cylinder with 270 degree crankpin offset has a displacement of 689 cm3 and achieves a maximum of 73 hp at 8750 rpm. This may not sound like much to spoiled touring riders, but the Tracer 7 GT has two trump cards up its sleeve. Firstly, its engine is refreshingly lively and, with 68 Nm at 6500 rpm, still offers good pulling power, so it can be ridden without shifting. It is also almost vibration-free and responds wonderfully smoothly to the throttle. Secondly, the Tracer 7 GT is extremely light for a tourer at 203 kg with a full tank. Thanks to this combination, the Tracer 7 GT proves to be pleasantly easy to handle and can even be ridden sportily on country roads.
Slim, but well protective
The designers successfully avoided the ponderous and overweight appearance typical of many tourers. A rather narrow half-shell fairing provides remarkably good protection, not least because of the steeply rising windshield, which is higher and wider on the GT than on the basic Tracer 7. The narrow hand protectors work surprisingly well, although they look a bit like spoilers. They reliably deflect wind and - above a certain speed - rain over the hands. With the narrow LED daytime running lights, the Yamaha has a discreetly aggressive look, while the two small LED headlights mounted underneath illuminate the road safely at night.
A little too soft at the core
Let's move on to comfort, an extremely important criterion for touring riders. In fact, the seat ergonomics of the Tracer 7 GT prove to be extremely comfortable. The footrests allow a relaxed knee angle without being positioned too low, and there is no bouncing in corners even when riding at speed. The handlebars are perfectly positioned in terms of height and have a good offset so that the wrists do not have to be bent unnaturally. The rider sits at a seat height of 840 mm, which is low enough for riders over 1.70 m to keep both feet on the ground. The wide seat bench - decorated with contrasting stitching and the "Tracer" logo - is wide enough to be comfortable for a long time, but the core is a little too soft. It feels comfortable at first, but after a few hours the seat starts to sag. The windshield proves to be very good, it reliably keeps wind and weather away from the upper body. It can be adjusted in height with one hand while riding and in the upper position it significantly reduces wind noise.
Plenty of space for luggage
Another important point for the touring rider: luggage storage. Here, the Tracer 7 GT not only shines with a solid and generously dimensioned luggage rack as standard (made of steel, not plastic), but also with two 20 liter hard-shell panniers, the front of which is painted in the vehicle color and which can be locked with the ignition key. For our vacation tour, we were able to stow plenty of luggage on the Tracer 7 GT, including a tent and sleeping bag. In two-person mode, however, the maximum permitted payload of 174 kg must be kept in mind.
Proven frame
For the chassis of the Tracer 7 GT, Yamaha relies on the proven bridge tube frame of the MT-07, which is lightweight despite being made of steel. The 41 mm thick telescopic fork with a cartridge system also comes from the naked bike and can be adjusted in preload and rebound. After the preload was slightly increased, it worked excellently with 130 mm of travel and proved to be plush and comfortable. Even under hard braking, the fork does not bottom out. At the rear, the Tracer 7 GT offers 142 mm more travel than the MT-07, a concession to the intended use. The rear shock can only be adjusted in terms of preload, but there is no reason to criticize it, at least in solo mode with luggage.
Trimmed for maneuverability
With a wheelbase of 1460 mm, Yamaha has chosen a good compromise between maneuverability and straight-line stability, especially as the swingarm has been 60 mm longer since the last revision. For a tourer, the fork is quite steep at 65 degrees and 90 mm trail sounds more like a sports bike. So it's not surprising that the Tracer 7 GT is easy to lean and quick through corners. It is supported by the excellent Michelin Road 6 GT tires, which are known for their maneuverability and good wet grip. Yamaha did not dare to experiment with tire dimensions and left it at the usual 120/70-17 front and 180/55-17 rear, which gives the Tracer 7 GT a very wide range of tire brands.
Tire recommendations
Sport-Touring-Motorradreifen
TFT display at last
The brakes are absolutely satisfactory for touring riders. The two front brake callipers with 298 mm brake discs always decelerate reliably without fading, and the ABS regulates at fine, almost imperceptible intervals. At the rear, a single-piston brake calliper with a 245 mm brake disk provides support. In the cockpit, the Tracer 7 GT has - finally - featured a TFT display since last year. At five inches, it is not exactly huge, but it is sufficient for the most necessary information, and it cannot offer different riding modes anyway. The display can be shown in two versions, "Touring" and "Sport", although the latter does not really make sense on the Tracer 7 GT. The smartphone can be connected via the "MyRide" app, but the notification of incoming calls and emails is distracting while riding and unfortunately, the TFT display cannot show a navigation system. Unfortunately, Yamaha is sticking to the impractical rotary wheel on the right-hand side of the handlebar to scroll through the menu on the Tracer 7 GT. As soon as the thumb is used for this, the right hand jerks on the throttle grip and the ride becomes uncomfortable.
Very low fuel consumption
But that's just about the only serious criticism of the Tracer 7 GT. In some categories, the Yamaha can even really shine. A tank capacity of 17 liters is not considered particularly generous among tourers, but the secret of the Tracer 7 GT lies in its low fuel consumption. It is usually around four liters per 100 km, but on a relaxed country road stage lasting several hours, consumption even dropped to an average of 3.4 liters. If the riding style had remained the same, the Tracer 7 GT would have covered an incredible 500 km. But if you're rushing, you won't be disappointed: the clad Yamaha runs at 200 km/h on the highway and still protects its rider from the wind.
Excellent price-performance ratio
The Tracer 7 GT is available from 10,674 Euro and is already well-prepared for the tour as standard: Pannier system, luggage rack, large windshield, comfort seat, generous pillion grab handles and electronic devices can be charged in the cockpit via a USB and a 12-volt connection. The Tracer 7 GT can be ordered either in "Midnight Black" with gold-painted wheels, as "Icon Performance" in silver and black with blue wheels or as "Phantom Blue" in matt blue with gold anodized rims. For small items on the road, we recommend the tank bag for 247 Euro from the Yamaha accessories range, which actually comes from SW-Motech and can be removed in seconds using the Quick-Lock system.
The Tracer 7 GT is the convincing proof that you don't need a five-ton adventure bike costing over 20,000 euros for long journeys. Even when loaded with luggage, the Yamaha impresses with its exceptional handling and low fuel consumption. After the 2300 km tour, we can give it the rating "excellent price-performance ratio".
Test reports of other Yamaha bikes with the CP2 engine
Test Yamaha Ténéré 700 Explore Edition: Tiefergelegt
Mit Fun-Faktor: Yamaha R7 im Fahrbericht