EICMA 2022: Yamaha’s Sport Touring Range Gets Smarter For 2023

Yamaha has dished out a range of upgrades on its middleweight sport touring range: the Tracer 7, Tracer 7 GT, Tracer 9 GT Plus and Niken GT for 2023. These changes range from some new mechanical bits to feature updates to spruce up long-distance touring.

Tracer 7 and Tracer 7 GT

Both the Tracer 7 and Tracer 7 GT now get a five-inch TFT display with smartphone connectivity. This display offers two screen themes: Touring and Street. The former displays information in a conventional analogue style, while the latter presents a modern feel. The switch gear too has undergone a revision to be compatible with this new console.

From a mechanical side, both the bikes are fitted with larger 298mm dual front disc brakes in a bid to improve braking performance. The front suspension is also tuned and is fully adjustable for preload, compression and rebound. They’re both powered by the same 689cc parallel twin engine producing 73.4PS and 67Nm.

In addition, the Tracer 7 GT now gets a plethora of touring accessories as standard, like 20-litre hard side cases, larger touring screen, side tank pads and rear carrier.

Tracer 9 GT Plus

The Tracer 9 GT Plus is the first Yamaha bike to be equipped with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), which provides the advantages of cruise control along with the ability to automatically maintain a fixed distance from the vehicle ahead.

Part of its sophisticated electronic rider aids also includes a radar-linked front/rear assisted Unified Brake System. This system intervenes when it detects an imminent collision, and if the rider’s braking input isn’t sufficient to prevent the collision it automatically adjusts braking force to both wheels for stable deceleration. This system goes hand-in-glove with the updated KYB electronic semi-active suspension.

The Tracer 9 GT Plus also gets a seven-inch full colour TFT display with smartphone connectivity, which can also be paired to a bluetooth connected headset. In addition, this display is also compatible for a full-screen Garmin navigation.

While the Tracer 9 GT Plus continues to be powered by the same 890cc triple cylinder engine producing 119PS and 93Nm, it now gets integrated riding modes – Sport, Street, Rain or Custom, which now work in conjunction with the traction control, slide control, lift control and electronic suspension’s damping control. 

Niken GT

The radical looking Niken GT now features a new 890cc Euro5 engine, an increase in engine capacity of almost five percent. This is the same engine as the Tracer 9 GT, however, the output figures are 114.9PS and 90.7Nm. For perspective, the current Niken GT is powered by a 847cc triple cylinder mill churning out 115PS and 87.5Nm. 

The Niken GT is also equipped with the same seven-inch full colour TFT display with smartphone connectivity and Garmin navigation, which can be set to display everything from weather reports to detailed notifications. 

The dual leaning front wheels are now fitted with specially designed radial tyres, while the Niken GT also receives revised electronics in the form of a new ECU, ride-by-wire throttle and upgraded bidirectional quickshifter. Other significant upgrades include new suspension, adjustable screen and heated grips.

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• Upcoming Bikes in India

While the prices for the bikes have not been revealed yet, the Tracer 9 GT+ will be available at European Yamaha dealers starting in May 2023. Sadly, none of these bikes are coming to India any time soon. However, if you're looking for a capable sporty middleweight tourer, you can check out the Kawasaki Versys 650. We recently rode the updated version of this bike, and here’s what we thought about it.