Yamaha Tracer 700 (2017) - Long Term Review

Part 1 - First Impressions

The first time I jumped on the Tracer 700 it took about 70 miles for me to decide this was the perfect bike for me.

 Here is why:

• The riding position is spot on

• The engine is a peach

• It’s as happy scraping foot-pegs as it is commuting to work

• It’s the first bike I’ve had that the better half genuinely likes going on!

Touring pack includes: Screen, heated grips, panniers, luggage rack

I’ve been riding the Tracer 700 now for about three months. Most of this has been the dual carriageway commute from Coventry to Peterborough. This habitat is where the bike feels most at home but with about 1000 miles together, I decided it was time to ride some more demanding routes.

A trip to Louth meant stuffing the Yamaha option soft panniers with a week’s worth of clothes and toiletries. The panniers look small but are around 30 litres each and can carry a surprising amount of stuff. They also have a waterproof bag to keep things dry if the weather goes British! This was the first time I had ridden the bike with full fuel and fully loaded panniers. Happily, the bike felt no different to ride than before. Impressive considering it would’ve be nudging the 220kg mark.

Composed in the corners and comfortable for two hours or more

The fairing looks wide and like it would make filtering difficult. It must a be a trick of the eye because it doesn’t come close to catching you out. The fairing design is such that the widest part sits above most car wing mirrors making it really easy to scythe through tail backs.

Tracer 700 is a fantastic long distance machine; the bike devours dual carriageways with ease. It is also the comfiest bike I have ridden, the thick rubber clad footpegs are vibe free and the mirrors are crystal clear at motorway speeds. The large seat is good for two hours or more, with my other half reporting that the pillion seat is just as comfortable. The gear change is precise but does require a hefty shove to get it into gear when the engine is cold.

Front brakes could do with more bite

As I turn onto the A157 at Wragby the sun is well and truly set and the Tracer 700’s headlights are put to the test. For me they are too dim. Dip beam has a good spread and bathes the road ahead nicely but the main beam doesn’t cut through the darkness as well as I would like. Its not that level of light is dangerous, I’m probably being picky; I’ve upgraded the bulbs in most of my own bikes.

At £6999 the Tracer 700 is a lot of bike for not a lot of outlay 

Anyone who has ridden to Cadwell Park for the BSB or a trackday will agree with me here – the roads in this part of the world are awesome. You have stunning scenery, elevation changes and fast sweeping corners. Sure, it would’ve been more fun in the daytime but even at night the Tracer 700’s split personality really comes out. The suspension which was plush and comfortable on the motorway works well on the twists and turns of the A157. The front end is really composed under hard braking and the bike holds a line through a corner well. It encourages you to get on the gas early, using the torque of the 270° cross-plane engine to fire the bike out of the apex. The next adventure for the Tracer is a trackday. I’m sure in the right hands you could embarrass some sports bikes in the intermediate group!

Around 75bhp and 68Nm from punchy 689cc twin

If I’m being picky the front brake does lack some initial bite, a set of high performance pads would help. Once you get past that though the dual 282mm discs and four pot calipers do a great job. Another niggle is the location of the horn button. For some reason Yamaha have placed it to the right and slightly above the indicators. It is too far and too small for you to find it when you need it.

All things considered the Tracer 700 is a perfect fit in my garage. It works on a weekend blast through the scenery if the mood takes me, yet carries me to the office on a Monday morning quickly and in comfort. Bravo Yamaha! Now, when’s the next trackday at Cadwell…

Part 2 - A Day at Cadwell Park

Updated 3 October 2017

If you read my last write up, you’ll remember me making some comments about Yamaha’s middleweight tourer being a potentially capable track day tool. Turns out I wasn’t wrong!

There is no prettier circuit in the UK than Cadwell.

Tuesday was perfect for a ride to Cadwell. Myself and fellow BikeSocial crew member, Chris Newble, set off for the 60 mile trip to arguably the UK’s prettiest and most demanding race circuit. As we shot along the B1192 and with Typhoon fighter jets rushing overhead I began to wonder whether or not this was a good idea. Hopefully the Tracer was up to it. Hopefully I was up to it!

Not quite Josh Brookes but, you know, at least it's a Yamaha!

Arriving at the circuit at 7am we were greeted by a misty and chilly Cadwell Park. The natural bowl-shape of the circuit means that fog can linger for some time, I really didn’t want to be riding the mini-Nürburgring for the first time in mist. Luckily by 10am the fog had lifted and the sun had begun to burn through and the first couple of sessions of the day ran without incident. Then it was my turn.

The Mountain, take a late apex into the left hander that precedes it then hold the left kerb, you'll get a better exit/wheelie.

The on-track action was co-ordinated by the California Superbike School (CSS) and was executed to perfection. Everything from the morning briefing to the on-track tuition is carried in a professional yet relaxed manner. One example of this is how they run the first session of the morning and the first session after lunch; rolling down the short pit exit from the top paddock into Hall Bends was pretty nerve racking, and the thought of going flat out from the word go had my heart pumping out of my chest. Luckily the guys lead all the riders around in single file for two laps and then lead you back into the pits again. This is so you not only have an idea which way the track goes but also how to get on and off the circuit and to get a little heat into the tyres. After holding us again for a moment to make sure everyone is back safe we are waved out for the first time.

Hall Bends are tricky, take a later apex in the right turn to open out the left hander.

The advice from the instructors is still ringing in my ears; ‘Build the speed up steadily, let the tyres heat up.’ I don’t mind admitting my first four or five laps of the circuit were rubbish, I was both wide-eyed and running wide, braking too much and too hard into almost all the corners! I was about ready to throw in the towel, collect my panniers and head back to Coventry with my tail between my legs, when a CSS instructor came to the rescue. They had obviously picked up on my lack of talent, bravery and skill! Sweeping in front of me as I exited Charlie’s the instructor tapped the rear of his seat. For the next six laps every apex we approached would be pointed out giving me the bit of kerb I needed to clip. Handily the instructor rode a Ducati Supersport S road bike so I could read his brake light as a clue to the correct braking point.

The woodland section of Cadwell Park is stunning, you just don't get to take it in.

Within three laps I felt like I’d cracked it, I wasn’t riding the Tracer half as hard I had been, and the bike now felt much more composed. My braking, which had earlier had the ABS cutting in, was now smooth and finished just before I tipped the bike into the turns. I had also noticed my speed at the end of Park Straight had increased, topping out at 115mph towards the end of the day. Alas, just as I was starting to get into the groove – and actually overtake people – the session was over and it was back into the pits.

I know it's childish but, getting the tyre a bit knackered made me feel good!

Reflecting on my first session I was pretty happy with myself, it was my first track day after all on one of the toughest tracks in the UK. I was even more happy with the Tracer though. This was a bike that is now so far out of it’s comfort zone you could forgive it for being pants but it really wasn’t! The suspension is probably a bit soft for proper track riding but for a novice you want it to be a bit more compliant, I could feel when the front and rear of the bike were reaching the point of slipping and had time to adjust accordingly. The brakes were faultless, I was out braking more experienced riders on more track focussed bikes – notably a chap on a Ducati 748R who seemed to be about the same pace as myself which was fun – I could brake later than he could and still get the bike in around and out of the corner faster than he could. It was only on the straights where the 74bhp really left me vulnerable to overtakes. All things told I completed four out of five sessions only skipping the last one to save some fuel for the journey home.

The next adventure for the Tracer is a two-up trip with full luggage to watch the Mablethorpe beach races in October, stay tuned for that update.

Yamaha Tracer 700 Launch Report | Bike Social

The hugely popular Yamaha MT-07 gets a sport-tourer style makeover giving it more comfort and flexibility to mix with the torquey characteristics of the neat 689cc twin cylinder crossplane crank engine.

Part 3 - Crashing Back to Reality

Updated 30th January 2018

It’s fair to say that having spent around 4500 miles on the Tracer 700 this year, the two of us have been getting along swimmingly. It’s like the perfect relationship – but with a bike, is that weird? No seriously! I’ve ridden some lovely machines this year, and I’m not going to say that none of the others have pulled at my heart-strings, but no other bike has been the all-round bike that the Yamaha is.

So, the honeymoon period continues… until last week. Wheeling the bike out to take a trip to the shops for some of life’s necessities, turned around to lock everything back up again and I hear a crash from behind me. “That’s not my bike.” I actually thought a wheelie bin had been swept down the road in the 70mph gusts. I was wrong, it was the Yamaha.

It's really sad seeing a bike on its side, kind of like a fish that’s been beached by a receding tide. The glum feeling that had washed over me was quickly replaced by a thought of “S**T, that’s not my bike!” Running over I adopted the technique of picking up a bike I saw McGregor and Boorman do many times on the Longway Down: Pull the bottom handlebar into the stop and lift with you knees. Not sure if it was adrenalin or an A1 technique but it took surprisingly little effort to get the bike righted again – why do the guys in MotoGP make it look so hard?!

Okay, first things first, SIT-REP! So the front break lever is bent through 180°, It’s still useable mind; the bend occurs past where my little finger sits on the lever. It’s better to replace it though; the fall could have weakened the lever in some way. I might risk it if it’s a clutch leaver but brakes are quite important. Bar-end, again a small scuff to the aluminium but it’s barely noticable. Indicators, normally the first thing to go in a situation such as this but they are unscathed. Upper fairing sides, intact and unblemished!

And the reason for such little damage? Yamaha’s option engine protectors! The design of the engine protector is not like anything I have seen before. They don’t envelop the crankcase like a clamshell but sit across it like a kind of plastic roll cage. The other clever design is that protrude about 2.5-inches out meaning that the fragile easily broken bits of the bike, even when lying on its side, aren’t touching the road.

Of course this was a static incident; the outcome could have been very different had the bike been sliding down a road but, I fully believe that the crash protection in this situation may have saved a potential insurance claim or having to by replacement parts myself.

Aside from the crash protection there are some other additions to the Tracer that have made hacking through rubbish weather that little bit more bearable! The Yamaha aftermarket screen is fantastic. I'm 5'7" and on its lowest setting it still provides enough of a bubble to cower behind when the weather becomes, well British! The heated grips, although not the warmest I have encountered, do keep the cold out when paired with my Furygan winter gloves. I'm sure that the small hand guards also help shield your hands from the biting cold.

On the downside the lights are below par which led me to fit a set of Osram H7 Intense bulbs. The difference is phenomenal! For about £15 you can pick a set up and although they are not going to last as long as a set of OEM bulbs, high intensity bulbs burn hotter and burn-out sooner than standard bulbs, but its a small price to pay for having such an improved spread of light.

So, I guess you could say that the honeymoon period is still on then, we just had a minor tiff. A couple of days and I’m sure it’ll all be forgotten about...

Part 4 - New Boots for Spring

Updated 21st March 2018

Mileage: 10,060 | Economy: 53.5mpg | Power: 74bhp | Torque: 50.15 ft-lbs @6500 | Weight: 213kg | Price: £7,699

It’s 6:35am and blimey, spring has sprung! After a winter of slush and salt this morning looks promisingly good. The sky is relatively clear and there are even patches of yellow daffodils in the front garden that are beginning to open - ‘Today is a good day’ I think as I wheel the Tracer out of hibernation. With the engine warmed up I head off to give my trusty steed a treat. It’s booked in a BSD in Peterborough to have some new boots fitted, and wow does it really need some new boots!

Having lived life mostly in the outside lane for 6500 miles, the original Michelin Road 4s have squared off and we have opted for a set of Metzeler Roadtecs for the Tracer. I'm hoping the wet and dry performance and ability to soak up the motorway miles will be up to scratch. If I’m honest this should have been done a couple of hundred miles ago – thing is when a couple of hundred miles is two commutes to work and back it doesn’t feel so overdue. A square tyre is a horrible sensation to ride on and causes a notchy feeling as you tip the bike into a corner. There is also a sensation of the bike sliding as you move from the fat (and now flat) centre section of the tyre and onto the shoulder. Not only does a square tyre make the bike harder to lean over, it also reduces the size of the contact patch. Combine that with a wet roundabout and liberal sprinkling of salty diesel and you have wandering back end, and mild heart palpitations from me!

Rolling up the drive at BSD I’m met with the chatter of dry clutches and the rumble of 2000+cc’s ticking over outside the workshop. A Ducati 999s road bike and 1198s trackday weapon sit outside reminding the neighbours who’s boss. Next to the bellow of open Termignonis you can’t even hear the Tracer running, the standard exhaust on this is extremely quiet, to the point that some people I have met don’t believe it’s a 700cc bike.

Wheeling the bike into the workshop the boys from BSD set to work lifting the bike front and rear and dropping the wheels out. While they are off breaking beads and other manly sounding tasks, I take the opportunity to have a poke round the Tracer’s underbelly to see how its fared against a winter of salt, snow and rubbish weather. I’m happy to see that the story is pretty good. Other than some fuzzy bolt heads here and there and a mucky looking catalytic converter it’s in good shape. Remember, this is a bike that, even with a load of Yamaha accessories fitted, still costs just a shade over £8k on the road.. You’d think at that price the first thing to age would be fixtures and fittings but hats off to Yamaha; the Tracer is a bike that you can ride all year round in confidence.

For reference I clean the bike about once every two weeks to remove the grime and salt, then give it a spray with rust protectant but that’s about it. The only other parts of the bike that have suffered are the pipes that run into and out of the water pump. They sit just off the right hand side of the engine and are painted gloss black. They are now stripped of the top layer of paint and looking slightly tired. I’ve searched for a company that sell an aftermarket cover for them but can’t find one, which is a shame. It would be a simple enough job to drain the coolant and remove them and a coat of stone-chip paint would have them looking as good as new.

Heading back to the office I take the long route ducking up the A15, through Stamford and back along the A47. I wanted to start working the slippery release agent off the tyres. We’ve all seen the video of the ‘heros’ on superbikes pulling out of bike shops on new tyres, only to fling it up the road at the first sign of throttle – let’s try and avoid that shall we!? I take my time, building up my speed and lean angle slowly, the further I go the better the bike gets. By the time I’m finished the Tracer now feels planted and secure, stable under braking and as fast from ear to ear as I’d want a 200kg bike to be.

So there we have it, 7000-miles, a trackday at Cadwell, countless close calls with dozy car drivers and winter of dicing with black ice. The Tracer has left its mark on me, it’s been my office and my method of unwinding. I’ve toured on it, scratched on it, done business trips on it. It’s never let me down and has always had more performance, grip, stability and speed than I have talent and bravery. I don’t see the Tracer as a bike any more, it’s more like a mate and a damn good one at that.

2017 Yamaha Tracer 700 - Technical Specification