Questions After Test Ride - Mainly Concerning 2-up Use.


xeggex

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Hello all,

I'm new to the forum and have a few questions for those of you who own the 900 Tracer, particularly those who take a passenger regularly.

I test rode the Tracer yesterday along with the MT10. MT10 handled great and the power was awesome but the Tracer had me giggling the entire time. Such an entertaining ride. I've decided I want one. However I need the ability to carry a pillion and gear for 300 mile days and I have a few concerns I'm hoping you can help me address.

Full luggage - how are the aftermarket full luggage systems? I know Yamaha don't offer a system that allows you to fit top box and panniers at the same time.

PILLION USE
How is the space/comfort? My girlfriend has a dodgy knee after a crash a few years back and I'm concerned about the distance between the seat and the pegs being a bit small and hence putting strain on her knee. Anyone tried lower the pillion pegs a bit?

How is the handling two up? Much difference? I found solo that I quite often had the front end going light and twitching over bumps (albeit riding harder than I would with a pillion) so I'm wondering how vague a pillion might make the front end feel?

I also experienced the speed wobble at just over 100mph, twice. That was a bit disconcerting. Dealer seemed to reckon the screen (which was at it's highest setting) was the cause.

I'm going to try and arrange a test ride with the mrs on the back but won't be able to do so for a few weeks yet. Hoping that it works out OK as the other option at the moment is a crossrunner which, whilst perfectly competent, didn't make me grin the same way that the Tracer did.

Thoughts appreciated.
 

fazers1

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Hi mate i use the tracer 2 up most of the time my wife finds it comfy (but i dont do 300 mile days) I got a set of lowered pegs off e-bay from china which have helped her a bit as she has bad knees too.As for suspension i put the yamaha lowering kit on mine and the standard shock on its highest preload setting but found the centre stand touching down when pushing on lol.So ive ordered a nitron rear shock with the remote preload so i can just wind it up a bit when she"s on the back.I came to the Tracer from a Hayabusa and thought i would miss the power but turns out the tracer is so easy to ride (and wont get me put in jail so easy) that I can do some of my favorite roads just as quick as on the Hayabusa.Hope this helps.
P.S I use the yamaha side cases and a rentec rack for camping trips etc and find the cases are good enough for me.I never use a top box (as i dont like the look of them) and prefer to tie tent etc onto the rack.
 
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qual

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just put a givi box on mine today and got the yamaha panniers, fits a treat !
 

deadb0y

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I find the bike feels really REALLY top heavy with the wife on it. With the son or daughter it feels OK. Mrs weighs about 70kg and is 5'10 or so...

But then, I've always hated taking passengers - they move!
 

andz

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I find the bike feels really REALLY top heavy with the wife on it. With the son or daughter it feels OK. Mrs weighs about 70kg and is 5'10 or so...

But then, I've always hated taking passengers - they move!
What do you weigh skinny boy? LOL

I am 105kg, Mrs is 70kg and even with a Givi box fully laden, suspension and tyres stock, it handles like a dream. Mrs is an old hand as a pillion and most of the time I don't know she is there. Handling is better than my 600 Fazer with the same loading.
 

deadb0y

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What do you weigh skinny boy? LOL

I am 105kg, Mrs is 70kg and even with a Givi box fully laden, suspension and tyres stock, it handles like a dream. Mrs is an old hand as a pillion and most of the time I don't know she is there. Handling is better than my 600 Fazer with the same loading.

I weigh in at 90kg.. Unfortunately my mrs only has about 250 miles under and is as nervous and skittish as a rabbit in headlights. My son is a bit better, daughter even better but it definitely only feel top heavy with the mrs!
 

kev

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I had to give a mate a lift after his bike broke down (I was the only one with pillion seat), I'm 6"2 and 14 1/2 stones with my gear on, my mate is a big lad I was about 3 stones over the limit for the bike, the power was fine but the handling and braking was like, well, like a bike that was overloaded? unless it's only the odd time you carry a pillion then there are better bikes for it, of course the answer is two bikes?
 
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xeggex

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I meant to update this earlier but I've only had a phone and a tablet to browse with recently and I hate typing with onscreen keyboards for any length of time. Thanks to all for your comments.

I managed to get a second test ride with my girlfriend riding pillion. We were on the bike for around about an hour, following a twisty route of Scottish country roads. The first half of the route featured some pretty poorly surfaced roads with lots of undulations and a couple of rises you could easily jump TT style if so inclined. The second half was much better surfaced, with a mix of smooth flowing bends and tight switchbacks. These are the kind of roads I normally ride so nimbleness is important. I'm about 5'8 and about 70kg, she's about 5'6 and probably about 65kg.

I rode the bike in B mode predominantly as my girlfriend isn't a very experienced pillion at this stage and I didn't try B mode on the previous test ride. This was ideal for the pillion and made it easy to ride smoothly without clashing helmets whilst still providing plenty of go for overtakes. Standard mode also works fine. I briefly tried it in A mode but that wasn't going to work as it was just way too jerky (great fun solo though!) and she felt she was getting bumped about. Admittedly my own pillion experience is limited, mainly conducted on my ER6 (which isn't much fun two up) and hired 300cc scooters on holiday.

Moving off in the car park and riding through town initially I found the bike well balanced and easy to maneuver around mini roundabouts, etc. There was none of the wobbling and unstable feeling that my ER6 (ninja 650) has with a pillion. I didn't find the height an issue either, despite only just being able to get the balls of my feet down. The light weight obviously helps there. Once onto the more open (and bumpy) sections (60mph speed limit) I found the bike remained easy to tip in where I wanted and stayed stable in the corners. It was also easy to change lines mid bend and wasn't much affected by a fidgeting pillion (again unlike the ER6). At this stage I kept the pace reasonable and within the speed limit although I wasn't making an effort to go particularly slowly.

The suspension handled the bumps fine, although was a little jarring through the seat at times. The steering remained reasonably composed and controllable though so I didn't find it an issue, just a little uncomfortable. This was the biggest complaint I received from my girlfriend - that she could feel every bump in the road. It was a particularly rough section though with lots of poor repairs.

Moving onto the smoother section I began to enjoy myself and the bike handled great. Whilst I was still aware of the extra weight, particularly when switching quickly from side to side, the steering stayed light, nimble and precise and I found myself upping the pace. This was a road I know very well, one of my favourites actually. I had no trouble at all hustling the bike through the bends and it retained it's character that so impressed me on the first ride. The bike felt way more controllable with the pillion than what I'm used to with the ER6 - really a massive difference and gave me a lot more confidence. Granted neither my pillion or I are particularly heavy but at no time did the bike feel overloaded or overtaxed. I maintained this pace for a good distance with a few overtakes until we got caught in the traffic back towards the large town where the dealer is and I decided to give a little filtering a go. Again no problems at all.

I also didn't have any of the bar wobble issues that I experienced solo at high speed but I wasn't accelerating as hard as I did when I was on my own. The screen definitely felt better in the low position for me as well with less buffeting.

Comfort wise - I still hate the seat although it was brand new and will probably soften up a little, I can live with it. The rest of riding position suits me perfectly. My pillion found the seat comfortable enough but would probably benefit from an airhawk or similar. This would also improve the distance between the seat and pegs slightly although she said she was fine with the peg position also and it didn't cause her dodgy knee any pain. As I stated earlier - her biggest complaint was that the ride felt a bit rough and jarring over the bumpy sections but again it was livable and really we don't tend to ride many roads that rough.

I'm still not sure it's suited to long distance touring two up as luggage capacity could be limited and it'll definitely be more tiring compared to our other options (vstrom, etc.) over long distance simply due to the sporty character of the bike but we're not planning any major tours any time soon anyway - just weekends - and for that it's more than adequate and I would probably be happy giving a longer trip a go. I don't ride motorways if I can avoid them (boring) and we don't have too many other straight roads in Scotland so straight line highway performance isn't a priority - hence why I'm not looking at STs, FJRs, etc.

In summary I love the bike. Incredibly entertaining solo, makes my physically laugh out loud. Suspension has it's flaws but the nimbleness and light steering make up for this and the engine is brimming with character. Two up I found it absolutely fine. I am sure there are much better two up bikes out there however for our current needs it's a massive improvement on my existing bikes and it made the job easier than any other bike I've ridden (granted not many two up). I found the Honda Crossrunner (my mate owns one) to be the more competent, stable and comfortable bike and I have no doubt it will be much better with a pillion over a longer tour than the Tracer but, whilst I enjoyed that bike, it just didn't make my giggle like the Tracer. I currently have the ER6, a CG125 and an early CX500 (last on the road in '86 but should be finished its rebuild this week). I think my plan will be to sell the lot and replace them with a Tracer and something more sedate for shift work commuting and long travel needs, maybe a CBF1000 or something.
 
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Wynner

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Hi
I hope I can be of some help
I sold my BMW R1200RT 2011 after this year's trip to Switzerland and Italy. We've done 20000 miles in 4 years and I was fancying something lighter. Having tried a Tracer last year I already knew what I wanted so a new one was an early retirement present for myself! But I was worried my wife wouldn't manage as she's had a new knee which restricts her movement. I had some lowering blocks which I had fitted to a previous FJR 1300 and managed to adapt them for the Tracer. First ride of about 90 minutes and I was almost frightened to ask how uncomfortable she was! She said it was as comfortable as the BMW , if not more so! Her main complaint was the wind noise, so I've now fitted a Givi touring screen which has really made it a lot quieter for me.(5'10") She hasn't been on the back since so fingers crossed. Not keen on the looks but you can't have everything. Anyway the ferry to Santander is booked for May and We'll know then. At least going to the top of Spain there are no long days in the saddle. Hope it works out for you, I love my new bike!
 

Russ Quinlan

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Welcome to the club !
Had my Tracer for just over a year, my missus finds it great on the back and we've done lots of miles. I actually tried one of the Yamaha Comfort seats for a while but actually found the original seat much better ! It is the only bike I've ever had (and I've had a lot !) where I haven't had to change the seat. We had the Yamaha side cases and a Give top box and we are able to go away for weekends with no problem, usually over to the West Coast of Scotland (from the East coast).
Having come off a Crosstourer just before the Tracer, that bike was a pig to handle compared to the Tracer and I love just throwing it around corners, only downside is as you said, the shock, but I plan to get a Nitron soon as well, other than that I can't fault it.
This photos also shows the tank bag I have and with the other luggage we could defiantly do a much longer tour (taken before I got it painted!).
Of course always have to add bling but who doesn't !
 

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