2024 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+ First Look

After its big reveal overseas in 2022, we knew it was just a matter of time that Yamaha’s technologically enhanced Tracer 9 GT+ would make its way to our shores (or at least we hoped). Well, it’s almost a year later and, sure enough, the bike that has been previously available in Europe is now up for grabs in the US; Yamaha has pulled the covers off the new 2024 Tracer 9 GT+, crowned as its “new sport-touring flagship.” That title is due in large part to the raft of updates bestowed on the new model, including an array of rider aids and tech advances like adaptive cruise control and a radar-linked brake system, along with semi-active suspension, integrated riding modes, and new smartphone connectivity. From a consumer standpoint, it makes the Tracer 9 GT+ the least expensive motorcycle yet to get radar-assisted cruise control and safety systems.

To be fair, the Tracer 9 GT already got a pretty hefty overhaul back in 2021, when Yamaha revamped the Tracer 900 GT and rolled it out in 2021 as an all-new model, giving it semi-active suspension, a new IMU-based electronics package, and more sophisticated electronic engine management to go along with the larger 890cc CP3 engine and new aluminum frame shared with the MT-09. Those major updates carry over to the 2024 model, but Yamaha has refined the package even more this year.

Related: Radar Confirmed on Yamaha Tracer 9 GT

With the six-axis IMU still in place, the new Tracer 9 GT+ also retains all the rider-friendly systems from the previous model, with traction control, slide control, and wheelie control all giving the rider the ability to set their intervention level preferences or just turn the systems off completely. Yamaha’s Brake Control System is handled by the Hydraulic Control Unit (separate from ECU) which modulates brake pressure based on IMU, and front and rear wheel speed sensor data.

The new rider aid on the block for 2024 is Millimeter Wave Radar, a system that works a lot like adaptive cruise control in cars by measuring the distance to vehicles ahead and enables Yamaha’s adaptive cruise control (the company’s first) and radar-linked Unified Brake System. The system works to automatically control the bike’s cruising speed to match that of the vehicle in front, maintaining a constant following distance and hopefully improving the ride experience on longer trips.

Related: 2022 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT

The bigger deal here might be that new radar-linked Unified Brake System, which makes its first appearance on a motorcycle according to Yamaha. The innovative system uses data from the Millimeter Wave Radar and six-axis IMU to ramp up braking input when the bike’s distance to the vehicle in front decreases to a certain point. At the same time, the system also adjusts front/rear braking bias and front/rear suspension damping for better stopping efficiency, but in both cases, you get assistance only if the Brake Control feature is turned on and the rider is braking. In other words, Yamaha emphasizes, it’s not a collision avoidance system. The BC also includes cornering brake control to automatically adjust braking force when the bike is leaned over.

As for physical updates, here’s one we’re thrilled to see: an all-new full color 7-inch TFT display to replace the busy, unsightly twin gauges on the outgoing model. Yamaha implies that the new dash is brighter too, and riders can choose from three different screen layouts to match their preferences. You get better options for connectivity here as well, with riders now able to link their smartphone and accessory Bluetooth devices directly to the bike to make and receive phone calls or control music.

Naturally, there’s an app: Download the Yamaha MyRide-Link app, and you’ll also be able to get weather information and receive texts, among other functions. The Garmin Motorize app will also give you turn-by-turn navigation on the TFT display, though that will cost you; a new joystick on the left handlebar handles all the functions for the display.

Related: 2022 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT First Ride Review

We’re also stoked to see a new 10-way-adjustable windscreen, along with the expected height-adjustable seat (now with new padding), adjustable footpegs, 10-level heated grips, and advanced cornering lights make their appearance on the Tracer 9 GT+.

For the class, this level of convenience really is somewhat rare.

As far as the suspension goes, the semi-active electronically controlled arrangement from the previous model carries over, though it has been updated to the new-generation KYB Actimatic Damper System (KADS). As before, the suspension control unit digests data from the IMU and then adjusts damping forces to suit riding conditions.

Also carrying over as standard equipment is the Tracer’s bidirectional quickshifter, which makes quick work of clutchless up and down gear changes, and what’s more, it can be used without having to disengage the cruise control.

Not surprisingly, the 2024 Tracer 9 GT+ gets a pretty hefty price increase from the outgoing model; MSRP for the US bike in a two-tone Storm Gray color will be $16,499. But when you take into account the bike’s capability, premium components, and up-to-date feature set, it still appears to represent an excellent value. We’ll know more after a first ride, so stay tuned.

The 2024 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+ will be available from dealers in August 2023.

Along with the new Tracer 9 GT+, Yamaha also announced several updates for the 2024 Ténéré 700, which it says are designed to keep it at the top of the middleweight adventure class.

The main upgrades include a new 5-inch color TFT display, which now also offers smartphone connectivity in conjunction with the free Y-Connect app. Also new for 2024 is the addition of new three-mode selectable ABS which lets riders choose their level of braking intervention. Mode 1 is ABS fully activated for both wheels; mode 2 enables ABS on the front wheel only; and mode 3 turns ABS off for both wheels.

Additional updates include new front and rear LED turn signals, along with prewiring for the installation of Yamaha’s accessory quickshifter.

The 2024 Yamaha Ténéré 700 will be available in either Team Yamaha Blue, in dealers by September 2023, or Shadow Gray, at dealers in October 2023.

Both will retail for $10,799 MSRP.