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Road Test
Simple and sporty

Bike Test: Yamaha Tracer 700 (2016)

THIS week, Bike World has been out and about on the new Yamaha Tracer.

Here are LUKE BOWLER’s thoughts on the Tracer.

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We love a complicated recipe in the motorcycle industry.

If a new bike doesn’t have enough electronics and gizmos to compete with the International Space Station, we are not interested.

That is a shame because the majority of history’s most iconic bikes are praised for their simplicity and lack of anything too fancy – something the new Yamaha Tracer 700 does well.

 

No groundbreaking electronics or suspension. No track tyres. Not a supercharger in sight.

The Tracer 700 is simply an affordable, comfortable, practical and characterful little bike to ride.

Like the Tracer 900 to the MT-09, the 700 is a touring-biased MT-07, with dual headlights, a larger front fairing and screen, plus the sort of tweaks you would expect to turn it into something a bit more grown-up and sensible.

It weighs almost nothing, even fully fuelled

But do not mistake sensible for boring. While the suspension has been adjusted and the swing-arm has been lengthened to make it less wheelie-prone, the 700 is still full of life.

 

 

It weighs almost nothing, even fully fuelled. And, unlike the Kawasaki Versys and Suzuki V-Strom, it provides enough thrills to keep you wide awake during your ride.

And because it shares the same engine, chassis and brakes as the MT-07 (no bad thing), it keeps the price down.

Just over £6,000 will nab you one of these and you get a bike that’s capable of pretty much everything and anything.

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It is comfortable enough to tour on, sporty enough to scratch on and, with 75hp, powerful enough to keep you engaged.

As with all bikes these days, the Tracer 700 comes with an accessory list full of useful goodies, such as a satnav, panniers and exhaust system. It is a 7 Great effort from Yamaha.