2025 · Sport Tourer · A variant of the Tracer 9
Differences between the standard Tracer 9 and the Y-AMT
Triple Soul, Smarter Shifts
The Tracer 9 in Y-AMT form keeps sport-touring honest. At its heart sits the 890 cc liquid-cooled inline-three, making 119 hp at 10,000 rpm and 69 lb-ft at 7,000 rpm. That is plenty to carry 483 lb wet plus luggage without the engine ever feeling strained. The triple is the reason to buy this bike. It answers the throttle cleanly and has real character, which is exactly what I expect from a Yamaha. This version builds on the regular Tracer 9 with the automated Y-AMT gearbox, keyless ignition, tire pressure monitoring and a luggage system. Cruise control, ride modes, traction control and wheelie control come on every Tracer 9.
On the road it sits in the sensible middle of the class. You get 17-inch wheels at both ends, adjustable suspension front and rear, an adjustable screen and seat, and a 59.1 in (1,500 mm) wheelbase that keeps it settled on the highway and still easy to place on a mountain road. Reliability is one of its strongest suits, so with ordinary care it should age well. It suits the rider who covers big days and still wants a grin on the back roads. The caveat: the 33.3 in (845 mm) seat is tall for shorter riders, and the chain needs regular attention on long tours.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 119 hp (88 kW) @ 10,000 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 69 lb-ft (93 Nm) @ 7,000 rpm |
| Displacement | 890 cc |
| Engine | Inline-three |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front brake | 298 mm |
| Front tire | 120/70-17 |
| Rear tire | 180/55-17 |
| Wheelbase | 59.1 in (1500 mm) |
| Seat height | 33.3 in (845 mm) |
| Wet weight | 483 lb (219 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 5.0 gal (19 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Connectivity
Drivetrain
Lighting
Safety
The named systems that set this bike apart — and what each one does for you.
Drivetrain
The first thing you notice is how little the Tracer 9 asks of you before the ride even starts. Keyless means the fob stays in your jacket, and the TFT dash shows you what you need at a glance. The seat sits at 33.3 in, and both the seat and the screen adjust, so spend ten minutes in the garage fitting them to your frame before a long day. Once you're rolling, the controls fall naturally to hand and you never need the manual to find anything. With the Y-AMT, shifting takes care of itself in stop-and-go town traffic, and you can still take over yourself when the road opens up. Set the cruise control on the interstate and let the miles go by. At dusk the LED headlight and cornering lights make the ride home a lot less of a chore.
The Tracer 9 Y-AMT (MY2025-Y_AMT) builds on the standard Tracer 9: the upgraded hardware, the key spec changes and where its character shifts. The full ride, specs, scoring and verdict are all right here on this page.
Equipment the Y-AMT adds vs the standard Tracer 9
This section isn't my own test. It's what I've gathered from years of listening to Tracer 9 riders: talk in the paddock, owners comparing notes at club nights, and the emails people send me after a season on the bike. The pattern is consistent. Steering, the triple and the automated gearbox earn most of the praise, while wind, the seat and a few rough edges draw the complaints.
The chassis gets the most consistent praise. Owners call the steering neutral and precise. They like that a bike this easy to flick through a set of bends still feels settled when the pace climbs on the highway. The engine gets the same enthusiasm. Riders describe strong pull from low revs, a midrange with a real growl in it, and a top end they keep revving out toward 11,000 rpm. Just as often they say how relaxed it is at low speed. The Y-AMT gearbox gets steady approval as well. Shifts in automatic mode come across as seamless, manual mode gives quick changes without a clutch, and several owners say it takes much of the tiredness out of a long day. Their one reservation is that it doesn't involve the rider the way a conventional clutch does.
Comfort splits opinion. A passenger gets more room, and riders like the relaxed reach to the bars and the low pegs. The complaints start with wind. Taller riders mention buffeting at highway speed, and some say the air runs cleaner with the screen dropped than at the top of its travel. Some owners want more padding in the seat. A few find the broad, flat shape tiring after several hours, smaller riders especially, because it's hard to shift around on. Heavier riders and those who push hard keep coming back to the suspension: firm, yet often short on damping, with limited scope to dial it in. Single reports mention turn-signal brackets that come loose after a light knock and downpipes that lose their finish early. On the other side, owners regularly point out how much bike they get for a price below the European premium rivals.
No widely-reported issues on record.
Where this Yamaha Tracer 9 pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Tracer 9 is actually built for.
This is squarely your bike. The triple makes the curves fun, the comfort holds up on 200 to 400 mile days, and cruise control plus luggage handle the stretches between the good roads.
Made for Black Hills · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
It covers the big routes comfortably, and 119 hp handles a full load with ease. If you ride two-up nearly all the time, though, a larger dedicated tourer will give you more room.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
Accessible handling and a precise throttle make repeat runs on the Dragon and Cherohala rewarding. At 483 lb it's no lightweight, but it earns its keep on the long ride there and back.
Made for Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Yamaha Tracer 9. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
