2025-on Yamaha Tracer 7 review: Fun and functional updates!

The distinct chassis advantage of the latest Tracers is immediately apparent within minutes of riding each model, with that superiority becoming more obvious after more time in the seat and sampling different surface qualities.

Albeit set a little more for speed than comfort, the excellent KYB suspension supports the Tracer really well. Gone is the pace-limiting softness and underdamped action of the older bikes, which generated an excess of unwanted movement with reduced feel and control whenever you pushed on harder.

Instead, you get a wonderful and reliable level of composure, however quickly you choose to ride. OK, there’s a little bit of discomfort over cobbled city streets, but it’s a trade-off well worth having in our book. Just as importantly, Yamaha’s choice of OE tyre fitment offers huge benefits. All too often, a manufacturer chooses original equipment rubber that can’t match the ability of the bike itself, or your desire to exploit that machine’s fuller potential.

But the Michelin Road 6 GTs fitted to the Tracers offer no such restriction, allowing you to explore the Tracers’ excellent handling far more. With the bike's sweet, precise steering, it’s such a joy to savour its fuller protentional and see what they’re made of.

Combined with the excellent power and feel of the radial brakes, you simply have to give full marks to the Yamahas’ handling, and though the modest engine power might ultimately limit progress, boy, is it still fun! We had a great time sampling this in the twisting, challenging routes we did at the press launch in Portugal. Mind you, it would have been more reassuring if the ABS were lean sensitive.

I really do wish more bike manufacturers would see the sense in fitting such quality rubber and allowing you to appreciate their bikes much more. Given motorcycles cost a small fortune to design and build in the first place, it really is a false economy to fit cheaper, performance-limiting rubber. The standard Tracer feels a fraction more agile than the nine-kilo-heavier GT model.

On another very different point, the provision for pillion riders has obviously benefited from a more considered approach, with the extra room given to pillion courtesy of a longer section of the seat. We didn’t carry a pillion at any point to test this, but the extra space is bound to prove beneficial.

The well-proven CP2 72bhp motor, which is shared across the MT07, XSR 700, and Ténéré 700 range, needs some deeper thought in its Tracer form to understand and appreciate fully. It’s all too easy to label it as being a little short of the mark, especially when you’ve occasionally wanted another 10-15bhp to make your overtake a tad swifter or even possible in the first place.

But once you’ve accepted what Yamaha has given you and reduced your speed ambitions, you’ll feel much more at ease. Besides, what the motor lacks in outright performance, it more than makes up for in other areas.

With a useful and broad spread of power and torque, more often than not, there’s a healthy enough response to throttle tugging, with the useful bonus of not having to constantly swap gears to ‘keep it on song’. The fact is, the parallel twin’s more usable, realistic, and unhurried in its type of delivery means any effective gains in pace are all the easier and less frantic to achieve and maintain.

The claimed gearbox mods appear effective in that changes are swift and slick enough, even without the clutch. And though the optional quickshifter would be a useful fitment, I’m sure, given you can just use a couple of gears to cope with a really broad range of speeds, it’s not essential.

Apart from giving the bike some real character, the motor’s lovely, easy-going manner also benefits fuel consumption, with 50-60mpg being typical most of the time, and up to 70mpg being available with more restraint.

Its super-friendly, non-threatening nature means revving it to the max will rarely overwhelm you either. It’s a classic case of less being more, and with its almost vibe-free nature, it really is quite difficult to fault. A deep, attractive exhaust note completes the approval. With more than 400,000 CP2-engined Yamaha models sold since 2014 it would appear to have a big fan club.

Though, as is the case with many of today’s bikes, it’s almost certain the Tracers will need looking after to retain their looks and value, they definitely have a robust and well-crafted appearance when they’re new. Paintwork seems to be of decent quality, and items like the pillion footrest hangers and pannier bracketry have a substantial, well-engineered solidity to them.

The switchgear has a quality feel, though the exhaust header pipe heat shield could be a bit prettier. Wiring and hoses are routed and secured neatly, and though I wouldn’t call the Tracers the most stylish out there, their well-made look and feel make them attractive enough. Owners ' reviews from previous models give a rating of 4.4 stars out of five, with owners reporting a fondness for its light and agile nature.

Owners go on to say that some fixtures and fittings can take a hammering through winter, so it's worth using a maintenance spray early in the bike's life to prevent any corrosion setting in.

No doubt with its more modest peak power, the Tracer won’t rip through any consumables, and with frugal fuel consumption costs per mile will be more than reasonable. Insurance costs will be dictated more by the rider’s circumstances, such as experience, age, and home address, than its expected grouping of 10.

Rivals are numerous in this competitive class. Triumph’s £10,995 Tiger Sport 800 offers more tech, power, and performance, but won’t be as cheap to run. Its 113bhp engine is a beauty and the Tiger handles well. But it may be more of a bike that you aspire to after gaining some experience on the easier-to-ride and live with Tracer. It doesn’t come with panniers either, like the Tracer GT.

More closely matched on price, performance, and tech is Kawasaki’s Versys 650 Grand Tourer. Just as likely to keep you out of trouble, the fully equipped tourer only makes 66bhp and tipping the scales at 219kg means even more modest overall performance than the Tracer 7 GT. But with its full luggage and 21-litre tank, the Versys has similar good-to-go versatility. It's easy to ride nature makes it a good starting point for those new to bikes.

Suzuki’s £9699 V-Strom 800RE is a very impressive, yet easily overlooked all-rounder. With its brilliantly responsive 82bhp parallel-twin engine, the adventure bike is easy to get the best from. A competent chassis allows backroad fun and frivolity, with excellent comfort to entertain such entertainment all day long. Not especially sexy, the Suzuki is nevertheless worth serious consideration as it can turn its hand to virtually anything.

There’s a wide range of official Yamaha aftermarket accessories available for both Tracers, though with its extra equipment already fitted, the GT is likely to need less.

They include a tank bag (£173), tank bag ring (£45) seat bag (£290), 45-litre top box (£250), 50-litre top box (£260), low seat (£150), crash bars (£250), quickshifter (£190), LED fog light kit (£310,) and sport screen (£105).

You can buy all the accessories to convert your standard Tracer to GT spec, though it will cost more than the £1300 RRP price difference if you buy all those parts individually.

Yamaha also offers three packs to raise the spec of each bike using several of the parts listed above, with the Sport (£507), Tourer (£825), and Urban (£776) kits available at any Yamaha dealer.

Given the popularity of the Tracers, no doubt plenty of aftermarket accessory firms will offer competition to all those items. It should be noted that though any bike fitted with these accessories will be more attractive to buyers when the time comes to sell it, it won’t enhance its value by the amount you paid for them.