2025 Yamaha Tracer 9 Preview

Yamaha set a benchmark of sorts last year with its redesigned Tracer 9 GT+. For well under $17,000, the GT+ delivered performance, reliability, and cutting-edge tech like radar-linked cruise control for a fraction of the price of its sport-touring competitors. This month Yamaha confirmed the Tracer 9 is returning to the States for 2025, however the US version is stripping off the extra tech in favor of a more attractive asking price.

Editor’s note: We reported the previous version during the 2024 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+ First Ride Review and Top 5 Features of the 2024 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+. Also check out the 2022 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT Review and 2022 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT Long-Term Review for added information on this vehicle.

Related: 2024 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+ First Ride

The base version, the 2025 Tracer 9 brings sport-touring essentials back to the Yamaha lineup for just $12,599. There’s no more semi-active suspension, radar, navigation, heated grips, or quickshifter, but there are some significant updates for the new year just the same.

Chief among them is an updated frame and extended subframe, which Yamaha says increases overall stability while also improving space and comfort for both the rider and passenger. Ergonomics have been refined at all three touch points (seat, handlebars, and pegs), and a softer material has been used on the seat for improved long-range comfort.

Related: 2025 Yamaha MT-07 Preview

The base model also gets a cosmetic face-lift, which includes a new cornering-sensitive LED light array in the front fairing. A new 7-inch TFT display is also standard equipment for the 2025 Tracer 9, as is manually adjustable KYB suspension with a revised rear linkage for optimal load distribution and traction when cornering.

Clearly US demand didn’t support the high-tech-meets-high-reliability proposition of last year’s GT+ model, but for those interested, there are two additional models being offered elsewhere in the world.

The first is the mid-tier Tracer 9 GT model, which features some of the more exciting updates Yamaha is touting at EICMA this year. Big Blue’s most proud accomplishment here seems to be its new “LED matrix lighting system,” an industry-first design that combines input from a front-mounted camera to automatically adjust the intensity and spread of the headlight for optimal visibility.

The idea here is that the headlight can adjust to changing conditions (ambient light, weather, traffic) without input from the rider. Yamaha says this allows Tracer 9 GT owners to take full advantage of the powerful new LED lighting without potentially blinding other drivers, as the system automatically adjusts its output when oncoming vehicles are detected.

The GT variant also sees the addition of semi-active suspension, which Yamaha says is the most advanced system found on any model in its lineup. Leveraging data from the Tracer 9 GT’s six-axis IMU, these KYB components automatically adjust their damping for optimal performance depending on both the road conditions and the load on the motorcycle.

Related: Are Classic Sport-Touring Motorcycles Dead?

Sidebags also become standard equipment for the GT model, as does smartphone connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation via Yamaha’s MyRide app.

The Tracer 9 GT+ returns to Europe (from its short American vacation) as the top-of-the-line offering in Yamaha’s lineup, and includes three important distinctions from the base and GT models.

The most notable is that Yamaha’s new Y-AMT automated transmission (read the The Argument for Automatic Motorcycles article) comes as standard equipment on the GT+, whereas it’s an optional upgrade for both the base and GT models this year in the European market. In case you were wondering, an automatic gearbox won’t be offered in the US this year for the Tracer, though we’re confident it’ll make its way here before long in one form or another.

Other major upgrades for the premium trim include Yamaha’s radar-linked driver assistance functions (cruise control, emergency braking, etc.), as well as central locking for the standard hard bags.