Three days on a Tracer

[PaulSmith]

Two weeks ago I was in Spain on my Summer holidays and while I was there, I rented a Tracer for three days from MotoMercardo http://www.rentabike.org/ in Marbella. This is my trip report.

First impressions; a very good looking bike with a high quality finish. The bike had 19,000 kms on it and unless you got right up close to it, it still looked like new. Coming from my increasingly tatty 60,000+ mile Fazer gen1 it was a treat. Riding solo from the shop back to our villa was a giggle. The bike was light and flickable with a great engine that begged to be spanked and I was soon grinning like a good thing. Gear changes were sharp, throttle was crisp and the brakes had great feel with one finger usually enough (reminding me that I needed to service my own brakes). The suspension was very pliant and soaked up bumps, ramps and sleeping policemen like they weren't there. The riding position was much more upright then the Fazer with wider bars and I felt very much in control. The mirrors were excellent and very well positioned though I noticed the left mirror needed adjusting more and more often as the holiday went on, as if it was losening?

Back at the villa, I decided to try the lower seat position. The back seat comes off easily and there is a 'hidden' catch that releases the front seat. That was when I noticed that the plastics were showing damage. There is a piece of plastic that the seat sits on which appears to have two positions but I couldn't get it into the other one, so I couldn't lower the seat. Perhaps if I had RTFM more carefully but it wasn't obvious standing there. Attempts by previous users to adjust the seat had resulted in cracks and breaks in the carbon look side panels but they were not obvious with the seat on unless you knew what to look for. There was no storage space worth speaking of under the seats, you could fit an enhanced toolkit but not waterproofs or a lock. Not a problem or a criticism, just an observation.

The bike was fitted with a good sized topbox (SHAD - never heard of them before) that looked neat and worked well and could take two lids. We put a very full backpack in it and headed off on our trip.

Day one was from San Pedro to Granada. A-7 to Velez-Malaga and then fun stuff through Alhama. That was the plan and with hindsight, not a very good one. The motorway grind to Velez-Malaga on the A-7 avoiding tolls was a chore of dodging traffic, finding signposts, being in the wrong lane etc. and we quickly found out that the seats were just not comfortable. Why didn't I go via Ronda? Because I was saving that for the return journey. Adding to the misery was the sound. This might sound daft, but at times, I could swear that the engine or the running gear or something was whinging. Certainly not a pleasant sound, though I was less aware of it as the holiday went on. What made it bearable was the engine response was instant and exact, the brakes were perfect, the mirrors were spot on and the handling was instinctive.

From Valez-Malaga we headed inland to Ventas de Zafarraya on roads that got better as they got higher. I quickly forgot about my arse as we started negotiating the hair pins and switch backs while trying to catch glimpses of the stunning scenery. Taking your eyes off those roads was brave. I found I was having to work much harder then I expected to get the bike to take the lines I wanted and was continually running wide on exits which you do not really want to do on a road this blind and twisty when carrying a passenger not really fond of heights. It was only after we went through the pass at Ventas and got onto the straight (but not very smooth) roads through the market gardens to Alhama that I worked out what was happening. Two up, we totally swamped the suspension. Going into corners on the brakes was pitching the bike forward and when driving out of them, the back end was diving so much that my steering was all over the place. I blame the long travel and never actually bottoming or topping out, along with all the distractions of the roads and scenery for being so slow on the uptake and though I did find out how to ride around it, I didn't master it until the third day and it still was not ideal. Normally when cornering, I brake in, cruise through the apex and drive out. What I had to do was brake before, stabalise, and apply steady power from the turn in all the way through the corner and out again so that the bike didn't change pitch. Fortunatly the Spanish are really, really good at building roads and I didn't have a single corner that tightened up on me or pot hole to be avoided mid corner.   

From Alhama, we were on the A338 almost all the way to Granada. More stunning scenery and truly great roads but ridden very smoothly and quite slowly and even so, our arses were hurting a lot by the time we got there. One issue was that IMHO the footpegs are just a bit too far back so you end up just catching your heels on them like a bar stool. This makes it very difficult to spread your weight on your feet and even taking your weight to reposition your arse becomes a challenge after a while.

After a fabulous night in Granada, and a guided tour of the Alhambra in the morning, we set off in the afternoon of day two to El Chorro via Antequera. To be honest, I was a bit nervous after the previous days handling and the extra tension did nothing to improve my comfort. One new lesson learnt on the hour or so of motorway driving was that the sweat spot for comfort is between 100 and 110km/h. The bike will happily do 130+ all day, but the rider will not be so happy nor the pillion. Perhaps adjusting the screen would have helped, but like the seat, it was not obvious how to do that without a manual in hand. We got to Antequera about 5 in the afternoon, and unlike here, that is the hottest part of the day, so we limited our stop to a soft drink as it was just to hot to explore the place in bike gear. Another lesson worth thinking about when planning my next trip. 

From Antequera we come off the motorway onto the A384 and A357 and the roads just got better and better. Finally, the bike was in its real comfort zone, cruising comfortably on quality sweeping A roads. I didn't have much to overtake but when I did the Tracer made very light work of it. That engine really is a peach. Our hotel was located where the three lakes meet and is the entry way to the Caminito del Rey, which was the purpose of our trip. The final roads we took are on some maps but not others and meandered through soft, rolling country side that was really beautiful and not at all what I expected in Spain.

After a day spent there (a place we will go back to as we only scratched the surface of what it has to offer) it was time to head home again and return the bike. A ridiculously twisty road brought us down the side of the lake to Ardales where we got petrol. I don't know how much I started with but I put in less then 30 litres for a 550km round trip and it was well over half full when I returned it. Then up to the A367 to Ronda. I had heard a rumour that there might be some Vultures visible in the valley and we were treated to a huge flock, with birds from tree top level to so high they were just dots in the sky.

The road from Ronda back down to San Pedro is justifiably famous and now I had worked out how to deal with the (lack of) suspension, it was an absolute joy. The one issue with this road is that you usually get stuck behind someone which destroys your rhythm, but for perhaps the first time, I had a clear road from shortly after starting downhill until three or four miles from the end. Heaven!

What I didn't like: The seats. The suspension. The Sound.
What I did like: The engine. The handling. The looks.

Would I but one? I will have to think about that.

[lew600fazer]

Cracking post Paul. I have a local dealer getting Yamaha Spain bringing an MT-07 and the MT-07 Moto Cage version also the MT-09  & Tracer next week hopefully for a try out.
As you say the Spanish know how to build roads?? well I would say they are masters at maintaining what they have got.

[Hedgetrimmer]

Very interesting write-up, but I'm still not convinced I'll ever replace the gen 1; especially now it's been freshly serviced and is tip-top again.
I think part of the good pricing on these new MT-based bikes is due to them putting on budget suspension. I don't really think that is a huge problem; after all, I've spent a fair few bucks to upgrade mine on the Fazer, but would be nice if maybe on future models they could offer something a bit better, give people the choice. After all, it must be nice if you can afford to buy something where that doesn't need to be touched.

Still not wowed by the look of them myself either, but that's a subjective thing.

[AyJay]

Yes, cracking post. More! Anyone else tried a Tracer?


As for budget suspension - you do wonder why the Japanese keep doing this. The Suzuki GSX1000F has been criticised for budget suspension as has the MT07 and 09. Seriously, it costs 400 quid for a really decent aftermarket job, so you'd expect a manufacturer to be able to get a similar quality shock for a say a hundred less, knock off a couple of hundred saving on not using the useless original which means getting a decent quality shock should only cost a hundred or so extra? Why don't they? Baffles me. Answers on a postcard.


Even if it added 400 quid to the cost of the bike, it'd be worth it. But then again, how many Japanese bikes use top quality correctly sprung shocks? Not many, is the answer. Even some of the top sports bike are sold with badly set up suspension which is why MCT, etc are in business.

[Val]

great review I wish Yamaha read it 

[Minty]

Good write up, would you trade your FZ for the tracer??

I like the look of the Tracer, just wish they'd do a 1050cc/150bhp version, then I'd be really tempted

[Millietant]

Great post Paul, but I'm a bit confused by your issue with the cornering approach that you said you "had" to adopt - "What I had to do was brake before, stabalise, and apply steady power from the turn in all the way through the corner and out again so that the bike didn't change pitch"

That sounds like the approach I was taught as the correct one - brake to turn-in, then controlled acceleration through the corner. Keeps the bike stable and helps "feel" for traction as powering out.

[slimwilly]

A good read,thanks for that,,my brother has a house in that area, been there a couple of times,,very nice countryside,and Vultures too,,
Did you see that wooden footpath around the mountain in one place ?

I hope we decide to go to Spain next year , I would look forward to it.
I did a similar trip 8 years ago ,flew to Madrid, hired a bike to get to Valecia moto gp,,,it sure makes it easy,especially when EasyJet did £40 return November travel

[kitcrazy]

Had one for six months and put 5k on the clock great bike good mpg two up and was just as fast as the fazer and so much lighter.i really thought it was going to be my last bike but found it so uncomfortable. I think the ridding position was to upright for me so sold it on and now back to a gen1

[PaulSmith]

Good write up, would you trade your FZ for the tracer??

I like the look of the Tracer, just wish they'd do a 1050cc/150bhp version, then I'd be really tempted

That is a tougher question then I thought it would be. You would have to factor in the cost for suspension, saddle and exhaust system upgrades which means it is no longer a budget bike. I thought I would miss the shear power of the Fazer, but with hindsight, I realised that I didn't even think of it once. It always had enough power to do what I wanted.

To answer your question would I trade, I think I would have say, not yet. The good bits really are very, very good, but the whole package is not complete ? I am keeping an eye on the user forums (which are nowhere near as good as this one) to see if they come up with effective solutions. Otherwise, wait and see if next years model fixes some of the problems.

[PaulSmith]

Great post Paul, but I'm a bit confused by your issue with the cornering approach that you said you "had" to adopt - "What I had to do was brake before, stabalise, and apply steady power from the turn in all the way through the corner and out again so that the bike didn't change pitch"

That sounds like the approach I was taught as the correct one - brake to turn-in, then controlled acceleration through the corner. Keeps the bike stable and helps "feel" for traction as powering out.

When you come off the brakes on the fazer (or most modern bikes), the back goes down and the front lifts and dampening stops and further movement so the bike is ready for the next input. Two up on the tracer, coming off the brakes starts a see-saw motion with the bike rocking backwards and forwards, which is uncomfortable in a straight line (but not a problem), but if you are cranked over trying to reach the apex, then the changing geometry  and with its longer suspension travel makes your line tighten as the nose drops and open out as the nose rises again. The effect is that instead of cornering in a smooth curve, it is like a set of connected straight lines. You can get on the power which will make the back end squat a bit but it doesn't stop the see-saw.

[PaulSmith]

A good read,thanks for that,,my brother has a house in that area, been there a couple of times,,very nice countryside,and Vultures too,,
Did you see that wooden footpath around the mountain in one place ?

I hope we decide to go to Spain next year , I would look forward to it.
I did a similar trip 8 years ago ,flew to Madrid, hired a bike to get to Valecia moto gp,,,it sure makes it easy,especially when EasyJet did £40 return November travel

The mountain footpath is the Caminito del Rey and we saw where it starts. Awesome! However, they close it on Mondays but we didn't know that when we booked. Next time

If you are doing another GP, consider the Jerez or Barcalona ones as as the surrounding roads for both are just awesome on a bike .

[JoeRock]

Great post Paul, but I'm a bit confused by your issue with the cornering approach that you said you "had" to adopt - "What I had to do was brake before, stabalise, and apply steady power from the turn in all the way through the corner and out again so that the bike didn't change pitch"

That sounds like the approach I was taught as the correct one - brake to turn-in, then controlled acceleration through the corner. Keeps the bike stable and helps "feel" for traction as powering out.

When you come off the brakes on the fazer (or most modern bikes), the back goes down and the front lifts and dampening stops and further movement so the bike is ready for the next input. Two up on the tracer, coming off the brakes starts a see-saw motion with the bike rocking backwards and forwards, which is uncomfortable in a straight line (but not a problem), but if you are cranked over trying to reach the apex, then the changing geometry  and with its longer suspension travel makes your line tighten as the nose drops and open out as the nose rises again. The effect is that instead of cornering in a smooth curve, it is like a set of connected straight lines. You can get on the power which will make the back end squat a bit but it doesn't stop the see-saw.

That makes it sound like its lacking rebound damping at both ends - and understeering into corners generally means you've not got sufficient preload - did you check the suspension? Might well be that someone has been playing around with it and set it up to handle like a bag of shit!

[Millietant]

Great post Paul, but I'm a bit confused by your issue with the cornering approach that you said you "had" to adopt - "What I had to do was brake before, stabalise, and apply steady power from the turn in all the way through the corner and out again so that the bike didn't change pitch"

That sounds like the approach I was taught as the correct one - brake to turn-in, then controlled acceleration through the corner. Keeps the bike stable and helps "feel" for traction as powering out.

When you come off the brakes on the fazer (or most modern bikes), the back goes down and the front lifts and dampening stops and further movement so the bike is ready for the next input. Two up on the tracer, coming off the brakes starts a see-saw motion with the bike rocking backwards and forwards, which is uncomfortable in a straight line (but not a problem), but if you are cranked over trying to reach the apex, then the changing geometry  and with its longer suspension travel makes your line tighten as the nose drops and open out as the nose rises again. The effect is that instead of cornering in a smooth curve, "it is like a set of connected straight lines". You can get on the power which will make the back end squat a bit but it doesn't stop the see-saw.

Aahh - the old "thrupenny bitting"

[Tribal Chestnut]

I was all set to buy a Tracer, but test rode it, & a few others, before getting an FZ1 - a bike which was not even under consideration at first.

[positron]

Great post. Brought back memories of hiring a Fazer 8 from motomercado in Fuengirola. Nice guys to deal with ,and the bike was in great condition despite the clock showing close to 70k kilometers.


We went from Benalmadena, and spend some time on that busy AP7 (motorway I think), and Spanish police stayed behind us for about 20 minutes, luckily we were warned by the motomercado lad that this is usual - everyone speeds there and Police always tries to catch tourists there as they try to keep up with the traffic). We then took off to Ronda (oh my god! epic is not the word! Super road, amazing views and Rhonda itself was amazing!). From there we went across Sierra De las Nieves national park (crap roads, but unbelievable scenery, entire valleys of olive plantations, tiniest of villages etc). It was best thing I have ever done in Spain. I can't wait to go back and to Benalmadena - Ronda - and somehow take the mountain roads to Caminito del Ray and back. Biker's paradise. I might rent out the Tracer this time around!


Thanks for the reminding me of that one good day from years ago!