YAMAHA TRACER 700 (2020 - on) Review

Braking progressive and powerful enough. Ride quality is excellent, the suspension smooths out poor road surfaces and is confidence inspiring

The cross plane twin is brilliant. Tractable in almost any gear and with a smooth linear power delivery. Sounds great too.

No problems to report and finish is good

Great fuel economy and the engine is a peach

A bit basic but the bike is great value for money. Definitely recommend heated grips and lack of a centre stand is something that annoys me (to be fair, that's not just Yamaha). And range to empty display on the dash would be nice, especially when touring. The Michelin Pilot 4 tyres are great.

ride quality is good but more average. I do not recommend tracer 7 for drivers who want more sportiness. brakes are good. the suspension is a weak point tracer 7. very very too soft. an extremely weak point is the wind visor. it's too small and even though I swapped it with Puig it still wasn't good. at a speed of 140 km/h and further, the helmet came into a kind of turbulence. very unpleasant.

probably one of the best in not the best 2 cylinder inline engines on the market right now. responsive in every moment. high torque and consumption. never poor on horse power. perfect.

Never let me down.

it is cheap to maintain. consumption of 3.5 to 4 liters even with a passenger. service 120 euros. I didn't change the rest. when I sold the tracer it had 4000 km.

Wind visor is nightmare ( not GT version).

Excellent feel, well braked front and rear, progressive not snatchy. Good for up to 2 hours before a break, but would happily spend all day on it with those comfort and coffee breaks. GT version has panniers and decent pillion accommodation, though I might be looking at a bigger bike for 2 up touring comfort.

It's a peach, pure and simple. It's all been said before, and the engine's great reputation is justified.

All good here. Perhaps should re-visit when it's gone through a winter, but overall finish looks high quality.

Not over-laden with tech, eg rider modes, and screen is black and white, not colour. So what?

I'm giving it a 4 as if I was being totally critical then the shock is occasionally under damped. But I am being harsh as it's the first Yamaha that I've owned where I don't feel the need to upgrade the suspension - It's very good as stock. The brakes are brilliant, I own 2 bikes with Brembo's and these Nissin brakes are superb. 8 hours a day is no problem for me on this bike. The lightweight handling nature of it means that I don't get as tired as I would on my bigger bikes after a long day of Welsh mountain roads. This bike will sit comfortably on the motorway at legal and maybe 100mph but it really shines when one avoids the 'big' roads and goes on A/B/Unclassified/Single track roads. I have taken it on gentle green lanes but as usual, tyres and clearance make it slow going. No slower than a GS or Multi though.

Could Yamaha make a boring engine if they tried?! I still believe that the CP3 is my favourite UK road engine but this is phenomenal. How an engine with such 'little' power, comparatively, can work in absolutely every single situation is remarkable. There's always enough power - Whatever the situation. There's a reason all the journo's love it. Fuelling is good, surprisingly it has great engine braking which some bikes with slipper clutches seem to lack nowadays.

It's a Yamaha. If only my European and American bike was as well made.

I'm guessing a bit at the annual service cost but this is dealership prices down south. Would cost a pittance at an independent one would imagine. It's a low stressed parallel twin and Japanese.

I think that it should have come with the USB outlet. Not a huge expense but it would have been nice and a must for touring. A touring screen would be welcome but at least the stock screen has no real buffeting as it directs the air at my clavicle - preferable for me over the torture felt from the buffeting screens of a V-Strom thou or 1260s. The stock PR4's are good and they have taken me down some shabby roads and 'off road' without issue - there's just something about them that when you're leant right over they seem to 'dip in' so I will most likely change for some 01SE's. In an ideal world I would have CC but then that would take away from the beauty of this bike which is back to basics, lightweight fun.

Heading up hill to through the twisties the Tracer 7 reminds you of the first day you rode a real motorcycle. There will be a big grin in that helmet. Coming down the other side there is nothing wrong with the way the Tracer brakes. However, there are times when the front can feel a little long when you’ve been put some heat into the discs. The bike sits totally on the line of sport touring. It’s clearly neither and yet it’s just the right mix of both. Fun on the bends and well behaved on a long run.

The 7 leaves you with a smile. You chose a middle weight for a reason. That reason is the 700cc Yamaha twin power unit.

The matte finish looks lovely in the showroom I’m less convinced now it’s out on the road. Switch gear is horrid. The turn indicators switch feels cheap and is so small it gets lost in your glove. For me horn is far too far to RH side.

Nothing here is going to break the bank.

Great and clearly laid out screen with info in all the right places. However, the list of extras you’ll probably want is going to add up. Comfort seat, touring screen and adjustable clutch lever will probably be your top 3.

I find the brakes a bit grabby sometimes on the front, and also the throttle can be jumpy if you are not used to it. The suspension is clean and crisp and there is plenty of lower end torque to get you moving in pretty much any gear. I have the lowered seat and the weekend pack with the soft panniers. They extend the bikes usability and look really good. The USB port is a must if you are going for a long ride and going to be using satnav or your phone as a satnav. Bike is comfortable for a few hours at a time but a break is recommended just to stretch the legs.

Plenty of bottom end torque, revvy range and will sit at 70mph all day if thats what you want from it or bend it like Beckham and have a bit of fun on corners, it can do both!

Because its still under warranty, i always have it serviced at a Yamaha Dealership which can be a lot more expensive than an independent garage.

The higher screen on the weekend pack is still noisy but it does keep the air off you, and riding in the wet isn't too bad either as the shape of the fairing keeps most of the rain off your legs. The instrument screen is great, crystal clear in any light. If i had one complaint, it would be to make the indicators just a bit bigger as they can be hard to see.

Suspension feels better than old bike. brakes powerful enough for me.

briliant through the range

Only a 1,000 miles so far but everything solid. The plastics now use less bolts and more plastic clips - easyt to get apart but not sure about longf term.

I do my own servicing - mostly easy