Replacing the FJ-09 in Yamaha’s sport-touring lineup is the Tracer 900, which has been updated for 2019 and is now available in standard and GT versions. (Photos by Brian J. Nelson)
When Yamaha introduced its 847cc triple with a Crossplane Concept Crankshaft on the FZ-09 naked bike for 2014, it was revelatory?a powerful, audacious engine in a light, affordable package. The following year it was joined by the FJ-09, a more user-friendly and practical sport tourer built around the same feisty powerplant. Yamaha has decided to standardize its model names globally, so the FZ-09 is now known as the MT-09 and the FJ-09 is called the Tracer 900. Updated for 2019, the Tracer now comes in two versions, a standard model and a premium, touring-ready GT model. Read our 2017 Yamaha FZ-09 first ride review
Riding the Yamaha Tracer 900 GT through the canyon carved by the Klickitat River in southern Washington State, with Mount Adams in the background. The GT is an ideal motorcycle for solo sport touring.
You?d be hard pressed to find a better place to showcase the Tracer 900 GT than the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, which straddles the border between Washington and Oregon. Yamaha organized a 250-mile backroads test ride along the Columbia and Klickitat rivers and deep into the evergreens of Gifford Pinchot National Forest, a route highlighted by postcard vistas of snowcapped volcanic peaks. After that first ride, I took the long way home via the scenic byways of Oregon?...