Out of all the Japanese manufacturers, Yamaha might be the most serious about its sport touring reputation—perhaps because of its strong ties to the European market. And now, that interest in sport touring has resulted in an update to the Tracer 9 GT model. For 2023, we get the Tracer 9 GT+, with adaptive cruise control.
However, unlike previous machines from competitors with this feature, the adaptive cruise control on the GT+ is integrated into a combined braking system as well as the engine braking control. Or as Yamaha calls it, Unified Brake Control—and on this bike, that system is also tied into the stability control. If things are about to go sideways, the front and rear brake are respectively modulated to keep everything upright and inline (of course, cornering-sensitive ABS and TC are also standard).
For navigation on-tour, Yamaha gave the GT+ a 7-inch TFT screen, with sat-nav capability via a Garmin subscription, if the rider pays for it. Semi-active suspension comes standard, as does an advanced third-generation quickshifter.
Much of the rest of this machine is familiar, as it’s an upgraded version of Yamaha’s Tracer 9 GT. It’s based on the CP-03 engine, a crossplane triple that also appears in the FZ-09 and XSR900—it’s one of the most-trusted engines in Yamaha’s lineup. With the swanky new options on the Tracer 9 GT+, it seems all but confirmed that the FJR1300 is now on the chopping block. We’ve heard that for years, yes, but until now Yamaha never had a true replacement. It looks like this new GT might do the trick, even if it doesn’t have the shaft drive that so many FJR owners appreciated.
We don’t have confirmation that the GT+ will come to Canada for 2023, but we do expect it to arrive here eventually.
As of today it looks like they are keeping the FJR for one more year