Yamaha Tracer 700

Built:2016-2020162017201820192020

Photos: Motorradtest.de

Yamaha has a real bestseller in its range with the MT-07: class engine, chassis, and the quality is also right with the Naked bike. So it is obvious to expand the motorcycle line based on this bike. Voila – Appearance of the Yamaha Tracer 700, a crossover. And right away to us for the test.

No adventure bike

Developers do not have to have studied genius on a teaching position in order to come up with this possibility: you take the customer in the program and put on further models on his basis. The popular adventure bikes come to mind immediately, again the high talent still has a break. But you have to be precise, because the Tracer has not become a real travel enduro for every terrain, it should not be either. You have an attractive exterior, an upright sitting position, and the windscreen is on top. Terrain? Oh what, you can't do anything anyway.

There's something about it. She definitely does look good. By the way, the Yamaha is a good example of the worldwide division of labour: while the design and chassis come from Italy, the Japanese still push the engine and the gearbox from their homeland – to France, more precisely, where everything is then assembled.

Light but not unstable

Surprises usually fall out the same at Yamaha: there are hardly any. So the medium-loud engine starts immediately, the clutch is smooth and the gearbox is extremely precise. The two-cylinder, which sounds a bit rougher than normal twins due to the shifted lifting pin trick, attracts neatly. 74 hp are not the world at first. Until the clutch is rudely broken at the start and the view forward is clouded by the front wheel at eye level. There's a really great engine at work here, you just have to say that. For the sake of completeness, there is no traction control.

It proceeds unspectacularly and evenly fast due to the rather linear torque curve. And despite the fabulous engine, this is not the defining element of Yamaha. Driving physics determines something that cannot be replaced by double the power: a low weight is always an advantage. This is not only true in the terrain, because she does not want to go there – see above. But how the tracer steers in, so spontaneous, light and yet trusting, that has something. This feature is supported by the comparatively small 17-inch front wheel. In this form, only the brutal Ducati Multistrada 1260 can afford such a thing.

Brutal? There is nothing further that the Yamaha would be further. Rather, she is the well-groomed companion for every day, of course quite suitable for travel. However, it does not have a high continuous speed on the motorway. The driving resistancewins against 74 hp, comfortable travel instead of lawn is the order of the day. A short grip to the windshield, it comes six centimeters higher, and relaxing is the slogan.