New Tracer 900 GT gets a 1000mile weekend welcome to MCN, plus 890 Adv gets ready to camp
A gentle 1006.5-mile weekend ride welcomes the Yamaha Tracer 9GT to the fleet
I’m a spontaneous person and the last few months, like the rest of the country, I’ve had my wings clipped. But as lockdown eases, a Bank Holiday beckons and a brandnew Yamaha Tracer 9GT sits in the garage, resistance is futile. Friday night a plan forms, and here I am, at 6am on Sunday, bleary eyed and waving goodbye to my cat.
0 miles
I’m only away for the night, so the panniers are a little overkill but I want to get used to them and I do a quick test to prove Yamaha’s claim – they will hold a full-faced lid.
104 miles
An hour into my journey and the heated grips are welcome, the forecast promised glorious sunshine but I’m shrouded in mist and a cool 8°C shows on the dash. The dial to operate the grips is fiddly, I scroll through to highlight the heated grip icon. Ten settings to choose from, I opt for the mid-way point, they take a few seconds to heat up and my fingers warm through.
222 miles
Welcome to Scotland! I cross the border and pull into Gretna Green for a cuppa, it’s 19° and sunny. Motorways make for fast progress but at faster speeds the same problem as the old model is evident, the screen is loud – not unbearable but noisy. I’ll investigate but suspect a flip from MRA will help.
498.5 miles
I head out towards the Isle of Skye,
I notice fuel is extortionate, it’s almost £1.60 a litre, 30p more per litre than I’d paid for my last tank in Fort William.
With flowing bends, the A87 is fantastic, it’s a shame I’m starting to tire, the surroundings are stunning and I’m sure would be more enjoyable if I’d not been on the road for the last ten hours. Tiredness is soon forgotten as I round the final bend and see the fabulous Eilean Donan Castle come into view.
616 miles
Breakfast at the Green Welly, it’s 9am and a totally different experience to my lunch stop yesterday. Sunday afternoon and bikes were parked everywhere, this morning just me and a couple of others are enjoying a bowl of porridge. It’s a great stop off point, in the small village of Tyndrum, on the edge of Rannoch Moor and vast mountains of Glencoe.
723 miles
There are four riding modes and two suspension settings. I opt to stick in D-Mode 2, which claims to have a moderate engine response and I find it suits my riding. My route’s mainly motorways and major roads, I’ve stuck with SUSMode A2, the comfort setting, and I’m finding that the ride’s smooth and for today I’ll not test the sportier settings.
782 miles
Bank Holiday traffic is torture, I’ve left the M6 to join the A66, it’s a dull road, made worse by miles of stationary traffic. My mirrors stand tall and like a cat’s whiskers, if they get through a gap, the rest of the bike follows.
902 miles
It’s time for a final fuel up, for me and the bike. Wetherby services aren’t the most salubrious surroundings but I don’t care, M&S Iced Spiced Buns beckon and it’s a relief to be off the bike for half an