2026 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+ Y-AMT Review

Yamaha’s Tracer 9 has long been one of the smarter real-world sports-tourers in the market, and the latest GT+ Y-AMT does little to change that underlying appeal. The 890 cc CP3 triple is still a gem, the riding position is all-day comfortable, the screen and weather protection are much improved, and the standard luggage makes it genuinely useful rather than just theoretically practical.

The more complicated part is the tech. The Y-AMT automated manual transmission works well in the right setting, the radar cruise and Matrix LED headlight add genuine touring value, and the semi-active suspension remains a strong part of the package. But not everything feels as intuitive or polished as it should on a $30,299 ride-away motorcycle.

After more than 1000 km in a day on the run to Sydney, the Tracer proved again that its fundamentals are excellent. The question is whether Yamaha’s newest layer of automation and connectivity is enough of an improvement to justify choosing it over the already-capable standard GT, which retails for $25,889 ride-away.

What’s new on the Tracer 9 GT+ Y-AMT

The fundamentals are familiar. Engine and chassis changes are limited, while the real focus for 2026 is on aero, ergonomics and electronics. On the GT Plus, that means revised bodywork and screen, tighter integration of the semi-active suspension, and Yamaha’s Y-AMT automated manual transmission.

Engine and road manners

That engine, while unchanged, remains as brilliant as ever. It is the same 890 cc CP3 inline triple used in the MT-09, R9 and XSR900 GP, and it remains the star of the package. It dishes out 119 hp and 93 Nm of torque and does so in such a linear, flexible fashion that proves deceptively quick in the way only Yamaha’s triple seems to manage. There are no weak spots in the delivery, and the CP3 soundtrack remains one of the bike’s defining strengths.

Comfort, screen and luggage

The most obvious updates are up front, where Yamaha has reworked the screen, fairing and headlight treatment. The new screen is a genuine improvement and one of the best things about the bike for cleaning up the airflow and reducing buffeting.

Even as someone who usually tolerates mediocre wind protection without much complaint, I was very happy sitting behind the Tracer’s screen on the run to Sydney. By the second fuel stop, it was obvious how little fatigue was building.

The seat feels firmer than expected at first, but that never translates into discomfort. Even after 11.5 hours in the saddle, it was still doing its job well.

And while that frontal styling treatment can take some time to grow on you, I can confirm that the Matrix headlight setup is one of the most effective I’ve used in some time. Illumination is excellent, rivalling the small spotlight setup I have on my adventure bikes for lighting up the night and helping me spot the odd maniacal macropod. Big tick there.

The Matrix setup does smart things, contouring around oncoming lights to give you maximum illumination. As a general rule, I have issues being on the ‘receiving end’ of many of those systems, but from the rider’s point of view, it seems to do what it says on the box.

The redesign continues beyond the front end, with Yamaha trying to integrate the panniers more cleanly into the overall shape. Whether the styling fully wins you over is subjective, but the luggage certainly looks more purpose-built than tacked on.

Seat height is adjustable between 845 mm and 860 mm, which is 25 mm taller than before. At 181 cm, I had no trouble with standover or getting a foot down, and the sidestand length also makes the bike easy to manage when parking.

The panniers are well integrated, easy to remove, and usefully sized at 30 litres per side. In fact, I think the bike looks more complete with them fitted.

Y-AMT transmission on the road

The other major update is the Y-AMT gearbox. It can run in full auto or be shifted manually via paddles on the left switchblock, but there is no conventional foot lever.

The shift from neutral to first initially felt a little abrupt, although that edge seemed to ease once a few kilometres were under the belt. Beyond that, actual shifts are clean and direct, rev-matching is handled well, and the system quickly makes sense once you understand where it prefers to shift.

Auto mode feels happiest on open roads. In heavy traffic and low-speed filtering, the clutch action can feel a little touchy, and manual mode improves things immediately.

I would like the system a lot more if Yamaha had retained a conventional foot shifter, as BMW has with ASA. Putting the shift controls beside the indicators adds unnecessary cognitive load, especially when approaching corners. Downshifting and indicating simultaneously were confusing at times. Bring back a supplementary foot lever here, at least make it an option, please.

The GT+ with the AMT option tips the scales at 232 kg – around five kilos heavier than the GT and roughly nine kg heavier than its predecessor. That extra weight is primarily down to the Y-AMT hardware, radar, lighting and associated electronics.

Chassis, suspension and braking

The KYB semi-active suspension carries over from the previous generation, with a tweak in how tightly it is integrated into the updated ride modes. A quick swap from Sport to Street will soften things up on the suspension front, and I can confirm it is noticeable.

Personally, I found the Street settings a little too soft on the rebound, which translated to the bike feeling a little floaty over bumps and dips – much more controlled in the Sport mode without being overly harsh.

Yamaha says the suspension also reacts during gearshifts to reduce pitch and smooth the transition, which is a clever piece of integration on paper.

And so now we get to the remaining electronics update. While there are some good elements here, I have to say this was probably the biggest area of disappointment for me. One little miss rolled into the next, compounding small errors into a source of frustration.

Ride modes can be changed on the move, but not as intuitively as they should be. The throttle must already be fully closed before the mode button will even start scrolling through settings. Which means you’re coasting for a lot longer than in the normal scenario of finding your mode and then momentarily closing the throttle to lock it in. Not a show-stopper on its own, but… annoying.

The adaptive cruise can vary following distance, but the radar intervention itself cannot be fully disabled. That will frustrate riders who would rather use a conventional cruise and manage closing speed themselves.

As far as active cruise goes, it works fine, though if you do end up with some traffic on the highway, it’s a little on the cautious side, even when turned as far down as possible. It’s the equivalent of the stereotypical nervous passenger (hi Mum!) in the passenger seat of a car shouting ‘watch-out!’ when the car is 50 metres away… Not for me.

Electronics: brilliant ideas, uneven execution

But the biggest frustration came when it was time to test out the turn-by-turn navigation. I’d mistakenly assumed it would be a relatively easy thing to set up, what with it being 2026 and all, so I had left it until halfway to Sydney before deciding to get everything set up for navigation while I had a quick lunch.

That turned out to be a mistake. Set up required both a Yamaha app and a Garmin app, and despite Yamaha bundling the Garmin subscription, the whole process involved far more steps than it should have. A phone mount and a familiar navigation app would have been quicker and easier. Why don’t manufacturers just use Apple CarPlay if they can’t make it super simple?

In the end, despite downloading various apps, I couldn’t get it sorted en route. So I fell back on making repeated stops by the side of the road, looking at my phone, remembering the next three turns, pulling over again… Yes, I got there, but not with any help from the Tracer’s nav.

I tried again the next day and spent 45 minutes working through Bluetooth and Wi-Fi pairing, searching for fixes, and still couldn’t get the system to cooperate. At that point, the setup had stopped feeling modern and started feeling unfinished.

The saving grace here is that there is space above the standard dash that you could easily fit your Garmin Zumo XT or similar nav unit. There are cheap third-party brackets made specifically for exactly that.

I should mention that the updated 7-inch screen hardware itself is a quality unit and nicely anti-reflective. You get three dash display options to choose from, which should let you find one that floats your boat. I went for the simplest option, which had the downside of not displaying distance to empty when you had cruise control on. Again, in isolation, not a big issue.

Final thoughts

Those electronic niggles aside, the fundamentals remain excellent. The Tracer 9 GT+ is still a brilliant mile-eater that’s far more capable than it looks.

The bike is just as happy in town filtering through traffic as it is belting up a twisty road – even with a pillion on if you choose. It really is a great all-rounder.

Mechanically, the Y-AMT works well enough that I can see the appeal. But without a foot lever, I would still choose the conventional gearbox. Add a simple phone mount or a dedicated GPS bracket, and I’d be very happy to point a Tracer 9 GT Plus at a very long day in the saddle.

The non-Y-AMT Tracer 9 GT is $25,899 ride-away and still gets the CP3 engine, electronic suspension, quick-shifter, cruise control, TFT, smart key, panniers and the new screen, so the GT+ Y-AMT’s $30,299 price needs to be judged mainly against the value of Y-AMT, radar cruise, blind-spot detection and the extra integrated tech.

Tracer GT Plus Y-AMT hits

• That CP3 triple engine remains as brilliant as ever.
• Such a flexible, balanced package overall.
• Y-AMT auto box shifts cleanly and intuitively out on the open road.
• More comfortable than ever – especially that updated front screen.

Tracer GT Plus Y-AMT misses

• Y-AMT auto lacks a little polish in very slow traffic and when filtering (manual mode to the rescue).
• I’d prefer a foot lever to accompany the shift paddle at the bars for more flexibility.
• Some of the electronics don’t seem to be executed as well as they could be. Turn-by-Turn nav proved difficult to set up. Radar cruise can’t be fully deactivated. Ride modes require the throttle to be fully closed

Yamaha Tracer 9 GT Plus Y-AMT Specs

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