Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1515496
It wouldn't be a sport tour- ing test without talking about luggage capacity, and again, it's two answers to the same problem. The Yamaha runs two 30-liter side cases, whereas the Suzuki runs two 27.5-liter cases. However, the Yamaha's cases are taller and slimmer, which ensures not all full-face helmets fit—if you're running a lid like an Arai Corsair-X or Shoei X-Fifteen that has spoil - ers on them, you're out of luck. The Suzuki runs a more traditional (wider) shaped case that will accommodate a broader range of helmets, but they're not as svelte and look a little bulgy. But I guess that won't be a concern when you can fit your helmet in the Suzuki's cases and not in the Yamaha's. Perhaps by now you'd be thinking the Suzuki is going to win the test, and you'd be right, but it's not that clear-cut. The Suzuki is a more polished ar- ticle for the stuff I want—nicely setup, conventional suspen- sion, a ride position that takes weight off my tailbone without outing it on my wrists, and an engine that's a sheer joy to ride and listen to. The Yamaha, on the other hand, is a brilliantly executed bike and has so much more than the Suzuki in terms of electronics, especially the ra- dar-adaptive cruise control. The interesting thing to note is the Suzuki will most likely have to fit an IMU in the next few years and thus radar-adaptive cruise control, electronic suspension, cornering ABS, etc., will all COMPARISON I SUZUKI GSX-S1000GT+ VS YAMAHA TRACER 9 GT+ P88 2024 SUZUKI GSX-S1000 GT+ ($14,199) ENGINE: Four-stroke, four-cylinder, VALVETRAIN: DOHC, 16-valve COOLING SYSTEM: Liquid POWER: 149 hp at 11,000 rpm TORQUE: 78 lb-ft at 9250 rpm DISPLACEMENT: 999cc BORE X STROKE: 73.4 x 59mm COMPRESSION RATIO: 12.2:1 FUEL SYSTEM: EFI, 4 x 40mm throttle bodies EXHAUST: 4-2-1 TRANSMISSION: 6-speed CHASSIS: Aluminum twin-spar FRONT SUSPENSION: KYB fork, fully adjustable REAR SUSPENSION: KYB shock, adjust- able rebound damping and preload FRONT BRAKE: Brembo Monobloc 4-piston, radially mounted caliper, 310mm disc, ABS REAR BRAKE: Nissin 2-piston, fixed caliper, 240mm disc, ABS FRONT TIRE: 120/70 ZR17 in. REAR TIRE: 190/50 ZR17 in. WHEELBASE: 57.5 in SEAT HEIGHT: 31.9 in. FUEL CAPACITY: 5.0 gal. WEIGHT (CURB, CLAIMED): 498 lbs. zuki has in terms of ease of use remains to be seen, but for now, my vote—and I'm as surprised as anyone—is going to the Su- zuki. CN become a reality. As will a steep increase in price. It's inevitable. Whether that increase in adjustability/electronics then neuters the advantage the Su - S P E C I F I C AT I O N S 2024 YAMAHA TRACER 9 GT+ ($16,499) ENGINE: Four-stroke, three-cylinder VALVETRAIN: DOHC, 12-valve COOLING SYSTEM: Liquid POWER: 108 hp at 10,000 rpm TORQUE: 63 lb-ft at 7200 rpm DISPLACEMENT: 999cc BORE X STROKE: 78 x 62.1mm COMPRESSION RATIO: 11.5:1 FUEL SYSTEM: EFI, YCC-T, three 41mm throttle bodies EXHAUST: 3-2-1 TRANSMISSION: 6-speed CHASSIS: Cast aluminum FRONT SUSPENSION: 41 KYB electronically adjustable fork, rebound & compression, manually adj. preload REAR SUSPENSION: Single shock, electronically adj. rebound, manually adj. preload (remote) FRONT BRAKE: Monobloc 4-piston, radially mounted caliper, 298mm disc, ABS REAR BRAKE: Nissin 2-piston, fixed caliper, 267mm disc, ABS FRONT TIRE: 120/70 ZR17 in. REAR TIRE: 180/55 ZR17 in. WHEELBASE: 59.1 in. SEAT HEIGHT: 32.3/32.9 in. FUEL CAPACITY: 5.0 gal. WEIGHT (CURB, CLAIMED): 492 lbs.