Back in July, 2022, we took a look at some spy photos that showed Yamaha testing a new radar adaptive cruise control system on the 2023 Tracer 9 GT. Since it’s seemingly now the era of top-of-the-range sport touring machines with variations of this feature installed, it’s a move that absolutely made sense. While Team Blue wasn’t the first OEM to implement such technology, it was also clearly keen to not get left out in the cold.
Sure enough, in November, 2022, the 2023 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+ officially made its worldwide debut at EICMA. The adaptive cruise control we’d previously had a peek at was revealed to offer four different following distance options, all displayed on the 7-inch TFT dash for the rider to choose from. Cornering and passing assist, a new Unified Braking System that utilizes input from the ACC and the six-axis IMU, KYB semi-active suspension—all these features and more indicate that the flagship Tracer 9 GT+ is intended to be far greater than the sum of its parts.
Then, of course, came the waiting. OEMs with a global presence like Yamaha’s may choose to roll models out in different markets at different times. Given Yamaha’s supply chain issues in the past few years, it seems likely that it would prefer to err on the side of caution, choosing to under-promise and over-deliver rather than the other way around. (While Team Blue certainly wasn’t the only OEM to suffer such issues, it was one of the most open OEMs about its struggles while they were going on, speaking and apologizing about delays in the international press.) Although Yamaha US has announced the majority of its 2023 lineup as of April 7, 2023, some models conspicuously did not receive updates—including the 2022 Tracer 9 GT.
Gallery: CARB Executive Order for 2024 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+
Motorcycle sales figures have shown that sport touring models like the Tracer 9 GT tend to sell particularly well in Europe, but when could we expect the technologically enhanced Tracer 9 GT+ to come stateside? According to a California Air Resources Board New Vehicle and Engine Certification Executive Order filed on February 23, 2023, the Tracer 9 GT+ appears to be on its way to America as a 2024 model. Dennis Chung over at Motorcycle.com has a detailed breakdown and decoding of the alphabet-soup code that designates this model at the link you’ll find in our Sources.
The first page of the CARB document clarifies the model year as 2024, in addition to listing detailed exhaust and hydrocarbon emissions information, while the second page actually lists the specific model. It’s possibly worth noting that the Tracer 9 GT+ is the only model listed on this particular Executive Order. However, it’s also important to understand that new CARB Executive Orders for different OEMs roll out at different times and aren’t generally all issued at once for any given model year. Thus, additional Executive Orders regarding additional model certifications could be issued in the coming months.
While a CARB order tells us nothing about US pricing, we can say for certain that the 2022 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT starts at an MSRP of $14,999 in the US. Meanwhile, the 2023 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+ starts at an MSRP of £14,910 in the UK, which works out to about $18,505 as of April 7, 2023. A glance at the Yamaha Italia page reveals the 2023 Tracer 9 GT+ MSRP to be €16,499, which works out to about $17,990. Price conversions between markets are rarely so direct, but does this mean that we can expect the Tracer 9 GT+ to go for around $18,000 in the US? Only time will tell.
Gallery: 2023 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+
