Yamaha Tracer 7 and Tracer 7 GT (2025) – Review

Technical Review: Ben Purvis - May 2025
Riding Impressions: Simon Hargreaves - Oct 2025

Some might be tempted to dismiss a 689cc twin with 72hp as too small for serious sports-touring duties but if you’ve only got space or budget for one bike in your garage, you’d be foolish to overlook Yamaha’s Tracer 7 as a serious contender in the all-rounder stakes.

Stepping into the sort of do-everything slot that was once the realm of Fazers and Bandits, the Tracer might have fewer cylinders than its forebears but it’s a hugely competent machine that was still looking fresh five years on from its last styling revamp at the end of 2019. Now the latest 2025 version has been revealed, with updated looks, tweaked suspension, more tech and a longer range: dismiss it at your peril.

Pros & Cons

2025 Yamaha Tracer 7 - Price

The entry fee to 2025 Tracer 7 ownership sits at £8,804 regardless of whether you choose the ‘Redline’ model – the only bright-coloured version of the bike available, in red and black – or the ‘Midnight Black’ variant with its murdered-out, all-black appearance. That’s actually £16 less than the 2024 version’s RRP.

Adding the ‘GT’ letters to the name involves upping that payment by £1300, for an RRP of £10,104, around £400 more than the old GT, and gains you a tall screen, hard luggage, heated grips, a centre stand and more as well as gold-coloured forks and two different paint jobs. Both are subdued, though, with the ‘Icon Performance’ scheme mixing silver and black body panels with blue wheels but still remaining muted in appearance, while the ‘Tech Black’ version is another exercise in monochrome darkness.

2025 Yamaha Tracer 7 - Engine & Performance

Yamaha’s ‘CP2’ parallel twin needs little introduction here. It’s been a staple of the company’s lineup since its launch in the MT-07 more than a decade ago and sticks to the same 689cc capacity and low-70s horsepower figure that it’s sported in an array models from the Tenere 700 to the XSR700.

Changes for 2025 include Euro5+ certification and, importantly, the adoption of Yamaha’s YCC-T (Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle), which was the first production motorcycle ride-by-wire system when it was introduced on the R6 way back in 2006.

In terms of outright performance the Tracer is largely unchanged from its predecessor, with a peak of 72.4hp at 8750rpm and max torque of 50.2lbft at 7750rpm, but the electronic throttle means improved response and more rider aids, as well as the adoption of cruise control as standard.

Both the Tracer 7 and GT get two preset modes – ‘Sport’ and ‘Street’ – as well as a ‘Custom’ setting that can be tweaked to suit individual preferences. There are three power maps for the engine and two traction control settings. ‘Sport’ uses the most aggressive map and minimum traction control, while ‘Street’ softens the map to the middle mode and uses the higher level of traction control intervention. The third, softest engine map is designed for wet weather use, and can be selected independently or added into the ‘Custom’ riding mode.

Thanks to its 270-degree crank, the CP2 engine offers V-twin-like pulses, and it’s fitted as standard with an assist-and-slipper clutch, and for 2026 Yamaha has announced a version of the Tracer 7 and Tracer 7 GT with the option of its Y-AMT semi-automatic transmission (already available on the naked MT-07, which uses the same engine, as well as on the larger, three-cylinder MT-09, Tracer 9 GT and GT+ models).

Riding Impressions

One of the strengths of the Tracer 7’s 689cc CP2 parallel twin has always been not so much its outright power – these days, the motor’s 72bhp is looking a little underpowered compared to pokier rivals such as Triumph’s 81bhp Tiger Sport 660, or Suzuki’s 83bhp V-Strom 800RE – but the sheer exuberance of the motor’s delivery. Perky, peppy, always up for a giggle, the motor responded to a rider’s throttle inputs with a leaping enthusiasm – it was partly down to the way Yamaha fuelling engineers designed the injection and ignition mapping to perform; it’s how Yamaha like their engines to behave, across the board. Yamaha’s CP range could be characterised as maniacal (CP4 in the MT-10), thrilling (CP3 in the Tracer 9) and funky (Tracer 7’s CP2).

And it’s worked – since the introduction of the CP2 motor in 2014, Yamaha have built almost 400,000 of them across Europe, fitted to the MT-07, XSR700, R7, multiple Ténéré 700 variants, and the Tracer 7 and 7 GT. The only style of bike it hasn’t powered is a cruiser or a maxi-scoot. Thank god. It illustrates how flexible the engine is, as well as how popular it’s proved.

Although on paper the 2025 Euro5+ CP2’s output is all but identical to its Euro5 predecessor, there are subtle differences. Power is the same claimed 72bhp at the same 8750rpm, but torque is up by a grand 1 lb.ft, still peaking at 6500rpm. Claimed fuel consumption is a fraction better, at 67.3 to 68.9mpg (depending on which Yamaha press release you read) against the 2024 bike’s 65.7mpg, and CO2 emissions are a little cleaner at 97g/km v 100g/km. That’ll save the bees.

Yamaha’s own claimed dyno curves show the Euro5+ engine making more power and torque pretty much everywhere in the rev range apart from at peak. Have to say, the Tracer 7 GT doesn’t feel like that on the road – the motor is as strong and willing as ever, romping through its smoother-acting 6-speed box like a giddy spaniel until it hits its stride at 70mph at a mere 4500rpm for relaxed motorway cruising. It’s a deeply charismatic and entertaining lump of mechanical design and engineering, and the Euro5+ motor isn’t down on power.

But it does feel slightly less carefree and energetic as the original Tracer’s engine – as if it’s grown up a fraction, or calmed down a bit. This probably isn’t something you could see just by looking at WOT (wide open throttle) dyno results – but I reckon a gander under the hood at the 2025 Tracer’s fuelling map would give a clearer picture. I’d bet it’s been trimmed. Again, important to understand this isn’t a less powerful motor, or less impressive; just the way it delivers its power is slightly more refined. Maybe it’s growing up with its market.

In town the Tracer is as benign as always, scuttling smartly though traffic with maximal ease – the new, featherweight slipper clutch is little-finger light at the lever, throttle response is precise without a trace of snatch. There can’t be many ways of making faster, more civilised progress through an urban environment. On faster roads, out in the countryside, the Tracer 7 will properly fly along if you hustle it, but here the engine is less impressive; being caned is not its natural habitat and it starts to run out of puff right at the point you want your socks well and truly blown off. That’s why there’s a Tracer 9.

2025 Yamaha Tracer 7- Handling & Suspension (inc. Weight)

While the essence of the bike’s steel tube backbone chassis is carried over from the previous model, it’s actually substantially revised: outwardly similar to its predecessor, every element bar the headstock has been revised for tube diameter and wall thickness, as well as layout and mounting strength – increasing rigidity in every plane by 13%. The swingarm pivot has been reinforced, and the aluminium swingarm itself lengthened 40mm for increased stability – rake angle remains at 25° as before, but trail goes out from 90mm to 99mm and wheelbase from 1460 to 1495mm.

Suspension is changed at both ends and paired to new brakes for the 2025 machine.

Up front, the KYB forks – previously conventional, right-way-up units – are now an inverted 41mm design, with adjustable rebound damping. These should be more rigid than their predecessors for improved front end feedback and feel.

The brakes, too, are changed, with new radial-mount four-piston calipers in place of the old model’s axial-mount units, and the wheels have a redesigned spoke layout and wear Michelin Pilot Road 6 GT rubber.

Perhaps thanks to those suspension changes, the 2025 Tracer 7 and GT are a fraction heavier than their predecessors, with the base model coming in at 203kg (previously 197kg) wet, while the GT, with panniers and a centre stand, is 212kg instead of the previous 210kg.

Riding impressions

The Tracer 7’s key handling trait of low-speed manageability and agility coupled with mid-speed stability hasn’t changed significantly. The bike is still an absolute doddle to flick around town, easy to balance trickling along at walking pace, steering with high wide bars for lots of leverage, able to change direction with a thoughtless nudge and shift in bodyweight – for 2025 the bike feels a fraction heavier and a whole lot less bouncy on its new suspension. So ride quality is improved with a new plushness (offset entirely by the abysmal encrapification of the UK road network in the last 12 months, so you know, thanks Yamaha but don’t stop there). But there’s a slightly less ‘Tigger-ish’, more refined edge to the Tracer 7 GT’s steering – again, as if the bike has grown up and calmed down a little.

The new chassis and steering geometry is more noticeable at pace over bumpy As and Bs, and on the motorway, where the Tracer chassis has more composure and is less reactive to changes in camber and road surface – you feel less of the road surface’s white noise bleeding through bars, pegs and seat and interfering with handling feedback, so the new bike’s dynamic is more relaxing and reassuring, and less frenetic. It’s also marginally less involving, if you’re the kind of rider who likes some back-and-forth with your bike – some of us prefer a bit of bantz with our machine; after all, who wants to be mates with Peter Perfect?

What’s definitely improved for every kind of rider is front end feedback – combined with Michelin Road 6 rubber, you can now brake to turns with much more confidence – there’s a stronger feeling of compression damping under sharper, stronger brake loading, then less pogo-ing back as you feed out brake pressure and ease onto neutral throttle. It’s a welcome upgrade.

2025 Yamaha Tracer 7 - Comfort & Economy

The new bodywork is paired with revisions to the riding position, with bars mounted 30mm higher than before and 25mm wider to increase leverage and give a more upright riding position.

A new, two-piece seat is also introduced instead of the previous one-piece, stepped design. The rider’s section is height-adjustable, with a 20mm range, without the need for tools, and the pillion seat is 40mm longer than before for more room. On the GT, the seats have thicker cushioning and a different surface to improve comfort.

Both versions of the bike are quoted with the same fuel economy – 68.9mpg – which is a fraction better than the 65.7mpg of the 2024 version, and the restyle brings with it an 18-litre tank instead of the previous version’s 17-litre design, so range should be improved to a theoretical 272 miles from the old bike’s 245 miles.

On the GT, there’s a 90mm taller windscreen, adjustable by 60mm, and it’s 1mm thicker than before to make it more rigid. The standard Tracer 7 gets a lower, tinted screen. The GT also features heated grips as standard, with three temperature settings.

Riding impressions

Along with evolving the Tracer 7 GT’s engine and chassis dynamic, Yamaha have also upgraded the Tracer’s perception of quality and finish detailing. The previous Tracer was very much built to a budget and you didn’t have to look (or ride) too far to spot the trimmed corners – axial brakes, rwu teles, LCD dash, lack of options.

So for the new Tracer, time has been spent ramping up the quality of the bits you see, touch and sit on. This includes the seats – now thicker, two-piece and two-way height adjustable by flipping plastic underneath. The uptick in quality is visually obvious – the seats look premium – but also in actual use. The old Tracer was in no way uncomfortable, but its narrow seat fell out with your buttocks before a riding day was done. The new bike’s wider, deeper, more memory-foam perch, topped with a kind of Alcantara material, is a big improvement and the instant your bum lands on it, you know it’s going not going to be an impediment to all-day touring (the GT seat adds 10mm to the old Tracer’s seat height – that’s the padding – but it extends the rider’s knee angle and leg room because pegs are the same height as before).

The front end is renewed too, with the entire dash assembly raised higher in the rider’s eyeline for less fatigue and easier visibility. Bars have an upgraded anodised finish, and are wider and higher for easier reach and more control, now sitting on risers integrated into the top yoke. Even hand guards, fitted as standard, are redesigned for better protection, and heated grips are standard too.

The GT’s screen is redesigned with 90mm more height and 60mm of adjustment using a central handle (which is a bit stiff; needs some lube). The screen is also 1mm thicker than before, for less vibration at speed. The previous Tracer’s sometimes fairly intense screen buffeting is more likely to be resolved for most people – and it was fine for me – but it’s still the same width, with extreme cutaways (presumably for handlebar clearance at full lock) and the absence of wind deflectors in that areas means it won’t be entirely draught-free for everyone.

The old Tracer had a generous riding position – plenty of room for long legs, short arms, weird body shapes – and the ergonomics of the new bike are just as good. Narrow but not insubstantial, the Tracer 7 never suffered from ‘toy-bike syndrome’ and the increase in finish quality reinforces the GT’s claim to adulthood. It’s a good place to spend a day riding. And the new tank makes that a more possible option – a litre larger than before, at 18 litres, the Tracer counters the modern trend to make tanks smaller. This is a good thing – okay, so the kerb weight of the Tracer might be 9kgs up on the old bike, but it’s worth an extra kilo of tank and fuel for the increase in range. At a calculated 50.1mpg of fairly mixed riding, the Tracer would get 200 miles from the tank, to empty; reserve comes in at around 160 miles. It may only be a few more miles than the 17-litre tank, but have you tried pushing a Tracer 7 GT for a few miles?

2025 Yamaha Tracer 7 - Equipment

While the Tracer 7 already featured a 5-inch TFT dash, Yamaha says the version on the 2025 model is a new design to the same dimensions, complete with the usual array of smartphone connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation via Garmin’s StreetCross app.

Other new additions for 2025 include redesigned bar controls, a USB-C charging port and revised turn signals that now self-cancel and have a three-flash lane-change mode. Emergency Stop Signalling flashes the hazards under hard braking, too.

The adoption of ride-by-wire means cruise control is also now standard on both versions of the bike. It’s available at speeds above 40km/h (25mph) and from third gear upwards, and can be adjusted by either 1km/h or 10km/h increments. Disengaging the cruise is done either from the button, dipping the clutch, braking or twisting the throttle forwards.

Riding impressions

The new clock design, with four different display options, is very good – easy to read, easy to navigate with the new joystick switchgear. There are two rider modes, Sport and Street, plus a custom mode to save your preferred settings for traction control and throttle response – most sensible riders will set Custom up as a Rain mode, with max TC and softest throttle response, rather than using it to turn TC (and anti-wheelie) off. Won’t they. Won’t they? The clocks also happily show a sat nav map, when connected to a smartphone running the free Garmin Streetcross app. Which is way better than the turn-by-turn nav offered by most other manufacturers – except, the Garmin nav is incredibly laggy and by the time it’s caught up with you as you scythe through a roundabout at Mach 10, you’re already long gone. Better off sticking to Google Maps on your phone and using the USB-C port to charge it.

Cruise control is fitted as standard, and much welcome on a bike with the Tracer 7’s price point. The new rocker-switch indicators are less user-friendly – we’re all for innovation, but why change something the entire culture of motorcycling has spent its entire riding life being perfectly happy with? Have Yamaha had customer focus groups with riders saying, “You know what, the one thing we really want you to change is the indicator switch – it’s awful, all that push left to go left, press to cancel stuff. Why not have a rocker that means you’re constantly switching between left and right because you can’t remember how to use it when you’re scything through that roundabout at Mach 10. Much better.” And don’t start me on auto-cancelling indicators, which switch them off after 15 seconds if the bike has moved more than 150 metres. Or indicators that flash under hard braking.

One accessory worth adding is Yamaha’s outstanding 3rd-generation quickshifter as an £188 accessory; with new ride-by-wire, you might as well, and it turns cutting through the gearbox into a proper joy.

Finally, the Tracer 7 GT comes with a centrestand, and full-size 30-litre panniers capable of taking a full-size lid in each – using Yamaha’s simple, straightforward mono-key system of opening and removal.

2025 Yamaha Tracer 7- Rivals

It’s become normal for manufacturers to offer sports-touring bikes with a high-rise riding position akin to an adventure bike – a template that the Tracer 7 clearly fits – and as such there are plenty of alternatives out there, even though few have specs that directly compare to the Yamaha’s. You might consider:

BMW F900 XR | Price: £10,890

Read more

Power/Torque

105bhp / 68.6lb-ft

Weight

206kg

Honda NC750X | Price: £7599

Read more

Power/Torque

58bhp/50.9lb-ft

Weight

219kg

Kawasaki Versys 650 | Price: £7899

Read more

Power/Torque

Weight

2025 Yamaha Tracer 7 - Verdict

The Tracer 7 and GT have had a proper upgrade for 2025; none of the changes are for the worse (with the possible exception of the indicators), and most elevate the Tracer 7 from a good mini-sports tourer with some obvious limitations to a seriously talented all-rounder capable of tackling any distance or any tarmac-based task. The motor is a grown-up version of the mightily flexible, durable, funky parallel twin it’s always been, the chassis has better ride quality and steering dynamic, the riding position is even more comfy, the tank goes further, and the bike as whole looks higher quality and feels higher quality. And the price hasn’t changed. If it’s hard to see a downside, it’s because there isn’t one.

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2025 Yamaha Tracer 7 - Technical Specification

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