tracer 9 problems when cold or warm

[nutmix]

I just bought a 2021 tracer 9 with 13,000 Km on the clock. Its showroom new.

But it has a serious fault.

It starts first time and idles perfectly

But if you move the thorttle even a bit when cold, the engine dies. 

If you wait 10 minutes, its pretty hot, but still is terrible to drive. It has no power below 3k rpm and missfires. Tying to pull away in 1st is the same as trying to pull away in 5th gear on a normal bike.  It reminds me of my youth 35 years ago with a 2stroke 50cc FS1E, the power band was so narrow and the bike was so gutless that pulling away was a difficult maneuver requiring a long battle with tiny adjustments of throttle and clutch to pull away on the flat.  The Tracer is the same.

Also, the clutch on the Tracer is horrible - it on or off.  Trying to smoothly change gear is difficult.  My FZ6 is light years better.

The throttle seems to have a severe lag.  if you dip and pull the throttle when the engine is hot, there is a noticeable delay before the engine picks up, and it struggles to pick up till its over 3k rpm. 

Driving the tracer below 30kmph and 3krpm is difficult, with the bad clutch, lack of power, missfiring, laggy throttle dringing  the bike around town at low speeds is painful and lumpy.  Either you slip the clutch constantly (tiring) or ride it like a kangaroo with it jumping and dying, jumping and dying.  Its almost like its running out of petrol. And thats when the engine is hot.

My other bike is a 2006 FZ6  which i have done 60,000 km. This bike is a dream, it goes like a rocket from cold, the engine and clutch are both sikly smooth.  It has instant throttle response, and is a pleasure to ride.

The tracer is horrible by comparison.  

The Yamaha dealer said all these issues (stalling, missfirin, lack of any power below 3k) are "normal" for this bike, and its normal to have to wait 10-15 minutes for the engine to get hot before you can ride it.

Should I sell the bike for a loss, or is it fixable?

Anyone else had similar issues?

I had a FJ 900 Diversion for 10 years and drove around the world on it, did 100,000 miles on that beast without any issues.  That bike was a dream to ride, and ultra reliable, and i never had to replace anything other than tyres and filters.

I thought Yamaha was the best, till I got this tracer.

Edited July 12 by nutmix

[Fleng]

Clutch on/off is kind off normal. It has a narrow band to catch. Something you have to get a feel for, will take time (don’t ask how I know).

All other issues are NOT normal, same goes for your dealer.

Bike can be driven at as low as 2000 rpm and accelerate normal from there. Not fast of course, but no issue. 
Same as with starting. Just hit the start button and it will run and you can drive away immediately. As you would expect from any bike.

Edited July 12 by Fleng

[Ride365]

Be sure "ALL" tech bulletins have been addressed, and NO.......none of that is normal or the nature of these bikes.

[betoney]

When you posted this same question on the FZ09 forum you didn't respond to any one who replied to the post. so I will ask the same question that I responded with over there.

"Did it behave like this when you test rode it? If you just bought it from a dealership, take it back. What you are describing is NOT normal".

[skipperT]

Check your fuel pressure and gas quality. Tank have debris in it?

Check engine light on? What codes are stored? Did they even ride the bike? Did you drop it off for diagnosis?

-Skip

[nutmix]

13 hours ago, betoney said:

When you posted this same question on the FZ09 forum you didn't respond to any one who replied to the post. so I will ask the same question that I responded with over there.

"Did it behave like this when you test rode it? If you just bought it from a dealership, take it back. What you are describing is NOT normal".

Hi, I havent been notified of replies to other forums, but I will try to find them.  When I test rode it, the bike was hot as the vendor insisted on brining the boke to me. Now I know why.   In gibraltar the max speed limit is 40 kmph, and the roads were free of traffic.  It felt a bit odd, but I assumed that it was just a new bike.  I wasnt testing low RPM performance, I just rode it up and down a few times.

[nutmix]

16 hours ago, Fleng said:

Clutch on/off is kind off normal. It has a narrow band to catch. Something you have to get a feel for, will take time (don’t ask how I know).

All other issues are NOT normal, same goes for your dealer.

Bike can be driven at as low as 2000 rpm and accelerate normal from there. Not fast of course, but no issue. 
Same as with starting. Just hit the start button and it will run and you can drive away immediately. As you would expect from any bike.

So the question I guess is can it be fixed (by me, as the dealer is not inrested or capable).   Gibraltar only has one yamaha dealer.   I see that the tracer 9 has electronic ignition, so I assume what I can do to is limited.  Im hoping someone else had the same issue and knows of a fix.

[OldBikers]

I have over 17,000km on my 2021 and have never experienced any of the issues you have posted.  What you are experiencing is NIT normal.  Has the previous owner do any modifications?  Some of those may affect the performance if it was not taken to a tuner.

[betoney]

1 hour ago, nutmix said:

 In gibraltar the max speed limit is 40 kmph

Not to intentionally derail the thread but if your speed limit is only 25mph, the Tracer9 is the wrong bike-complete overkill.  Personally I would rather ride a scooter at those speeds, half the weight and twice the fuel range.

[Ride365]

Call Yamaha if the dealer isn't being helpful, was there no warranty bought with the bike, and go back to the FZ09 forum and see who has all responded to your post. Some very knowledgeable folks here who knew their stuff, but ultimately it sounds like you are going to need both the help of Yamaha and the dealer. Always a gamble buying a used motorcycle, now you are seeing why that is.

[miweber929]

I don’t see how you’re going to fix this without the help of a competent Yamaha dealer. What you are describing for symptoms does not seem like normal behavior to me. 

[jthayer09]

This sounds like you have throttle position sensor issues that were common on the 2021 model. There's multiple posts about this throughout the web. I posted about his myself this past season. If you wanted to confirm, buy yourself a EURO5 OBD2 tool like this one and download an OBD2 app on your phone and see if you are any history of codes that were cleared to get rid of the check engine light, you're looking for P2135.
 

Clean the TPS with contact cleaner using the steps I detail in the post above and see if it fixes the issue, if not then replace it with the new 2022-onward SKU.

EDIT: I'd also raise hell about your dealer claiming a modern fuel-injected bike needs a 10-15 minute warmup. Name and shame so other users don't go there, leave a bad review on Google; honestly I'd reach out to Yamaha corporate for a statement that outrageous.

[Fleng]

6 hours ago, betoney said:

Not to intentionally derail the thread but if your speed limit is only 25mph, the Tracer9 is the wrong bike-complete overkill.  Personally I would rather ride a scooter at those speeds, half the weight and twice the fuel range.

Gibraltar is just a small rock, 10 miles out you are in Spain with delightful roads.

[nutmix]

On 7/13/2024 at 3:22 PM, OldBikers said:

I have over 17,000km on my 2021 and have never experienced any of the issues you have posted.  What you are experiencing is NIT normal.  Has the previous owner do any modifications?  Some of those may affect the performance if it was not taken to a tuner.

No modifications other than the factory fitted quick shift and a top box that i can see.  Prev owner is not available for questioning unfortunately

[nutmix]

On 7/13/2024 at 10:02 PM, Fleng said:

Gibraltar is just a small rock, 10 miles out you are in Spain with delightful roads.

Yeh I mostly drive in spain and commute, but every trip to spain involves crawling through gib traffic, then crawling through the border, then crawling through la linea, mostly at 30-40 kmph speeds where the bike is horrible, especially 2-up.  I have had many many bikes over the last 30 years, and commuted 20 miles each way through london for decades, as well as several long tours through the alps.

Looks like there is something wrong with bike, and if noone else has had similar problem, no idea where to look. Ive booked it back into Yamaha dealer on monday, but from their clueless expressions when I explained the problem to them, not too hopeful.