I had to admit defeat – my back just wasn’t up to lying on the tank of my beloved Triumph Sprint anymore. It was time to get a more adult bike. One where I could sit up straight and remember how much more ladylike I can be!
It was 2015 and I also realised I was slowing down – the Triumph was a very heavy bike when I wasn’t moving much and walking him out of situations always seemed to take it out of me. So I test rode the MT09 Tracer (or as it’s now known, the Tracer 900. I believe they made several changes to it which made it more sporty which was why the changed the names – but don’t quote me on that!)
Anyways, two test rides later and I was hopeful but not necessarily convinced. The plusses where he was upright with high handlebars, he was narrow, and he went round corners very smoothly. The downside was things needed to be fixed before I could claim he was right for me. Although 5ft 6 ins I have short legs, and even with Daytona Ladystars which have the insert hidden in the heel, – and I’ve added an extra insert inside the boot, I was on tip toes. I’m not one of those women who are confident with never having large parts of their feet on the floor. Good luck to those of you who are fine with it and I admire that you have no fear.
Luckily the team at On Yer Bike know me well. Before too long the bike had had a lowered seat ordered, a Lust racing kit replaced the OEM shock which again lowered the bike, and of course that meant the side stand had to be chopped so the bike wouldn’t fall over.
Last but not least – OEM heated grips were wired into the bike system which meant they could be set by the original bike controls and I never needed to worry about leaving them on accidentally, to drain the battery.
I suffer from Raynauld’s syndrome, which is incredibly common, and means poor circulation in my extremities. It’s why, if I have to ride in winter, I use heated gloves and a heated jacket liner too. So heated grips all year round is a must for those early morning rides when the sun hasn’t really warmed the day yet.
Not too long after I got this bike I developed health issues which really kept me off two wheels for quite a while. Then we moved house – to a place with the deepest gravel drive on Gawds green earth, which made it impossible for me to move the bike and put the fear of gawd into me about dropping it. Then of course we hit lockdown and nobody was going anywhere.
As a result, in 7.5 years there was less than 9k miles on this bike – and at least 1.5k of those were put on by the husband who occasionally borrowed it for trips abroad with his mate, as it fits into the back of a van much more easily alongside his mate’s smaller bike too.
This lack of miles is seriously unheard of for me – I bought my Fazer with 4miles on the clock and less than 4.5 years later it was at 36k and none of that was commuting. I’ve always loved riding – but I don’t think I ever really had a chance to fall in love with my boy. Yes my bike is another boy and his name is Cassius.
However all that’s at an end. In four weeks I’ve put 960miles on my bike, which was more than I had done in the previous three years. I’m remembering things I really like which are that he’s got a great turning circle on him aided by those high bars, with the twisties and sweeps feeling very smooth to handle.
I’m most comfortable riding him in standard set up. He has this as well as an A and a B mode. The second is like having a puppy on a leash that wants to constantly pull away from you. I’m sure a racier rider than me would love it but I find it unsettling as I’d need to quick switching it over for town work whereas it is fun on country roads. I always mean to turn on B which is rain mode but to be honest I always forget!
Cassius really suits low revs – I spend most of my time in 3rd gear and then make it to 4th gear. It’s like he always has oodles in reserve and just doesn’t need the top end. The oddest thing is having lost over two stone since I bought the bike I feel it now takes a bit longer to stop and am applying more back break. I’m sure this is entirely in my mind, but with the weight loss the suspension definitely sits higher than when I first had all the work done, as my feet are even higher off the ground too and it feels like I just don’t have the weight I was used to handling the bike with. (mmmmm might need a bag of bricks on the rear seat😂)
As usual I switched all my tyres over to Michelin Road Pilots. They are my tyre of choice as I feel comfortable when cornering in the wet on them. I’ve had other tyres, which people swear by, that I’ve had to take back with less than 50miles on the clock and beg them to take them off because they put real fear into me when riding in the rain!
One thing both my guy and I agree on is that the Tracer is fantastic value for money. You’d be hard put to find a bike that does what this does at just £8k these days.
Even so there are bits of the bike that you have to ask “Yamaha – WHY?” 🤷♀️ These are the hand guards. They are simply decorative and have abserslootley no use whatsoever. I just don’t get how you can design, make and fit handguards and never find out that they do nothing to keep wind or rain off a rider’s hands.
The other has got to be the screen. Again – how can Yamaha produce a bike that has such a bad screen. It’s designed to have several positions so that you allegedly you can have the wind glide over you. It’s an epic fail. It’s either hitting you full on in the chest or at the top of your lid and I’m not the tallest rider. In facebook groups there are lots of suggestions and reviews on other screens that people have tried. Some have had great success – but others with the same screen have nothing positive to say. It’s a lot of money to keep trying to find a good one. For me, I can duck under a bit at higher speeds so for now I’m leaving it as standard.
And the most irritating has to be tank gauge. I’m finding it’s about 175miles, but it’s got three lines at the bottom of the screen. When riding it will suddenly drop to the last one with no warning. I think that means I have about 30ishmiles left, but never found out since I tend to start looking for a petrol station pretty sharpish! Luckily the bike has two trips on it so I usually clear one each time I fill up so that helps me keep an eye on what’s left.
Prendy
Cassisus’ spec:
- Engine size – 847cc
- Engine spec – 12v inline triple, 6 gears
- Top speed – 145mph
- Power – 115bhp
- Torque – 64.5ft-lb
- Weight – 190kg
- Seat height – was originally 845mm
- Tank range – supposed to be 166 miles (18 litres) I usually get 175miles
Cassisus’ accessories:
- Givi 52litre topbox
- Lust racing kit
- Akrapovic exhaust
- OEM soft panniers
- OEM heated grips
- Touring seat
- Sat Nav holder
- Bagster tank harness
- Scottoiler
- Leads for heated riding gear
- R&G crash bungs
A bird's eye view to biking! 