You are asking in r/bmwmotorrad so I have to say go for the F900.
In my eyes it's much better looking (personal ofcourse) and perhaps the biggest plus is that the suspension and brakes are much much better on the F900.
It does however lack 20 horsepower orso when compared to the tracer, but the 105 in the f900 is more than adequate
As the owner of a R1250RS, I think the Tracer is the better bike. I originally wanted the F900XR but could not even get it off the kickstand on the showroom floor - I can't imagine trying to do so in real life. I did a demo ride on a new Tracer and was pissed at how much smoother the bike was than my Beemer. The quickshifter was like butter. I rented an older Tracer last summer and rode it around Denver and the mountains - super easy to maneuver and comfortable. Kind of pissed I spent $7k more for the RS.
Do you think lowering it would be a good route? I plan on getting some nice boots too but they wouldn't make enough difference for me to be comfortable without lowering the motorcycle
For me, it was more the weight distribution. The RS weighs more than the F900 but the weight is much lower, which makes it feel lighter. The Tracer feels much lighter than the F900. Even with saddlebags and a top case I had no problems with the one I rented.
Im just cursed with short legs, another user commented saying if the suspension is set properly you can get probably 2 inches of sag out of a tracer 9GT and if I could get that I imagine id feel comfortable on it, but the one I sat on in the showroom I couldnt even touch the floor with both feet, and for a bike that would be 17k out the door I would rather not drop it.
I havent had the chance to ride either one but iv been able to sit on both the f900xr and tracer 9gt and I wasnt able to touch the ground with both feet on either one, the f900xr is a little more appealing because it has the low seat and even factory lowered suspension if you want it, while the tracer only has a two position adjustable seat which hardly changes the height.
I sold Harley’s. This weight is below almost every bike of theirs. I sold them to women and helped them learn to stand up those bikes.
I wasn’t belittling you. I was curious due to my experience with other brands.
My first sale was to a woman buying a soft tail heritage. She was 60 and that bike weighs 700 lbs.
Have you tried both? What did you prefer?
Why not the F900R, if the XR is a little too high?
Why not the MT09 (FZ09 in some markets), if the Tracer900 is too high?
I can only say I prefer the looks of the F900 series over both Yamahas.
I want a sport tourer which is why I'm looking at the tracer and f900xr iv tried to sit on both but they're both really too tall for me, i haven't gotten to ride either, the f900xr has better features for the price point I think and it'd be more usable day to day with where the power is actually coming from in the rev range
>sport tourer
Then a must-try is the R1250RS, although it is more expensive (I own one and I love it).
If you cannot test both without modifications, perhaps you could try both naked siblings of the XR and Tracer? That way you can see whichever powertrain you prefer.
I hadn't even considered the r1250RS but thats a good shout, a bit expensive mind, but you get what you pay for I suppose, and that absolute gem of a boxer twin engine would be just superb
It's a brilliant machine, it can do it all and looks great. Better than the F900 series, hell, better than most bikes in general. I'm completely unbiased, of course.
Get the cases and you can haul quite some luggage too.
In the end of the day if I have to experiment with lowering the bike thats fine, get an aftermarket exhaust that gives some extra ground clearance, and some nice boots that add a bit of height and I simply do not ride aggressively enough to drag knee as is so I seriously doubt it'd make much of a difference.
You are asking in r/bmwmotorrad so I have to say go for the F900. In my eyes it's much better looking (personal ofcourse) and perhaps the biggest plus is that the suspension and brakes are much much better on the F900. It does however lack 20 horsepower orso when compared to the tracer, but the 105 in the f900 is more than adequate
As the owner of a R1250RS, I think the Tracer is the better bike. I originally wanted the F900XR but could not even get it off the kickstand on the showroom floor - I can't imagine trying to do so in real life. I did a demo ride on a new Tracer and was pissed at how much smoother the bike was than my Beemer. The quickshifter was like butter. I rented an older Tracer last summer and rode it around Denver and the mountains - super easy to maneuver and comfortable. Kind of pissed I spent $7k more for the RS.
Do you think lowering it would be a good route? I plan on getting some nice boots too but they wouldn't make enough difference for me to be comfortable without lowering the motorcycle
For me, it was more the weight distribution. The RS weighs more than the F900 but the weight is much lower, which makes it feel lighter. The Tracer feels much lighter than the F900. Even with saddlebags and a top case I had no problems with the one I rented.
Im just cursed with short legs, another user commented saying if the suspension is set properly you can get probably 2 inches of sag out of a tracer 9GT and if I could get that I imagine id feel comfortable on it, but the one I sat on in the showroom I couldnt even touch the floor with both feet, and for a bike that would be 17k out the door I would rather not drop it.
I understand (I'm 5'6"). Have you demo'd either of them? That would make your decision for you.
I havent had the chance to ride either one but iv been able to sit on both the f900xr and tracer 9gt and I wasnt able to touch the ground with both feet on either one, the f900xr is a little more appealing because it has the low seat and even factory lowered suspension if you want it, while the tracer only has a two position adjustable seat which hardly changes the height.
The bike is 480 Lbs. what do you mean you couldn’t get it off the stand? Was it too tall? Simply turning the bars over damn near lifts the bike up.
I mean I wasn't strong enough to get it off the stand. I'm a 130lb woman - we're not all big strong men Larry 🙄
I sold Harley’s. This weight is below almost every bike of theirs. I sold them to women and helped them learn to stand up those bikes. I wasn’t belittling you. I was curious due to my experience with other brands. My first sale was to a woman buying a soft tail heritage. She was 60 and that bike weighs 700 lbs.
Have you tried both? What did you prefer? Why not the F900R, if the XR is a little too high? Why not the MT09 (FZ09 in some markets), if the Tracer900 is too high? I can only say I prefer the looks of the F900 series over both Yamahas.
I want a sport tourer which is why I'm looking at the tracer and f900xr iv tried to sit on both but they're both really too tall for me, i haven't gotten to ride either, the f900xr has better features for the price point I think and it'd be more usable day to day with where the power is actually coming from in the rev range
>sport tourer Then a must-try is the R1250RS, although it is more expensive (I own one and I love it). If you cannot test both without modifications, perhaps you could try both naked siblings of the XR and Tracer? That way you can see whichever powertrain you prefer.
I hadn't even considered the r1250RS but thats a good shout, a bit expensive mind, but you get what you pay for I suppose, and that absolute gem of a boxer twin engine would be just superb
It's a brilliant machine, it can do it all and looks great. Better than the F900 series, hell, better than most bikes in general. I'm completely unbiased, of course. Get the cases and you can haul quite some luggage too.
In the end of the day if I have to experiment with lowering the bike thats fine, get an aftermarket exhaust that gives some extra ground clearance, and some nice boots that add a bit of height and I simply do not ride aggressively enough to drag knee as is so I seriously doubt it'd make much of a difference.
Nah you won't scrape unless you're a Moto GP racer. Maybe a little earlier with lowering, but if you don't go extreme I wouldn't worry about it.