PAGE 101
FALL 2018 ISSUE 02 / VOL . 03
The Tracer 900 GT comes standard with cruise control , 22-liter saddlebags and other touring amenities . In the background is the Bridge of the Gods over the Columbia River , which forms the border between Washington and Oregon .
WINDING THROUGH A DARK CANOPY of evergreens , the road played hide-and-seek with the Clackamas River , offering a glimpse here and there of clear water pouring over rocks as it made its way downstream to the Willamette , then the Columbia and finally the Pacific . A break in the canopy was like popping out of a tunnel and I set my eyes on a patch of gravel next to the road , just a few feet from where the river made a sharp turn . Down went the kickstand , off went the ignition . I hadn ’ t seen a car for miles . It was just me and the trees and the river . Just what I was looking for .
The previous day I logged 250 miles aboard Yamaha ’ s new Tracer 900 GT — an upgraded , touring-ready replacement for the FJ-09 — at the bike ’ s press launch . The event was based in Stevenson , Washington , a small town in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area , and I spent a long , hot day testing the GT on local back roads . Weighing just 500 pounds and packing a punch from its 847cc in-line triple , the Tracer 900 GT is a light , agile , comfortable sport tourer , perfect for a solo traveler . Yamaha entrusted me with the keys to one for the long ride home to Southern California . For years I ’ ve heard and read about how good the riding is in the Cascades , a mountain