VIP Yamaha Tracer Rideout 23/08/2025

Saturday 23 August weather was forecast as 21◦c, and NO RAIN!!! Perfect!  This was the date identified for the Yamaha VIP Tracer Rideout. And nature was on our side. The idea was to say thank you to some of our Yamaha Tracer owners and take them out on a VIP rideout including food stops on 5-Ways. The selected customers had purchased a Yamaha Tracer 9 or 7 from us in the last year and answered our invite to participate.

Chris Hood our rideout expert was all set to get them on a great route through the East Riding and Yorkshire Wolds, enjoying breakfast and lunch, and a chance to chat about their Tracer experience and ‘compare notes’!  A new model Tracer 9 would lead the ride and again, the owners could have a good look at how it compared with their models or the Tracer 7’s

Lots of ringing Tracer owners revealed many to be busy or on summer holidays, but during the week we got a group sorted and made a plan.
The customers that were available for the event came down to 5-Ways for the ride-out and met at the store and grabbed a coffee. Meeting at the showroom at 0930, everyone had the chance to look at the new demonstrator Tracer 7, resplendent in Redline colourway.  Stunning looking, it has been on demo rides almost daily.  Jeff, who owns a 23 reg Tracer 7 refused to sit on it for fear of being drawn in!  Moving onto the Tracer 9 GT presented in Ceramic Ice their was some comparisons made by Keith and Pete, both owners of the previous models, and both very happy with their ownership of Icon Performance colour machines.

Both agreed that the new machine was well spec’d and noted the differences suck as the headlight configuration and menu control.  Introductions and ‘briefing’ complete everyone kits up and Chris Hood, leads the VIP’s out of the dealership and heads onto the A63 to avoid the Hull traffic (and roadworks!)  Giving everyone the chance settle into the ride and get used to one another’s riding style the group peel off at the Melton interchange and head north through Melton Bottom and onto the ‘new’ roundabout leading to the Rowley Road, then to Little Weighton turning left at the pond and riding to Walkington.  From here the next villages were Etton, South Dalton, North Dalton and finally the B1246 to Bainton for breakfast.  This was a great chance to chat about the route, the handling of the Tracer 9 & 7 and their performance on the route.  

Getting back on the bikes and the B1246 is ridden with some passion, all four bikes tackling this fantastic road impeccably. Leaving the road before Pocklington and turning towards Garrowby Hill then taking the back roads to Buttercrambe and Sand Hutton.  A kindly SUV owner gives way to get onto the A64, which a few miles and some dual carriageway leads onto Castle Howard.  Malton, North Grimston (where have the woods gone?!!) follow and eventually the road through Kirby Grindalaythe, East and West Lutton and then Helperthorpe. Turning out of the village and on to Sherburn provides a massive diversity of roads, from dual carriage of the A64 to main A & B roads and a few ‘goat tracks’ in between, the Tracer brotherhood takes them all in their stride.

Lunch is at Harpers Fish & Chip restaurant at Seamer.  Lunch is the ‘Seniors Meal’ very fitting!  It’s actually just their name for a smaller portion, but makes the grey headed riders smile – amazingly, all still have full(ish) heads of hair!

All have a good chat about the pro’s (many) and con’s (very little) of the Tracer series.
All agree the Tracer 9 and 7 are brilliant all-round capable machines.  The major gripe is the ease, or lack of, getting the Tracer 9 on their centre stand!  If that’s all there is to complain about it looks like Yamaha have got the series right, and some technique is required by our VIP’s!

Goodbyes are made and the Yamaha VIP Tracer Rideout is declared a fantastic 140 miles day out from 5-Ways Motorcycle Centre, with the cry of 
“When’s the next one? Sign me up” from everyone, including Chris, whose pleasure it was to lead.