The 70-year-old Japanese brand rolls out a potentially revolutionary upgrade in an area where most motos are tragically lacking.
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While “One Headlight” was a massive hit for The Wallflowers in the late ’90s, the premise is kinda funny for seasoned motorcyclists, who “drive it home with one headlight” all the time.
Well, it would be funny if it weren’t downright dangerous. The reality is that generally speaking, motorcycles lag far behind the auto industry when it comes to headlight set-ups, making evening rides potentially harrowing, if not deadly.
Thankfully, moto brands are beginning to address this issue. We’re seeing more and more bikes rocking high-powered LEDs emerging from multi-light set-ups, and while things aren’t quite at Quadrophenia levels, that’s encouraging.
Now leading the pack is Yamaha, which is taking things up a huge notch with the new Tracer 9 GT+ touring motorcycle, the first production bike to feature an adaptive LED Matrix headlight.
Let there be (self-adjusting) light
Straight out of the Volkswagen playbook, Matrix tech is part of a very sophisticated lighting system that takes the normal adaptive and automatic headlight one step further.
Cars do many things but do not exactly … lean. Motorcycles lean all the time, so Yamaha had to redesign the system to work in three dimensions.
Not only does an integrated sensor detect lighting conditions but also it syncs with other sensors that pick up dark spots on the road or oncoming cars to redirect multiple LEDs accordingly.
The result is optimized illumination that (bonus!) does not blind oncoming motorists — a growing problem referred to as “dazzling” thanks to super-bright lights appearing on an increasing number of four-wheeled vehicles.
As Yamaha itself explains it: “Comprising a matrix of multiple low and high beam LEDs linked to a camera which is integrated into the upper part of the headlamp assembly, the technology automatically detects surrounding traffic, natural light sources and weather conditions.
“Taking this information on board, it dynamically adjusts brightness and light distribution to provide optimal illumination at all times.
“The system increases rider confidence while riding at night, distributing the light in such a way that it tries to ensure other road users are not dazzled, while adjusting the illuminated area for the rider.”
Honestly, for as dry technical jargon goes, that is a pretty damn clear explanation.
If you’re leaning…
To Yamaha’s immense credit, the brand did not simply secure the tech from Volkswagen and slap it a bike.
They couldn’t, because it’s optimized for cars, which do many things but do not exactly … lean.
Motorcycles lean all the time, so Yamaha had to totally redesign the system to work in three dimensions.
As installed on the Tracer 9 GT+, the Matrix LED headlight array works with the bike’s six-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) to dynamically adjust the beam when cornering, especially when the lean angle goes past seven degrees.
Leaning more than seven degrees is pretty common on any mildly curvy road, meaning this system will see plenty of action.
Unfortunately, the 2025 Tracer 9 GT+ is only available overseas, with the US getting the more budget-friendly Tracer 9 GT, so many of us will have to wait to drive it home with adaptive LED Matrix headlights.
Availability and pricing
The 2025 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+ is available in the UK (among other places) for £17,004.00, or roughly $23,028 USD. (Sigh.)
Yamaha2025 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+
