2019 Yamaha Niken GT Test Ride

We’re normally all about two wheels here at CMG, but from time to time our curiosity about the various three-wheeled machines on the market gets the better of us. Our participation in the Mad Bastard Scooter Rally should also tell you that we’re not only game for the weird and wacky, but aren’t afraid of looking silly. Two years ago, Mark spent a week on the Yamaha Niken GT, which turned him into a pseudo ambassador because everywhere he went people wanted to know all about it. Read his test ride below to discover it for yourself.DW

You’ve got to have balls of steel to properly test ride the Yamaha Niken. We’re talking Jordan Szoke balls. Marc Marquez balls. Even – gasp – Costa Mouzouris balls. The thing is, this bike is all about having two wheels at the front, and the sole purpose of that is to increase traction at the front. “I didn’t know people were asking for this,” said the grizzled guy who ran across the road in Bewdley to look at the bike. “I’ve been riding for 50 years, and I’ve never had the front end slide out.” But I guess some people have, so I went looking for slippery, sandy roads to push the bike just a bit too far, to see what happens.

The Niken GT definitely looks different.

Costa was the guinea pig. We sent him to California to ride the bike at its launch, then prayed to the rain gods to dump water on him everywhere he went. They did this, and everyone was happy. Except Costa.

First ride: 2019 Yamaha Niken GT

Then I borrowed the $21,000 Niken from Yamaha’s Toronto press fleet and spent the next seven days explaining it to people. It’s not too far off the mark to say that it’s a Yamaha Tracer 900 with an extra wheel at the front: It has the same 847cc inline-triple engine, with slightly different mapping for its 113 hp and a stronger crankshaft, and a wheelbase that’s only 10 mm longer. It weighs about 40 kilograms more.

See all the specs for the 2019 Yamaha Niken GT here

That’s a pretty slippery surface – exactly what many riders are concerned for riding on.

What is it?

Physically, from the engine back it all looks about the same as the Tracer, but the front end changes everything. The 18-litre gas tank is spread wide and integrates into a broad swath of plastic fairing, so from the saddle, you can’t see there are two wheels down there. The front suspension is similar to the new Honda Gold Wing, with the handlebars connected via linkages to the wheels, not directly. It would be nice to see those linkages bouncing up and down in action, but they’re hidden by the fairing.

From this angle, the Niken looks like most other motorcycles, although with a gaping maw over the rear tire.

Nothing’s hidden to anyone else, though. Those two front wheels really stand out. The 15-inch Bridgestone Battlax tires are 410 mm apart, which classifies the Niken as a motorcycle with Transport Canada, and not as a trike. If the tires were 460 mm apart or wider, like the Can-Am Ryker or the Polaris Slingshot, the machine would move into a grey area of some provinces needing helmets and others not, or needing a car licence or not. It can be even more of a bureaucratic headache in the U.S. and elsewhere, but the Niken is safely within the definition of a motorcycle. It rides like a motorcycle, too. It leans and leans, and if you don’t put your foot down at a stop, it’ll fall over. Which is the whole point.

On a nice dry surface, like this parking lot, the Niken tips over as easily and comfortably as any other motorcycle.

Does it work?

Yamaha says those two front wheels “reduce the effects of changes in the ride environment and inspire front-end confidence when turning.” This is why I went to one of the gnarliest, most slippery roads I know, to see if I’d be inspired with front-end confidence when I leaned into its first sandy corner. There’s always sand on this road, and broken pavement too. The local farmers don’t seem to care and although it’s twisty, it keeps the damn noisy bikers away. Not me though; not on the Niken. I rode slowly through the first left-hander – no worries there. A little quicker through the right-hander and still no drama. I kept the pace through to the end of the road, for about two kilometres, and all was well. No surprises. So then I turned around and rode back, more quickly this time.

Here’s the reason for the extra $6,000 in cost, and the additional 40 kg in weight.

The Niken has two levels of traction control and I had it set to “I’m not brave – rescue me!” It also has three electronic Ride modes and ABS brakes; when I hit the binders on sand, the front wheels wouldn’t actually lock up. What does usually happen with a front-wheel skid, however, is that if the bike is off-centre by even a fraction of a degree, which happens very quickly, then it will tip and slide and that’s that. Staying upright is more luck than happenstance. I went back and forth on the road, a little faster each time, and yes, the front wheels would squirm when one slipped on a sandy corner. Just squirm though, as one of the two wheels held course. I wouldn’t want to slide the bike, or attempt to drift as I might something that doesn’t lean, but I could certainly travel more quickly and more confidently on the skittery surface. Then I moved on to a full-bore gravel road, same deal as before, several passes, a little quicker each time. Where a regular two-wheeler might start digging a shallow groove in the loose surface, creating a tendency to slew and perhaps grab while at an angle, the Niken slewed but stayed exactly as I wanted it to.

With that extra wheel, the Niken will glide along this gravel road with confidence and an enviable stability.

The long story short is that yes, it was predictable on a loose surface, both upright and leaned, which would presumably include a wet, greasy road. It could still be pushed too far, so I wouldn’t want to ride as fast as I might drive in a car, and I’d always be aware of the slippery traction, but there was considerably more room for error. And all the rest of the time, on a normal, dry road, the Niken behaved exactly as you’d expect of a motorcycle. It will lean all the way to 45 degrees, which is beyond the footpeg feelers and probably farther than you’ll want to go, even if you do have balls of steel.

When the road is dry and smooth, the Niken handles like a (heavier) Tracer.

Is it worth it?

Is this worth the premium over the price of a two-wheeled Tracer? That’s up to you. In Canada, the Niken is only available as the more luxurious GT model, so you have to get the bags and the heated grips and the taller windscreen and the cruise control. Americans can forego these niceties and save themselves $1,300 USD, but we can’t. Yamaha sees this as an aspirational, relatively low-volume motorcycle, and believes riders will want the extra amenities. Unfortunately for a $21,000 investment, this isn’t really a luxurious bike. The saddlebags are flimsy and not waterproof; the paint on the tank scratched easily; the monochromatic instrument gauges literally paled next to the full-colour TFT displays of most similarly-priced competition; the cruise control on my test bike didn’t work and would have to be fixed under warranty.

After all, if you don’t care for the luxuries, and you just want a Yamaha Tracer with the same engine and only two wheels, you can buy a new bike for almost half the price. Even the loaded Tracer is $6,000 less. That’s a lot of money for an extra wheel and fancy front suspension. But if you’re concerned for stability on gravel roads (Yes, Liz Jansen, I’m talking to you!), or worried about traction when things turn slippery, then Yamaha has a solution. It’s a brave new step to answer a question that most people aren’t asking, but kudos to Yamaha for bringing the Niken to market.

See all the specs for the 2019 Yamaha Niken GT here

17 COMMENTS

  1. Upright, you’re, sidecar, definite, plain, slipperiest, all these words are easy to spell, and if you don’t check your posts, then how much do you care about communicating without ambiguity?

  2. I saw the Nikens used as camera bikes at the Tour de France, and I imagine they would be ideal for that.

    Did you do any testing with a passenger? I assume the front heavy weight distribution would improve the dynamics when 2-up.

    • Yes, I rode with my wife on the back, but didn’t push the bike on any poor pavement, for the sake of her long-ago shattered nerves. It was comfortable and confident for me, but she found it difficult to get onto and off the seat, mostly thanks to the bags being in the way.

      • The passenger pad looks marginal. Any comments on how long she’d last on it?

        I could see this as an interesting sport tourer, maybe with a decent backrest combo for the pillion rider.

  3. Ouch! 267 kg’s (588 lb.) It’s so large and complicated it looks like it should have a reverse gear. It’ll also fall over like any other bike with it’s 45-degree lean angle. Don’t skip leg days. That could catch up to you.

  4. Just wondering what riding in heavy rain would be like because I would think that the two front tires would have a tendency to ‘pond’ water at the centerline of the bike. This would seemingly result in the single back tire having to track through much deeper water than on a standard bike. Just seems a little scary to me.

    And I have enough trouble, especially in the spring time, avoiding pot holes here on the scenic East Coast on my FJR, that I would not want to contend with dealing with having to seek out a clear 410 mm (16″) asphalt track, so that I don’t bend a rim, or much worse.

  5. All that extra front end complexity, all that extra cost, all that extra weight…and the benefit?? Not much, if anything…yeah, big PASS.

      • I’ve no doubt that it rides well…I just don’t see the benefit of owning/maintaining/paying for a 3 wheeled machine that emulates the riding dynamics of a modern motorcycle that has 2 wheels…

      • Agree with you Zac, all the pro’s enjoy riding it. I think it depends on riding style and funds. I ride on the West Coast on and off year round. I can tell you that fall/winter riding can be challenging, with water, leaves, sometimes ice, gravel etc. If I had the money I would buy one for sure, just another arrow in the quiver, with good heated and waterproof year I could ride year round. What could be better than that? I do think that for the price the bags are a disgrace, make a bike for inclement weather and put on crappy bags, stupid. We all clamour for newer and better, but when it comes the Luddites all protest. Just like people say they don’t want ABS, so what if it saves lives! I think the Nikken is awesome, overpriced but seriously cool. Mind you I wave to all people wearing a helmet on the road, even people on Can-Am’s or other trikes. Instead of all the negativity how about we try kindness and welcoming all riders, even if they are not on a “real” (2 wheel) motorcycle. Even now most HD riders will not wave to me because I am not on an HD, so sad and petty. How about live and let live. Cam

        • I don’t think this would be good on ice and snow, I road all year around through snow over 12″ deep and I want the skinny tires. When in snow of on ice it is weight per square foot the skinny tires will give more weight per square ft. of road contact, using 2 tires means less weight per square foot of road contact. And on dirt and gravel roads I find skinny tire much better than wide ones,so I can’t see putting 2 tires up front will help. If you want to stay up wright in snow and ice with little or no work get a Ural the side care will help and 2 wheel drive is great on snow and ice and mud. As for trikes they are just plane dangerous, the front wheel with the most stopping power is on the sliperiest part of the road, and when trying to see around a large truck your one wheel goes into the uncoming traffic. With a side care you and your front wheel are where they should be.

          • I’m sure Yamaha did not have ice and snow in its design brief. Yamaha already makes things for the snow, called snowmobiles.

        • Cam and Zac have it right. The bike is exceptionally well engineered. My dealer allowed me a two hour test ride, and I explained to him that I was interested in experiencing it on gravel roads as well as on the local twisty two lane. That ride had me grinning like a fool! I bought the demo bike! Fabulous bike for the confidence and security you feel on all road conditions. It is currently my favorite touring / sport touring bike in the garage..that includes a Valkyrie, a Svartpilen and a couple of Guzzis. Did I mention demand was so poor, that there will be no 2020 model in North America, and that the dealers are practically giving them away. Get one before they are gone.

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