Things You Need to Know About the Yamaha Niken

2019 Yamaha Niken — Straight from a robot sci-fi pic and into U.Due south. dealerships this fall, the Yamaha Niken is its first production Leaning Multi-Wheel Vehicle, or LMW. (Photography courtesy of Yamaha)

We don't often think most the full size of the two tire contact patches that are ultimately responsible for keeping our motorcycles on the road, upright and in control, despite it being only a few square inches of prophylactic, less than the average male footprint. That's probably because modernistic motorcycle tires provide remarkable amounts of traction on clean, dry pavement, enough to produce lean angles of upwards to 55 degrees on a route-going supersport bike. We don't worry much about our tires, in fact, until the route conditions are less than perfect, i.e. wet, dirty, icy, greasy or all of the to a higher place, and traction is scarce. While non daunting enough to keep the typical motorcyclist from riding (hopefully you just slow downward), I doubt there are many who would complain if yous could somehow double the area of tire contact and dramatically increment grip up front–where a loss of traction unremarkably results in a 90-degree lean angle–without detracting from or changing the overall motorcycling feel, peculiarly leaning into corners.

Someone from Yamaha must accept had the same thought, because later building several Leaning Multi-Wheeled (LMW) concept machines like the 2007 Tesseract and 2014 TriCity and 01GEN, now the heed-bravado Niken will be coming to dealerships this fall. Based on the 2019 Yamaha Tracer 900–a soon-to-come cushier version of the popular MT-09 triple–the Niken turns heads and corners with two front wheels and leans but similar a ii-wheeled motorcycle, up to about 45 degrees before yous start grinding off the footpeg feelers. A Yamaha MT-09 is said to be capable of 51 degrees of lean, but the Niken's mission to increase grip and stability for maximum cornering operation and confidence is not an attempt to out-corner sportbikes, only rather to reduce the run a risk of losing the front end, particularly in the common cold and wet and on crude roads. Non only is there roughly twice as much rubber in contact with the road, the Niken'due south 16.ane-inch (410mm) track upward front end produces far greater stability than a single bicycle, and its front suspension and anti-lock brakes just raise that stability past working independently over bumps and differing surfaces.

Read our 2018 Yamaha MT-07 commencement ride review

Although the leaning two-in-front concept isn't new–Piaggio'south MP3 scooter has a similar layout–Yamaha is the beginning to take it this far on a product motorcycle. Up front parallel quadrilateral artillery support the cantilevered suspension, which is mounted outside the wheels to allow maximum lean and comprises two USD fork legs per side–a 43mm rear leg with fully adjustable preload and damping, and a 41mm front leg that holds the wheel/restriction associates in alignment. Steering is achieved with a separate grouping of tie rods and linkages that include offset steering knuckles (Ackermann steering geometry, as used on about cars), so that the inside wheel turns progressively more than the outside, solving the problem of the two wheels needing to trace different radii in a corner. Stub axles on each side deport cast aluminum wheels sized at 15 inches for agility with stability, and these are wrapped in 120/seventy-ZR15 Bridgestone Battlax Run a risk A41 radials, a good combination of wet/dry operation and handling.

Supporting the whole shebang is a hybrid frame with a bandage steel headstock, tubular-steel chief frame and cast aluminum swingarm pivot support and swingarm, presumably a much stronger arrangement than the all-aluminum frame of the Tracer 900, nevertheless the Niken'southward wheelbase is just 10mm longer. Several changes were also made to the liquid-cooled, transverse 847cc DOHC in-line triple, including stronger transmission gears, revised EFI settings, slightly lower final-drive gearing and 18 per centum more than crankshaft mass to brand starting out on the heavier wheel easier. Throttle-by-wire, iii riding (D-Mode) and traction control (TCS) modes plus cruise control and a very functional Quickshifter (QSS) for upshifts are all standard.

The final Crossplane triple, or CP3, Yamaha engine we dyno tested was in our 2017 FZ-09 test bike, and information technology made 105 horsepower at 10,200 rpm at the rear wheel and 60.3 lb-ft of torque at 8,400 (Yamaha says the Niken's revised engine makes 64.5 lb-ft of torque at the crank but doesn't give out horsepower numbers). The CP3 mill provides a satisfying amount of power for the Niken, with great in-line triple sound, smooth fueling and little to no unpleasant vibes. The quondam A-STD-B riding manner settings have been replaced with a simple i, two and 3, with 1 beingness most responsive, 2 like the onetime STD and 3 softer response for rain. I spent most of the riding day in the 2ndfashion, which provides polish response without whatsoever abruptness, but used the 1stfor blitzing the curves and enjoyed it immensely.

Yamaha took u.s.a. to the Austrian Alps for our first Niken experience, and I put nearly 140 miles on the auto over the form of the twenty-four hour period on all kinds of roads, from the chic winter resort town of Kitzbuhel, over the twisty 8,500-foot Grossglocker High Alpine Road to the direct, apartment river valleys nearly Lienz. Equally proof of concept the Niken is an eye-opener–I could push information technology harder into corners than anything I've ridden without a whit of concern, and other than at depression speeds, when you can feel a pocket-size amount of feedback in the bars from the two front hoops, the steering is butter smoothen, neutral and depression effort, not unlike a typical larger motorcycle with a broad handlebar. We unfortunately didn't accept any pelting to dampen the roads for a real test of the setup, but I'd wager that it will be difficult to ruffle its feathers even under those conditions–there's just a astounding corporeality of grip available for cornering and braking. The bike is so solid, secure and planted even when y'all're fully heeled over it almost feels every bit if you could take your hands off the bars, and over bumpy roads the Niken is very stable and confidence inspiring, like it only can't go out of shape. The event is that many riders volition find information technology more fun and less stressful to ride than a single-track motorbike.

Break forepart and rear is business firm without harshness, and the single rear shock offers adaptable rebound damping and convenient remote preload aligning. Like other performance motorcycles the Niken has triple disc brakes–the fronts are simply a flake further apart–and they haul the large machine downwardly quite well, though a bit more seize with teeth from the fronts would be welcome.

As part of Yamaha U.s.'southward Touring lineup, the Niken gets a fairly upright, relaxed seating position with a comfortable passenger's seat, decent legroom and a wide handlebar, withal the passenger still feels solidly in command during sport riding. Dual-axis steering linkage moves the handlebar and rider back about two inches to compensate for the heavier forepart finish and maintain a 50/fifty weight distribution, and this becomes quite obvious when you're tossing it around in the corners, though the 32.3-inch seat top had me on my tiptoes at stops. That small windscreen keeps wind blast off your chest and the cruise command is precise and easy-to-utilise–hopefully in fact Yamaha will eventually offer a taller screen and some luggage for the Niken, since it'south comfortable plenty for long distances. Useful features include an adjustable brake lever, comprehensive negative LCD meter and a pocket-size amount of storage under the locking passenger pillion. All LED lighting includes quad headlights and front turn signals integrated into the functional mirrors. Styling-wise the scorpion-based look is a love it or hate it suggestion I suppose, though I don't believe Yamaha did itself any favors with that somber Graphite color choice….

Check out Rider'due south Guide to New/Updated Street Motorcycles for 2019

"Twinned" wheels less than 460mm apart are considered a single wheel in about countries, so the Niken remains firmly in motorcycle territory when it comes to licensing and helmets and such. It'south 410mm forepart track is narrower than the handlebar, then it's too highly maneuverable at low speeds–sharing lanes on California freeways, for example, should be a snap. But at a claimed 580 pounds with four.8 gallons of fuel, the Niken weighs 155 pounds more than the 425-pound MT-09 (a Tracer 900 wet weight isn't available yet), and with the exception of the Niken's cruise control and QSS the dual front wheel setup and its associated changes are responsible for all of it. It's too expected that the Niken will retail for around $sixteen,000, so while it'due south definitely a step up in terms of traction and safety in imperfect conditions, many riders will find it hard to justify the actress weight and cost. But for someone who wants more stability, control and incredible grip upward front, peculiarly when the conditions are less than ideal, or merely wants to ain one of the most unusual and exciting machines Yamaha has ever congenital, the Niken is a triple treat in more ways than ane.

Keep scrolling for specs and more photos!

2019 Yamaha Niken
Base Toll: $15,999
Warranty: 1 twelvemonth., unltd. miles
Website: yamahamotorsports.com

Engine
Blazon: Liquid-cooled, transverse in-line triple
Deportation: 847cc
Bore x Stroke: 78.0 ten 59.1mm
Compression Ratio: xi.v:one
Valve Railroad train: DOHC, 4 valves per cyl.
Valve Insp. Interval: 26,000 miles
Fuel Delivery: EFI w/ YCC-T & 41mm throttle bodies
Lubrication Arrangement: Wet sump, 3.half dozen-qt. cap.
Transmission: half dozen-speed, cable-actuated aid & slipper wet clutch
Final Bulldoze: O-ring concatenation

Electrical
Ignition: TCI
Charging Output: 430 watts @ five,000 rpm
Battery: 12V 9.1AH

Chassis
Frame: Hybrid cast/tubular steel & cast aluminum diamond, cast aluminum swingarm
Wheelbase: 59.4 in.
Rake/Trail: twenty.0 degrees/two.nine in.
Seat Height: 32.3 in.
Intermission, Front: Double USD telescopic, 41mm front, 43mm rear fully adj., 4.iii-in. travel
Rear: Single linked shock, fully adj. westward/ remote preload, iv.9-in. travel
Brakes, Front: Dual 266mm discs w/ opposed four-piston calipers & ABS
Rear: Single 298mm disc west/ 2-piston floating caliper & ABS
Wheels, Front end: Cast, 3.50 x 15 in x 2
Rear: Bandage, half dozen.00 x 17 in.
Tires, Front: 120/70-ZR15
Rear: 190/55-ZR17
Claimed Wet Weight: 580 lbs.
Load Capacity: 430 lbs.
GVWR: 1,010 lbs.

Performance
Fuel Capacity: iv.viii gals., last 1.06 gal. warning lite on
MPG: 91 PON min. (low/avg/loftier) NA
Claimed Range: 186+ miles
Indicated RPM at 60 MPH: 4,000