IF you have watched bicycle racing on television or a Youtube clip of Le Tour de France, you would have noticed an unusual motorcycle cruising along with the racers.
If you were wondering what it was, it's actually a three-wheeled motorcycle from Yamaha called the Niken.
Yamaha has a history of bringing groundbreaking, unusual and just plain weird motorcycles to the production line and the Niken is just another in a long line of those.
Unlike many other three-wheeled contraptions, the Niken actually leans over just like a motorcycle and is quite an excellent mount.
The Niken broke cover at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show as the "MWT-9" concept bike and as a continuation of Yamaha's "Leaning Multi-Wheel" concept that began with the 125cc Yamaha Tricity scooter.
The pre-production model was shown at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show and production began in 2018. The name is coined from "Two Swords", which refers to the two front wheels.
The basis of the Niken is roughly from the Yamaha MT-09, although the chassis and the bodywork is all Niken. Yamaha changed nothing from the MT-09 power plant in the transition (except for tuning the crank axis for optimised moment of inertia) and it would not have needed to as the spunky triple works excellently in its new role.
The extra weight (263kg) is roughly 70kg more than the standard MT-09, but the triple only ever feels it on steep hills or when fully loaded. Otherwise, the 847cc CP3 just laps it all up. The Niken is actually lighter than an FJR1300, which mean the MT-09 is either lightweight or the FJR is overweight.
The question most asked of the Niken is: "How does it handle?" Well, the extra weight up front is definitely noticeable but only at very low speeds.
Once moving, the Niken actually feels just like any other motorcycle in its responses. The extra wheel imparts a stability not found in other bikes through the extra contact patch and also grip.
The offset is that the weighty Niken reacts better to weight transfer in addition to counter-steering rather than just counter-steering in itself. This only applies if you're pushing on a bit in the turns. When riding normally you would not need to add the weight transfer at all.
The front suspension is a 43/41mm LMW Ackerman cantilevered dual-tube fork with a 45-degree lean angle. The front wheels are 15-inchers with V-rated rubber specially developed for the Niken. Rear suspension is sadly a conventional monoshock (fully adjustable for damping and preload). There is a 35-degree steering lock available.
The only moment you may feel short-changed is when filtering through rush hour traffic. The mirrors are low but the feeling that the width of the front wheels (410mm) may snag someone's wheel arches are enough to slow you down.
But the Niken is actually slimmer than many touring bikes with panniers but the feeling never quite goes away. There is no way you would be able to slalom through stopped traffic though. The other bugbear is potholes and cats eyes; one of the wheels will strike a bulls-eye every time.
The suspension is well up to it, although the smallish front wheels are a drawback in terms of ride quality.
The brakes are almost conventional; 298mm dual front discs with a 282mm rear disc in support. Both, sorry, all three are equipped with the anti-lock braking system.
As you may expect, the Niken stops with authority and the extra front wheel gives you more confidence to grab more front brake than you normally would.
Styling is not everyone's cup of tea but only from certain angles does the Niken look awkward. It probably was not easy to design but the Niken looks good from most angles and that front suspension looks awesome and high-tech, which it is.
A set of appropriately styled hard saddlebags would set off the front end really nicely and should have come as standard, in my opinion. The fuel tank holds 18 litres and is at odds with the Niken's touring capabilities (and capacious bodywork).
The front screen is good enough for highway work but the bigger accessory windscreen would shield the rider better. The front wheels also throw up quite a large amount of spray in wet conditions, oddly enough.
The instruments are standard Yamaha LCD fare but the Niken comes with cruise control and USB charging ports. Lights are full LED with daytime running lights.
Overall, the Niken is a competent bike and needs a serious look if you like the looks. The advantages of having two front wheels outweigh the weight gains. It doesn't mean you can't crash a Niken.
It is still possible to fall off but it will need a serious rider error or atrocious road conditions for that to happen.
Unfortunately for us Malaysians, Hong Leong Yamaha does not see fit to import the Niken but in its defence, the Malaysian market is too small and the Niken too expensive for most.
