Yamaha Nikengt
Look beyond the extra-wheel weirdness and discover the Niken GT is a remarkable machine that’s ready for the sports-tourer challenge
Yes, the Niken GT is a tricycle. But we’re not talking the back half of a VW Beetle with bent GS1000 forks welded to the front. The Niken responds, leans, reacts and feels like a bike, and you need a two-wheel licence to ride it. So it’s welcome.
In fact, part of that statement is a porky. Sometimes the way the Niken reacts and feels is better than humdrum two-wheelers. The grip and impression of safety from its two front tyres and solid-yet-eerilyeasy control mean feet-up, full-lock U-turns in slimy car parks. Nothing gives as much confidence on a wet roundabout or is so secure romping down the rippled and knotted back lanes between Buckminster and Waltham, north of Melton Mowbray (a chassis test if ever there was one). And though it looks like all the linkages weigh several tons the Yamaha boasts flowing, fluid, fabulously neutral steering. Just like hub-steered bikes the Niken can use radical geometry – 20° of rake and 74mm of trail makes a Moto3 bike look conservative. No wonder turnin and low-speed agility make the BMW feel like a Scania (the threewheeler has a tighter steering lock, too). It’ll also bank to a significant 45 degrees before something goes clunk.
‘It’s amazing that something so huge and complicated delivers such neutral steering,’ declares Hugo. ‘It’s also amazing that one’s feel for the extra grip is immediate – literally within a few hundred yards you understand that on cold, wet, badly-surfaced roads you can chuck it in much harder than you’d ever dare on a conventional bike.’
Ride quality isn’t as sumptuous as the 1000SX or R1250RS but it’s decent enough. And you’re not knocked by bumps any more than on normal bikes – yes, there are four fork legs, but each has a spring of half the strength. You’re more aware of what’s happening at road level, though – the extra wheel and additional legs all supply front-end feedback, and it takes a while before you happily ignore some of it. (Maybe Yamaha could bottle the excess feel and sell it to GS owners isolated by Telelever.) Power is from the MT-09’S wonderful 847cc triple, with bespoke fuelling and a crank with 18% more inertia. It’s the smallest and least powerful engine here and hauls the weightiest bike (it’s eight stone more than the GSX-S), so the Niken is slowest, and it’s restricted to an indicated 125mph or so. All of which doesn’t mean this three-wheeler is slow, of course. Whack the throttle in first and it leaps forward so hard the traction control steps in to prevent all those forks being flung skyward. Plenty of roll-on drive for fast A-roads too, with a whirring sense of running but nothing you’d class as vibration. It averages more to the gallon than the SX (just) and purrs on motorways.
And despite handling magic it’s clicking-off miles that the Niken GT seems suited for. Though the 820mm seat is average height the triple feels tall, its broadness pushing legs out rather than letting them dangle. This makes dropping a hoof slightly challenging for those short-changed on limbs, but helps the Yamaha have the most spacious riding position and genuine day-long comfort. The huge screen is effective, quick-release panniers don’t hinder filtering (they’re no wider than the front end), and main roads are cleaner than Bs so your feet don’t get as plastered in muck from the dual wheels.
With the engineering and intriguing dynamic it’s easy to overlook the widgets. The Niken has its quota with ABS, traction and cruise control, quickshifter (upwards only) and heated grips. Riding modes are labelled one, two and three, rather than having useful tags like Hungover Commute, Evening Thrash and Weekend Trip. Two is the normal setting and our favourite; thumbing to one gives a sharp response, while three softens it off for… er, softness.
All in all we really like the Niken GT. We like that Yamaha have the balls to make something so bold, and like the way it feels and performs. But we’re not sure, like most everyone else it seems, that our own balls are big enough to actually go out and buy one. ‘A bike is an emotional purchase, a statement about who you are,’ says Hugo. ‘I understand why people might not feel comfortable about the statement this Yamaha is making. But you should definitely get a test ride on the Niken GT. And I’d definitely consider a maxi-scoot with this layout as a daily rider.’
‘Nothing else is so secure romping down rippled and knotted back lanes’