maximNikenGT

Stumbled across this reference to future Yamaha machines at the Japan Mobility Show (formerly Tokyo Auto Show) and noticed a reference to a 'trail LMW' (Leaking Multi Wheel). Potentially an off-road/rally version of the Niken? https://www.carscoops.com/2023/10/yamahas-tricera-is-a-morgan-super-3-for-2033/amp/ Anyone go to this year's Japan Mobility Show and have pictures of what this is potentially referring to?

Video of Nikens being manufactured and assembled off the factory production line by the fine teams in Iwata, Japan. Arigato!

And of course the Niken wouldn't be possible without the fine men and women at the Yamaha factory out of Iwata, Japan. Video of Nikens being built and assembled off the lines of Iwata in addition to other Yamaha motorcycle models.

This is the best video that illustrates the self balancing capabilities of the Motoroid 2. https://global.yamaha-motor.com/design_technology/design/concept/motoroid/#:~:text=center of gravity.-,click,-here if the

Found this direct from Yamaha Global. Apparently the upper cowling uses A.I. (Artificial intelligence) to read and interpret rider gestures and motions. https://global.yamaha-motor.com/design_technology/design/concept/motoroid/

New Atlas article with additional photos. https://newatlas.com/motorcycles/yamaha-motoroid-2/

This just in - Yamaha unveiled a new version of a self balancing motorcycle. Could be important if Yamaha ever decided to put the self balancing tech in the huge cowling of the Niken to make motorcycling more accessible to the masses. https://electrek.co/2023/10/11/yamaha-motoroid-2-self-balancing-electric-motorcycle/

I would submit to the forum that this guy licensed Yamaha tech for his Batcycle. If it's good enough for Batman...

I actually cargo net the hydration pack in an insulated sleeve down on top of the pillion/passenger seat and then reach for the long sip tube as needed. When I wore my Aerostich suit I was able to route the sip tube through my helmet carabiner to keep the sip tube nearby and take sips while on the go. This no longer works for the Hit-Air jacket since there's not really a similar spot near the upper chest to attach a small carabiner clip to. This is to: a. as you surmised, minimize airbag jacket interference in the event of dismount and b. Reduce long distance fatigue by reducing any additional weight on the body. Fuel tank on the Niken is not that big so usually when I stop for refueling I'll take additional water during the break.

Hey TomNorden901, I've ridden with the jacket in temperatures exceeding 30 degrees C / 86 degrees F and I absolutely prefer this Hit-Air jacket paired with my Richa vented summer pants over my Aerostich R3 Lite suit which has lots of vents for summertime riding. My only suggestion is that if you're using this jacket in temps exceeding 30 degrees C that you have a minimal windscreen so that you can let all that airflow pass through the mesh jacket to give some additional cooling. HOWEVER, per another article on heat indexes, generally speaking, once one begins riding in temperatures exceeding 35 degrees C / 95 degrees F, that cooling wind now potentially becomes "cooking" wind, and your body may suffer from having too much "cooking" wind flow through your jacket and heat you up even faster. Personally speaking, if I am riding in ambient temperatures exceeding 35 degrees F / 95 degrees F: a. If the ride is about an hour or less, I'd prefer to have the smaller Niken windscreen mounted in ambient temperatures exceeding 35 degrees F / 95 degrees F, to have the cooking wind evaporate my body sweat under the jacket. For shorter rides, the cooking wind is tolerable. b. If the ride is longer than an hour, I prefer to have the larger Givi windscreen mounted to reduce the convection oven effects on my body over longer distances. In both cases I tend to run a hydration pack filled with ice water to provide additional cooling and take periodic sips as needed. Getting lightheaded/dehydrated/heatstroke while riding your bike is no good. And if ambient temperatures are over 38 degrees C / 100 degrees F, I make sure to take more frequent safety stops to cool down in the shade somewhere and rehydrate. Under these circumstances (and barring any forecasted rain) I would absolutely choose the Hit Air mesh over my Aerostich R3 lite. One other thing of note while I was writing this is the mention that you ride in Australia (whereas I ride in the Carolinas). We don't have as dusty an environment where I ride in the Carolinas in comparison to some of the more remote desert areas of Australia (closer to the Outback and the interior vs. along the coastal regions e.g. the route leading to the 12 Apostles). I haven't tested how easy the jacket is to clean yet in comparison to my Aerostich suit. I only mention this because I don't clean my jackets that often, unless I'm reapplying Scotchgard waterproofing or to clean off dead bug splatters / road grime. Based upon a trip to Australia a few years back, Australia's insects/flies generally speaking seem to be way bigger than Carolina insects/flies. On these two conditions I suggest you consider the darker version vs. the white version since I believe it will hide the dirt/dust and bug carcasses better so you can go longer between cleanings.

Found out from another owner in Japan where about 10 Niken owners there have utilized hand guards from the 2018 Tracers.

Powerbronze has some for the Niken as well. https://www.powerbronze.co.uk/yamaha-niken-18-21-niken-gt-18-21-380-y109.html

Part two of interview translated via Google.

Interviews with the development team of the NIKEN GT ('23 BFD) are now available , 2 out of 3 interviews in total. The article is in Japanese, so please use a translation site to read it. Part 1 https://response.jp/article/2023/08/23/374451.html Part 2 https://response.jp/article/2023/08/25/374523.html Mr Hirakawa, the project leader for this project, was in charge of the chassis for the NIKEN (BD5). Hat tip to Matsumoto Kazuo for posting.

Decided to start a forum dedicated to sales of Niken specific parts since one does not appear to exist. For sale are parts from my 2019 Niken GT (all parts listed below were used less than 2000 miles because I replaced them with other equipment). None of the parts for sale have any damage (e.g. never dropped or scraped). Parts are located in Charlotte, NC, USA. PM me directly if interested. Prices are not inclusive of any shipping or any Paypal fees (buyer must pay for shipping and any Paypal fees if not picking up in person). A. OEM Yamaha windshield Part number B5B2831-00-00. Price: $269 USD B. OEM Yamaha Windshield Stay, Guide 1 for attaching the windshield to the bike (Part number B5B-2831E-00-00). Price $69 C. OEM Yamaha 1 Soft ABS Saddlebag Kit Part number BD5-F84H0-00 mounted with 1 Reflector Kit per bag Part number BD5-F84BA-V0-00. This kit has two saddlebags total. ($399 USD) D. 1 Soft Saddlebag Mount (MSRP $399.99 USD) Part number BD5-F84M0-V0-00. This mount will mount both saddlebags listed in C above. ($299 USD)

Was watching the Fortnine video on using the wrong RPM on my motorcycle: Got me thinking that I'm generally shifting well under 4500 RPMs. Looking at what Cycle World's HP vs. Torque chart is for the 2019 Niken GT, that suggests that I should be running up to 8k+ RPMs more often to optimize torque/hp or 10k RPMs to top out my max hp on my Niken. https://images.app.goo.gl/Taqnmx92wFBp4L876 In case you all needed additional reason to hop on your bikes to ride...

I admit that I'm a stickler for maintenance on my car because I keep my cars in excess of 100k+miles. Frequent and regular maintenance prevents much bigger problems further down the line. No such thing as a "lifetime fluid".

Video of fellow owner performing brake sensor / switch fix.

Old friend from college initially thought the same thing first time he walked into my garage.

Just bought a portable Flexifreeze portable lunch box / drink cooler with built in freezeable ice paks to keep my snacks / drinks cool in hot weather. FlexiFreeze Freezable 9 Can Cooler https://a.co/d/hiLoUDb This thing has been awesome for hot day trips. Tossed it into my top case and had a nice cold drink / cold cut sandwich for lunch after a long morning ride. Am actually thinking about swapping out my RAM rechargeable phone mount with the RAM cup holder because the RAM rechargeable phone mount does not have anti vibration built in to prevent mobile phone camera stabilization sensor damage. May look to switch to Quad Lock or Peak Design cell phone mounts with the anti vibration. Extra points if they also have built in charging capabilities.

Had to look the Extenda Fenda up since I'm not familiar with them. Pyramid Hugger Extension | Matte Black | Yamaha Niken 2018>Current | Pyramid Plastics (pyramid-plastics.co.uk) Looks like Niken owners buy the Extenda Fenda from the '06 FJRs and make them work:

Looks like they'll really Nerf the rooster tails that would normally get kicked up. Excellent tip! Please let us know how they perform.

Am posting this with permission from the original author/owner from the Facebook Niken forums where the owner was encountering a strange left tire suspension "stuttering" only when making deep right-hand turns. link to wheel stuttering video: Niken in question was a used 2018, with 36,000 km / 22,370 miles. No accidents / no obvious damage. Owner had already tried to troubleshoot the stuttering of the left wheel by swapping out with new front tires and balancing the wheels. Still experienced the stutter eroding the riding confidence of what is normally a very sure-footed machine. After getting suggestions of balancing the front wheels including the hub, whether there was a problem with the rear wheel, fork compression/rebound settings, front suspension blockage, brake calipers sticking, steering stem bearings getting loose/worn, and even suggestions to perform brake fluid change, turns out the root cause was an out of alignment front end. From the owner... "Because the left wheel wasn't aligned with the right both tires were always "dragging" and struggling with each other. When turning right, while accelerating, the front left wheel was the most unloaded and started "jumping"." Owner ended up creating his own alignment tool and provided pictures. This was the first time I had ever heard of an owner creating their own alignment tool and wanted to capture it for posterity because of the low production runs of the Niken (at least in the USA), not too many shops will probably even have this tool available. The original Yamaha tool is called a Wheel Alignment Toe Gage part number 980890-01595 YM-01595. According to different owner's post from 2021 (where his new Niken actually came with this alignment tool from the dealership), retail price for the Yamaha tool at that time was $540.99 USD / ~491 Euro / ~417 pound sterling. Special shout out to owner Boris Nodelman for sharing detailed information on how he built his own alignment tool for about $15 USD. Specific questions I had about the tool construction included details such as: Dimensions: Tool made from aluminum square rail 25x25mm, 60 cm in length. NOTE: Aluminum rails MUST be the exact same size, and the center hole must be the exact center of the rail. Rail Center holes = 10 mm Angle bracket holes = 5mm. Materials and tools used: 2 Aluminum square rails: 25x25mm, 60 cm in length 2 M10 thread machine screws, 40 cm long that fit perfectly into the fork guard bushing. 2 M10 nuts 4 spring washers sized for the M5 screws 4 furniture angle brackets: ~75mm x ~62mm - The furniture angle brackets used on the rails have long holes so they can move about 4-5 cm each. This makes it easy to correctly align them to the wheel rims. Powered Hand Drill 5mm and 10mm Drill bits that can drill into aluminum Pencil/marker to mark where the holes need to be Hammer and tap to mark hole locations tape measure (suggested) Table mounted clamp to secure the aluminum square rail when drilling required holes. Can be done by hand if no access to clamp. how the precise holes for toe in pointers and the wheel brackets were drilled e.g. hand drill, pneumatic drill (DO NOT USE), drill press (If you have access to one is great). General Build Instructions: 1. Check that the aluminum rails are true/straight with a level or right-angle square. If the rails are not true/straight to begin with, discard and find ones that are true/straight to begin the tool build otherwise it will never give you a true reading when trying to adjust the front end. Save yourself the headache and find aluminum rails that are true/straight to begin with. If starting with a single long aluminum rail at least 120cm in length, cut rail into two equal pieces of 60cm in length. For each aluminum rail: 2. Find the midpoint of the aluminum square rails and drill a 10mm hole into both rails using powered hand drill or drill press (if available). This will be where the machine screws used to verify toe-in will be mounted. 2.1 Use M10 thread, 40cm screw and insert into the midpoint holes drilled per the step above. 2.2 Secure the 40cm screw with a nut on the opposing side to where the furniture angle brackets will be mounted. 3.1 Drill two 5mm holes to mount the furniture angle brackets at a distance of 17cm away from the midpoint holes you drilled for the toe in machine screws. 3.2 Using a M5 screw, secure the furniture angle brackets to the aluminum square rails with a spring washer and M5 nut (2x per rail for a total of 4 times). CAUTION: M5 screw tightening should be done with a tool, but not overtightened (you physically can't tighten M5 nut by hand - it's too small). Take care not to scratch your wheels with the furniture brackets. Wheel Alignment Toe-In Gage Instructions for use: Follow the instruction in the Yamaha Niken service manual per below and add spacers as needed. * The assembly of aluminum alignment toe in gage rails on Niken should be done in the next order: 1. Insert the M10 screw through the wheel axis. 2. Fit the rail over the M10 screw already positioned within the wheel axis. 3. Adjust furniture angle brackets against rims enough for friction to hold them in place against the inner wheel. 4. Tighten 2 M10 nuts by hand, from opposite sides, until the aligning tool is in place and the furniture angles lightly pressed against rims (aligning horizontally can be done by building level tool). From the service manual. How to use the toe-in alignment gage and specifications on adjusting shims of varying thicknesses. Where to install the adjusting shims. Construction of the aluminum rails and hole positioning dimensions. After utilizing the toe-in tool, turns out that the front end needed 1mm spacer on the right side adjusting shims and 2mm spacers on the left side adjusting shims. After the alignment was performed, the bike no longer had the left wheel "stuttering".

Updating world totals as follows with first 2023 confirmation. 2018 Nikens =1532, 2019 Nikens=1553, and 2020 Nikens =2258 2023 Nikens = 539 Still no serial numbers confirmed for 2021, 2021 Nikens. Current estimated worldwide total of 5882! Country representation so far includes: Australia 55 (as of March 29, 2021, recall data) Canada China (estimated at 23-24) Czechoslovakia France Hong Kong (estimated at ~20-30), Hungary (1), Ireland (Republic of Ireland) Italy (estimated at <120), Israel, Japan = 537 as of November 2020, recall data) New Zealand (estimated at 14) Philippines (1) Portugal Serbia South Africa (1 2019 non-GT, #38) Spain Sweden (1) Switzerland (1) Taiwan Thailand (estimated at 10) Turkey UK (England/NorthernIreland/Scotland/Wales = 302, as of December 8,2020, recall data). US 280 (all model year 2019, recall data)

Pretty small detail to feel the need to add reinforcement - does it really vibrate or not have a good right fitting without it?