maximNikenGT

Additionally Helite updated its Turtle with the Turtle 2 which appears to have incorporated a SAS-TEC hard back protector in its exterior design.

Motorcycle Airbags - HELITE Technology - Helite Moto

Hit Air released an updated version of its airbag vest MLV2-C. Couldn't tell the difference between it and the original MLV-C so had to hit the Hit-Air website in Japan for a better explanation/illustrations. 

Structure and kind of airbag | hit-air airbag system | motorcycle | - hit-air - Werable Airbag | Mugen Denko Co., Ltd.

The newer MLV2-C looks like it can/does incorporate additional protection in the back as well as the front as evidenced by the yellow zones in the cutaway structure diagrams under the blue inflation bladders. 

The Mccruise is a big step up from the friction based throttle lock from Kaoko. I had one of these on my '04 BMW R1150R and it worked well for giving my wrist a rest on long flat sections of road. 

https://kaoko.com/?s=&ymm_search=1&post_type=product&_make=Yamaha&_model=Niken&_year=2019

Saw postings from fellow members talking about an aftermarket cruise control system called Mccruise which stands for Motorcycle Cruise Controls based out of Victoria, Australia, where they're been making motorcycle cruise controls for at least 18 years. 

https://www.mccruise.com/pages/about-us

If you don't have a cruise control for your bike then this may be worth a look.  Would be interested in seeing install details of how difficult  this install is for a given bike. 

10 hours ago, Heli ATP said:

Got some miles in today and found myself halfway around a lake behind 2 cars doing 30mph when the Trip F came on, hadn't seen that before . When the fuel gauge started flashing I was trying to remember if I should have one gallon left. At 20miles FTE I was sweating but made it 26.2 miles to a station that had premium non-ethanol gas. Pumped 4.274 gallons @ $5.849/G. I think I would be comfortable going 30 beyond the flash if there is a next time😟

Pic is from immediately after I filled up...

 

Good to know. Not sure I've seen that F code before when I'm running low. 

Fun question - What is the farthest North and South that your Niken has been?

In the event responses are across various continents we will also request by latitude longitude coordinates for absolute furthest North and South. 

Furthest North I've been is Little Switzerland in North Carolina ~107 miles /~172km. Furthest South I've been is 40 Acre Rock Heritage Preserve in Kershaw, SC ~60 miles /97 km from me. 

Now that my cruise control is finally fixed I expect that to change. 😀

I've put in about 500 miles since I've installed it and it works great. Chain is nicely lubed at all times as evidenced by a nice oiled but clean sheen to my chain.

Before the Pro Oiler the chain would usually be much darker due to chain dirt and grime. The dynamic oil feed actually lubricates and cleans the chain in the process. Highly recommend any auto oiler for the additional benefit of automatic chain cleaning which in theory should extend the life of the chain and help reduce chain stretch. 

I've also noticed that after I ride in the rain normally I see some yellowish brown looking oxidation on the chain. That is no longer something I see on the chain. 

Had to fabricate a mounting bracket that the y-nozzle dispenser could attach to out of aluminum from my local hardware store. Using a combination of a jig saw cutter and grinding tool I got the aluminum bracket to the shape that I needed and drilled appropriate holes to leverage existing mounting points.

Hardest part was getting the actual y-nozzle mounted exactly right so that oil flow tubes were as straight as possible and unimpeded and not coming into contact with the ground or the bike while mounted to the swing arm and in motion. 

Has anyone who applied the urea grease to the front end have pictures or video?

Also which urea grease did you use? I'm not near 12k miles but my bike is three years old so a regreasing is not a bad idea.  

FYI - the recalled brake switch that was installed actually screwed up my cruise control as confirmed by my local yamaha dealer. Took almost 3 months to replace the recalled brake sensor because of supply chain issues. I placed the order back on April 29, 2022. The part finally came in last Friday July 22. 

And it appears that I finally have cruise control again! 😀

Finally got my bike back from the shop today after getting a call last Friday indicating after almost a three month wait, my replacement brake sensor finally arrived. The initial recalled brake sensor replacement was faulty so if your cruise control is acting up after the brake sensor swap, then this is most likely the culprit. 

Super happy to have cruise control working again!

On 3/4/2022 at 8:22 AM, karamurat said:

Nice mounting of the speakers - how did you run the speaker/power cables? Also, how did you secure the speakers to the shock tower plastic? 

mp3-4 

Peak Design just released a new cell phone anti vibration mount for RAM mounts. 

https://www.peakdesign.com/products/1in-ball-adapter?utm_source=rejoiner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2022.07.12+-+1"+Ball+Adapter+Newsletter&utm_content=2022.07.12+-+1"+Ball+Adapter+Newsletter&rjnrid=5j4o8OL

This guy engineered his own three wheeler self enclosed motorcycle. Using a four wheeler ATV as a donor vehicle he took the front end from it and applied it. More Can-Am than Niken since it doesn't lean however you've got to admire his skill in building something like this. 

On 6/10/2021 at 1:39 PM, maximNikenGT said:

Only 1553 miles  / 2500 km  on the fronts? So far I'm at 2525 miles /  4064 km and my fronts have 3.8 mm remaining in right front, 2.5 mm in left front,and 3.8mm remaining in the rear.

I'm also in riding mode = 2 with TCS =1 as my daily setup.  However I'm not very aggressive with the throttle.  

Also unusual higher left front tire wear is probably because here in the US we drive on the right hand side and do more right hand turns. Be curious if Niken riders in countries who ride on the left see greater tire wear on the right fronts.  

Reviewing in some of the Facebook forums where various riders on the front tires are getting as low as 4000km / 2485mi to as high as 20000km / 12427mi before having to replace. Runs a pretty wide spectrum subject to local roads and your riding preferences. 

Am curious his long replacement parts will take to arrive. I've heard suspension parts could take two years for some others.  

Now to add some highway pegs! 😀

On 7/2/2022 at 6:36 PM, Heli ATP said:

Installed crash bars. These are cheap Givi 2139 FJ-09/Tracer copies ($89) from ebay. The flat bar with a hole to secure the rear of the bars had to be removed and welded back on after some finagling. I have a friend who welds and powder coats for a living so it was a project worth taking on. Dimensions are in the Niken crash bar thread as I followed what lpawelek did. I wanted more engine coverage and leg protection so these seem the best fit for now. Also on ebay there is a 13 pack of wheel axle spacers and some M10x1.25 - 130mm socket cap full thread stainless bolts. The bolts had to be cut to size, add a few stainless washers and it worked. Probably $200 all in.

 

Engine protection looks much better than the SW Motech versions and way cheaper than the SSB Gymkana crash bars out of Japan. Nicely done!

On 6/26/2022 at 10:15 PM, Rob from Ottawa said:

Hi, A thank you to Maxim for their enthusiastic postings everywhere about Nikens. I admire your research almost as much as your foglight setup. 

On the topic of tires, I haven't heard of anyone using this bike the way I do, as an all-road ADV. After riding the stock tires to Labrador and finding mud flat-out dangerous, I fitted the world's fattest Continental TKC80 to the rear and two Heidenau K66 winter tires to the front. The bike still fishtails on deceleration on gravel and the Conti greatly slows down the lovely steering the bike originally had, but I'm now able to follow my GS-Adventure-riding friends again, I'm getting better at sliding the rear on farm roads, and I still have had no trouble cornering hard on asphalt. It is also perfectly rideable in snow, if you're careful.

No, the Niken is not actually a very good adventure bike. With 3 tracks, something is always hitting something and salty slush is hard on the chain. But it has added two months of riding to the season here in Canada. Safe riding.

If you want to use the bike as I do, I recommend a rotopax jerrycan on a Givi tail rack, SW Motec handguards, engine guards and bash plate, and R&G sliders.

The stock pannier mounts and panniers are of course terrible so I'm using Givi Canyons jerryrigged on the stock mounts. One of the latter snapped when the bike sank through its gravel parking spot and pitched over one night and I can't find the stock replacement in Canada. But that has been the only serious downside to using this as a gravel bike so far. Unlike the completely normal behaviour of the bike on the street, light dirt riding is weird but it works.

Thanks for the posts. 

Incidentally it looks stupid fun to do donuts in the snow with your Niken setup. I already have a lot of fun and smiles riding the Niken normally but this would be ultimate hoonigan time for me.

Sent an inquiry to WeiserTechnik.com regarding their two-in-one lights that act as turn signals as well as auxiliary lights. 

Weiser Extreme EVO LED Lights for Motorcycles - Weiser Technik

While they don't have one for the Niken I submitted a request via their custom requests. Will post what I hear. 

Stumbled across this on the Yamaha Japan site where it looks like one can still order 2022 Nikens up until the production limit is reached. 

NIKEN GT - バイク・スクーター | ヤマハ発動機 (yamaha-motor.co.jp)

11 hours ago, Heli ATP said:

I've decided to remove my stock mirrors as they are not really useful after adding the FJ-09 hand guards. The handle bar bar mirrors work very well even though I need to upgrade from the cheap ones I installed for function test. Currently I think the look is a little odd on my GT with so many things sticking out on the sides. My plan is the put lights where the stock mirrors mount, and since wiring is already at that location it should be straight forward. This will be a winter project so for now I'm looking for conspicuous running or fog lights that maybe have a turn signal option. I have turn signal light on my hand guards that need to be wired up so if I just add fog light to the mirror location I will be good to go. After-market light suggestions appreciated.

I've been looking to do something similar but cannot find a good turn signal replacement blinker that I like yet. Had to start a whole new thread just on mirrors....

Incidentally, was on the Yamaha Niken owners forum where it was reported by a fellow owner with a contact in Yamaha parts supply out of Southeast USA who indicated that certain Niken parts (ex. replacement suspension gold or the black EU only forks for the Niken) are on backorder for close to two years because Japanese Covid export laws aided in choking off supply of some of the rarer parts. 

On 4/5/2022 at 11:19 PM, Heli ATP said:

https://japan.webike.net/products/21958168.html

What is the 'Yamaha Wire Lead Sport 2'.  Part # Q5K-YSK-001-U48

Comment says... *Power is supplied only as the headlights are on.  

Does that mean it could be used to power AUX light to come on with the headlights?

Sorry - thought I had responded to this. This looks like a Y adapter that could be used for auxiliary lights. so long as the auxiliary lights are relatively low current draw this may be sufficient if you don't have a separate relay/switch to allow you the flexibility of turning on the auxiliary lights independently of the headlights. 

2 hours ago, Rob from Ottawa said:

Hi, A thank you to Maxim for their enthusiastic postings everywhere about Nikens. I admire your research almost as much as your foglight setup. 

On the topic of tires, I haven't heard of anyone using this bike the way I do, as an all-road ADV. After riding the stock tires to Labrador and finding mud flat-out dangerous, I fitted the world's fattest Continental TKC80 to the rear and two Heidenau K66 winter tires to the front. The bike still fishtails on deceleration on gravel and the Conti greatly slows down the lovely steering the bike originally had, but I'm now able to follow my GS-Adventure-riding friends again, I'm getting better at sliding the rear on farm roads, and I still have had no trouble cornering hard on asphalt. It is also perfectly rideable in snow, if you're careful.

No, the Niken is not actually a very good adventure bike. With 3 tracks, something is always hitting something and salty slush is hard on the chain. But it has added two months of riding to the season here in Canada. Safe riding.

If you want to use the bike as I do, I recommend a rotopax jerrycan on a Givi tail rack, SW Motec handguards, engine guards and bash plate, and R&G sliders.

The stock pannier mounts and panniers are of course terrible so I'm using Givi Canyons jerryrigged on the stock mounts. One of the latter snapped when the bike sank through its gravel parking spot and pitched over one night and I can't find the stock replacement in Canada. But that has been the only serious downside to using this as a gravel bike so far. Unlike the completely normal behaviour of the bike on the street, light dirt riding is weird but it works.

Thanks for the posts. 

Thanks for the appreciation. Yours is only the second setup I've heard of with a similar  tire configuration using super knobby tires on the rear with some very extreme weather front tires. If memory serves the other rider was mounting some snow tires that come closer to your off road setup and was out of Calgary, Alberta. 

I'm amazed you could even mount a rear tire that thick under the stock rear mud guard. Were any modifications needed to accommodate those tires?
 

Would also love to see how you were able to get the Givi saddlebags to work on your setup because I'm leaving heavily towards trying to custom fit a Givi V37 solution somehow.