justplainbill Posted May 22, 2018 Author Share Posted May 22, 2018 You misread me, bill - quite possibly deliberately to make your point! There is not the slightest evidence tracer or intention to sneer in my post. It is not a motorcycle - tho' it may be described as a variant of a motorcycle, just like some of those others you quoted. Sorry Wordsmith - I saw the word "cat" and "pigeons", believe those to be distinct species and responded to that. No intent to misread you and don't think I did. I was being flippant in regard to Niken's abnormality. I would agree that a Niken is not a bicycle but it is a motorcycle. At least in the U.S. M[span]ost state[/span] governments define a motorcycle as having three or less wheels. I think the U.S. government makes the same distinction but haven't checked that out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordsmith Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 Ever so slightly off-topic - but brand-new 2015 build 2016 model Tracers are now being advertised at $10,990 complete with hard panniers. Numerically, this is nearing North American prices. I still don't geddit! Riding a fully-farkled 2019 MT-09 Tracer 900 GT from my bayside home in South East Queensland, Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruizin Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 The damn motorcycle world has been putting side cars on motorcycles since what, world war 2? Where was the outrage over that? Heck, Ural still makes a three wheeled motorcycle that breaks down and leaves it's owner stranded all over the world. Where is the outrage in that? This kind of "snobbery" stifles innovation. It hinders progress. The Yamaha Niken is a damn motorcycle. And no matter if it is a hit or a miss, I applaud Yamaha for having the balls to embrace true innovation and bringing this bike to market. It might just surprise you. Yamaha FZ-10 Forum Yamaha FZ-07 Forum Yamaha Ténéré 700 Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordsmith Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 The damn motorcycle world has been putting side cars on motorcycles since what, world war 2? Where was the outrage over that? Heck, Ural still makes a three wheeled motorcycle that breaks down and leaves it's owner stranded all over the world. Where is the outrage in that? This kind of "snobbery" stifles innovation. It hinders progress. The Yamaha Niken is a damn motorcycle. And no matter if it is a hit or a miss, I applaud Yamaha for having the balls to embrace true innovation and bringing this bike to market. It might just surprise you. I see no outrage, cruizin. Nor snobbery. Nor any inference that it is (or is going to be) hit or miss. Time will tell. Back to your tranquillisers! Riding a fully-farkled 2019 MT-09 Tracer 900 GT from my bayside home in South East Queensland, Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruizin Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 I apologize. Its just that I see the comments from all three of my bike forums and they all roll together. There is a lot of general snobbery towards this bike on the internet in general. Some sayng it's not a motorcycle. To me, it looks like a three wheeled FJ-09. It's certainly the same engine. Yamaha FZ-10 Forum Yamaha FZ-07 Forum Yamaha Ténéré 700 Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordsmith Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 The various other 'motorcycles' mentioned by another, and the Piaggio/ Gilera iteration of the Niken, are generally referred to here in Oz as 'trikes' or 'three-wheelers'. I respect Yamaha for wanting to showcase its design, engineering, and manufacturing skills with the Niken, but am not at all convinced of its longer-term success (however measured) in the market place. But I wish 'em well with it! Riding a fully-farkled 2019 MT-09 Tracer 900 GT from my bayside home in South East Queensland, Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buggy Nate Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 I too wouldn’t call the Niken a motorcycle, same way you wouldn’t call a quad a car, as above we call them trikes here, and side cars when someone adds a chair to a bike. Saying that I love and appreciate the engineering involved in creating such a beast, I will never own one nor do I want to but it might serve a purpose to those with disabilities that still want to ride and feel like they are ‘riding’ unlike on a traditional trike. It would be nice to throw a leg over one just to see what it is like. It does seem like it will be priced out of reach for most though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norcal616 Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 I will call it a motorcycle due to the fact it handles like one and uses same operator inputs styles such as throttle tube, hand clutch, foot/hand brake pedals ... I will not call a Sypder or Slingshot a motorcycle( even tho a cycle endorsement is need here for one in Michigan) but rather a 3wheeled car because it handles like one and uses same operator inputs such as foot operated clutch pedal, foot operated gas/brake,etc... A motorcycle with a sidecar is called a "sidecar" 'round here... I would love to demo one, but do not see myself owning one in the future- price is a deal killer, weight is a deal killer and its "new" technology for the US market(needs about 5yrs to iron out "teething" problems) I do see some more concepts bikes with 2 wheels out back with a Niken style front end... Yea its been done bout 20 years ago with the Chrysler Tomahawk concept bike... 2012 wr250f - C-class 30+ age group 2015 fz-07- Hordpower Edition-80whp 2015 fj-09- Graves Exhaust w/Woolich tune by 2WDW @120whp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buggy Nate Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 ... it might serve a purpose to those with disabilities that still want to ride and feel like they are ‘riding’ unlike on a traditional trike... I have seen this point made several times, but not sure that would work.... the Niken is heavy, won't stand on it's own (or just some of the time), has no reverse drive, seat not low enough etc. It would be pretty awkward to use for a person with disability... or say, simply someone elderly. Need more than just great traction to make this appealing to that demographic. Pretty funny though how that view point stacks up against Yamaha's marketing. Those things are a very simple fix for the engineering departments over here that modify vehicles for that use. I’ve seen electric reverse gears, outriggers that lower automatically when at slow speeds etc. But I meant more of the riding a motorcycle feeling rather than just turning bars like a conventional trike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justplainbill Posted May 22, 2018 Author Share Posted May 22, 2018 An interesting report by Jensen Beeler of the Asphalt and Rubber site https://www.asphaltandrubber.com/reviews/yamaha-niken-wheelie/ Beeler says Yamaha USA has embargoed reports from U.S. journalists invited to the Austria launch of the Niken until next Monday, May 29th. (Embargo, as used in journalism, is to restrict release of certain information until a set date. It's a common practice in some fields. ) Other Yamaha distributors are not doing so and those are the reports we've been seeing. One thing you might enjoy, is A&R's Behind-the-Scenes video in which the question of whether the Niken can wheely is answered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justplainbill Posted May 24, 2018 Author Share Posted May 24, 2018 I'm not familiar with Gas-o-Loon, or Anders the test rider and narrator for this video -- but you don't get a sense of the usual moto-journalist "I'm so f'n clever" BS here. Anders is more like a regular guy, giving you his impressions as they happen. Refreshing, to me anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruizin Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 I'm not familiar with Gas-o-Loon, or Anders the test rider and narrator for this video -- but you don't get a sense of the usual moto-journalist "I'm so f'n clever" BS here. Anders is more like a regular guy, giving you his impressions as they happen. Refreshing, to me anyway. So, it gives more front end grip and cornering confidence to New riders. But will new riders shell out $18,000 for this? I think it's good innovation by Yamaha but I don't know how well this bike will sell. Yamaha FZ-10 Forum Yamaha FZ-07 Forum Yamaha Ténéré 700 Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetpilot5 Posted May 25, 2018 Share Posted May 25, 2018 Im waiting for the 1st video of a Niken pulling a wheelie...I'll just leave this here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duhs10 Posted May 25, 2018 Share Posted May 25, 2018 @jetpilot5 link to picture isn't working '15 FJ-09 w/ lots of extras... Fayetteville, GA, USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetpilot5 Posted May 25, 2018 Share Posted May 25, 2018 A couple other interesting pics. Story here, you'll need to translate. link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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