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Niken roll-out is beginning, more info and soon, test rides


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A couple other interesting pics. Story here, you'll need to translate.  link 
 
651bf28f-d5ed-4d84-976e-fdd04a88af08-jpeg.1208202
There's also a test report on the new Tracer GT 900.   Again, you'll need to translate...

Riding a fully-farkled 2019 MT-09 Tracer 900 GT from my bayside home in South East Queensland, Australia.   

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they need to correct the MSRP to be more realistic for ppl... for that price I can buy 2 slightly used FJ-09 and install a turbo on one...
2012 wr250f - C-class 30+ age group
2015 fz-07- Hordpower Edition-80whp
2015 fj-09- Graves Exhaust w/Woolich tune by 2WDW @120whp
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they need to correct the MSRP to be more realistic for ppl... for that price I can buy 2 slightly used FJ-09 and install a turbo on one...
I was thinking the same thing.

'15 FJ-09 w/ lots of extras...

Fayetteville, GA, USA

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they need to correct the MSRP to be more realistic for ppl... for that price I can buy 2 slightly used FJ-09 and install a turbo on one...
There's an MSRP for the US? Haven't seen that listed. Mind posting the number?
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they need to correct the MSRP to be more realistic for ppl... for that price I can buy 2 slightly used FJ-09 and install a turbo on one...
There's an MSRP for the US? Haven't seen that listed. Mind posting the number?
2 slightly used FJ-09s and a turbo kit ?
2012 wr250f - C-class 30+ age group
2015 fz-07- Hordpower Edition-80whp
2015 fj-09- Graves Exhaust w/Woolich tune by 2WDW @120whp
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There's an MSRP for the US? Haven't seen that listed. Mind posting the number?
2 slightly used FJ-09s and a turbo kit ?
Judging from some of the prices of used FJs I see on this board, a new FJ costs just a little more than 2 slightly used FJs. 
In the UK, the Niken costs about 50% more than the Tracer 900.
 
 
 

 
I Googled the article and... it's pretty much what I expected the handling characteristics to be. Slow and heavy in the tight corners stable in a straight line or long sweeping turns. I'm sure there is a market for it and it is a cool design but not for me...
 
Also, this is the 2nd person who mentioned the terrible choice for a rear tire?? Why did Yamaha choose that tire? Do they need the rear tire to slide a little for some reason?

I saw a video review (maybe on Motorcycle.com) about a trio of trikes - Slingshot, Polaris, and a third one.  All three of them were designed to slide the rear to prevent rollover.  Saw something similar on a Jay Leno's Garage review of a three wheeler.  As designed, none of them will be able to corner as well as a motorcycle or car. 
 
EDITED TO ADD: not quite what I remembered but here is the Leno interview.

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I am convinced this beast is in a wrong body. Should be a tourer not a pretend sport bike. The concept has potential, but is misapplied here. Hope Yamaha manages to rescue the bike from the look-at-me category.
 
I think Yamaha already knows in it's heart of hearts, Niken is not a "canyon carver", at least not up against two wheel canyon carvers.  If Niken is a corner carver, why didn’t Yamaha also provide Tracer 900’s to the test riders and let them judge the respective capabilities in the Austrian mountains? If Niken is a corner carver, why not take it on a track and see how lap times compare to two wheel lap times? If Niken is a corner carver, why hasn’t Yamaha campaigned them on the race circuit? 
 
I have the feeling Niken could be used for almost any purpose (sport touring, commuting, weekend playbike, etc.) but will never be as good at anything as bikes already honed to perform those tasks. So unless Yamaha is willing to differentiate the Niken by highlighting it's special capability as a more stable plaform on which less skilled riders can build confidence and improve their skills, it's going to be one of those in-between models. Of course, doing that, risks having the Niken labeled "training wheels" bike.  But if it works, who cares?
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Very true, but I really doubt you'd have noobs lining up to shell out 16 grand for a beginner bike, and is 115hp 600lb buffalo really suited to doing figure 8s in a parking lot? I would love to see a larger motor, real seats, shaft drive, reverse gear, and some touring treatment. That would be a worthy contender for any tourer out there...stable, comfortable, traction galore... and still a bike. Really hope the concept survives this test run. 
 
Given Yamaha's investment developing the Niken and buying reverse trike patents, they are obviously convinced that a reverse leaning trike offers real benefits to the motorcycle riding community.  Considering that not one reviewer found anything the Niken does better than a two wheel motorcycle, it is equally clear that  Yamaha has not been successful in persuading test riders what those benefits to riders are. If Yamaha can't find a marketing reason for the Niken to exist and for people to buy it, other than technological curiosity, it will not suvive and will take any chance for a three wheel FJR1300 with it.
 
A touring reverse trike as you describe would be a very good application for the technology and a high end, luxury model introduction would also be a more "natural" way of bringing the concept to market.  Just more 20-20 hindsight I guess.
 
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For moto-jounalists, one of the benefits that (may) come with age is the ability to listen to the briefing before a test ride on a new model, so you don't write a review that makes you look like a blithering idiot. John Burns of Motorcycle magazine is a writer with more than a little gray in his beard and does seem to fit the model of good listener and accordingly, produced the best review of the Niken I've seen so far. http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/yamaha/2019-yamaha-niken-first-ride-review.html Unlike the dour Brits who feel that all motorcycles can be judged by the same standards, and the perpetualy adolescent American writers living to "back it in" or wheely, Burns actually tries to judge the Niken by what Yamaha said was the intended purpose for, and buyer of, the Niken.
 
According to Burns, the purpose for Niken: "If carving corners is the basis of what makes sporty motorcycling so enjoyable, then the Niken is all about distilling that feeling and making it easier and safer for the rider to carve away to his heart’s content, under a much broader range of conditions thanks to having two contact patches up front instead of just one: The hope is that when one loses traction, the other takes up the slack long enough for its mate to regain grip. Like Mat Oxley just wrote here, finding a way to prevent front-end slides is the Holy Grail of motorcycle racing: Honda found a device called Mark Marquez, Yamaha built the Niken." As to buyers of: "Yamaha does think the Niken will appeal to: 1) Innovators, 35 to 45 years old, looking for the latest technology, 2) mature, expert riders who replace their bikes often and are into the Experience, and 3) Functionalists, who’re willing to pay for extra confidence and stability to make them better, safer riders." That seems to provide a reason for the Niken to exist and for some rider to buy it.
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