You Niken folk all this fanatical ????

[Stew]

So I am sitting chilling out , having an Americano, and I see this guy all , you know that way, looking over my bike, walking around it, inspecting it, and you know he's going to come and talk bikes.

Sure as eggs is eggs, over he comes. And starts going on about how he was convinced that the Tracer 900 was a brilliant bike.
UNTIL he tried a Niken.
I tell you, I got the full brochure description, 80% more front end grip etc etc
He even walked away a few times, then came back to tell me more.
Then his parting shot was, 'please, from a complete stranger, promise me youll test a Niken'

CULT!

 

[betoney]

1 hour ago, Stew said:

over he comes. And starts going on about how he was convinced that the Tracer 900 was a brilliant bike.
UNTIL he tried a Niken.
Then his parting shot was, 'please, from a complete stranger, promise me youll test a Niken'

CULT!

I am no cult member (really 😎) but I would echo his sentiment, you owe it to yourself to at least try a Niken.  I test rode one this Summer and was very impressed and surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

I didn't put the front end grip to trial in wet conditions but there was plenty of corners and some traffic circles on the course we rode and I was able to ride in a moderately sporty manner.  NO COMPLAINTS. 👍

[Stew]

I've nothing against it, just doesn't particularly interest me.
Bike shops here are few and far between, and test rides , hmm some do some don't .

If I happened across one that was a demonstrator I'd cheerfully take it out for a ride.
But this was scary cult like, proper obsessive. I mean who comes and tells somebody that there is a 'better' bike than theirs, then walks away. I was the one out on a bike
There are loads of bikes 'better' than mine, depends who you ask. Some people like Honda's for goodness sake. Dull as dishwater

 

[whisperquiet]

I own a Tracer 900 GT and rode a demo Niken last year.  I thought it felt very planted and had a much plusher ride than my Tracer.  BUT, I have no interest in owning one.

[texscottyd]

59 minutes ago, Stew said:

I mean who comes and tells somebody that there is a 'better' bike than theirs, then walks away.

BMW owners, Ducati owners, Harley-Davidson owners, the pimply-faced neighborhood kid with the ratted-out GSXR...   

Shall I continue?  😁

[Stew]

BTW, the original post wasn't in any way having a dig at the Niken, I was just astonished at the evangelical fervour of a man without a motorcycle towards a man with a motorcycle. Clearly the Niken has a powerful spell to it.

 

[HGP61]

3 hours ago, Stew said:

If I happened across one that was a demonstrator I'd cheerfully take it out for a ride

MCS in Kilmarnock have one on as a demonstrator, had a good look round it at the dealer but felt no desperate need to try it out. It might be a brilliant bike but it's not more brilliant than mine.

[Stew]

2 hours ago, HGP61 said:

MCS in Kilmarnock have one on as a demonstrator, had a good look round it at the dealer but felt no desperate need to try it out. It might be a brilliant bike but it's not more brilliant than mine.

I actually set out to go there yesterday, until my utter dependance on the mighty tracer being able to run on fresh air put paid to those plans.

I was thinking about getting rid of my crf250 for a tenere 700, but have never even seen one in the flesh

 

Oh, I forgot. This guy came back one time to tell me that a Niken is only a tiny bit wider than a bmw gs1200. I think he might have been playing some wierd game of Top Trump. Actually walked down the road, turned round, and came back, to proudly tell me that.

I'm no luddite, but a real bike should only have 2 wheels. Oh, and a drum brake. Oh, and a rubbery frame, elastic forks, poor lighting and leak a bit of oil.

Of course, he overlooked my medical condition 'weepingforksealophobia'

 

[roadrash83]

I wonder how well the Niken is selling. My local Yamaha dealer is trying to sell their 2019 demo bike with 124mi on it for $9,995. MSRP is $15,995 The bike has been sitting on the floor and I was told that they have not sold any. They are a big Yamaha and multi line dealer. They were constantly asking me to test ride it, I have no interest in the thing and never took them up on it. Besides who wants to put tires on their motorcycle that are sold as scooter tires 120/70-15.

[peteinpa]

Montgomery Cycle Center???   I have a 1981 Yamaha QT50 still  that my dad bought new there for my sister for college. That never panned out, but I rode the snot out of it, and I converted it recently to a 60CC, different gearing, etc. Still runs great today.

Where's maximNikenGT?? 🤣

Edited November 8, 2020 by peteinpa

[roadrash83]

@peteinpa that is the place. They have taken very good care of me over the years and I have nothing but good things to say about them. Sure am going to miss them in a week, when I move down to the land of the soon to be dead's.

[maximNikenGT]

On 11/8/2020 at 7:22 AM, roadrash83 said:

I wonder how well the Niken is selling. My local Yamaha dealer is trying to sell their 2019 demo bike with 124mi on it for $9,995. MSRP is $15,995 The bike has been sitting on the floor and I was told that they have not sold any. They are a big Yamaha and multi line dealer. They were constantly asking me to test ride it, I have no interest in the thing and never took them up on it. Besides who wants to put tires on their motorcycle that are sold as scooter tires 120/70-15.

That's a really good price on a Niken, for the right kind of buyer.  But the cruise control and the higher windscreen on the GT is so worth it if you're planning on doing any kind of longer distance riding. In two months I've already put in 900 miles. 

As far as cult goes, I like to use the term persuasively passionate to describe most motorcyclists. The best bike is the one you love to ride, be it a Honda Super Cub, BMW K1600, or (insert your bike here). 

I took the Niken GT out today although forecast for storms was at 90%. While putting around town I got no less than three motorists who wanted to ask me questions at the stoplight e.g, what is that, is it a motorcycle, etc. It's an interesting conversation starter but I usually have my music going on in my helmet so i don't usually notice folks trying to get my attention. 

[Yamagun]

On 11/8/2020 at 7:47 AM, peteinpa said:

Montgomery Cycle Center???

That's the place where I first saw the Niken.