Supporting Member maximNikenGT Posted March 24, 2021 Supporting Member Share Posted March 24, 2021 Had a gentleman the other week inquire about my Niken GT. Very friendly conversation and when I asked if the gentleman rides, he explained that he always wanted to but never did, and that the Niken seemed like a good beginner bike because of the three wheels. My immediate reaction was that I would never consider a 600 pound bike a beginner bike, but was conflicted in retrospect in that maybe I could be wrong. Thoughts as to whether you could/should recommend a Niken as a beginner bike to an adult over 25 years old? 2019 Niken GT "Motorcycles - the brand is not important, the fact that you ride is." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilninggas Posted March 24, 2021 Share Posted March 24, 2021 Like all machinery designed with modern ergos it could be a beginner machine. But i wouldnt, it's dynamics are a little different to a 2 wheeled cycle. The extra wheel doesnt make it safer necessarily, just more stable in turns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member Heli ATP Posted March 24, 2021 Supporting Member Share Posted March 24, 2021 At the 9 min mark in this video these guys suggest the Niken is the perfect beginner bike... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKYFLIX Posted March 24, 2021 Share Posted March 24, 2021 Please correct me if I'm wrong here, but I seem to recall from Ryan F9's video that the Niken has a limited turning radius owing to its limited lean. I remember when I first started riding that I would occasionally run wide in the turns, and my MSF training saved me by remembering to push on the inside handlebar to get the bike to roll over a bit more. Could there be a scenario where the Niken wouldn't allow the rider an "out"? I'm fascinated by three wheelers in general and am quite curious about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member Heli ATP Posted March 24, 2021 Supporting Member Share Posted March 24, 2021 All your questions answered here.... See the question:- Q: I bet they’d say all that if you got them to ride any new bike. Yamaha NIKEN: all questions answered Including the daftest, but most-frequently asked 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKYFLIX Posted March 24, 2021 Share Posted March 24, 2021 Wow, that really was all questions answered...Very thorough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetpilot5 Posted March 24, 2021 Share Posted March 24, 2021 It could be a beginner bike but I wouldn’t recommend it as a first bike. I still think smaller lighter machines make better first bikes. A dirt bike or dual sport would be even better. You can learn so much riding off road. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKYFLIX Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 Considering an FJR was *my* first bike, It's hard for me to say that the Niken couldn't be a beginner motorized cycle. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wintersdark Posted March 25, 2021 Share Posted March 25, 2021 9 hours ago, SKYFLIX said: Please correct me if I'm wrong here, but I seem to recall from Ryan F9's video that the Niken has a limited turning radius owing to its limited lean. I remember when I first started riding that I would occasionally run wide in the turns, and my MSF training saved me by remembering to push on the inside handlebar to get the bike to roll over a bit more. Could there be a scenario where the Niken wouldn't allow the rider an "out"? I'm fascinated by three wheelers in general and am quite curious about this. The Niken does have limited lean, but "limited" to 45 degrees - I'd wager the vast majority of motorcyclists never go past 45 degrees lean, and definitely not new riders. Our Tracers will just do ~51 degrees or so, not really a big difference. All in all, the Niken is probably a better beginner bike than an MT09 is; the added front end weight helps it be less of a violent wheelie machine. I've never really worried about motorcycle weight for new riders, unless they've very small people. After all, people manage being new riders on Sportsters (roughly the same weight as a Niken) or even full cruisers that weigh 800lbs just fine. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member maximNikenGT Posted March 25, 2021 Author Supporting Member Share Posted March 25, 2021 9 hours ago, SKYFLIX said: Please correct me if I'm wrong here, but I seem to recall from Ryan F9's video that the Niken has a limited turning radius owing to its limited lean. I remember when I first started riding that I would occasionally run wide in the turns, and my MSF training saved me by remembering to push on the inside handlebar to get the bike to roll over a bit more. Could there be a scenario where the Niken wouldn't allow the rider an "out"? I'm fascinated by three wheelers in general and am quite curious about this. Good question. The Niken's front end makes the "pushing on the inside handlebar to get the bike to roll over a bit more" comment a very tricky question to answer. Depends on the speed and how aggressive the curve is. On a long gradual sweeper I don't think it's an issue. If it's a 180 degree switchback and you have minimal traction control and are in the more aggressive riding mode, then I think you actually have a higher chance of doing a Dukes of Hazzard style oversteer vs. having to push on the inside handlebar to make it through the turn. I think the Niken can still take it by pushing on the inside of the handlebar through a curve somewhere in between a long sweeper and the 180 degree switchback, but it'll depend on what speed you have in mind. There was one rider in the forum who was telling us about how he was taking the turns so aggressively that not only did he wear down his footpegs, but he also mentioned the challenge in that the Niken under extreme angles (>45 degrees) wants to use the peg as a tripod and it ends up lifting the rear wheel off the road and it kind of skips across the pavement trying to re-establish traction. 😲 More than a few of us were astonished at how far this one rider went in pushing the cornering limits of the Niken. 2019 Niken GT "Motorcycles - the brand is not important, the fact that you ride is." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member maximNikenGT Posted March 25, 2021 Author Supporting Member Share Posted March 25, 2021 2 hours ago, SKYFLIX said: Considering an FJR was *my* first bike, It's hard for me to say that the Niken couldn't be a beginner motorized cycle. That's a big bike for a first bike. Very impressive! Have read tons of great things about the FJRs, and it's a weapon of choice for a lot of Iron Butt rally riders. 2019 Niken GT "Motorcycles - the brand is not important, the fact that you ride is." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now