This High-Speed 3-Wheeled Yamaha Will Change Your Definition of Motorcycles
And you won’t kill yourself on it.
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Everybody loves motorcycles, but not everybody loves the idea of falling down. If your experience with two-wheelers has been less than ideal, Yamaha suggests the Niken, a new three wheeler that leans into curves like a two-wheeler, but has the stability of two front wheels.
Yamaha refers to the Niken as a “Leaning Multi-Wheeler (LMW)” that promises the ability to “freely carve through continuous corners on winding roads.” Yamaha teased us with a concept version back in 2015, but now the company is ready to sell them.
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It has a pair of 15-inch front wheels, which is slightly smaller than the single 17-incher typically used on sporty motorcycles.
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Those two wheels each have their own pair of inverted telescopic forks suspending them, which surely contributes to a hefty curb weight. But since it shouldn’t fall over, you’ll never know how much effort it takes to pick the Niken back up off the street.
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Yamaha is mum about the engine’s specifics, calling it simply a “large displacement” liquid cooled inline three-cylinder. The company happens to use an engine fitting that description in the FZ-09. That bike has a 847cc triple that is likely the same one in the Niken.
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For further details we’ll have to wait for Yamaha’s official introduction of the bike to its dealers just before it goes on sale.
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