Yamaha Niken test: trying the three-wheeled motorcycle is taming it !
For more than ten years, Yamaha engineers have been racking their brains to offer a motorcycle with unprecedented cornering performance. Their solution? Add a wheel to the front of course! Site went to the Alps, Austria, to test this new three-wheeled machine called Niken. Test.
Yamaha Niken test page 2: Strengths and weaknesses of three-wheelers
Visually intimidating, the Niken can be straddled easily: its saddle placed at 820 mm high offers good access to the ground. As good as that of the MT-09 which shares the same measurements, and better than that of the Tracer 900 whose seat is positioned 30 mm higher !
The position of the rider on the three-wheeler has been carefully calculated by the Japanese engineers: "our experience in MotoGP has taught us that to obtain the ultimate in handling, the distribution of masses between the front and the rear had to approach 50/50 taking into account the pilot, "the Blues boast a bit.
"But the Niken, weighed down by its two wheels, obviously had more weight on the front," the Japanese admit humbly. "We have developed a dual steering column so that we can place the handlebars and rider further back and achieve the desired 50/50 distribution. The lightweight aluminum tank also contributed to this ideal weight distribution.".
In the end, Site finds the driving position very relaxed: more than at the controls of the Tracer 900 2018, also illustrates Yamaha (see photo). Posted on the back of his machine, the "Nikeneur" does not have to stretch out his arms too much to catch the handlebars. It has relatively low and forward footrests and places its thighs against a fairly thin and perfectly flat tank..
Conversely, training the 263 kg beast fully loaded on its three wheels is less easy than lifting the Tracer 900 (214 kg) or the MT-09 (193 kg!) From their side stand. For comparison, the Niken weighs only 2 kg less than the Super Tenere. Maneuvers with the engine off therefore require a lot of force and / or concentration.
By the way, MNC advises future Niken owners to pay attention to their side stand before putting down their machine: the spring does not always fully deploy it! One of our colleagues was surprised and could not avoid this beast falling to a stop. Only its high fairing sidewall and retro – in raw plastic – seemed slightly marked. Phew.
Le Journal moto du Net also notes that the Niken does not have a central stand: lubricating the chain is therefore dangerous … The tire pressure is much easier to control at the front because no disc hinders access to the tires. the valve from the inside. At the back, a small angled valve would have been appreciated.
On the practical side still, the passenger seat can house the choice of a yellow vest (compulsory …) or a disc lock (recommended). This mini safe opens via a lock placed just above the wheel but protected from projections by a cap on a spring hinge: great! There is not far from there a wheel allowing to modify the preload of the rear shock absorber: tip-top !
At the front, Site welcomes the presence – original and on the left of the dashboard – of a 12V socket, useful for connecting a GPS … even if we would have preferred a USB format rather than a cigarette lighter. We are also a little surprised to see this motorcycle of the future adopt an old-fashioned key switch. Was the budget so tight ?
"We had to make choices," replied MNC Vincent Thommeret, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor France.
To offer this revolutionary motorcycle at a reasonable price, Yamaha has also ignored the color screen, as we have seen, and electronic suspensions or an adjustable screen … "The front axle technology is already a factor. solid selling point, isn’t it? "asks the CEO in turn. Customers will tell !
By activating the starter, Site instantly recognizes the roaring and hoarse sound of the CP3 which already equips the MT-09, Tracer 900 and XSR900. Small difference, however: the revs seem a little less lively because of the heavier crankshaft (read our technical point on page 3).
In return, the 3-cylinder "Made in Iwata" gains in capacity at low revs: getting the 336 kg of the Niken / MNC duo off the ground is child’s play! Thanks also to the finely tuned injection which automatically increases the engine speed to 1500 rpm when the clutch is released..
Unlike the right lever – yes, the front brake lever! -, the left lever is not adjustable but its spacing should satisfy the majority of drivers. Everyone will appreciate its helpful progressiveness and its confusing smoothness, as well as the approval of the gearbox..
Always so flexible and helped by a shorter final drive, the Niken engine accepts to run at idle and start again on a trickle of gas, whatever the engaged speed. On the sixth and last report unfortunately, the weight is felt: the times under 4000 rpm lack vigor.
This mass is not felt at all levels, however: the relaunches of "Cross Plane 3" on the first reports are sufficient to evolve in town. At the same time, the wide handlebars (850 mm compared to 820 on the 2018 Tracer) offer a large lever arm that allows the heavy bike to swing from one angle to another, without forcing.
Two wheels are (sometimes) better than one
Logically less maneuverable than an MT-09 in the city center or on roundabouts, the Niken therefore shows goodwill. Given its very massive appearance, the front axle allows more or less pronounced bets on the angle with a completely surprising neutrality! The grip is therefore instinctive.
At low speed, the Niken’s behavior differs from that of a two-wheeled motorcycle only by a very slight feeling of blur in a straight line. By removing the hands from the handlebars, the latter oscillates slightly because the rider struggles to trace as straight as he would on an MT-09 or MT-10. He must constantly correct the direction, but nothing unsettling.
On the other hand, the two wheels (front) are devilishly effective in the exercise of climbing the curb: by attacking the obstacle at an angle, the pilot perceives his wheels to pass one by one the step but does not suffer any blow in the handlebars, like her brother Tricity. Bluffing !
In addition, the ground clearance of 150 mm makes it possible to tackle steps of good size. To then park his three-wheeler, the pilot unfortunately does not benefit from a tilt-locking system (unlike the distant cousins MP3 and Metropolis), which is sometimes very convenient on two-three-wheel parking spaces on the edge of gutters..
In urban areas again, the rear-view mirrors – which offer an excellent field of vision – will surely slow down the "pilots-couriers" in their rise in line. But this is not the environment in which the Niken is supposed to prove itself: Yamaha therefore quickly directs us towards small mountain roads….
The agility of the new Yamaha is once again proving to be much better than the 263 kg indicated on the manufacturer’s technical sheet (see page 4) and sensitive when stationary would suggest. We link the virolos without getting too tired physically … or mentally !
Indeed, compared to the motorcyclist who must constantly and scrupulously calculate the placement of his single front wheel on the road according to his condition, the Niken rider asks himself fewer questions: first of all because he is not easy – at the beginning anyway – to visualize the three trajectories of the wheels, then because the bumps or hollows are remarkably well absorbed.
If the rear axle sometimes struggles to erase all the imperfections of the road – copiously damaged in places during our magnificent journey of 280 km through the "Nationalpark Hohe Tauern" – the front axle only transmits the essential information. The stability in the curves is exemplary, not to say unique, which greatly reassures the "Nikeneur".
The pilot’s confidence level soars as he turns: he learns both to delay his braking and to extend it when entering a curve. Bikers who, despite their sometimes long experience, do not dare to take advantage of the full potential of a single front wheel, will undoubtedly feel their wings grow at the mere sight of a solid and double front axle. !
Paradoxically, the clear view that MNC has on the two slender front wheels (120 mm wide, as on most motorcycles) of the Niken placed in front makes us aware of the small link that binds the motorcycle to the road. With a contact area twice as large, you are almost twice as confident. It’s mathematical…
For all that, is the site twice as fast on the handlebars of the Niken as that of an MT-09? Certainly not. Firstly, because of the weight of the front axle which slows down the machine and its driver when changing angles.
In the successions of turns, the inertia of the front end requires more involvement: we are no longer satisfied with a small pulse of the palm on the handlebars to modify its trajectory. With the Niken, you have to engage your shoulders and bust, or even swing your hips to catch up with the rope point or limit the angle grip…
After only a few bends, the first scrapes of the footrest lugs are heard, a sign that the maximum angle of 45 ° has already been reached … Above all, proof that the machine encourages you to go through the bends quickly and to bend over it without restraint !
Another factor that will prevent the Niken from humiliating its two-wheeled siblings: due to its much greater weight – and its high Cx as well – its accelerations and times are less fierce than those of a light MT-09 or a powerful MT-10.
The 3-cylinder involved
The 87.5 Nm of torque reached at 8500 rev / min, then the 115 horsepower stalled 1500 revs higher are not too much to revive "our" three-wheeler in the climbs. We must therefore maintain the 3-legged above 7000 rpm … But it makes it well by screaming, vociferating and backfiring slightly when decelerating! Yam-myam !
At the end of the hairpin, the Journal moto du Net is forced to fall first to stay in the opener’s wheel. The rear shock absorber which offers overall good traction, as well as the tire whose grip is not elsewhere never faulted, eventually surrender … The beast pulls out its claws !
On a tiny road framed by low walls of snow (!), "Our" Niken did a few nice kicks from the rear, luckily well managed by the traction control. When set to 1, the TCS is quite permissive and lets the rear wheel drift for a few moments / meters before fine-tuning the throttle, the time for the rear wheel to hang up and come back to the axis. It’s a fight, the Niken !
By selecting TCS level 2, on the other hand, the pilot makes sure not to make a single comma. The corrections are much more numerous and sensitive. The sporty temperament of the Niken is then completely erased: as much to say that MNC did not keep this setting for long. !
Same observation with regard to the engine maps: after checking that mode 3 is indeed more considerate than mode 2 (standard), Site quickly re-engaged mode 1 which ensures the maximum response to the throttle, without ever be wild.
Le Journal moto du Net also appreciated the presence – as standard – of the quickshifter, very effective in sporty driving but which unfortunately only works when increasing gears and above 4000 rpm. We therefore do not benefit from the services of the QSS in town in traffic jams, nor in the countryside in "cool" driving..
The braking, on the other hand, is as satisfactory in mop as in arsouille. In the dry, you can pull the right lever as hard as you are stupid – which is not can be said! : the grip of the two front wheels allows you to benefit from all the power of the two 4-piston calipers.
With emphasis, it is not hard to lift the rear of the motorcycle. Again, those who dare not do this kind of antics on one wheel may find themselves attempting it on both of the Niken. In sports use, we quickly forget the brake pedal because the ABS intervenes early on the rear wheel. We focus on the lever…
The forks handle the load perfectly and mass transfers are limited. This reassuring stability facilitates improvisations, even on the angle because interventions on the front brake (s) have almost no impact on the balance of the machine and on its trajectory. !
Another strong point of the Niken: the independent management of ABS at the level of the front wheels: while the system unlocks one who is surfing in a puddle or is surprised by some gravel, it lets its neighbor brake without interruption . Conventional motorcycles are clearly beaten on this point.
Site should point out that by rolling a few hectometers in the wet, the tires have lost their grip a few times on white stripes. The latter had to be particularly slippery, because the grip was not lacking elsewhere. Be careful all the same.
Over the entire course this time, the Niken’s suspensions convinced us: well calibrated when leaving the factory – for a 73 kg driver in any case -, they erase obstacles well, protect the wrists admirably and quite well. the buttocks…
However, if the rider’s hindquarters tire in the long run, it is above all because of the saddle which lacks padding. Fortunately, the seat is wide and deep, which allows you to vary the positions. By stepping back as far as possible and placing their heels on the footrests, adults can almost open their legs to 90 °. The panard !
We can therefore consider driving 300 km in one go: this is the range announced by Yamaha! The tank capacity – aluminum, as on the R1 and R6 – being 18 liters, the average consumption of the CP3 is therefore estimated at 6 l / 100 km. According to the on-board computer, MNC would have exceeded this value by three tenths. Given our sustained pace, however, it must be possible to match the MT-09 and Tracer 900 (5.5 l / 100 km according to Yam).
Long trips are made easier by the protection offered by the Niken’s small bubble: it deflects the wind around the bust, on the helmet and on the shoulders. "Cruise-control" set to 80 km / h – soon – regulatory on the French secondary network, this three-wheeler tires less than a roadster.
On the highway, we regret not being able to raise the bubble. A Niken "GT" with adjustable screen, deflectors for the forearms and hands, not to mention a pair of suitcases and a GPS, would be very relevant: designed to attack hard on the road, this three-wheeler is very skillful to roll without afterthoughts.
In the event of success of this "short" Niken and before releasing a possible road version, the engineers of Iwata will however have to review a weak point: bearable crackling appear in the levers at around 100 km / h, but then gain the saddle and the footrests. At 130 km / h, while the engine is milling at a little less than 5500 rpm, these vibrations become unpleasant..
Another small drawback on the Niken: its front wheels placed in line with the feet sprinkle a little in the wet … or splash when crossing on a road studded with cow dung. However, these traps are half as easy to avoid than at the controls of a single front wheel motorcycle. !
The proof by what ?
Skeptical by discovering the Niken on its podium at the Milan Motor Show but receptive to the arguments put forward by the Japanese during this press launch, Site was charmed during the first laps with it, then seduced by its advantages in terms of stability and braking (in the dry as in the wet).
But the Journal moto du Net does not descend from this three-wheeler entirely convinced. Indeed, this new Yamaha is too heavy to be qualified as a sports roadster. On a well-paved road, it is not at all obvious that the Niken is dropping a well-driven MT-10. And at the first stretch, the two-wheeler will leave the three-wheeler in place, despite the formidable temperament of the CP3.
To convince bikers who are often resistant to changes, Yamaha will have to prove to them, handlebars in hand, that their three-wheeled motorcycle is more efficient, pleasant and reassuring than a conventional two-wheeler. It is with this objective that the brand with three tuning forks is planning a "Niken Demo Tour".
In September, Yamaha will go to various motorcycle events in France to try out its great novelty for 2018. An event not to be missed, whether we are very interested in the concept, if only out of curiosity. . or to be able to criticize it, but knowingly !
The president of Yamaha Motor Europe, Eric de Seynes, had another interesting idea: "yes, I had thought about participating in the Moto Tour with a Niken", confirms the big French boss to us, "but she was not ready to time"…
"It’s a shame, because I’m sure there was a way to make a good place in this type of event where reconnaissance is prohibited. This rally would have made it possible to highlight the faculties of our bike. With it, we tumble faster on small roads, we tire less and we fear falling less ", assures our interlocutor. CQFD: What Should Be Demonstrated !
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