Three's A Crowd
Bike SA|October 2019
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED WITH THE YAMAHA NIKEN
Three's A Crowd

If you think the supercharged superbike from Kawasaki was necessary and that the 300mph topping Chiron was fossil-fuelswell-burnt then you’ve come to the right page. These completely barbaric engineering feats are what keep us piston addicts going. Although the threewheeled Yamaha Niken has 13 pistons less than the Chiron, it serves the same principle: to show us what is possible when there are no boundaries put in place. The Niken is Yamaha’s completely unexpected way of showing off and all of its unexpected features are what make it so awesome!

The Unexpected Class The Niken is under Yamaha’s sport touring class and you might think it deserves to be there with its cruise control buttons on the handlebars, it’s touring styled girth and what looks like a sluggish bike in pictures; but it leaves all those stereotypes for dead when you hop on it. The Niken turns as quickly as a regular bike, falls from side to side with more confidence and blasts around with grace. I can see how it would be a great tourer on twisty roads but that certainly doesn’t mean it’s useless on your local lanes. If it wasn’t for the fact that it’s a bit wide to lane split through even generous gaps, it would be an awesome commuter for nervy riders or those wanting to stand out.

This story is from the October 2019 edition of Bike SA.

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This story is from the October 2019 edition of Bike SA.

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