Cycle News

Cycle News Issue 22 June 5

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/990347

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 101 of 131

VOL. 55 ISSUE 22 JUNE 5, 2018 P101 With the OE setting, the rebound of the bike was a tad bouncy, but nothing that a bit of adjustment couldn't fix. Well-positioned ergonomics, which are neither too relaxed, nor too sporty, keep you in a comfort- able upright riding position. Our only gripe is that the midsection is bulky and the windscreen could be larger to better deflect air over Yamaha's Multi-Wheel History Although the Niken is a brand-new offering in Yamaha's production sport model lineup, the Japanese company has been testing three-wheeled vehicles for over a decade. Most of these prototypes we've never seen—never making it past the initial testing phase. The ones that have, however, include the 01GEN Concept, debuted at the Intermot motorcycle show in 2014 and Tesseract Concept, from the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. "We've tried different sized wheels: 14s, 15s, 16s, 17s, narrow track less than 400[mm], more than 450, fork legs on the inside, fork legs on the outside, thicker, thinner [fork diameter]," reveals YME's product planning manager, Aaron Bast. "By trial and error evaluation, modification and test- ing again, Yamaha's tried to get the benchmark. "When you start something new, you don't know the benchmark, because it doesn't exist. That was the most challenging part of this project and something that has taken years," he concludes. The Niken will obliterate crappy terrain, making long rides a joy. This is the first production three- wheeler from Yamaha, but it's not their first.

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Cycle News - Cycle News Issue 22 June 5