Yamaha Niken Launch Review & Tech Talk

We head out on the launch and get under the skin of the new Yamaha Niken.
Sponsored by bikedevil.net/

[@TheDriversPerspective]

Such a cool machine, thanks for taking the time to dive into the technical details on this bike. A lot of reviews were missing this element and your break down was great. I think this is a very interesting concept for a bike, and I hope it takes off. If it gets more people involved in the sport that is a great thing!

[@lougubrious9624]

I have watched probably half a dozen videos about this bike, ranging from 3:00 to 25:00 minutes. Obviously, they have all been from this same press ride/event and nearly all have included the same beats, access, and interview/explanation from Yamaha. This video though, was hands down the best. The rapport you had with the Yamaha rep and the time you and the producers took to get great shots of the front end and to allow for a thorough explanation finally made this concept click for me. Fantastic job and clearly a cut above your peers.

[@Winterstick549]

Joshua Quantz Do they put out a magazine?

[@disekjoumoer]

Damn, your reviews are usually excellent, but this one is spectacular! The best in any language (I've looked at German and French one's) by any reviewer. Thank you!

[@BikeWorldTVshow]

Thanks

[@AndreaPessino]

More than just a review - this is a true analysis of the bike, its tech and design, and then also a great review. I loved it , thank you so much!

[@BikeWorldTVshow]

Thanks Andrea

[@Bannister99]

Absolutely top review. Makes me definitely want to try one.

[@Winterstick549]

Best review I've ever seen on this Yammie. I really want to take one out for a test ride. You have a new subscriber!

[@andymckee53]

Brilliant review. Answers all my questions.

[@MyPaulo1988]

Yet another brilliant video bike world, keep up the good work.

[@BikeWorldTVshow]

Thanks

[@Q.Q.]

For any given bike, consistently the best, most thorough, detailed video reviews on the Web. Please don't worry about the length. What viewers like me want is SUBSTANCE, and as long as your videos continue to be endowed with it throughout, the length itself is irrelevant. Keep up the great work, gents and ladies.

[@BikeWorldTVshow]

QQ thanks!

[@idepinedo]

I will be testing one in a weeks time in the mountains close to Madrid. This review was great and I feel better prepared to make the best out of the test. Thanks!

[@Kodreanu23]

What a great review! Definitely the best review of this motorcycle. Thank you.

[@maniUSArmy]

My goodness. It may be ugly as sin but this bike is a technical marvel. I have always admired Yamaha's tendency to always push the envelope and challenge their own engineers to try bold ideas. This moves the entire industry forward as a result....well done!

[@colinsharp1314]

Great review loved and I would love one of these. A must to test ride cheers Colin

[@birubhai]

Excellent review and ride impressions. Well done and many thanks.

[@124kpr]

Great very detailed review. Some years ago I nearly lost the front end of my BMW R1100s coming down a French mountain hairpin bend due to gravel , and then also facing cobbled bits of road on the hairpins - that was er - fun, I would of really appreciated having this sort of tech at the time . In the end weather it’s two or three wheels, it’s the fun is leaning a bike round the bends. If it does more more reassurance on less than perfect roads then bring it on. However now being partially disabled by a stroke 3 years ago I was really hoping it would have a locking mechanism to help getting on and off and manoeuvring a quite heavy bike around . Nothing complex like the MP3’s just a simple lever to lock it. I’m sure many disabled riders people like me who would place an order now if a modification like that was available. Common Yamaha, please , how about consider developing that type of mod has an optional extra. There is a large market of disabled riders your missing out on.

[@restojon1]

I've got a spinal cord injury and I'm desperate to get back riding again, this looks like a fantastic bit of kit that could be adapted for us with disabilities.

[@wescobts]

Best review of the Niken i have seen. As a matter of fact, better than the saleman of the shop. Well done lad !!

[@user-sw2lv3zp6o]

How did I miss this? I wish they'd built in some mechanism whereby the bike cannot fall over at standstill, say in a car park with a gravel surface. This would make it more attractive to me as I get older. Does the extra weight make this slower than the MT-09? The best reviewer on KZbin.

[@chrisclark9974]

As a former 400 MP3 owner my most common used phrase was the most fun on a country road route ever. Dealt with tractor ruts and mud, snow, potholes, huge cracks on fenland roads etc. Biggest problem not enough power. Yamaha seems to have addressed that issue. Disappointed to see chain drive, but believe me when you get the bike in a controlled slide you’ll be laughing all the way home. TRY IT,

[@colinclarke4285]

I ride a 500 MP3 and was disappointed to learn that this machine doesn't fall into the B1/A3 licence category because was a good chance I'd have bought one .

[@askaniuk]

Just saw one of these on the road at night during the recent wet snow flurry in New cross .... Had to do a double take but that distinct front could not be mistaken ..... definitely brought a smile to my face as it zoomed by

[@askaniuk]

By the way one of the better thorough reviews I've seen for this bike

[@ml2799]

Excellent job, thank you John

[@Meianju]

Love this bike. Looking forward to see it's future evolution, will definitely buy when I can afford it. That extras extras security really makes it for me, whiles still conserving the fun of a Motorbike that's just incredible

[@prabhugautham]

Superb and an in detail review of Yamaha Niken.I enjoyed it, looking for more such reviews.

[@BikeWorldTVshow]

Thanks

[@Sirsethtaggart3505]

I actually bought the GT version. Toured Snowdonia recently and I honestly wouldn't have wanted to be on anything else. Fantastic machine.

[@Weaseltube]

Best Niken review by far. Great insight into the marketing, engineering, rider behaviour, everything that might reveal some insight about this radical new bike. I'm still not clear on who their target market is exactly, or just how much more safety the dual front wheel brings (track test please!) but you did a great job trying to get those answers too.

[@MrAndrew1953]

Undeniably this is an incredible piece of engineering. I understand the footpeg scrape easily. Could be really useful as a winter, wet weather bike. Dry weather for conventional bike.

[@edwardsp1916]

You're comments regarding you not smiling did make me LAL (laugh a little) as I'm the same. Subscribed, thank you.

[@nortondlcl]

I can't wait to test ride :)

[@impromptucaferacer]

Well, hello my new acquisition. I’m intrigued by it and definitely I shall add it to my rather eclectic collection of motorbikes. Thanks for the convincing work.

[@tedwitus]

bravo Bike World + Yamaha the tuning fork folks have thought this thing through and this review is commensurate with that level of excellence Thank you from a codger who had rejected the Piaggio MP3 (for obvious reasons) but now, a few more years down the road, would consider this.

[@jpulizzano]

Great Review!!!!!

[@user-ue2ih7vd1o]

Thank you for uploading, I'm in Japan. I wanna to buy but I have to wait still winter...

[@dannymcguiness3103]

great review! i am very interested in this bike and may get one! sport touring! i currently ride a 03 aprilia futura and this just may be its replacement!

[@Nick_R_]

Brilliant review...

[@BikeWorldTVshow]

Thanks Nick

[@MrAndrew1953]

Brilliant work, brilliant bike. I have owned aside car so I think this would be a lot of fun and very confidence inspiring in the wet.

[@BernardsSumner]

Would love to see a corner speed comparison or something like that.

[@tomostinato2918]

Love the idea, I just hope they can put the wheels a bit closer together and reduce overall width on future Nikens.

[@zak_7354]

very interesting, must try it out

[@johna6968]

Superb in depth review. Personally think they would have sold more had you been able to feet up at standstill.

[@reerbaadia1896]

The best review bar none. That's why I've been a sub this long. Test riding it should be fun. I'll make sure I'm broke or put my money in long term investments before I take the test ride. This one and the v4S

[@BikeWorldTVshow]

Thanks for the support

[@stephenmwyatt2]

what does each fork tube actually do? (compression rebound preload, etc)

[@threethrushes]

If Yamaha comes to Prague, I would like to test ride the thing, and just see how it is. The more I see of it, the more I am growing fond of it. The price is a tad steep, but I would consider owning one if I did not already have my dream bike.

[@Gazooka]

Damn I want the GT version so bad can’t wait to get one

[@wayawolf1967]

Why is it not shaft drive? And does it lose the front traction advantage if you are riding with a passenger?

[@tallboy2234]

So cool!

[@matthewbuttery8529]

I actually like the look of it more without the front fairing on. Yamaha should make a Naked Niken!

[@henningandreassen1231]

Hi i like this review but is a bit to much for me i hope you will do a review on the 2020 Yamaha Tricity 300 i would like to hear what you think about it . hope to hear from you soon . Thank`s for all the good work .

[@GAMERKING-ch3zc]

When will it be available on the philippines?

[@17hmr243]

would have like to seen a section where you took a corner fast and fast and fast till it lost traction showing why and how when it looses traction

[@MrTrek164]

This is a great review ,I must admit I do like quirky bikes and this makes a lot of sense to me and I will if I can get a test ride .However the one thing that pd me off was the fact that the price ended up 2grand more than originally touted so if I like then I would wait for an ex demo and get a better deal .I would have liked to be able to lock the steering as well as this can bring a few benefits especially getting on /off the bike if like me you have a short inseam and more often than not have to have the stand down to allow me to mount via the pegs ,also added stability when a pillion is getting on .I think this one thing is an oversight by Yamaha.

[@AlexanderBaldridge]

Fagan is just knocking these videos out of the park

[@RidingJapan]

Alexander Baldridge lol.wrong bald guy

[@christiankrawczyn2511]

Haven't rode in 50 yrs..Niken looks good to me..

[@listerthat]

Would this handle filtering well or would you be in goldwing territory....?

[@yoavhal6050]

Its not only 80% increased contact patch- its the contact that constantly exists. Its an indifferent stabillity equillibrium instead of the brittle equillibrium that every two-wheels motorcycle is bound to- inc the most expensive gp/ the whatever pangialle/beemer/ect.

[@garthhowe297]

When first announced, I thought this bike was a really stupid idea. Watching your review, I feel it was me being stupid... the front end grip looks amazing. Too bad you can't "lock" the front end into an upright position when you park it, so that it won't fall over. Tremendous review, thanks!

[@jennydiazvigneault5548]

Back end sliding out at 16:05. Maybe just a bit aggressive. Another review said the front is very stable but the back will still slide out. Nice review. I guess you have to keep an open mind.

[@stephenmwyatt2]

there is a brilliant invention here, the ideas of 4 fork tubes on a regular bike

[@mikepickell8792]

How cool would a Flexit side car look with it?

[@parasmani7621]

Yamaha MT 03 when it will be launch in India?

[@MrBoybergs]

I think it looks so much cooler without the front fairing hiding all the amazing technology. Would it be road legal if it were fully naked? (I'm wondering about pedestrian impact protection regulations).

[@shettypakki]

Is this more safer to ride than a regular bike with two wheels especially in terms of skidding and falling off when we encounter an unexpected oil spill or loose gravel on a highway at high speeds ?

[@petercreagh8797]

Thats the sort of test ride I would like to see as whether it could keep you upright in situations where a normal bike would throw you off.

[@tucker9162]

Just think how cool blue forks would look on a MT or R1

[@bikedawg]

Is this bike immune to speed wobble?

[@edgeyt1]

I'd like to see a race series for this bike.

[@BikeWorldTVshow]

That's a great idea

[@markJones-yz6ke]

What a great idea!!!👍😁

[@anidiotinaracingcar4874]

Where can we see the other dude doing the TT?

[@6Twisted]

They need to sort out the oversized , droopy front fairing. I think that's what puts a lot of people off and the bike looks so much thinner once you took the front fairing off.

[@TheSharkey22]

VIewed this and other reviews after seeing this machine for the first time at the Festival of Speed. I expected it to be the laughing stock of the bike community but all the reviews I have seen are very positive. I think it is possibly going to end up as a collectors item even though the concept is obviously sound and reviewers tend to enjoy the riding experience. It is certainly a head turner and will be a talking point whenever 2 or more bikers are gathered in the same place,

[@BikeWorldTVshow]

Hey, thanks for finding is. People seem to be dismissing it without even throwing a leg over the bike. Got to be wroth a test ride. We're going to be at Box Hill on the Niken Tour, it'll be interesting to see what the public think once they've had a go.

[@RedpillPortugal]

THIS WOULD probably be an awesome bike for a new world superbike championship Niken Series

[@jeffzienk]

Do you still have to counter steer? Since it still leans I would think so but it could be the other way also

[@BikeWorldTVshow]

We're hoping to get one on track very soon, we'll let you know how it goes.

[@softbingan]

I'll got to buy one when they have an electric version of it.

[@jcmurphy7425]

think the bike should sell well,hope insurance company's will be fair on rates for customers

[@tonyedwards892]

I like the look well done yamaha ;)

[@mikestokes3601]

Take it to Germany and run it on the nurburgring. Do a test lap or two and then a speed run full out with focus on the turns and corners.

[@georgecostanza2695]

First off, superb review. But it got me thinking, is there any way to get 4 wheels on a “bike”-two in front like the Niken and two driven wheels in the back... and still have it lean? That would be the ULTIMATE machine for grip and confidence!

[@BikeWorldTVshow]

Like this kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6TCg517q6l2jLM

[@georgecostanza2695]

Bike World what?! That is so cool, someone needs to inject some more power and make a proper motorcycle out of that thing!!

[@amitjangrapanipat1252]

It’s auto balanced???

[@dazaspc]

First 15" front wheels makes the smallest rut or pothole big, suspension geometry cannot change the rolling diameter. The wheelbase would give it the turning circle of a bus and it appears to scrape quite early. Bumps on one front wheel would surely make it steer in one direction. The additional front wheel would surely require more turn in effort. I don't know why he is worried about brakes with all that rubber contact on the front. The front would have to be 40kg heavier. I believe it would need a very advanced ABS as a hard stop with one wheel hitting a slippery patch would have to steer the bike with the only way to correct by steering input, tricky with the rear up in the air? Not for me but it does look cool...

[@rideswithhoover9789]

Wonder why Yamaha didn’t use the mt10 motor.

[@ZsoltBoda]

finally a good nike review. watched like 5 already

[@pureforce56]

Zsolt Boda It's not a shoe review, twat. It's spelled NIKEN.

[@q-bert6454]

I like Nike shoes too.

[@carbonarc23]

Would love to see Rossi riding a R1 version of this in MOTOGP

[@munk1nut]

Does counter steering still work, or does it become irrelevant?

[@Winterstick549]

Warren Milburn Yes, counter steering is msndatory. Watch the video dingaling.

[@fastmmw]

is it fair to say that the stopping distance did not decreased yet?

[@Winterstick549]

Paolo D'Alberto Watch the entire video.

[@omblae]

No mention of the tour on the website, what are the dates and locations?

[@BikeWorldTVshow]

We'll ask for you

[@omblae]

Bike World top lads!

[@Agislife1960]

It all kinda reminds of controls the move the rotor blades on a helicopter

[@moonshinefuel]

How does it do on the track? "We don't know yet". That's a bad answer, because he knows, so why bother with the evasive answer? That's all they did in development of this bike, is track tests.. and track tests, and track tests.. Could have come up with a more respectable response for your potential customers. Other than that it's an interesting concept.

[@johnhogan8177]

moonshinefuel bike buyers aren’t my potential customers, they’re Yamaha’s.

[@leehughes1823]

All the Niken needs now is that fluid in the forks that when magnetised will stiffen so i don't have to put my feet down i a don't want to

[@H4I2I2EE]

Yeah I was wondering why they don't have it like the Piaggio Mp3.

[@neilcole3406]

I can see an E-Niken around the corner!!!

[@brno221973]

The more reviews I watch the more I want one regardless of a test ride. Ok I will test ride one first & I think the only thing that will stop me from buying one is the wife😳🤔😁

[@reerbaadia1896]

si tate You can have my wife too in exchange for this bike.

[@Vertayl]

But this bike is the prefect bike for someone who has a family, it's saver than any other bike. So you got that argument going for you 😁

[@ross5506]

si tate trade her in for the Niken,if only it had a VMAX engine,maybe in the future.

[@chrisvinicombe9947]

I can't help wondering what the performance limit of this set up is. Could it bolt on to a R1 😄

[@muthrfuqrjonz3530]

Bolt on ? Really ?? Hahahahaha

[@valebliz]

Servicing the front end bearings must be a lot of fun.

[@valebliz]

Paolo G you don't only because you have no clue you should. Especially the rear linkage, It picks up a lot of dirt. On dirtbikes is common work, but road bikes should every couple of years too. Anyway, implying nobody will do it or everybody will sell the bike before having to, is not a great design philosophy.

[@valebliz]

Paolo G yeah sure, I guess you're YT nr 1 mechanic. many yrs with how many kms? That's the point, not how long. Anyway believe what you will, It means nothing and has no impact whatsoever on what I said, which is obviously true.

[@ross5506]

Weird? I've rode from a 1972 H2, to ZX14, is this the future will see? Looks heavy? Put the VMAX engine Yamaha then we're taking.

[@rogerwalsberg]

It is cool from an engineering perspective. I don't buy the maintenance story though. A little bit of play in the headtube is one thing, but a little bit of play in 20 bearings is a nightmare.

[@66meikou]

On ly just found this after seeing one go by be and thinking wtf? Excellent review and info. Just one thing. Ni is two in Japanese and it's pronounced nee. So it's NeeKen.

[@jcmurphy7425]

Very good video on Yamaha Niken hope riders will give this bike a chance to be a good investment for Yamaha,I have limited income and I can usually find a way to buy a motorcycle,I have several crotch rockets and I am 70 years of age,find in U.S.A. motorcycle for larger cc bike hard on the billfold, this Niken should have good insurance rates for rider,wish Yamaha good sales on investment made by Yamaha

[@vincbestia]

maybe training wheels might be better option. but cool none the less.

[@canamdennis6829]

Wow

[@harrypalmer7169]

Would like to see that front end on a FJR 1300.

[@MrLunithy]

And the XJR.......

[@whythisdoesntmatter4024]

whats the point? all that extra equipment up front will just lead to greater costs in repair.

[@Hinjima92]

I really like this bike as it opens up a lot of doors for people who are disabled or have balancing issue experience the joy of riding a motorcycle! I think people are being way to critical about this amazing machine instead of looking as the positive side it will bring to many.

[@wonder_9315]

If this aint some Batman shit, I don't know what is

[@VMAXRider]

😉✌️

[@joelchils]

went from...... oh god not another 3 wheeled girls bike ..... to wow.... I wouldn't mind riding that thing pretty quick hahaha

[@EinkOLED]

Soon to be named yamaha nickin.