I really thought there’d be more gaping, Sideways glances to be sure. Questions even. Some quizzical looks at the very least. Especially from any seasoned motorcyclists that happened by. Maybe even a few curious car guys would manage the casual WTF that is common to every gearhead, even if that particular form of motorization isn’t their gig.But no, the Niken GT, odd double fork arrangement, desultory predatory beak and a front-to-rear weight imbalance that only a mother could love, barely garnered a sideways glance. Oh, there was the occasional gawk and one or two instances of sincere staring, but nobody asked me what it’s like to steer a motorcycle with two front wheels. There were no queries as to its ability to lean into corners, whether it could stand up by itself or even — and this was something I would have asked considering the state of the roads in my home of Toronto — does having two front tires mean you hit twice as many bumps.But there was none of that. Nothing. Nada. Not a single query. I don’t know what it means when a motorcycle company produces something as genuinely outrageous as the Niken and its Leaning Multi-Wheel Technology — for that is Yamaha’s official name for the GT’s novel front suspension — and nobody notices, but that’s exactly what happened. Is the outrageous now so commonplace that it barely garners a second glance? Or am I really the only one interested, the remnants of my now 40-year-old engineering degree the source of an uncommon curiosity. I don’t know. But like I said, I was surprised at the lack of reaction from passersby. Whatever the case, the three-wheeled Niken was the bike I was most eager to test this summer. Oh, I’ve seen — and driven — more than my share of three-wheelers over the years, from Harley’s two-wheel-in-the-back Freewheeler to Can-Am’s only slightly less ungainly Spyder with its twin wheels in the front. But, front or rear oriented, they were basically the same, just a car with one less wheel. No leaning in turns, no scraping of footpeg to be had. In fact, neither alternative offered much in the way of the traditional motorcycling experience other than getting wet in the rain.Not the Niken. Two wheels it might have in front, but the way that Yamaha has arranged those twin forks and other joints and linkages, the GT feels very familiar. Oh, the width of the front end — both mechanical bits and the bodywork — surprises and one does have to get used to the weight at walking speeds. But it steers like a motorcycle, stops like a motorcycle and will topple over like a motorcycle if you don’t put your feet down at stoplights.Indeed, other than being a little ponderous at the slowest of crawling speeds (caused by the friction of two tire contact patches) and then a smidge reluctant to turn at very high speeds (this time the result of the extra gyroscopic forces of two wheels), the Niken felt every bit the common motorcycle on most roads. Countersteer into corners and the GT leaned over with a neutrality of steering belying its odd front end. Grab the front brake and you have twin contact patches to scrub off speed.All normal. Why the twinned front end then, you ask? Well, firstly, Yamaha has a history of this funny front end stuff. Back in the ‘90s it produced the equally novel GTS1000 with a James Parker-designed front wishbone suspension. Technologically speaking, however, the Niken’s twin front tires are of particular benefit when the road turns nasty, especially wet and nasty. With two front tires, grip at the front is heightened when a single tire might hunt for grip. Likewise with two wheels, if a bump sends one wheel careening while you’re leaned over, there’s still one more to hold down the fort. On a dry, well-paved road, the Niken is no quicker than the Tracer GT from which it liberates its 847-cc three-cylinder engine. On a wet, frost-heaved road, you’d likely feel much more confident aboard the three-wheeler than anything with just two.If the novel suspension layout has any weakness, it is that it highlights the limits of the rear shock Yamaha chose. Where the front end is particularly well damped and compliant, the rear shock is more than a little stiff. Bumps that the front end barely skips over send a shock through the rear end. With all the effort it put into the front suspension, I don’t understand why Yamaha didn’t install a superior rear shock.As, for the rest of the Niken, it is very much a comfortable “GT” bike, the seating position — wide adventure-style handlebar, wide, flat seat and low footpegs — calibrated to eat up miles. Despite the growl from the engine, there’s precious little vibration in the handlebar and the seat is amongst the most comfortable available on stock motorcycles. As to the heart of the Niken, the aforementioned 847-cc triple, it’s one of the sweethearts in Yamaha’s lineup. Torquier than a four, more growly than a twin, three cylinders strike a nice balance between two and four. Its 115 or so
Origin: Motorcycle Review: 2019 Yamaha Niken GT