Motorcycle Mojo – July 2019

20 MOTORCYCLE MOJO JULY 2019

torque as the North American model, so

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close.

If you look at the Niken’s spec sheet,

you’ll see numbers that are much like

those of a motorcycle. Chassis geometry

is aggressive by two-wheel standards,

with a steep rake angle of 20 degrees,

trail at 74 mm and a wheelbase of

1,510 mm. The only motorcycle that

comes to memory that had a rake

almost as steep as the Niken’s is the

Buell Firebolt’s, at 21 degrees. The

wheelbase is only 10 mm longer than

the Tracer 900’s. The only spec that’s

outstanding is the Niken’s front wheel’s

track, at 410 mm, which is the width

between the front wheel centres. That

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what legally distinguishes the Niken

from other three-wheelers for licensing

purposes: because it’s less than 465 mm,

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wheeler, and therefore requires a

motorcycle licence to operate.

The riding position is naked-bike

upright, with a relaxed reach to the foot

pegs and a broad, cushy seat. The riding

position and seat proved remarkably

comfortable after two days of riding,

and the seat, in fact, is one of the better

perches I’ve sat on recently. Seat height

is 15 mm lower than the Tracer 900’s, at

835 mm, and fuel capacity is 18 litres.

Claimed wet weight is 267 kg, or 40 kg

more than the Tracer 900 GT’s.

A Long-Distance Runner

Yamaha touts the Niken GT as a sport

tourer, so it includes some touring

amenities, such as a tall windscreen; a

pair of quick-release, 25-litre semi-hard

saddlebags with waterproof liners;

heated grips; and two 12-volt accessory

outlets, one mounted by the instrument

panel in the fairing and the other

mounted on the left side of the bike

above the passenger foot peg.

PRESS LAUNCH 2019 YAMAHA NIKEN GT

Taller windscreen,

heated grips, cruise

control, touring seat,

25-litre panniers and

centre stand are

standard.

Rear suspension

is adjustable for

rebound damping

and preload.

Clutchless

quick-shift

system works on

upshifts only

when accelerating

at 50 km/h and

above, and at

4,000 rpm and

higher.

Yamaha’s renowned liquid-cooled

three-cylinder engine features a

double overhead cam with four

valves per cylinder and has been

tuned to deliver 64.3 ft-lb of torque

at 8,500 rpm and, according to

European specs, pumps out 113 hp.

Valve-adjustment

interval set at

42,000 km.