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2019 Yamaha NIKEN Priced at $15,999; Limited Availability


If you want one of Yamaha’s wild looking NIKEN three-wheelers, it will be available at an U.S. MSRP of $15,999 beginning this September. Also, you won’t simply walk into a Yamaha dealer to get one, as the trike will only be available through an online reservation system.  Here is all the information from Yamaha.

Cypress, CA – July 10, 2018 – Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA, today announced price and availability details for the revolutionary all-new 2019 NIKEN Leaning Multi-Wheel (LMW) motorcycle. The NIKEN will only be available through Yamaha’s online reservation system, and customers who reserve online will receive their motorcycles from authorized Yamaha dealers for the suggested retail price of $15,999 beginning in September.

Featuring a Granite Gray color scheme, the 2019 NIKEN will have very limited availability. Yamaha encourages interested customers to visit their online reservation website soon for first come, first served reservation confirmation and delivery.

To reserve online, visit https://www.yamahamotorsports.com/nikenorder.

Ride the Revolution

The NIKEN introduces a new riding revolution that is born of pure innovation and performance. With its unique leaning multi-wheel (LMW) system, the NIKEN offers very sporty and confident handling characteristics along with an enhanced feeling of grip when cornering in a wide range of surface conditions, giving the NIKEN rider the ability to carve through winding roads with unmatched confidence for more fun with less stress.

To find out more about the 2019 NIKEN LMW motorcycle, visit www.yamahamotorsports.com/niken.

More information related to all Yamaha products can be found at https://www.yamahamotorsports.com.


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85 Comments

  1. Pat says:

    For those talking about a 4 wheels motorcycle: yamaha is working on a prototype. It’s called the OR2T

    https://youtu.be/k5iFllm99Ko

  2. Scottie says:

    For all the naysayers out there, think about the last time you were out riding in the summer and it hadn’t rained for weeks and suddenly you were hit by an unexpected deluge. I’ve watched my front wheel start slipping all over the greasy surface in that situation. Two wheels up front would instill a lot more confidence.

  3. John Bowman says:

    WOW! What a touchy topic. Wonder what would have happened if Dan Gurney ever started selling the Gator?? Part of me is interested in the ability to lean with 3 wheels vs the snowmobile-like CanAm. Increased cornering grip on an “everyday” bike. Ever since the MP3, there have been folks asking for a full sized leaning 3 wheeler. Give Yamaha props for providing an option that opens up riding to someone intimidated by 2 wheels, or potentially “aging out”. This looks to fit with Yamaha’s desire to press the limits of motor cycling; GTS 1000 anyone? Many sport tourers are heavy, and a stable long hauler makes sense to me; especially when it would provide foul-weather stability. An FJR1300 with a Niken front would be a viable bike.

    Bikes are like prom dates. Everyone wants the fast sexy ones, but most folks are looking for an appealing easy ride.

  4. Sean says:

    Solving a problem that doesn’t exist.

  5. Onto says:

    As I mentioned elsewhere, real motorcycling is slowly being eroded away and many people don’t have the foresight to see where all this is heading. If these 3-wheelers become popular it won’t be long until somebody starts producing leaning 4-wheelers. Of course they will be better. They will have more grip, better stability and safety, and higher corner speeds than a 3-wheeler. But it will already be very different to a real motorcycle. Visualize that. Imagine the Niken with two wheels at the back at the same width as the front wheels. Would you call it a motorcycle? Then they will realize that if they make the vehicle wider it will have even better stability and safety, and will be good for drifting through the corners (if it has enough power). But what you will then have is a leaning car and not a motorcycle.

    You can buy what you want and call it what you want. But to me, real motorcycles only have two wheels, and I plan to keep riding them until I am too old to do so, or they have been eliminated by autonomous vehicles becoming mandatory. I’m grateful that I am old enough to have decades of great motorcycling experiences behind me, which is something that young people may never get.

    • Jeremy in TX says:

      “real motorcycling is slowly being eroded away and many people don’t have the foresight to see where all this is heading.”

      Maybe the foresight we’re all missing is that the consumer in general wants real motorcycling to be eroded?

      • Tank says:

        Half of new consumers won’t ride because they want to be able to use their cell phones and the other half are afraid to ride because of all the idiots on their cell phones.

      • Onto says:

        Jeremy, I’m not sure if you understood the point of my comment. If leaning 3-wheelers become popular it won’t be long and they will become redundant because leaning 4-wheelers will be introduced, and they will be better. In your opinion, is a leaning 4-wheeler a real motorcycle, and do you want to ride one instead of a 2-wheeler?

        • Jeremy in TX says:

          I understand your point. My point was not to agree or disagree, but merely to propose that your fear – that two-wheelers will go away in favor of three and eventually leaning 4-wheelers – may be exactly what the market wants.

          I think there will always be a market for motorcycles, but I also think that leaning three and four wheel vehicles will take a good chunk out of an already small market. Heck, they already do and don’t even lean yet.

          • Onto says:

            Obviously some people have a very different view, to me, of what motorcycling is all about. I’ve always been a very aggressive rider and have always found it very satisfying to be doing something that most people don’t have the courage and skill to do. If you make motorcycling safe and easy, and remove the need for courage and skill to do it, you take away much of my reason for wanting to do it. But for as long as I can keep riding 2-wheelers while others are choosing the soft options of having 3 or 4 wheels, this sense of satisfaction will remain.

        • Dave says:

          “In your opinion, is a leaning 4-wheeler a real motorcycle”

          In my opinion, if you sit on top of it, without any roof, doors, or restraint system, and control it with a pair of handlebars, then yes, it is a real motorcycle.

          I don’t care to ride it instead of my motorcycle, but I’d welcome anyone who chose to onto the road with me. They’re choosing to ride and that’s A-ok with me.

    • Scottie says:

      They did float the idea of a leaning 4-wheeler with the Tesseract concept.

    • Peter Harris says:

      A leaning 4 wheeler sounds like a blast. Call it what you want – just not late for dinner.

  6. SquidProQuo says:

    This thing is one turbo kit away from making all these naysayers STFU.

  7. Grover says:

    I’d rather ride the Niken than a Can-am or a HD Freewheeler. At least this thing leans like a motorcycle. This platform will come in handy when autonomous vehicles are mandated in the future and 2-wheel motorcycles are outlawed.

  8. Grover says:

    I’d rather ride the Niken than a Can-am or a HD Freewind. At least this thing leans like a motorcycle. This platform will come in handy when autonomous vehicles are mandated in the future and 2-wheel motorcycles are outlawed.

  9. Louis says:

    What’s not to like ? I don’t know if I would buy it but I would like to try it. Keep an open mind. Could be a lot of fun.

    • Mick says:

      Not to like?

      A $7000 premium for additional weight, maintenance costs and unnecessary complexity.

      They didn’t even get the steam punk look dialed in very well at all.

  10. WSHart says:

    Not my cuppa tea. But then, I don’t drink tea. Or Kool-Aid™®.

    This is a motorized tadpole tricycle. Cool beans. Yamaha is wise to offer it for special order only. Remember that weirdo looking Yamaha GTS1000? Yup. Kool-Aid™®. I wish them luck with this one. I would sooner have the Piaggio MP3 for stability at stop lights and because I just think it looks less weirdo-ish and has been around for awhile now. If I want a scooter, I will get a scooter. Even a tadpole trike MP3. It’s not two wheels but then two wheels ain’t three. And four ain’t 2 or 3. And…

    To those that buy one, have fun with it!

  11. I never thought the Polaris “Slingshot” would sell at the asking price, but it does apparently. A percentage of people will buy these at least for the uniqueness.

    I see every type of motorcycle riding becoming much more dangerous though, as on any given day I can drive across town and see nearly 1 out of 3 drivers holding a cell phone up near the steering wheel, most are oblivious to their surroundings. I have contemplated using my passenger to film and making a youtube compilation with 3 or 4 second view of each distracted driver.

  12. Anonymous says:

    It’s never gonna be the ultimate canyon carver, or trackday tool, but this could easily become the ultimate long distance touring machine.

    • todd says:

      More so than a Goldwing or a K1600 or a Concours or a FJR? I don’t even see any luggage!

      • Anonymous says:

        The touring version is gonna blow those bikes you mentioned out of the water. If Yamaha won’t make one, the aftermarket will.

  13. gsbeliever says:

    I’m astounded at the vitriol at this new, exciting model. Yamaha promises not to break into your garage in the middle of the night and replace your two wheeler with a Niken, lol. Older riders, such as myself, have waited years for the Piaggio MP3 concept to make it to a full sized motorcycle. Someday you young whippersnappers will be riding something like the Niken and enjoying every second of it.

    • tla says:

      can’t wait…for the next years model to come out….then I’ll swallow the blue pill

    • hh says:

      gsbeliever..this is not an age issue.this vehicle is not a motorcycle, neither is a Piaggio MP3 or a Can am or an old school pie wagon, just like a jet ski is a watercraft and not a ski..why not build a recumbent chopper with hydraulic outrigger wheels that deploy at lean to prevent low sides and at also deploy at low speeds to eliminate having to put your feet down..could get branding with a well known reclining chair manufacturer…the niken in its current state is irrelevant..

      • fred says:

        LOL hh, this is a motorcycle, just one that you don’t like. Your request for the recumbent chopper with outriggers was built 30+ years ago. The Peraves Ecomobile, later the Monotracer. Still in low-volume production, but no longer imported into the U.S.A..

        As is, the Niken is irrelevant to you, but not to the rest of us.

        • todd says:

          no, it’s still irrelevant

        • ivan says:

          It may or may not be irrelevant but it is not inconceivable. LOL

        • hh says:

          Fred, I did not say that I did not like it. I am quite neutral about it. I suggested not relevant as it is a small volume niche market vehicle with a gasoline powered engine and in its current form not that influential on the current state or future of motorcycles. Electric bicycles are called bicycles so if you want to call the Niken a motorcycle, please by all means go ahead. I only speak for me and you speak for “the rest of us”.

    • Tim says:

      I think it’s an awesome concept. I won’t buy one now, but in another 10 or 15 years, it may be the bike that keeps me riding motorcycles. I want to be able to lean into turns, and this three wheeler allows it.

  14. Mick says:

    Let me get this straight. For an additional $7000 you get an MT-09 with some kind of Rube Goldberg front end. Oh! And by the way. You need to jump through some hoops for the privilege.

    And you’ve just had some kind of mushroom, and your mind is moving low.

  15. Selecter says:

    Thank goodness Yamaha is now offering a “Skill-Free” motorcycling option for those that don’t want to ever have to… try!

    • paul says:

      wow…the whole point of this design has completely eluded you.

      Perhaps you should “try” to understand the concept and then give it a “try” at the first opportunity.

    • Peter Harris says:

      HD has been doing it for years – seems like there’s money in them thar hills.

      Ha ha – seriously – different skills needed, but skills non-the less. Some madman is going to do some fun stuff on this machine.

  16. JimR says:

    Capabilities aside, it’s just ugly IMO.

    The beauty of sport and sport touring bikes is in their symmetry and visual flow.

    Niken has none from the front.

  17. Neil says:

    Just make the front end a color that people can see. People are looking down at their phones, etc. So colors that subconsciously grab their attention are a good thing. Think about watching motorcycle races and how easy it is to point out certain racers based on the colors of their bikes. – I think it’s a good idea for some people, especially where they pavement might be damp or cool. You could ride earlier and later in the season. Safer in the rain. And for the idiots who race with guardrails on the side of the road, this would keep them a bit safer (shouldn’t be doing it but, …Darwin)

  18. KenLee says:

    After ABS, TC and wheelie controll, three wheelers makes another step to take out skills and risks from motorcycling. On the end of such route I see something like a rollercoaster: “sit down, strap on and enjoy the feelings on 500 HP beast”, no matter if you are bold youngster, or faint-hearted tiny granny. Would it be safe? Absolutely! Fun? For sure! Satisfying? Well, maybe just for one ride only, but not as a lifetime passion… Learning new skills and beeing ahead of the other people makes us proud, happy and motivate us to take another step and new skill.

    • Dave says:

      You’re overthinking it. As long as we’re still piloting our own vehicles, you’ll always be able to crash. Technology isn’t making any of that less possible, it’s just making it less likely to happen by mistake. This removes apprehension, adds confidence and enjoyment. If you don’t like those aids, just turn them off.

      • KenLee says:

        You are right with “as long we’re still piloting…” 🙂 Technologies reducing crash risk to near-zero figures are already thinkabe. They starting to be available and tested in self driving vehicles. Having autonomous solutions implemented in both: vehicles and roads, it’s enough to establish master-slave relation between computer and pilot. Obviously, pilot has to play “slave” role and be allowed to drive/ride themselves until computer agree. Controll can be taken away within split second. By the way, any kind of three- or four wheeled vehicles fits better to such picture, than classic two wheeler…
        First seriously articulalated demand to ban two wheeled motorcycles has been already made two years ago by administration in Norway. Not successful yet, but anything is possible like in “The last motorcycle on Earth” movie.

        • Dave says:

          Autonomous driving is becoming necessary. People are no longer adequately answering the responsibility of driving. For all the square miles of pavement we’ve made, roads only run smoothly when they’re 30% full because humans can’t drive well enough. Anything more than 60% and traffic slows way down.

          Traction control and ABS on motorcycles have nothing to do with any of that. They are simply there because even skilled riders can’t manage every situation. Someday there will be a dividing line between transportation and leisure vehicles, but that’s probably or our grandkids to ponder. My guess is they won’t miss any of it.

    • Onto says:

      Well said, Ken, and I totally agree with you. Many people (probably mostly young people with less life experience) don’t seem to have the long term foresight to see where all this is heading. They can only comprehend one step at a time, and to them each little step seems like an improvement. They don’t realize that, over time, real motorcycling is slowly being eroded away.

  19. Kiwiclown says:

    But can I race it in the hooligans class?!

  20. John says:

    I still don’t see any point in this but at least it isn’t a boring cruiser. It IS bold and different, but there’s no way I would ever buy one.

  21. Hh says:

    Yamaha needs to build the Niken with integrated side-car with coordinated suspension. Options could be a streamline mini side-car for hauling groceries and travel gear or a full person / dog hauling side car and luggage racks for touring. Also needs a electric or hybrid model. Does this thing have an alert system that says danger will robinson…

  22. Anonymous says:

    Come on people, loosen up. There’s room for new types of motorcycles.
    I’ve ridden some Piaggio MP3 scooters and they were very fun to ride.
    It’s got to be even more fun with all that extra horsepower.

  23. viktor92 says:

    I don’t like at all odd number of wheels, and when they are four, the thing should have a steering wheel

  24. Jim says:

    I suspect that the target group for this is not folks who already own motorcycles. I’ll stick with my Superduke. In spirit with the group here, the Niken would be interesting if it had front wheel drive & 200 horsepower, lol.

  25. Brian Dueck says:

    And I repeat, “Hell no!”.

    • Jabe says:

      +1

    • Onto says:

      I’m with you, Brian. When they first showed us this idea I thought it could be good, with better stability and safety, and possibly higher corner speeds. But lately my thinking has changed. If I thought extra stability and safety were needed I wouldn’t already be riding. I enjoy trying to get the most from a 2-wheeled vehicle. If a different type of vehicle is faster through the corners, that is no concern of mine. I don’t want to discourage others from riding 3-wheelers, but to me anything with more than 2 wheels is not a real motorcycle.

      Maybe the real reason they are developing these 3-wheelers is because autonomous (self driving) vehicles are coming. It would be very difficult, if not impossible, to make a safe autonomous 2-wheeler because, unlike a car, they don’t keep themselves upright. If they add an extra wheel they can use a mechanical, hydraulic or electrical system to keep it upright and control the lean angle.

      • todd says:

        I can’t imagine this being faster through corners. It’s lean angle is compromised over a conventional motorcycle that will be able to turn sharper (i.e.faster) into turns. The extra weight will also slow it down – though maybe acceleration is improved because you’re not limited to when the front wheel lifts off the ground.

        • Dave says:

          The real question is, “faster than what?”. Virtually nobody rides current motorcycles to anywhere their performance potential on the road. The potential for this is riding more confidently than they would with only one front wheel.

          I’ve seen the videos. It’s not a GP bike, but it’s not a cumbersome pig, either.

          • fred says:

            Or “faster where?”. It’s unlikely to be faster on the track, but where most of us ride, there is a good chance it could be quite a bit faster.

            I suspect that few of us push more than 45-degree lean angles on the street on a regular basis. I know I don’t.

  26. graham says:

    limited availability ok. not a bike for everybody.

  27. Jeremy in TX says:

    I’m surprised it is priced so reasonably. Good on Yamaha for rolling with it. Their “order only” programs have worked well for them in the past as a means for testing demand without burdening their dealers with inventory. I personally think this is a game changer.

    • joe b says:

      I cant see where this has any advantages. It answers the question on one asked. just exactly what “game changer”, this is?

      • Anonymous says:

        Tucking the front end on gravel, or slick surfaces doesn’t result in possibly thousands of dollars in damage, that’s how it changes the game. You can actually ride when the roadway is pretty wet, ect. AND its still faster than 99% of cars out there.

      • motocephalic says:

        balance: ! three points finds a plane, two finds a line. as you get older, you are looking for a plane.

      • fred says:

        As someone who started riding about 40 years ago, I can say that lots of us have asked for more stability and confidence under braking, better confidence in sub-optimal traction and weather conditions, and bikes that won’t tip over when parked on hot asphalt.

        I applaud Yamaha for the engineering and for bringing it to market. Most of us don’t need more than 45 degrees of lean, and it is likely that the steering will be somewhat heavier with the extra weight and precession. MPG may take a slight hit, an maintenance will cost a bit more. Even with all that, if I were in the market for a new bike, this would be on my short list.

      • Jeremy in TX says:

        You’re looking at this in terms of what advantages this may have over or what characteristics make this better than your motorcycle, but I think that is the wrong perspective to take.

        There are plenty of riders that like the risk and challenge of moving about on two wheels in addition to the wonderful sensations that riding a motorcycle provides, and for them, only two wheels will do. I suspect I am one of them.

        There are also plenty of people that just love the sensation of riding a motorcycle and accept – rather than relish in – the risk and challenge of mastering two wheels.

        The Nikken provides all of the sensations of riding a motorcycle. While nearly all of the same risks as a two-wheelers are still present, some of the more critical ones concerning front-end control are greatly mitigated. It should also prove easier to balance at stops or while pushing around. That is something many people from the latter group might welcome. It may also be something that groups of people that have previously stayed out of motorcycles for risk/fear factor reasons may decide works for them.

        That’s how it changes the game: not by being “better” than a motorcycle, but by being an alternative to a motorcycle that still offers a full motorcycle experience.

  28. CrazyJoe says:

    This being a limited to a few can a Brudeli Tech design be far behind?

    The Niken has seen some testing and the verdict was you couldn’t tell it wasn’t a 2 wheeled bike by the handling but 45 deg lean angle prevented it from being a sport bike. Like to see how it would handle in gravel and sand found at some intersections and corners.

    • Peter Harris says:

      Yamaha bought the company so yeah – seems plausible. Love to see a light weight machine based on the mt 7 – or better yet – the T7.

  29. motocephalic says:

    I think this thing will go gang-busters. I am definitely in the market as bikes get harder to balance with the aging population. I think the price is spot on for a 3 wheeled bike that can lean like two.

    • Neal says:

      The front end provides no help in balancing it at stops, it doesn’t lock up like the MP3’s.

  30. paul says:

    I wonder if Yamaha plans to offer demo models to dealers?

  31. Tom K. says:

    I wonder if samples will be made available to the press for evaluation. It sure would be interesting to get the opinion of an expert (wink, wink to our friend Dirck).

    I can imagine a story being set up between this machine and a bike with an equivalent powerplant (or power-to-weight ratio). Emphasize the difference in cornering performance in dry vs. wet or loose surfaces. Are there any unintended consequences other than what would be expected by the additional weight? Are the advertised “advantages” worth the additional weight, complexity, cost, etc.? Bottom line, in twenty years, will this machine be looked at as a one-off oddity, or the foundation for an entirely new class that had real staying power? There must be many at Yamaha who believe in the latter, otherwise this bike would have remained an engineering exercise / prototype. I guess that public acceptance may be the deciding factor, but unless some early adopters pony-up the cash, the concept will be relegated to Tucker-land.

  32. TimC says:

    I’m curious about riding impressions of this thing, since it leans will it turn the same as a bike (countersteer to initiate lean)? Also, anything weird about 2 front tires/more traction on the front?

    The whole thing just seems weird.

  33. ABQ says:

    well that prices me out of a purchase. I guess I will keep my old trike.

    • paul says:

      The Niken is not a trike in the same sense that your trike is.

    • EZMark says:

      Considering Can Am Spyders start at $18 grand and a Harley Freewheeler is $27 grand, the Niken is an incredible steal of a deal.

      • Neal says:

        You have to hold up the Niken at stops, so part of the appeal of those trikes doesn’t apply here.

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