2018–2021 · Naked Bike · Buyer's Guide
Three Wheels, One Soul
The Niken is a motorcycle with two front wheels, and it still leans like a motorcycle. Up front, a parallelogram linkage carries a pair of 15-inch wheels on upside-down fork legs. It hangs off a steel backbone frame and runs a fat 190-section rear tire. Power comes from Yamaha's 847 cc liquid-cooled inline-three, fitted with a heavier crank for smoother delivery, and it makes 115 hp and 65 lb-ft. YCC-T ride-by-wire, ABS, traction control and ride modes are all standard, along with cruise control, an up-only quickshifter and a slipper clutch. Among naked bikes it stands alone. Nothing else in the class gives you this much front-end grip and still leans to around 45 degrees.
It's built for riders who want front-end confidence above everything else. That extra contact patch keeps its composure on the highway and when the pavement turns greasy, and the bike keeps its calm as speeds climb. The fully adjustable suspension and the upright seat make it a genuine mile-eater, and the running gear has held up well over time. The honest caveat is mass. At 580 lb (263 kg) wet with a 32.3 in (820 mm) seat, it gives up the flickable lightness I normally want from a naked bike, and that weight takes some of the edge off the triple. Buy it for the grip, not for agility.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 115 hp (85 kW) |
|---|---|
| Torque | 65 lb-ft (88 Nm) |
| Displacement | 847 cc |
| Engine | Inline-three |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front brake | 298 mm |
| Front tire | 120/70-15 |
| Rear tire | 190/55-17 |
| Wheelbase | 59.4 in (1510 mm) |
| Seat height | 32.3 in (820 mm) |
| Wet weight | 580 lb (263 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 4.8 gal (18 L) |
| Top speed | 129 mph (207 km/h) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Drivetrain
Safety
This picture comes from years of listening to riders: talk in the paddock, owners comparing notes at club nights, long chats at gas stops, and the emails and messages people send me after they've lived with a bike. On the Niken, the pattern is consistent. Owners love the front end and the way it rides at speed. The complaints come back to what it costs, how hard the engine has to work, and what happens when you really push it.
Riders most often say the front never washes out on the way into a corner, in any conditions. Many say that alone changes how they ride. On fast sweepers they describe a calm, soaked-up ride over broken pavement. Owners also bring up the engine's soulful exhaust note and the way strangers come over to ask what on earth they're riding.
Riders who know the MT-09 keep saying the Niken feels less eager and pulls in a more leisurely way. Price is a recurring sore point: plenty of owners admit it's hard to justify on paper. Some say the pegs touch down sooner than they expect, because the front end tempts them to lean harder. Others mention muted feel through the bars and a front brake lever that lacks initial bite.
Front brake switch failure (recall)
The front brake switch may fail due to silicon oxide buildup, causing the brake light to stay on constantly and the cruise control to cancel unexpectedly. Yamaha issued recall 990140 (NHTSA 20V-814) covering 2013–2021 models including Niken GT. A replacement switch is fitted free of charge.
Where this Yamaha Niken pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Top speed
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Niken is actually built for.
This is a good fit. Cruise control and the upright seat handle the highway run out of Austin, and the planted front end keeps you calm through the Twisted Sisters when the tar gets slick in the heat.
Made for Austin / Texas Hill Country · Twisted Sisters · Austin / Handbuilt Motorcycle Show
No bike gets more attention at the Skyline meet, and the front grip makes those ridge roads feel secure. Just know that 580 lb gets heavy fast when you're filtering through San Francisco traffic.
Made for Bay Area Ridge Roads · San Francisco / Bay Area · Skyline Boulevard / Alice's Restaurant
The grip up front gives you real confidence on the Dragon, but this is not a light bike you flick from side to side. If quick, lightweight transitions are what you're chasing, look elsewhere.
Made for Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Yamaha Niken. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Successor · 2023–2025
Three Wheels, Real Confidence
Competitor · 2019–2020
The Boxer That Does Everything
Roughly $2,800 pricier used than this bike at 7 yr
Same Platform · 2018–2020
The Triple That Rides Light
Roughly $1,100 cheaper used than this bike at 6 yr