The Nikenโs unique front-end stability is hugely reassuring, especially at this time of year.
With a mind programmed from 42 years of riding experience on only two wheels, quite understandably itโs still taking me time to feel fully at home when rounding corners quickly on the Niken.
Enjoy everything MSL by reading the monthly magazine, Subscribe here.
Related articles on MoreBikes
- Suzukiโs Hayabusa returns: overview and specs
- Custom Harley-Davidson Sportster โUrbantrackerโ unveiled
- Kawasakiโs KLR650 returns, but not for Europe
But with more miles comes more familiarity and slowly but surely Iโm becoming accustomed to the amazing things it can do. That was especially apparent during a weekend ride I took to Lichfield.
More protection needed
The bikeโs low screen drew groans from me โ it allows cold air to blast against your upper body. Unless youโre wrapped up well, youโre going to get chilly pretty quickly. Worse still, at speed the strain on the arms and shoulders restricts satisfaction.
What was impressively relaxing however, was the piece of mind the front-end grip gave me in the latter stages of the ride. Going slightly off course saw me having to negotiate the challenges of a very twisty, undulating, dirty, bumpy, worn out and narrow backroad. It was not a good place to be, with the reduced grip only adding to the frustration of effectively being lost.
Feeling totally reassured
Enter one big ally in the shape of the Niken. With its two front wheels dealing with the lower friction coefficient perfectly well, I need not have worried in the slightest. I canโt say I pushed things really hard, my head wouldnโt allow that. But with a totally planted feel, I couldnโt have felt much safer aboard this bike. I certainly wouldnโt have felt as much at ease on any two-wheeler. And thatโs a marvellously reassuring feeling when the roads are as treacherous as that one.
A run-in engine means I can now take more advantage of what the MT-09 three-cylinder motor can deliver, and at this time of year thatโs more than enough. Just as useful is the lovely flexibility it has, helping to make the Niken feel even more laid-back and user-friendly. Its healthy pulling power negates having to juggle gears and raise revs to access enough acceleration. Itโs very much my sort of motor.
The trip home and a subsequent ride to Yamaha in cold weather wasnโt especially pleasant as I used motorways on both occasions, with the screen height offering very little shelter.
However, help was very much at hand when I got to the importerโs HQ. In the next couple of hours the Niken had a taller screen, panniers, tank bag, centre stand, and some heated grips fitted to it. Iโll tell you more about these additions next month, but in the meantime Iโll just say that my onward rides to Ringwood and then home were far warmer and more civilised experiences.
Now I have a bike that lets me feel distinctly more comfortable as well as safe and secure rounding corners. As a winter bike the Niken has just become all the more suitable.
Yamaha Niken: This month
- Rider: Chris Moss
- Cost new: ยฃ13,499
- Engine: 847cc, liquid-cooled, inline triple
- Spec: 114bhp/65lb-ft
- Kerb weight: 263kg
- Tank: 18 litres
- Seat: 820mm
- Miles this month: 553
- Miles on clock: 1158
- Average mpg: 47mpg
- Current tyres: Bridgestone A41s
- Modifications: tall screen ยฃ189.82, panniers and frames ยฃ610.13, tank bag and mounting ยฃ177.31, centre stand ยฃ233.24, heated grips ยฃ151.10
- Total value of mods: ยฃ1361.16
Check out Part One of the definitive road test and review of Yamaha’s Niken here.
