Three-wheeled Yamaha Niken debuts at Toyko Motor Show

This here, is the Yamaha Niken, a three-wheeled machine that Yamaha showed off last year at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show.

Trikes are not a very rare occurrence. There are a few models in the market that flaunt this body style. The Niken is special as it comes from a manufacturer with tons of experience in making motorcycles. Design wise, the Niken is a bit eccentric. The front end is a very busy place. There is a very detailed fairing and twin forks on the outboard side of each wheel. The twin headlamps look menacing and fit very well with the total theme of the Niken.

The quirky three-wheeler uses the popular Yamaha FZ-09 as the base, so it must be leveraging the 847cc, liquid cooled, in-line triple engine to produce 105 hp. But the sub-11-second quarter mile performance of the MT may not be retained due to the heavier front end.

The two front wheels provide the bike a bigger contact patch up front, which will increase the grip. The tripod-like stance will help with the stability. But the two front-wheel configuration does not seem to hamper the maneuverability a bit.

Not a lot is known about Yamaha’s radical new creation. More details will be made available closer to its launch.