We ride Yamaha’s Tracer 900 GT and Niken GT back to back to figure out what makes the leaning three-wheeled Niken tick. What is the Niken GT? Old man’s bike or brilliant innovation?
We were sitting on a couple Adirondack chairs in front of a quaint general store when an old man with a cane sidled over to admire our motorcycles.
“Nice bikes,” he said.
“Thanks,” I replied. “Take a look at the front end of the blue one and tell me what you think.”
He hobbled over and nearly fell over backward. “Gawd. I was not expecting that… What’s the point? Does it still need a kickstand?”
It was a weekday at 7 a.m. during off-season in Los Olivos, on the outskirts of California’s touristy central coast wine country. It seemed like half the town had already stopped to chat with us out of sheer curiosity. One guy even slammed on his brakes and jumped out of his truck to inspect the bike. “Carey Hart lives around here, so I figured it was his latest build,” he explained, as if to justify his rashness. He walked around the bike, clearly perplexed: “I’m not sure what to make of this thing.”
We could relate. I wouldn’t say the bike looks like something Hart—the freestyle MXer-turned-customizer—would build, but that’s because it’s too outlandish looking, too evidently designed with function over form in mind.
We were riding the 2019 Yamaha Niken GT. And like the scores of curious onlookers, we were wondering if the leaning three-wheeler is the answer to a question no one is asking. Testing it against a normal motorcycle—Yamaha’s own Tracer 900 GT, with which it shares a version of the crossplane three-cylinder engine from the MT-09—seemed like the best way to find out.
Michael Gilbert, CW's resident pro racer, and I had headed for the green hills of the central coast, slogging through the clog of Southern California traffic, in search of answers to numerous lingering questions. Namely: "What is the point of the Niken GT?"
First things first. Last year, Yamaha updated its FJ-09 sport-tourer and renamed it the Tracer, which is what the rest of the world’s been calling it since it debuted for the 2015 model year. Dig out $12,999 (an additional $2,300 over the base model) and you get the GT version, which comes with hard bags, heated grips, and cruise control.
On paper, the Tracer 900 GT seems like an ideal package, taking the functionality of sport-tourers of yesteryear, but editing the form to appeal to modern preferences. For riders who’ve been swayed by the upright ergos and style of ADVs but who don’t want any of the off-road pretense, the Tracer GT is a heck of an option. And like the Kawasaki Versys 1000, is a lot less expensive than bikes with a similar ethos, like the MV Agusta Turismo Veloce, KTM Super Duke GT, and Ducati Multistrada 950.
Much has been written about Yamaha’s three-cylinder engine, and it lives up to its reputation. It’s tractable, revs quickly, and sounds like its airbox is filled with a swarm of hornets waiting to sting your nether regions. If you’ve never ridden a triple before, don’t assume they feel halfway between a twin and a four. They’re more akin to fours, if you ask me. Busy-sounding and revvy like your average four with a bit more "space" between combustion events that gives a throatier exhaust note, and its tuned for more torque down low.
Also like some inline-fours, the Tracer can be a bit buzzy, especially above 6,000 rpm. Which makes the smallish mirrors pretty useless at speed. The gearbox is very slick and the quickshift (up only) works pretty seamlessly.
Throttle response can be toggled between the unfortunately named “STD” (standard, presumably), “A” (most aggressive), and “B” (least aggressive). “A” mode makes things a bit harried, considering the Tracer’s sport-touring intention, and especially so considering Yamaha’s three-cylinder motor is notoriously on the jittery side when it comes to throttle response.
Gilbert notes that the Tracer feels a little stiffly sprung for a sport-tourer, but when ridden aggressively, the higher loads move the suspension deeper into the stroke of travel and the bike feels balanced. But dialing in some compliance would make the Tracer a more comfortable tourer.
There are a few characteristics that put the Tracer into the light sport-touring category. Wind protection isn't overly abundant, so there some buffeting at freeway speeds (we'd choose a larger aftermarket windscreen). Also, the panniers are on the smaller side; I filled one bag with a backpack and the other with a weekend's worth of stuff. The TFT dash is also a bit small, and I found the switch gear and navigation through dash info and settings counterintuitive.
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