2018 Yamaha Nikon three wheeler

[dndfindley]

Lol - I guess you’ve never owned a first year Yamaha product? They are THE WORST company in the past 15 years or so with first year defects. I got burnt, so did a bunch of my buddies. Yamaha is not what you think, nor what it used to be. I could list the huge list of first year botches, but let’s name a few; Phazer, Nytro, Apex, R6, Kodiak ATV, 2014 FZ09. All those were riddled with huge design or engineering defects, (first hand experience here for most of them, I swore off buying any yamhas forever, would have to make an exception here). Most BRP, Ford, and Honda stuff had been nearly flawless in my experience by comparison. Yamaha has a weird track record of engineering awesome technology, and screwing up the implementation. They always sort it out, but the above list has so many recalls, TSB’s, updates, and lawsuits you would be staggered if I detailed them all.

I could call fake news but I will give you the benefit of a doubt and say it is simply a case of you personally having a bad experience. Yamaha has been proven to be the most reliable motorcycle in the world. I have owned several Yamaha's and have been pleased with all of them. As to your statement about a first year Yamaha - I purchased a first year 2015 Yamaha FJ-09 with the VIN ending in 044 meaning it was the 44th machine coming off the line. I was the first person to have one in my area and I still have it. It has been totally trouble free, not a glitch or a hiccup. The FJ-09 (name changed to Tracer 900 for model year 2019) has the same engine as the Niken which is an 847cc inline triple putting out 115 crank horsepower. The Niken will be a little slower because it will weigh almost a hundred more pounds. However it will have better braking and most likely better handling at speed. I will wait for the reviews of the Niken by the motorcycle mag's just as I did with the FJ-09 and if they are what I think they will be I will buy one of the first ones at the dealer just as I did with my current Yamaha. Looks are subjective. I wouldn't call the Niken ugly although it does look a bit strange...and mean at the same time.

 

[missouriboy]

Something to consider; 30% higher cornering grip threshold (~.7G vs ~1.0G) puts the Niken in another realm vs the Spyder...

????? 1.0 is nearly 43% higher than .7 :dontknow:

And that IS a LOT!

 

[isthatahemi]

That is just flat out not true. Yamaha is considered to be the best motorcycle manufacturer in the world, ranking right up there with Honda in overall quality.

If you or your buddies got lemons, which all companies have, then sorry. However, to say they are "worst" motorcycle manufacturer on the planet for first year model defects is completely wrong. There is plenty of documentation around to disprove your assertion.

If you ignore the tangible examples I gave, then I suppose you can keep believing in Yamaha. All the ones I mentioned were first year screwups. It’s not like I didn’t own a few of them, and in my circle we owned every example. If you are the type of person that loves what they buy, anything and everything is great. On the other end, there are haters, in between is someone like me who will call a winner, loser, or a non-event. But Yamaha has had first year issues, not all the time, but the worst I’ve ever seen had been from them.

bikes they do well, so I might still buy one, but I don’t pretend it couldn’t be in need of half a dozen updates at some point. My real issue with Yamaha is the deception that takes place after the sale, deny, deny, and then eventually fix it. Like the internet doesn’t exist. And there are too many sycophants out there postulating urban legends about their reliability. My Phazer with $9000 in warranty claims is but one example. Moving on../

 

[rnet]

I find beauty is what you get used to. Anyone remember when the F3 first came out? :shocked: :shocked: :shocked: :shocked: :shocked:

Yes sir, and I still think the front is fugly, but I have one. Can't see the front when your sitting on it and it does not perform as good as my GS, but I'm working on it.

 

[Big F]

Not too sure I see the point, it does not offer the stability of a Spyder, nor the nimbleness of a two wheeler??????:dontknow:

I cannot see why someone would want the new Yamaha Niken as it still requires using a kick stand???????? No stability... GO SPYDER!!!
BIG F

 

[Buckeye Chuck 54]

Neowing

It's too late in the game for me to try anything new. I'm sold on my '14 RT-S.
But it would be fun to see something new. Before my Spyder I rode Honda's for years.
Honda has been typically tight lipped on the Neowing. All I can find is pictures. No info on
engine size, just a flat 4, nothing on transmission. It's said to have 2 electric motors.
What's that mean? Run a gyroscope? Run a turbo?
The truth will come out.

I meant slow sales to begin and then it would catch on and sell well.
I don't know any claims they make to be wrong since I haven't seen or ridden one.
It hardly seems like a starter bike to me, that would be a Honda rebel 300 or TU250 or the like.
My guess is that Honda will be along with their Neowing in a couple years after Yamaha tests the market.

 

[den1953]

Tilting Trikes

There's an outfit named Tilting Motor Works that makes a front end tilting trike kit for Harley Davidsons and Honda Gold Wings. Tilts up to 45 degrees and also has an available hydraulic stabilizer that holds the bike upright at stops and up to 3 mph in parking lots etc. There are some YouTube videos of the trike in action. They are also developing kits for Indian motorcycles.

 

[Rookiespyder]

Noooooo storage compartments ENOUGH SAID for me.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

It's said to have 2 electric motors.
What's that mean?

It's a hybrid.

 

[FIRECAT]

Niken update

So looks like the Niken will be arriving in the fall as a 2019 giving Yamaha these next few months to improve on it and get the bugs out of it! I’m not 100% sure it’s coming to Canada but likely I was looking at buying a new spider but I’m going to hold off and wait till the fall when Yamaha releases their niken and BRP may release their sport tilting spider that I have verification is in the works as we speak!! The future looks bright

 

[Highwayman2013]

So looks like the Niken will be arriving in the fall as a 2019 giving Yamaha these next few months to improve on it and get the bugs out of it! I’m not 100% sure it’s coming to Canada but likely I was looking at buying a new spider but I’m going to hold off and wait till the fall when Yamaha releases their niken and BRP may release their sport tilting spider that I have verification is in the works as we speak!! The future looks bright

Good luck. The only new thing I heard coming from BRP this year is a Spyder under $10,000.

 

[jcthorne]

I understand the need to market a 'loss leader' version of the Spyder. But its pretty hard for anyone that already owns and rides a Spyder to get too excited about it.

I REALLY hope they bring a performance version of the F3 to market one of these days. I see no need for a tilting version.

 

[Rob Rodriguez]

So looks like the Niken will be arriving in the fall as a 2019 giving Yamaha these next few months to improve on it and get the bugs out of it! I’m not 100% sure it’s coming to Canada but likely I was looking at buying a new spider but I’m going to hold off and wait till the fall when Yamaha releases their niken and BRP may release their sport tilting spider that I have verification is in the works as we speak!! The future looks bright

I received an email yesterday that said the Niken, and I quote "available the second half of 2018" which makes me believe it will show in the fall. Will be really good to test ride one of these.

I'm excited by the $9999 Spyder. Well, I will be if it has a more sport like riding position (not like the F3) and decent power. I could care less about all the creature comforts. Bare bones ride with a decent seating position and decent power (as much as the 998) and I'd buy one in a second.

 

[jcthorne]

I received an email yesterday that said the Niken, and I quote "available the second half of 2018" which makes me believe it will show in the fall. Will be really good to test ride one of these.

I'm excited by the $9999 Spyder. Well, I will be if it has a more sport like riding position (not like the F3) and decent power. I could care less about all the creature comforts. Bare bones ride with a decent seating position and decent power (as much as the 998) and I'd buy one in a second.

You will be disappointed.

F3 frame, 600cc motor, no power steering, single channel stability control, no abs, very little body work. No creature comforts. The lean forward riding position is gone. They could not sell them even when they did discount them to the 11k range. They sat on dealer showrooms.

There was rumor of a kit to move foot controls and pegs on an F3 rearward which would allow what you are looking for but have not heard any more about it in a long time. Perhaps that will be an option to come with the new bike. Could widen its market potential if both riding positions could be accommodated on one model.

 

[nhoj]

What bike ??

....F3 frame, 600cc motor, no power steering, single channel stability control, no abs, very little body work. No creature comforts. The lean forward riding position is gone. They could not sell them even when they did discount them to the 11k range. They sat on dealer showrooms.

What bike are you describing here?

 

[Peter Aawen]

What bike are you describing here?

The ST's & RSS's - ie, the Spyders that had the sportier riding positions.

 

[nhoj]

The ST's & RSS's - ie, the Spyders that had the sportier riding positions.

Don't think so. I rode an ST for 4 years and it didn't have a 600cc motor. He was speaking of some other bike.

 

[Rob Rodriguez]

You will be disappointed.

F3 frame, 600cc motor, no power steering, single channel stability control, no abs, very little body work. No creature comforts. The lean forward riding position is gone. They could not sell them even when they did discount them to the 11k range. They sat on dealer showrooms.

There was rumor of a kit to move foot controls and pegs on an F3 rearward which would allow what you are looking for but have not heard any more about it in a long time. Perhaps that will be an option to come with the new bike. Could widen its market potential if both riding positions could be accommodated on one model.

Well BRP continuously disappoints me in both the Spyder and Snowmobile world so I'm not holding my breath that the new Spyder will appeal to me.

Everything you describe sounds great though except the 600 motor and the F3 frame. Actually I don't care if it has the F3 frame as long as it doesn't have the cruiser riding position. I really don't see how a kit could give a person both riding positions with the current F3 frame (the seat would need to be higher, not just the pegs moved back...maybe the kit offers a different seat?) but maybe. If the new bike offered both seating positions that would work.

I think the sport seating position didn't sell in the RS, RSS, maybe even the ST was because people looking for that type of ride want more performance. I mean BRP sells a ton of RT's and the seating position is more "sport" or "straight" bike (ie, your feet are not touching your waist) than cruiser (more RS than F3). I bet the F3S doesn't sell that great either because its marketed as a performance bike yet its performance isn't any different than the other f3's. The only reason to buy that model is the cheaper price. At some point if BRP wants to sell a "performance" model Spyder they need to step up to the plate and actually build one. It's really that simple.

I understand they try and save money by offering one bike (same frame, same engine, same tires, same brakes, etc, etc) and then differentiate them buy adding storage, backrests, etc (essentially factory accessories) on them. But by doing that they can only appeal to a certain segment of the riding population. Not everyone wants a cruiser, not everyone wants a sport bike, not everyone wants to ride just pavement, to appeal to a broader market you have to build a broader range of bikes. BRP could still use the same strategy they use now. Build the 1330 and give it various performance levels (this could be done electronically), build 3 frames, one cruiser style, one sport style, one straight bike (RT) style. Use all the same switches, levers, tires, brakes, shocks etc, etc (just like they do now) on all three of the frames. Keep the unique components minimal. Then you appeal to a broader range of riders and still keep costs reasonable. Does this cost more? Absolutely. Its the old risk and reward thing. You want a larger reward (you want to sell more Spyder's) then you need to take more risks (spend more money, develop more models, appeal to more riders).

Now this is where someone replies and says they are just happy that BRP is still in business and offering a Spyder model.

 

[Peter Aawen]

Don't think so. I rode an ST for 4 years and it didn't have a 600cc motor. He was speaking of some other bike.

No, the first & second sentences in that quote from jc are all about the sub $10k Spyder, then he wrote "The lean forward riding position is gone", & in doing so, making a statement showing he'd closed off his sub $10k discussion; he then followed that with "They could not sell them even when they did discount them to the 11k range" which I read as being in reference to the ST's & RSS's with the lean forward riding position (that is now gone) which BRP could not sell when they discounted them to the $11k range - those ST's & RSS's with the sportier riding positions that were discounted that low STILL just sat in the dealer showrooms, which is why the sportier riding position is dead! :thumbup:

 

[pauly1]

There are differences in weight and drive train. The F3 and F3S have the original larger rear sprocket as was launched in 2015 and nominally 850 lb weight. The F3T and Ltd models have an RT sprocket, which reduces acceleration but improves fuel mileage. The RT models weigh in at 1150+ lb, which affects acceleration. The hp is 115 across all models, modesty for a sport bike and certainly for one that weighs 850 lb. The weight bias is forward allowing for a nice burn out but compromises acceleration due to wheel slip.