Yamaha Niken 900 GT 2020 — Specifications

Two wheels at the front, one at the rear, and yet this is no scooter. Not a Can-Am either. The Yamaha Niken 900 GT occupies a territory all its own in the motorcycle landscape, a niche it single-handedly invented. Beneath its spaceship looks, this 2020 GT version aims to transform the technological UFO into a true touring companion. Does it deliver on that promise?

The heart of the beast remains the 847 cc CP3 triple borrowed from the MT-09, a proven powerplant. With 115 horsepower at 10,000 rpm and 87.3 Nm of torque available from 8,500 rpm, there is no shortage of grunt. The character is lively, punchy in the midrange, typical of the triple-cylinder architecture Yamaha has mastered so well. The six-speed gearbox paired with the quickshifter makes gear changes seamless, and the cruise control comes into its own on long motorway hauls. On the chassis side, the famous LMW system with dual inverted forks and multi-axle geometry delivers near-supernatural front-end grip. In tight corners, on wet roads or loose gravel, confidence is immediate. You lean up to 45 degrees, the footpegs skim the tarmac, and traction remains unflappable. That is what justifies the concept.

To earn its GT suffix, Yamaha applied the same recipe as on the Tracer 900 and 700 GT. A tall windscreen to cut the wind, heated grips for cold mornings, a comfort seat for rider and pillion, reinforced rear grab handles that double as luggage mounts. Two 12V sockets let you power a GPS and phone simultaneously. The centre stand makes routine maintenance easier. On paper, the spec sheet is serious. But the absence of a colour TFT display is hard to overlook, when the Tracer 900 GT already had one. A puzzling omission on a machine priced at €16,299 — the cost of a new Yamaha Niken 900 GT that sets the bar rather high against more conventional sport-tourers.

The luggage question deserves a closer look. Yamaha supplies two 25-litre semi-rigid panniers. Functional, but not optimal. You may recall that the first-generation Tracer offered a similar system, which owners rated as mediocre at best. Yamaha corrected course on the next Tracer with proper City cases and a 30-litre Touring option. Why not apply the same logic here? For a machine designed for touring, this luggage choice remains the most glaring weak point. As for the weight of the Yamaha Niken 900 GT, you have to contend with 268 kg wet and an 18-litre tank. That is not light, but the low centre of gravity and the dual front end more than compensate at normal riding speeds. Low-speed manoeuvres, on the other hand, do require some getting used to.

Within the Yamaha range, the positioning is clear. The Tracer models cover sport-touring, the FJR 1300 reigns over grand touring, and the Niken GT offers a third path for curious riders who want to travel differently. On the used market, you can find 2021 Yamaha Niken 900 GT models with 2,500 km on the clock for around €10,500, which makes the proposition considerably easier to swallow. New or used, this machine is aimed at open-minded tourers, those willing to trade conventional looks for outstanding grip and active safety. The Niken GT is not perfect — its luggage and instrument panel could use an update — but it remains alone in its segment. And when you ride in the rain with a level of confidence no two-wheeled sportbike can offer, you quickly understand why some riders never want to go back.