Yamaha Niken Custom by Game Over Cycles

Polish manufacturer Game Over Cycles (GOC) out of Poland in cooperation with Yamaha Motor Poland, became the world’s first custom motorcycle manufacturer to unveil a Yamaha Niken build.

The Niken – Yamaha’s unique leaning tricycle that uses two side-by-side wheels operated by individual forks – was revealed during the Custombike Show 2019 in Bad Salzuflen, Germany, where the GOC Niken won the "Craziest Bike" award.

Niken debuted on the global market in 2018 and is based on a unique Leaning Multi Wheel (LMW) technology developed by Yamaha.  Except for two front leaning wheels the extraordinary construction of the motorcycle consists of four steering heads and dual-tube upside-down forks.

Game Over Cycles is a company known for modifications carried out on American brand motorcycles, but this time the Rzeszów based company decided to work on the Yamaha Niken.

The head of GOC, Stanisław Myszkowski, commented on the genesis of the company's latest project: "Niken to many people is revolutionary, to others a controversial bike. This is exactly how people also react to our custom bikes, that's why I got interested in it right from the beginning. In terms of technology nothing should be changed in this machine. The Japanese technical solutions at the highest level provide Niken's great driving abilities, but from the first moment I saw it, I felt we could modify its appearance and give the machine a little different character. To achieve this we changed the whole body. All plastic elements have been replaced by aluminum, thanks to which the vehicle's shapes have become more sharp, even aggressive, without losing its aerodynamic properties. Bearing in mind Niken’s speed, one can say, that now this motorcycle cuts the air almost like a samurai sword "- laughs Myszkowski.

During the work on the motorcycle a special challenge was the combination of machine functional mechanisms with its appearance. While creating a different aesthetics of the vehicle, the designers had to build and adjust all new body parts in such way, that in every position of the motorcycle, both when turning and leaning on both sides, nothing would collide with each other. Niken's front suspension moves in many dimensions, so proper balance between the new visual elements and the original driving solutions was the most challenging part of the motorcycle’s modification.

The Game Over Cycles crew incorporated the name Niken in Japanese characters on the build, as well as a thought written in Japanese taken from the Yamaha brand philosophy, which means “Courage to set higher goals without fear of failure".

All aluminum parts were handmade.

Elements modified by GOC:
- steering wheel cover together with the brake fluid container housing
- brake and clutch levers
- mirrors
- speedometer cover
- front fenders
- rear fender with the rear section of the motorcycle
- Akrapovic exhaust element
- frame holding the seat
- seat base
- fuel tank
- air filters
- cooler and its cover
- battery box
- engine and suspension covers
- front lamp covers with lens sleeves

Elements without lacquer and polished to the bare aluminum:
- all wheels
- rear fender handle
- rear swingarm
- whole front suspension
- footrest holders
- engine covers
- whole frame

Leather seat: WB Line

Source Game Over Cycles