Yamaha Tricity: Review

Scared of two-wheelers? Yamaha offers a helping hand, well, wheel

Unless you are Brian Harvey it is quite hard to tumble out of a car but falling off a bike is a relatively simple and common occurrence, which is why Yamaha has added a confidence inspiring third wheel to its new Tricity scooter. At this point it is worth highlighting you can actually crash a Tricity by leaning it over too far. However, the addition of the extra front wheel does make it considerably less likely to be attracted to the ground than a conventional two-wheeler.

It's falling over! Oh, hang on, no it's not

Branded under the banner 'new mobility', the Tricity is the first of (presumably) a whole new range of Yamaha products aimed at getting new urban riders onto bikes. It is no secret motorcycles have many benefits when it comes to urban commuting and Yamaha hopes that by adding a comforting third wheel to a 125cc scooter it will reassure nervous types. Which is a fairly solid philosophy and other three-wheelers such as the Piaggio MP3 have proved very popular all over Europe. However Yamaha has taken a slightly different route with the Tricity's funny front end. Unlike the Piaggio you can't jump on the Tricity without first taking your CBT and getting a basic A1 bike licence. But Yamaha hopes that the cost savings and more bike-like riding experience offset that minor inconvenience.

Lock, stop and four forks
Where the MP3 has a 'locking' front end design that essentially stops the bike falling over, Yamaha has given the Tricity a more conventional feeling set-up that responds far more like a two-wheeled motorcycle. The philosophy is that the 'locking' design requires a lot of heavy metal to make it work and, by keeping the weight down, it can make the Tricity agile and nimble. And so less intimidating for newer riders, not to mention cheaper to produce. How serious is Yamaha about ensuring the Tricity handles well? Believe it or not, Kazuhisa Takano, the Tricity's project leader, was also the project leader for the YZR-M1 MotoGP bike! So how does it work?

Project head Kazuhisa Takano has MotoGP background

The rear of the Tricity is a fairly conventional 125cc scooter. The motor is built in Taiwan, makes 11hp and is a standard twist and go affair. Under the seat is enough storage for a full face lid and the instruments have a fuel gauge, clock and various trips. However at the front end the Leading Multi Wheel (LMW) mechanism makes the Tricity unique. The two front wheels are linked in a parallelogram design so that they lean over in parallel, theoretically giving the same kind of feeling as a single front wheel as the track (distance between the wheels) remains constant. Each 14-inch wheel has two forks (one damping, one purely a guide) and a new brake system called Unified Brakes (UBS). To be honest it's pretty basic in its design and when you grab the rear brake a cable connected to the lever also activates the front brake system while the front lever only activates the front calipers. The key to the Tricity is the fact it has a 50:50 weight distribution and at 152kg wet, is actually pretty light for a three-wheeled 125cc scooter. But does it work?

Lean on me...
Initially the Tricity feels like a conventional 125cc scooter. The seating position is fairly compact, however this is normal for such a machine and at over six feet tall I didn't find it uncomfortable. However get going and initially it is a touch strange.

OK, so it's not as cool as a Ducati Monster

At very low speeds (walking pace) the Tricity doesn't feel like a two-wheeled scooter as you have to turn the bars to steer it rather than lean. It's not unpleasant, just a different feeling. Get the speed up, however, and the Yamaha starts to shine.

I've ridden 'locking' three wheelers and, to be honest, I found them hideous. When the system locks at low speed it is unnerving and quite often I found myself being fired off in the wrong direction for a brief second before the system releases the front wheels. The Tricity is different. As there is no lock you can ride it just like a conventional scooter and it is considerably better for it. The lack of front end weight makes it handles very well through traffic and it is quite easy to forget that there is a third wheel. Which does require caution...

Tinted visor means nobody need recognise you

As the Tricity is no wider than a normal scooter, and appears to have a similar turning circle, you can zip very quickly through stationary traffic. It is very light and manoeuvrable, however you have to be very wary about catching an outside wheel on the kerb as it can 'kick' the bike in a straight line, something that doesn't happen with a single front wheel. It's just something to be aware of and I am certain owners won't have an issue with it. The disappointingly small mirrors might be a different story and I can see a few riders falling out over the suspension and brakes.

You have to remember that at £3,399 the Tricity is a fairly budget bike, however the suspension did feel a little too basic. Over slow bumps it responds well, delivering a comfortable ride. However, hit a pothole or a 'high speed impact' and the damping is pretty poor, giving you a right old kick. It is what it is, but I hoped for more. The brakes, which don't have ABS, are also a bit odd. As they are mechanically linked the feeling of one lever's pressure altering when you apply the other is weird. However despite feeing pretty wooden they did respond well and although the rear could be made to lock briefly if you were heavy handed, the lack of ABS didn't unduly worry me.

Park the cynicism for a sec and the thing works

Hat trick or flat trick?
Considering a quality 125cc scooter is usually around the £2,500 area and the MP3 300 is £6,000 (the 125 is being phased out and was £4,500) and the Peugeot Metropolis 400i is £6,999, the £3,399 Yamaha Tricity represents very good value for money. Despite the extra wheel the Tricity feels and responds a lot like a conventional two-wheeler and aside from the budget suspension and small mirrors is hard to really criticise. Will it attract new riders to bikes? I'm always amazed at the number of three-wheelers I see in cities all over Europe and with congestion only getting worse I can certainly envisage the Tricity taking off. The fact it can (with effort) be crashed might put some off, however the extra wheel will help prevent the most common front end crashes that are caused by wet man hole covers, diesel or a locked front wheel. I honestly wasn't expecting to like the Tricity as much as I did and if you are considering taking up two wheels, it is certainly a good option and considerably cheaper than public transport.

2014 YAMAHA TRICITY
Engine: 124cc one-cyl
Power (hp): 11@9,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 7.6@5,500rpm
Top speed: 65mph (est)
Weight: 152kg (wet
MPG: 95 (claimed)
Price: £3,399

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goron59

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