Launch: Yamaha Tricity

There is not much more of a testament to a motorcycles ease of rideability than if the manufacturer not only invites bike journalists to a launch, but also extends the invite to people with absolutely no motorcycling background. This is exactly what Yamaha did at the launch of its new leaner-approved Tricity three-wheeled scooter.

Admittedly only one person took up the offer from Yamaha and did have an area set aside for them to practise, but the scooter came back scratch-free and the rider with a smile from ear to ear.    

Sean Goldhawk, Commutations Manager for Yamaha Motor Australia, said at the launch: “The Tricity is a practical fun and affordable machine that is agile, stable and inspires confidence, which is especially important to new-comers to two or three-wheeled motorcycling.

“There are other three-wheeled machines on the market, but we don’t consider to be in the same market area [as them] as they’re much heavier and more powerful.”

The launch was held at the Eveleigh train yards in Sydney, which have been recently heavily refurbished into a modern, funky business precinct. Yamaha built a gymkhana track for us to ride in the morning, before a city jaunt would see us navigate across the busy CBD to Bondi Beach and back.

Let’s face it: scooters are popular, and one only has to look at city car parks as proof. And as the roads succumb to more traffic and higher parking fees more people are going to make the switch to the easy, convenient and relaxing experience a scooter can give you on the commute to work or a quick trip down to the local shop.

Yamaha is targeting quite a few city dweller markets with the Tricity. These include both male and female aged 18-30 who work or live in a CBD but are daunted by two-wheelers, seasoned riders who want a city runabout and also budget-conscious commuters and students.

Now when you think of a scooter you will be forgiven if you don’t think of MotoGP. However, the head chassis guru of Yamaha’s MotoGP championship-winning Yamaha YZR-M1, Takano San, was the project leader of the Tricity. Now it may not have the same power, but it does share a 50/50 weight distribution just like the M1!

At the front, the Tricity makes use of a unique leaning two-wheeled system. The Tricity incorporates a parallelogram link that allows the wheels to move and lean independently of each other. Working in harmony with the link are tandem-type cantilevered telescopic front forks that feature two tubes for each wheel. Basically there are four fork legs working.

It all looks pretty complicated when you stick your head under the front-end, but how effective it works is really impressive. It took a bit of getting used to, as the steering is a little slower, but once accustomed it was confidence-inspiring at slow speeds and also as the tempo rose.

Working through the gymkhana course, the 145kg machine (dry) made slow-speed flickability effortless, and the wide front-wheel track offered great stability for quick feet-up U-turns. Admittedly the Italian three-wheelers house larger engines, but at 145kg it undercuts the Gilera Fuoco (244kg) and also the Piaggio MP3 Yourban (211kg).

Yamaha set-up a bump section with unevenly spaced humps to show how well the two wheels can move independently. I had my doubts, as I believed each wheel would offer kickback through the bars as they hit the bumps – possibly influencing the other wheel. But that was not the case at all; the bumps were navigated with no kick-back and the scooter glided over them while remaining perfectly straight and stable.

On an extreme test I did out on the road, the Tricity happily moved along with one wheel on the road while the other rode the top of the gutter and still remained perfectly straight and levelled.  

As we ventured to Bondi the speeds rose as the competitiveness between the journalists kicked-in. At fast-city speeds the Tricity is super-stable and leans like any other two-wheeled machine. The extra rubber on the front (two 90/80/14 tyres) allows you to really push the front into corners and will see ground clearance (centrestand and exhaust) become a problem well before the front end starts to struggle. It also does not feel as if the front will tuck like on some other small front-wheeled scooters.

With an overall width of 735mm, lane splitting is quite easy and the wheels are narrower than the bars, making gap judging very easy. At a stop the Tricity does not have a lockout system like the Piaggio MP3, so it will not stand-up by itself.  Goldhawk believes “it was not necessary as it overcomplicates things, adds extra weight and added no real benefit”. Therefore the Tricity has a sidestand and also a centrestand.

The four forks are sprung well and soak up sharp city potholes superbly. The rear shocks are a little harsh and are probably the only negative in the bouncy department -- but they aren’t a deal breaker. A by-product of the two-wheeled front is that it allows the Tricity to gutter-hop extremely easily as you climb with one wheel at a time on a 45-degree angle. And as most bikes park on the footpath, especially in Melbourne, this ease is a big plus.   

Powering the Tricity is a 125cc fuel-injected, liquid cooled, four-stroke single cylinder engine. The little mill produces 11hp (8.1kw) at 9000rpm and 10Nm at 5500rpm. The cylinder is manufactured from aluminium with specific silicon content that allows the engineers to run the engine without a cylinder sleeve, which in turn keeps weight down.

There is enough oomph in the go-department up to to 60km/h to clear most traffic, but does start to run out of puff as the speeds close in on 80km/h. Fuelling is ultra-smooth throughout the rev-range, while throttle response is clean and crisp. The tank has a capacity of 6.6 litres and, according to Yamaha, is good for at least 250km/h, making it very economical.

Final drive is sent to the rear wheel via belt through a CVT transmission that is responsive and smooth with no jerky take-offs. As you wind the throttle on from a stop the Tricity accelerates without delay and the transmission allows the Tricity to smoothly glide to a stop without any surges.   

Goldhawk confirmed that the Tricity will benefit from capped servicing and the price will be $60. The only other Yamaha with capped servicing is the MT-03. Spares have been discounted to make them affordable in case of a little city ‘mishap’.   

The Tricity is equipped with a linked braking system. The system uses twin 220mm front discs, while a 230mm disc is used at the rear. When the left brake lever is applied the braking force is applied to both the rear and front wheels – and when the right lever is applied only the front brakes are applied.

Lever pull is firm and strong and the three contact patches allow the Tricity to pull up harder than most scooters. The linked brakes work well and most of the time I just used the left-lever (both brakes) as opposed to the right-lever (front brakes). Anti-lock braking is not fitted, but thanks to the stability even when the rear locked the Tricity remained stable. I tried locking the front, but the brakes could not over come the grip of the two tyres.

The 780mm height seat is quite plush and at 182cm tall my knees did not rest against the front board. The LCD dash is easy to read and features a digital speedo, trip meters, odometer and outside air temperature. There is storage under the seat big enough for a full-sized helmet, and a hook in the front-board is great to hang groceries on or your handbag.

At $4999 rideaway, the price is both attractive to newcomers and also to seasoned riders who may be looking for a second motorcycle as a runabout. The Piaggio MP3 is $8999 and the Gilera Fuoco $12,999. Admittedly they are much bigger scooters, but the concept is the same, making the Tricity great value.

Yamaha has created with the Tricity a scooter that will give confidence to new riders, but also a scooter that seasoned riders will also enjoy. If you are a city dweller or a beachside resident, the Tricity has the potential to make your life a lot more relaxing and as summer is coming increased traffic and lack of car spaces will not be a problem for you.     

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 11hp (8.1kW) at 9000rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 10Nm at 5500rpm
Economy: 2.5 litres/100km (claimed)

TRANSMISSION
Type: CVT Automatic
Final drive: Belt

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Steel
Front suspension: non-adjustable telescopic fork,
Rear suspension: non-adjustable twin-shocks,
Front brakes: Dual 220mm discs
Rear brake: Single 230mm disc
Tyres: -- 2 x 90/80-14 front, 110/90-12 rear

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed wet weight: 152kg
Rake: Not given
Trail: Not given
Seat height: 780mm
Wheelbase: 1310mm
Fuel capacity: 6.6 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $4999
Colours: White or grey
Bike supplied by: Yamaha Australia, www.yamaha-motor.com.au
Warranty: 12 months, unlimited kilometres