Tokyo Motor Show 2017: Yamaha's LMWs Of The Future Are Here

Yamaha has been making headlines at the Tokyo Motor Show with its much-awaited futuristic concepts like the Motoroid, Niken and the MCW-4. While we’ve already brought you details about the four-wheeled MCW-4 and the three-wheeled MWT-9 in the past week, we’ve received more updates on both of them.

But before that, let’s take a look at the Motoroid, a radically-designed electric motorcycle. If we were to give an opinion, the Motoroid bags the prize for being the most quirkiest Yamaha product on display this year. It’s difficult to explain the design of this concept motorcycle: the most we can say is that it’s unlike any motorcycle you’ve laid your eyes on. The Motoroid’s USP is its artificial intelligence (AI) which, like all other futuristic concepts displayed at the show, promises to deliver Kando. It means a feeling of deep satisfaction and excitement caused by something of intense value. It’s also a word Yamaha likes to toss into their press release every now and then.

The AI system in the Motoroid, Yamaha says, makes the motorcycle capable of communicating with the rider ‘like a living creature’. Creepy! The system is also capable of recognising the driver using biometrics and will also be able to understand the rider’s mood and movements and adapt itself to offer a better riding experience. The Motoroid is powered by lithium-ion batteries stored in three silver canisters placed beneath the seat. The electric motor is placed on the hub of the rear wheel.

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Let’s now take a look at the MWC-4. If you haven’t read our previous article on it, click here. The MWC-4 is Yamaha’s first four-wheeled motorcycle concept after the Tesseract that was unveiled in 2007. Unlike the older concept, the MWC-4 features a roof. As we mentioned before, Yamaha claims that the design of the MWC-4 is based on both a motorcycle and a musical instrument. The bike will be powered by liquid-cooled, dual electric motor with an internal combustion engine for range extension. The bike will be capable of seating two people and will also focus in using its AI technology to customise the riding experience.

Now, let’s talk about the Yamaha Niken, which was earlier known as the MWT-9 concept. The Niken seems to the biggest crowd puller at this year’s show. When it goes into production, the Niken will Yamaha’s second three-wheeler after the Tricity. But Yamaha says that the two bikes can’t be compared since the Niken has been designed to take on bigger bikes. Yamaha seems to have derived the name from two Japanese words - ‘Ni’ and ‘Ken’, which means two and sword, respectively. It looks quite intimidating and promises everything that a conventional motorcycle has, including a manual transmission. The Niken promises to be better at cornering than conventional motorcycles thanks to its twin-front wheel configuration. The Niken is likely to derive its engine from the MT-09s powerplant - a liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, inline triple with a displacement between 850-999cc. This will open up the sports mobility segment for three-wheeled motorcycles.
That's all we know for now. Yamaha will release further details on the bike on November 6, 2017, at the 2017 EICMA in Milan, Italy.