Three wheels on my wagon....

[James England]

Hi Folks. I'd be interested to know what other people think about trikes. They're not that common here in the UK, although there seem to be more around these days. The XS1100 engine is a favourite for them and used a lot.

Personally, I find trikes confusing, aside from the requirement to effectively destroy a stock XS1100 in order to make one. I just can't see the appeal of them or understand what they're actually about. I mean, they seem to lose any flexibility of a motorcycle, leaning into bends etc etc. They're as wide as a small car usually and can't be easy to park without a reverse gear (or with one). And they seem to have some sort of identity crisis... not bike, not car. Err... just ....a trike... without the benefits of a car or a bike

So, I'd be grateful if someone could enlighten me and tell me what a Philistine I am for failing to see their attraction?

Also, how about a little poll.... just for fun?

[crazy steve]

James, for a lot of people, it's just the need to be 'different'. But some trike/sidecar owners ride them for physical reasons; bad leg(s), too short/small, etc. There used to be an elderly woman near me that rode a mid-60s Harley 'glide (that had belonged to her late husband) with a sidecar during the summer months who was crippled-up; she stored her crutches in the hack! She was a real hoot to talk to..

I'll agree that a trike's handling shortcomings are too much for me, but if the day came that I couldn't ride two wheels but could manage three, I'd have to take another look. And for riders who just can't 'get' how to ride a real motorcycle, a trike is a viable alternative. I see a fair number of older/women riders on them, so whatever works for getting 'in the wind'...

[James England]

Do you class them as a motorcycle then? I mean, they definitely aren't a car, right? (although the three wheel Bond Bug I used to have was definitely a car, I'd say). So, are they a motorcycle? Somehow, I think you're going to say...."they're a trike", aren't you?

[TopCatGr58]

Hey James,

You and I are on the same wavelength. As Steve said, lots are for folks who developed physical problems, bad backs/legs, and can't safely hold up a heavy bike. OR....like my older cousin in Texas.....had a couple of wrecks...
partly due to inexperience as well as possibly just bad driving, so got a big friggin Honda Goldwing Trike. Lots of luggage room, back rests for him and Swmbo, Stereo, etc. SAFER....not totally safe, but under normal riding modes very hard to tip over, and still the feeling of out in the open, no frame/cage surrounding you, so better visibility and experience...and controls are still BIKE like.

In the UK, they have those fancy front 2 wheeled leaning trikes, which IMHO come much closer to approximating the BIKE riding feel of leaning into turns..
one of the main reasons why I like riding a bike. On a non-leaning trike it's just like in a car...centrifical forces trying to throw you off of it!

I feel if I'm not going to be able to lean into turns, I think I would rather just get a CONVERTIBLE Car! But might change my mind IF/When that time ever comes?

Okay, Swmbo...who has lived in Italy just informed me that the Citroen looked like a 2 wheeled front/1 rear wheel...but in fact the rear wheels are just very close together. A Wikipedia search revealed a German 3 wheeled car produced 55-64 called the Messerschmidt 200...see photos! And it's actually sitting next to a Sidecar Hack!





The Term Bike...derivation from Motorbike, from motorized BICYCLE...for 2 wheeled vehicle! So...a 3 wheeled vehicle can be a Car=CAGE enclosed design, or a Bike with a sidecar=HACK, or an open design=TRIKE, and class all it's own....IMHO!

T.C.

[James England]

Nice pix! There are also Morgan 3 wheelers here. All cars, I'd say.

BTW, sorry for the wrong category when I started the the thread. I was thinking XS1100 engines, then trikes and didn't stop to think.

BMW make those trikes you referred to.

So a bicycle has two wheels, right? Bi = 2. Got you. Motorbike type controls. Yep. Mmm... wonder what this is?....

[TopCatGr58]

Nice pix! There are also Morgan 3 wheelers here. All cars, I'd say.

BTW, sorry for the wrong category when I started the the thread. I was thinking XS1100 engines, then trikes and didn't stop to think.

BMW make those trikes you referred to.

So a bicycle has two wheels, right? Bi = 2. Got you. Motorbike type controls. Yep. Mmm... wonder what this is?....

No problem with the thread location..just realized that it more properly belonged here also.

Can't remember what that is, but it's a nice "segue' " to a different subject! Btw, they don't actually use MC controls....exactly, just uses leaning to speed up and turn!

T.C.

[James England]

It's called a 'Segway'. A couple of years ago, here in the UK, the head of Segway was killed when the Segway he was riding (driving? Speed-leaning?) went off a CLIFF. Honestly. It was in all the newspapers etc.... he went out of control and it shot straight off a high cliff onto the rocks/sea below. Not exactly a good advertisement for the product when the CO gets killed on it eh?

They aren't legal on the roads or footpaths here. Thank heavens.....

[TopCatGr58]

James,

I'm surprised you didn't get my PUN?! Segue'=Segway!
Well, they are used here in the USA, often at the malls so the mallcops don't have to walk as much, and gets them a bit higher to be able to see over the crowds easier. I think I remember hearing about the CO's accident. Sure it has a warning "Not for Off Road Use" !?

T.C.

[DGXSER]

So is that a Segue to Paul Blart?? Seems we had a President that had an incident with one if I recall correctly as well.

As to a Trike, well, after my brush with a guardrail I was seriously on the path to either a trike or a convertible until I jumped back on the horse and got hooked once more. One day I need to rent a convertible just to see what they are like to drive or even ride in, never been in one with the top down anyway.

[ViperRon]

A trike is a Trike

I have ridden both but have decided that for safety you should stick with one or the other. The rear wheel trikes depending on how the wheel base is designed can have a very different feel that can create control issues. It is somewhat un-natural to an experienced standard 2 wheel motorcycle rider to respond properly in an emergency situation. My cousin's husband bought one of the older Harley metermaid type trikes to play with a few years ago. He survived 25 years on 2 wheels never having a serious accident and in the first month ridding the narrow rear end trike put himself in the hospital. I personally would opt for the 3 wheel spider if I get to the point where I need 3 wheels.

[Poprock]

I saw this machine at the Oyster Run in Anacortes, WA a year ago. Looks like the best of both worlds to me. Look at his vids for an eye-opening experience. It can fit about any bike.
http://www.tiltingmotorworks.com/

[crazy steve]

My cousin's husband bought one of the older Harley metermaid type trikes to play with a few years ago. He survived 25 years on 2 wheels never having a serious accident and in the first month riding the narrow rear end trike put himself in the hospital. I personally would opt for the 3 wheel spider if I get to the point where I need 3 wheels.

Harley built a number of variations of the 'servicar', and the metermaid type was never designed for 'normal' riding; too narrow a rear track as mentioned. They used to be fairly common (anybody remember the ice cream trikes? Those are making a bit of a comeback with conversions..) and were popular for some uses. The local car dealers in the 50s/early 60s used them here to pick up/deliver cars from your home (yeah, like that would happen today). The trikes had built-in tow-bars, and they had clamp-on hitches for the cars' rear bumper. Guy would ride out to your house, attach the hitch to the car, and tow the trike back. Sometimes they would send a mechanic; he'd have his tools in the storage compartment and he'd fix the car in your driveway... those were the days...

[fredintoon]

Hi Folks. I'd be interested to know what other people think about trikes. - - - So, I'd be grateful if someone could enlighten me and tell me what a Philistine I am for failing to see their attraction?

Hi James,
of course you are not a Philistine! Your thoughts on trikes make you a Puritan.
Why trike a perfectly good bike?
1) Necessity. Perhaps you have lost a leg and can't balance a solo when it's stopped.
2) Sociability. Your S.O. won't ride pillion on a solo but will on a trike.
3) Style. You think trikes are cool.

OK, my XS11 has a sidecar. It's not "partially destroyed" so I could put it back into solo trim with a 1/2-day of wrench work if I wanted to.

But about Bond minicars, Messerschmitt Kabinenrollers, Reliants, Morgans, BSAs etc. etc.
They all took advantage of the old Brit licensing system that let you drive a 3-wheeled vehicle (if it weighed 7Cwts or less and didn't have a reverse gear) on a bike licence. Which meant you could drive it on a learner's licence without finding a full licence holder to ride with you.
Back to Necessity again.

[fredintoon]

I have ridden both but have decided that for safety you should stick with one or the other. The rear wheel trikes depending on how the wheel base is designed can have a very different feel that can create control issues. It is somewhat un-natural to an experienced standard 2 wheel motorcycle rider to respond properly in an emergency situation. My cousin's husband bought one of the older Harley metermaid type trikes to play with a few years ago. He survived 25 years on 2 wheels never having a serious accident and in the first month ridding the narrow rear end trike put himself in the hospital. I personally would opt for the 3 wheel spider if I get to the point where I need 3 wheels.

Hi Ron,
if your in-law had transitioned to a quad or even a snowmobile he'd have taken lessons, right? Most likely he tried to countersteer the trike because he was never told "It ain't a bike no more, it only looks like one".
T'wern't the Servicar's narrow rear end that caused the accident, it was twisting the bars the wrong way. Same thing with a Spyder, they don't countersteer neither.

[CatatonicBug]

Do you class them as a motorcycle then? I mean, they definitely aren't a car, right? (although the three wheel Bond Bug I used to have was definitely a car, I'd say). So, are they a motorcycle? Somehow, I think you're going to say...."they're a trike", aren't you?

It depends on what you mean by "classify". Legally, here in the US, any vehicle with less than 4 wheels is a motorcycle. Those VW things, as well as the can-am spyder, and all other 3-wheeled vehicles are classed in the same category as our bikes for licensing purposes. You still need a special "motorcycle" driver license to operate one, but until recently, you couldn't get that license on anything but a 2-wheeled vehicle. Now, (here in MO anyway) you can use a Spyder to get your license. Not sure about the other trikes though.

Of course, personal perception may control how individuals "classify" a trike, just like some riders don't consider anything that doesn't say HD on it a real bike...