3/4 wheel street legal bike?

  • Thread starter JCE
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JCE

JCE

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JCE3000GT
I saw something very similar to this on the roads here in the US a few months ago. I am really thinking about getting a new daily driver that is something to this effect.

http://www.4-mc.co.uk/

The one I saw looked like this but only had 1 rear wheel. Any help is appreciated. I do not want a 2 wheel motorcycle, I want an automatic transmission 3/4 wheel "bike". :D
 
I want one. I can imagine easily riding that quickly and confidently. It looks very accessible, and a much safer alternative for a dude who's not all that into motorcycles.
 
http://www.can-am.brp.com/

I found this but it is out of my price range. I probably won't get approved for a loan for more than $7,500. I'm seriously thinking about getting one of these for a daily driver once I get my new job. 70-80mpg just sounds sweet.
 
Can-Am Spyder. They're expensive, though. There are clones available already
089149.1-lg.jpg


But none of them have the same small footprint of that... except maybe the Piaggio MP3:
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Ugh, I've always seen these things as being poseur bikes. Someone who has too much money and doesn't truly want to ride a motorcycle. It'll be confidence inspiring right up to the point where you hit the gas too soon and the rear tries to come around. I know I'd be happier with a Honda 599 for a third of the price any day.
 
Does the 599 have 3 wheels? Does the 599 have an automatic? I don't care who makes it or where it comes from. What I care about is price, needs an automatic and has to have three wheels--preferably 2 in the front.
 
Eric.
It'll be confidence inspiring right up to the point where you hit the gas too soon and the rear tries to come around.
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I think having 4 wheels it would actually be more similar to a car in a drift than a motorcycle.
 
Considering the rear end would come around anyway if you did a catastrophic clutch drop in a two-wheeler in a corner... with the added benefit of giving you the option of going over either topside or lowside or both... :lol: ...a three wheeler would be no different from any other form of wheeled transportation.

I know a couple of old guys going for the Can-Am. Less of a poseur thing than a "my-arthritis-can't-take-driving-a-sportsbike-anymore-and-my-wife-said-no-motorcycles... so-I'm-getting-the-next-best-thing." Their wives, understandably, are less than happy that they left them that wheel-count loophole.

Not all of us have the wrists to drive a sportsbike for hours on the day anymore.
 
If you're curious JCE, Richardson Motorsports has a few Can Am Spyders in stock & seem really keen on pushing them out.
 
That's just a car that leans. It's handling can't be anything at all like a motorcycle's. In the skid video, he just leans it over and steers with the handlebars. In the dry video it starts off with the thing leaned over but going straight. What does leaning have to do with anything on that thing?

As for 3-wheeled "bikes" like the Spyder, they have their own handling issues. Regular trikes (one front wheel) are even worse. The Piaggio MP3 is the best effort at keeping a bike feel while adding "fall-proof" stability.

And I don't understand the emphasis on "automatic." Shifting a bike is way easier than shifting most cars, there's absolutely nothing to it. An automatic bike is a scooter. Period. Honda's DN-01 is a dismal failure. Word is that dealers say the name is an acronym for "Do not order one." (Well, at the price, how could it not be a dismal failure?)

So if you want a scooter that won't fall down, then find a Piaggio MP3. That's it.

Unless you have a physical issue that requires that "fall-proof" non-shifting construction, then look at actual motorcycles. If you do have a physical issue, there are fixes:





This one is not in English, shows not only the outriggers but also the shifting servo:

 
I see that the Piaggio MP3 starts @ $7,199 + TTL. That's not bad. My girlfriend scoffed at the idea by simply saying "oh, are you serious"? when I was showing her the prices. I was showing her the Spyder and MP3 and she was "neat" then when I broke out the loan calculator she made her comment. :indiff: I still want to test drive one. They are cheap enough and easier to get loans for so it is a possibility.
 
wfooshee
That's just a car that leans. It's handling can't be anything at all like a motorcycle's. In the skid video, he just leans it over and steers with the handlebars. In the dry video it starts off with the thing leaned over but going straight. What does leaning have to do with anything on that thing?

As for 3-wheeled "bikes" like the Spyder, they have their own handling issues. Regular trikes (one front wheel) are even worse. The Piaggio MP3 is the best effort at keeping a bike feel while adding "fall-proof" stability.

And I don't understand the emphasis on "automatic." Shifting a bike is way easier than shifting most cars, there's absolutely nothing to it. An automatic bike is a scooter. Period. Honda's DN-01 is a dismal failure. Word is that dealers say the name is an acronym for "Do not order one." (Well, at the price, how could it not be a dismal failure?)

So if you want a scooter that won't fall down, then find a Piaggio MP3. That's it.

Unless you have a physical issue that requires that "fall-proof" non-shifting construction, then look at actual motorcycles.
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Oh, would you quit calling the guy out like that? It's likely he's never set foot on a motorcycle before and is concerned for his own safety, which I find nothing wrong with. He doesn't need you calling him a wimp for looking at autos and three-wheelers. If he feels the need to step up, he will. That's that.

Heck if you know, maybe he's never even ridden a bicycle!

Granted, if you are familiar with an actual bike (Muscle power FTW!) and don't feel confident with borrowing someone else's pride and joy just so you can turn their gearbox to dust, you might start with a smaller two-wheeled scooter. In fact, If you're looking at Piaggios, why not look at the 2-wheeled versions? In fact, something like a 50CC 2-stroke might not be a bad starter for those incredibly nervous about hopping on a motorized 2-wheeler of any sort. A little research shows the MP3 comes with a 250 4-stroke out of the box, and a 77 mi/h top end. (without performance Variators.) A bit intimidating to someone who may have never been above 20...downhill...on a Schwinn.

As well, I'm pretty certain you can lay down an MP3 if you try hard enough.

((A note, I once regularly rode a 50cc underbone Moped that my grandpa had...and laid it down. I was underage, but, happily, no damage to me or the bike.))
 
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Jim Prower
Oh, would you quit calling the guy out like that? It's likely he's never set foot on a motorcycle before and is concerned for his own safety, which I find nothing wrong with. He doesn't need you calling him a wimp for looking at autos and three-wheelers. If he feels the need to step up, he will. That's that.
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That was the reason why I elected to ignore him. I want what I want for my own reasons, period. Thanks for having my back. 👍
 
There wasn't any calling out intended. My advice was to not limit yourself based on the fact that you appear to be wary of the unknown. The fact that maybe you've never ridden a "real" motorcycle is no reason to feel that it can't be done.

Scooters are enormously popular all over the world except here in the states. Don't know why, they're cheap to get, cheap to ride, practical, easy to ride and so on. Here at the beach you can't throw a cat without hitting a booth that rents scooters.

I just felt that for some reason you were limiting yourself unnecessarily and advised to consider something more. That's it.

Then it occurred to me that I'd feel pretty dumb if it turned out you were an amputee or a paraplegic, so I gave the video examples in my post, just to show that even those limitations can be overcome.

I also have no idea how old you are, so maybe licensing is an issue. Obviously if you can't license a motorcycle the whole discussion is moot.

Anyways, no belittling was intended. I just meant don't limit yourself just because it might be "mysterious" or something.
 
I am not really "limiting" myself, more like "I like these and want one". I've driven a dirt bike and did not like it. I do not like 2 wheeled vehicles. Anwyay the girlfriend frowned upon it so unless I get a really nice job or win the lotto I'm not getting one anytime soon.
 
Ah... the "woman" factor... like I said... if they leave you that "out" on the number of wheels... there are a lot of ways to kill yourself have fun with more than two wheels... :lol:
 

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