Three's a crowd?

[weekendrider]

For the lady I met that lost her leg mid-thigh in a motorcycle accident and now rides a can-am. For the Iraq vet that is paralyzed from the waist down and still makes charity rides on a custom 3-wheeler. For the homegrown local in my hometown that was paralyzed from the waist down (polio if I remember correctly) and rode a Harley cop trike. I voted yes and in passing on the road, I would salute them.


The distinction is are they required to have seat belts?

 

[angus67]

no seat belts. but some new bikes have air bags.

 

[CDNTX650]

no seat belts. but some new bikes have air bags.

My father inlaws goldwing.....

 

[XSLeo]

I agree to a certain extent on trikes not being bikes for a lot of the reasons quoted.
I think those that choose to ride them often have a good reason. Loss of the use of lower limbs is one.
Just because it's easier is not.
Personally I won't ever have one because I can't afford the ones I want.
The Harley ServiCar is one. As stock not some chopped up POS, or the Indian version.
I even want it to have the tow bar.
Leo

 

[member3480]

Trikes are not a TRUE motorcycle because you cannot bob with them. I have built maybe a half dozen of them and half dozen side cars too. With a trike turning is poor even on those reverse trikes many accidents because of poor experience. Side car rides different and you can lift it up on turns that gives you the feeling of a true bike. I have nothing against them and have rode them both not just what I like to ride.

 

[cra-z1]

Well the question is in contention with our Victory group. We have a member who insist that his Slingshot is a motorcycle. Slightly different from a trike but three wheels

 

[richardthemotorcycle1]

I would rather be on two wheel any day, (of course a motorcycle)

 

[jefft]

I would like to have a trike but as was mentioned most are out of my price range. I have even been looking at a ural. I wish there were more trikes or sidecar setups. It seems they were quite popular once upon a time.
jefft

 

[FLEA]

have a piaggio mp3 250 as a 2nd bike ,it has 3 wheels and leans into corners and can get lower and out handle many bikes iv owned (27 degs before scraping ,take off main stand and will go lower) so definitely a m/bike except a few people don't consider scooters m/bikes even when they get passed by them at 130kph (Harley riders hate being passed by a scooter ) so I'm a don't care so long as you get the wind in your face (though rarely take it to a bike event)

 

[grizld1]

I agree with you on this one, Pete. Trikes are the worst of both worlds: all the vulnerability of a motorcycle, with the agility of a minivan.

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

We sold a lot of these, back in the day.

Felt like you were riding a beach ball.

So, we took some down to the coast for our shop party, to shred some sand dunes.

Quickly learned that you don't get aggressive with the steering.

Face-plant in the sand...

 

[gggGary]

It sure was an art form doing the reverse lean to get the inside tire up THEN flinging your body down on the inside to keep it from flipping. Watched a buddy do a full roll over and keep right on riding one.

 

[kevski]

I do not consider trikes a motorcycle, but I know a former motorcycle rider who rides one because he only has the use of one arm as many years ago a drunk driver wiped him out and damaged his arm beyond repair.

 

[pamcopete]

For the lady I met that lost her leg mid-thigh in a motorcycle accident and now rides a can-am. For the Iraq vet that is paralyzed from the waist down and still makes charity rides on a custom 3-wheeler. For the homegrown local in my hometown that was paralyzed from the waist down (polio if I remember correctly) and rode a Harley cop trike. I voted yes and in passing on the road, I would salute them.


The distinction is are they required to have seat belts?

I agree with you for these riders. They are to be commended for finding a way to keep riding.

 

[grizld1]

Yeah, those early ATC 90's were a hoot. I was working at The Honda Shop in Champaign, IL when they first came out. A little while after we got our first ones a hard rain flooded Neil St. right in front of the shop. We just had to find out if those things could be ridden in water as advertised, so we fired up the demo. It floated just fine, and if you kept the wheels turning slow it chugged right along, with the tires pushing like paddle wheels on an old time river boat. You didn't want to try any fast course corrections, though!

 

[YamadudeXS650C]

Oh, please, Trikes are NOT bikes.
Slingshots are not bikes.
Like others have said, you might as well buy a Miata ( which I did ) for those days when more than 2 wheels are stirring in the blood. Here is mine:

 

[cra-z1]

My EX made a good living setting lawsuits against Honda from ATC accidents.

 

[pamcopete]

Oh, please, Trikes are NOT bikes.
Slingshots are not bikes.
Like others have said, you might as well buy a Miata ( which I did ) for those days when more than 2 wheels are stirring in the blood. Here is mine:

I'll see your Miata and raise you one:

 

[Nailbomb]

My own opinion and approach...

Trikes are not bikes. Trikes are trikes. They can be interesting and neat, but a lot of them are done in a very ugly manner. There is exceptions, but that doesn't make them a bike.

I always thought of the Can-Ams as the ultimate answer for snowmobile riders in the summer.

That being said they are still kindof out there on top of the engine and not in a cage, so i figure why not give them a bit of respect.

Instead of the two fingers low, they get three.

If its a car with three wheels they get ignored.

 

[pamcopete]

My understanding of the two fingers low is it's a "V" for the Harley "V" twins. The California Hells Angels used to actually slap hands as they passed each other. Perhaps we should salute with the index and little finger depicting a parallel twin?