Tricycle Scooters?

[Randyjaco]

I am in Paris today and there are hundreds of 2 wheels up front scooters here. What is the advantage and why are they so popular? People still have to drop feet to pavement at the traffic light?

Randy

[Irish]

Originally Posted by Randyjaco

I am in Paris today and there are hundreds of 2 wheels up front scooters here. What is the advantage and why are they so popular? People still have to drop feet to pavement at the traffic light?

Randy

I ride a 2006 Sportster with a trike kit only because I have a "game" leg & can't get on a two wheeler! I'd much rather lean in the corners but it's better than not riding at all! If you know how to use a clutch & brakes , you DON'T have to put your feet down at traffic lights! Irish

[Randyjaco]

No these trikes have articulated dual front wheels. They lean them like a normal 2 wheeler. There must be some reason they're so popular.
This is not a good picture, but it will give you the general idea.

Randy

[wheelbender6]

The Piaggios will lean. Most of the Chinese trikes do not lean, to my knowledge. -They love the non-leaners in Canada because you are less likely to fall when hitting snow or and ice patch.
-I guess the advantage of the reverse trike in Paris is improved braking on wet pavement.

[kz1000st]

Chinese leaners exist for sale.

http://www.powersportsmax.com/produc...ducts_id/17710

[Irish]

I hope that no one takes this wrong but I'm "old" school. To me a "trike" isn't a motorcycle unless the two wheels are in back! I guess that I'm just not up with the times but like I said , I'm "old" school & I have no desire to change. Irish

[Randyjaco]

I 'd love to try one. There must be some reason there are so many of them here.

Randy

[wheelbender6]

Parisians like to follow new trends. In a few years, they will be obsessed with something else, like velomobiles.

[wheelbender6]

"I am in Paris today".
Bring any good good wine back from Paris?

[Randyjaco]

No, I prefer beer to wine and the French make some of worst beer on the planet. So, no alcohol was imported.

Randy

[Irish]

Originally Posted by Randyjaco

I 'd love to try one. There must be some reason there are so many of them here.

Randy

I don't know how things are done in other countries but I would think that any reputable dealer would let you test ride one as long as you showed him a valid operators license. Irish
P.S. I ran two motorcycle shops in NH, but they were repair & customizing shops but I knew MANY shop owners & it would have been OK with them!

[crawford]

wheelbender6 I never seen and china bike that didn't. My Dang Fang even has a lever so at low speed you can lock it straight up 0 to 15 MPH it's only good till. has microw switch after set speed unlocks for fast speed.

[artfull dodger]

a reverse trike (twin wheels in the front) is more stable in turns than a standard trike. We all should know this from riding our tricycle as kids or 3 wheeler ATV's. Most of the Goldwing and HD trikes are with the twin wheels in the rear. Then you have the Cam Am Spyder that is a reverse trike. Seeing scooters that are a trike are rare in my part of the USA. Those I do see are Chinese standard trike's. I have seen pics and video of the reverse trike scooters, pretty slick if you ask me, but I also see more to go wrong and wear out with all the linkages needed to lean and such. Unless I needed a trike due to a bad leg or balance issues, I will stick with 2 wheels. Mike

[sc00ter]

I really wanted a Piaggio MP3. They get good reviews for corner handling and the ability to lock them upright sounds interesting. I lost faith in my local Piaggio dealer after they failed to fix my old Buddy 125 so no MP3 for me. I converted a Buddy 125 with a Tow-Pac kit for my wife to learn on. She rode it all over but the Tow-Pac kit fell apart (and they have terrible customer service) so when another trike was needed she bought a Spyder. We need a quality trike from a reputable company in the 125-250cc range.

[bandito2]

The Piaggio MP3 upright lock automatically disengages at some low speed. It would be
unsafe for it to remain locked at higher speeds because although it is 2 wheeled at front,
it is a very narrow tracking space; too easy for it to tip over/have handling problems
then.

Braking is good because there are 2 wheels to take up braking forces. Saw a video
demonstration of the MP3 under panic stop tests and the rear wheel would sometimes
lift a few inches. Incredibly fast stopping... one would need to make sure there was no
traffic directly behind you as they surely could not stop before you did. Having ABS
would make it even better. (no rear wheel lifting then)

Front end linkages would likely be tricky and expensive to repair. Safer I think in wet
conditions due to its reverse trike (Tadpole) configuration. Here in the states, they can
be had in 250cc, 400cc and 500cc sizes. Not sure of latest model years available; of course
used ones are available.

Just as a side note, there are instances of MP3 owners using a passenger vehicle tire
(car tire) on the rear of their MP3 and at least one that put car tires on all 3 wheels.