Now Polaris has one as does Can Am, plus a handful of specialty builders. Just wondering what people think about them. The Polaris is not much like a motorcycle to me and the Can Am, while ok, doesn't make me feel anything when I look at it. Heard of this http://ido-endeavor.com/. Interesting to me and it looks more like a motorcycle than many of the others out there, and you get to choose your donor bike. I like the idea because you sit where you should (to me anyway) and not down on the ground like a Miata or go cart. Would like to hear thoughts on the whole reverse trike thing.
They seem like fun cars to me. And it make sense to me that they have car-style controls and seating. Except for the leaning trikes. Motorcycle-style controls make sense for those. Examples with car type controls include the Elio (least expensive, seems designed more for practicality than for fun) Polaris Slingshot Campagna T-rex Morgan 3 I've seen much pointless criticism of them on bike forums from people complaining that they're not motorcycles so they wouldn't want one. On this forum there seem to be a lot of people with no car. Fewer on other bike forums I frequent. If you enjoy driving a fun car, why wouldn't you enjoy driving one of these? The official "motorcycle" designation of these cars in the USA means you can use the HOV lane. That makes them practical. On the downside, I think helmets are required in some states.
interesting thought davidj, can't agree though they make zero sense to me having car type controls and seating fun? I'm sure-just look at them would I like to drive one, yep. Would I buy one-doubtful motorcycle fun-nope like I said earlier, if I want to sit that low, I'd get a car or a go cart but that's all ok, there is something for everyone
I am somewhat an expert on the subject so let me chime on in. I have ridden the CanAm and regular wheels rear trikes along with three wheel automotive type configurations. To me personally the least like a motorcycle is the standard trike. While I won't criticize I have to say the ride was somewhat a disconnect as I felt more like I was steering a car than riding a motorcycle. There certainly is nothing sporty about a standard trike. One thing CanAm and all the wheels forward designs still have is that feeling of a motorcycle sport like ride. There is a definite want to push it in the corners and outerwise. Let's face it some will say it's like an ATV or a snowmobile, so what since when is an atv or snowmobile not fun? And why not lean? Well that is a fallacy also as there is no advantage to a trike leaning any more than a car leaning. Leaning trikes just don't work for many physical and mechanical reasons. CanAm has a patent on a leaning trike as do I but they will not see the market place for a long time or never as the costs are high and again if you want a lean just buy a motorcycle and save money on that extra MC tire you don't have to buy every 10k. The current trend is wheels forward trikes and cars along with sportier versions of standard trikes. Adventure is where it's at.
thanks ETC it's your design that interests me I'm a little surprised there haven't been more comments on reverse trikes. I think they offer a lot.
Think of it like a snowmobile on wheels. Nothing like railing a flat-cornering snow machine on the trails. Of course, the best us of a machine like that is in the powder, but the riding is different when the sled is floating on powder. cheers, melby
From a guy (me) that owns both, here's my 2 pennies worth: After back surgery, my doctor felt I would be fine riding solo on a motorcycle, but recommended a 3-wheeler for 2-up riding, so that I wouldn't have to balance the weight of the bike and the passenger. My wife had been wanting a Spyder for a year or two anyhow, so we went ahead and purchased one. Riding the Spyder feels exactly like riding an ATV. You have no sensation of there being only one wheel in the back, so it's feels like you're on a 4-wheeler. It's great not having to put your feet down at stop lights or stop signs. On gravel you can break the back wheel lose and slide through a turn using your throttle like a sprint car. We took the Spyder to West Virginia last month and it was a blast on banked twisty roads. All that said, I still prefer a two-wheeled motorcycle for solo riding. I prefer the Spyder when I have a passenger. They're both a lot of fun, and get you out into the open air. What could be wrong with that?
I've driven a T-Rex I've ridden a Spider I've ridden a MP3 The T-rex is not a motorcycle. it's a car. It is also a ridiculous amount of fun. The first spider I rode was boring, all the draw back of a motorcycle with absolutly non of the joy. The current one was a lot better, I still didn't like nearly as much as either the T-rex or a normal motorcycle. The MP3 was better, and for it's intended job it would be quite good at it. Every reverse trike is better then a "normal" trike. Those things creep me right out.
Trike ("the Original 2-wheels in the back, one in the front")-thing? HELL NO... You'd have to pay me a handsome sum of dollars to have me park my arse on one... I find trikes out right grotesque. The reverse ones? not so much. I'd be willing to give it a try if the opportunity arises - but buying one? guess no. To me it's either my trusty 4-wheeled car or my loved 2-wheel bike. When the bike isn't doing the trick as I need more storage space or more passengers, etc... or its winter snowing, icy and frickin' cold... then it's the car. Otherwise: BIKE. Personally unless I'd have some medical issues preventing me to ride a 2-wheel bike, I don't see much sense or thrill in three wheelers (maybe with the original morgan three wheeler excluded - as simply love these quirky old racers .). Other than that? I'd take two cannons in the front any day:
I own a 2009 spyder rs and its awesome. Got me back into motorcycling. You can really wring its neck without many of the worries of a regular motorcycle. In the twisties for instance you know the tires will stick and if they don't the traction control or stability control will kick in. I've also got a Yamaha fz-09 regular motorcycle. What a thrill this thing is! No fancy gizmos to bail you out with this one. Love both. Depending on my mood I ride one or the other. If I feel unlucky that day I might take the can-am with its safer ride for example. But the can-am is not a motorcycle really. It's something different. The comparisons are unavoidable but I think unfair and rarely favorable for the spyder. Bummer really as they are unique, original, safe, and a thrill to ride.
The reverse trike (Can Am Spyder) is many times safer than the standard trike. Remember that 3 wheel ATV had to be discontinued because they were in involved in so many serious accidents. BTW, the Spyder is a total blast.
I recently went from Ont to Nfld and return, I saw a lot of Spyders on the highways. More than Goldwings and a lot of women riders. I've never been on one but can certainly see the attraction.
I have ridden regular 1-2 trikes and build 2-1 trikes now. I was actually quite surprised at the difference in these two types. The 1-2 is very disconnected as far as motorcycling goes, I really lost the feeling of riding and it felt like I was just steering a thing. The 2-1 still has that MC feeling and immediately I was back in adventure mode. I also do a lot of gravel and back roads, things no 1-2 triker would think of doing. The 2-1 in my opinion is the new wave of motorsports, they are certainly more appealing to a broader range of individuals and from my web analysis the age range most interested is in the 26-41 vs the 1-2 trikes which is the 55-death range. Ladies and first time riders are also big in the hit list and I think many can envision the adventure riding aspects. Enough for now, I am loading my fly rod and taking my Valk3 down the gravel in search of trout.
I love them, but they're a different category of machine and asking "are they a real motorcycle" is to ask the wrong question. I like the spiders, but they're not motorcycles. I like the Morgan cyclecars, but they're not motorcycles either. But that's okay. They're fun and elemental. And a lot of people are staying active as a result of being able to drive/ride a trike like these. Here's some detail on the Morgan for you. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/-_4GZDN6eyU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
This is the only reverse trike to get. Same concept as the MP3 http://www.tremoto.com/ I rode a can am once, was not impressed. Without the ability to lean it feels like it want's to throw you off around every corner. That works on ATVs and snowmobiles where you ride them on uneven loose surfaces like dirt and snow, because you don't expect to corner that fast, you expect to slide a bit and kick out the backend to help you corner, but on asphalt, instead of the machine sliding out a bit from under you, it stays put while trying to throw you off the top of it. If it had a car type seating arrangement it would be fine, because you'd sit lower into the machine for a proper low center of gravity, and be held in, but sitting on it like you do is like driving your car while sitting on the roof. It became quickly apparent why only one company is building something like this. (and why nobody makes a street legal ATV) The only thing it's good for is doing burnouts on the little 14" rear tire. Plus the build quality was pretty poor. Everything looked and felt cheap on it, it even came with Kumho tires.
One of the biggest advantages of a three wheeled vehicle is that it is legally considered a motorcycle and does not have to meet most of the crash and safety standards of a 4+ wheel auto. The slingshot and t-rex look like light weight and fast fun. The only thing better would probably be an LSx powered stalker. http://stalkercars.com/
