Please don't kill me; Trike a Monster

[Speeddog]

2 wheels in front, like the Can-Am, is a superior layout, less likely to tip/flip.

You have a PM. 

[junior varsity]

I'd like to point out that Can-Am and T-Rex, that Brudeli (wow!) and the Piaggio MP3 all do the "trike" in the correct way.

Two in front, one in back.

Doing it the other way is a good way to have an oopsie.

For laughs:

[1KDS]

I love the T-Rex but it gets to be more like a car with a bike motor, it's still an open cockpit so it's kind of the same.

[Shorts]

That Brudeli was impressive.

[EvilSteve]

That Brudeli was impressive.

Yeah it was, that was damn cool.

[Scottish]

The first four wheeler was wicked!
+1 on two in the front one in the back.

[RUFKM]

Absolutely nothing wrong with triking 1 then 2.  People get into trouble when they ride both trikes & 2-wheelers.  Since this will be your only ride go for it!

Go for something powerful like S4RS because you'll loose a lot of power in translation.  It'll be interesting to see your suicide shifter setup because you'll likely relocate the clutch to your left foot.

Waiting for photos. 

[Shorts]

Absolutely nothing wrong with triking 1 then 2.  People get into trouble when they ride both trikes & 2-wheelers.  Since this will be your only ride go for it!

Go for something powerful like S4RS because you'll loose a lot of power in translation.  It'll be interesting to see your suicide shifter setup because you'll likely relocate the clutch to your left foot.

Waiting for photos. 

You'll be waiting a while, this is merely the brainstorming stage    But when it goes, you can be certain photos will abound.

I won't drop the clutch to the foot.  I've learned to ride with it at the throttle.  If I would move anything it would be the front brake.  It would be an option to link the brakes and route it to the foot pedal like normal.  That setup would actually make for a good clean handlebar.  My concern would be having one closed system instead of two.  But I need to review trike brake options for say for certain.

I was just poured a cup of coffee and paused typing this reply.  The question popped into my head.  Is tipping over going to be a big concern in the 1-2 setup?  If so, at what speeds and situations are the most likely to put me into a tip over? 

[junior varsity]

The ol' Honda Three-Wheelers were notorious for this problem. Then again, they were offroading bikes.

When you turn while moving a quick pace, typically you lean into the turn on a motorcycle. In a car, you feel body-roll to the far side where inertia kept the body from staying with the wheels. Lots of pressure is put on the outside front wheel, and you'll even see the inside wheel come off the ground when people are pushing their cars quite hard.

In a 1-2 trike set up, there's no "outside" front wheel for the pressure to be placed on, thus the bike has the ability to 'topple'. That's why if you are into performance oriented riding, the only way to go is a 2-1 setup. You'll notice that's what all the snazzy go-fast three wheelers featured above have been, from the can-am, to the t-rex to the Brudeli (which looks super bad ass).

[junior varsity]

death trap =

[junior varsity]

Food for thought:

2-1: http://www.clevislauzon.qc.ca/Professeurs/Mecanique/ethierp/3-wheels/class3.htm

1-2: http://www.clevislauzon.qc.ca/Professeurs/Mecanique/ethierp/3-wheels/class2.htm

[angler]

death trap =

Insanely fun death trap.

[junior varsity]

fair enough.


Also check out the youtubes of the T-Rex and Can-Am before thinking "i don't want that", it looks like a boatload of fun to me:
T-Rex
Fifth Gear T-Rex

Can-Am
2010 Can-Am Spyder RT Model Intro

GG Quad
GG Quad  "21st Century Motorcycle Evolution"

[DCXCV]

Do this, except leave the normal foot pegs and the rear tire/drive set-up of the Monster to get a 2-1.  You're then just re-working the front end (the cheaper end) - removing the fork, wheel and brakes and adding a quad-style front end and two wheels.  You could likely find a cheap quad with a blown motor to donate parts.

You could put motorcycle front tires on it instead (maybe?) and keep the inside rotor on each to make it more like the Piaggio and Brudeli.

[Shorts]

Thanks ato.  I remember the fun traps...err, death traps  

What I was thinking about is that since I won't be in those twisties anymore simply due to our current geographical location, if the roadways are enough that 2-1 is not necessary and the 1-2 setup would suffice.  Simply due to not having those performance oriented conditions to ride.  

As I thought I mentioned previously, I'm considering the trike simply because one of the arguments I find logical is that we aren't doing twisty riding.  The style up here is more of a traveling style.  If there were twisties, I'd still be staunchly opposed to trike.  I'd accept the risks for the rewards of two wheels.  But since we're not, I'm willing to consider a trike.

With that in mind, what sort of other conditions on the road would put a 1-2 in danger?  I would imagine certainly evasive maneuvers would be a higher risk.  What else should I consider that I'm not seeing now?


For the Spyder, I still have to go look at it.  My DH said he wanted me at the least to go look at it before making a decision.  Doesn't mean I have to like it.  We'll see.