Its always interesting to find out how the other people ride.  

I buddy of mine is moving about 70 miles to a new house ,  and has two trikes , so he ask if I ride one of them to the new place .  

So yesterday , I rode one of those $20,000 Harley Trikes for long enough to get to know it a little.   It was a few miles through Chattanooga , then fifty miles on the interstate , then about 15 miles of twisty road coming down off Moneagle Mountain.

The city traffic wasn't a problem but the ruff city streets were an adventure.   Come to find out the pot-holes are not as easy to miss when there are three wheels involved and two of them are ten inches wide.    Then there is the bounce factor .   The right/left bounce is something that takes getting used too .

Out on the Super-Slab at 70 ish mph it takes a lot of force to make them things turn , more than I'd ever have thought .   Ya know to turn a two wheeler ya just kind of lean over a little and there really ain't no "Turn" to it .    Well , on them three wheelers it takes so much force it seems like the front tire would just "Scoot" sideways , then when it does start turning it feels like ya-going-Flip  

So , we got to the part about coming down Moneagle Mt. ... I started trying different stuff to help that monster get around the corners .   The only thing that even began to help with the "Its going to Flip" feeling was to be heavy with the rear break --- enough to make the rear tires loose some of their traction --- then be heavy on the throttle coming out of the same corner.   The change over point between break and throddle needs to have a slight over-lap to keep that "Flipping" feeling out of the picture.

All in All , I don't think I'll ever want to have a "Two in the back - one in the front vehicle"  

I understand why they are so pokey .... They think they are just Flying along when in reallity they are in our way !  




 

The only 3 wheeler I ever have ridden was an old Honda ATC 90....the one with the big rubber donuts for tires.  The rear axle was locked and you had to lift up the inside wheel to get the thing to turn (requires leaning to the outside of the turn).

It was a very short ride by choice....every turn I tried the darn thing just kept bouncing and convulsing as I couldn't unlearn my 2-wheel habits and lean to the outside!
(I also learned that if you put a foot down to try and make things steady.....you can run over your own leg).

I meet a feller last summer at the CMAUSA Tn. state rally with one.    He came zipping up to the Bike Games lot almost sliding to a stop and then quickly backing-up (power backing) into a empty spot close to mine.   So , I went over and ask him how long he'd had it .  
He'd been ridding it for about two years and was very proud of it .   He "Just Loved" it  , I understand they don't lean with ya inside their frame but you can lean yourself to help them around curves .   If ever I get the chance to ride one of them I'll be all over the chance !  

I wonder if there will be a Spyder for demo rides at Daytonadurning bike week ?  .   ridding around the Speedway on one of them would tell the "Rest of the Story"    .

v-pilot wrote on 01/16/18 at 18:11:01:




And they look like ride-on lawn mowers!

I road one of the old Honda atc "s once with my 4yr old between my knees took it down a hill ,scared the $hit out me . turned around drove back up the hill ,parked it ,never been on one since. that was 30 yrs ago. bikes with two wheels up front are at least stable as long as most of their weight is carried just in back of the front wheels ,I've never been on one but I wouldn't be afraid to try.

JOG , that's what I felt like going down that hill ,bouncing off some rocks ,It felt like the bike would  pitch forward and roll over me and my son!