The Tokyo Motor Show is well-known for introducing wild, beautiful concept bikes that will probably never be put into production. But that trend had an exception—Yamaha Europe has announced the three-wheeler Tricity 125 Scooter will be offered to European (and other) customers as a 2015 model—at a price well under its competitor, the Piaggio MP3 125.
The Tricity’s most notable feature, obviously, is its “Leaning Multi Wheel” (LMW) front end. It looks similar to Piaggio’s MP3 system, but it’s apparently Yamaha’s own patented design. The main difference is it uses four little fork tubes, two per wheel, where the MP3 uses coil-over shocks. Yamaha claims its system keeps the track (distance) between the two wheels consistent, making the front end feel more “natural” (or more like a motorcycle) during cornering. When I tested a Piaggio MP3 500 I noticed a weird, almost wiggly feel from the front during high-speed cornering jaunts, so maybe the Yamaha’s system is better in that respect, too. The Tricity also has 14 inch front wheels, bigger than the Piaggio’s 12-inchers, which should make going over bumps and potholes at high speeds less dramatic
Of course, with a fuel-injected 125cc liquid-cooled Single pushing almost 340 pounds of claimed wet weight, high-speed anything may be a non-issue—the Tricity is part of Yamaha’s “New Mobility” line, aimed at providing “a future-proof concept that offers an attractive and realistic alternative for today’s urban commuters.” That means not only is the Tricity easy to ride, with its CVT transmission, self-balancing front end (no word on if there’s a locking function to keep the bike upright when it’s stopped, like the MP3) and linked brakes, but in many jurisdictions, no special motorcycle license is required, thanks to the extra wheel. That should open up broad markets for this product. Whether it’s a good idea to have untrained, untested riders flitting about on scooters that are only a little safer than regular scooters is a question above my paygrade.
Will we get it here? That’s a question mark. Scooters are a small part of the motorcycle industry in the USA, and though Piaggio seems to sell plenty of MP3 models (you can get a 250, 400 or 500 here) and Can-Am has done well with its Spyder, since you still need a motorcycle license in most places for a 125 scooter, even with the extra wheel, the market may be too limited for Yamaha USA’s tastes—especially if it’s priced near the Tricity’s 4000 Euros ($5500, but that includes taxes and other fees).
Let Yamaha USA know if you’d get one of these—you can bet its marketing and product planning folks read MD.
Gabe Ets-Hokin is the Editor of City Bike Magazine, and a frequent freelance contributor to MotorcycleDaily.com.
Living in a beach town in Thailand I can’t wait to get my hands on this. I think it’s a game changer
If this three-wheeler is aimed at the Asian market it’s aimed at the wrong market. Every day (I live in Thailand)I see 125cc bikes and scooters ridden by 15 y.o. students, middle-aged women going to the market, all the way to old farts riding without a helmet on the wrong side of the road, smoking a cigarette and picking up a bottle of rice brandy at the local store. They all know how to ride a two-wheeler, and many of them die because of the way they ride. The average 125cc scoot is cheap, easy to repair, and has been around for 50+ years or so. A high-end Honda SH150i that costs almost twice as much doesn’t sell, even a PCX150 scooter is a rare sight if you don’t live in a touristy area, maybe one in a thousand or less.
Who would buy a heavy, weak, slow, weird-looking thing like that? It would stick out when parked because all the bikes lean and are parked closer than sardines in a can. Another draw-back is that there are some self-made three-wheelers around – ridden by disabled lottery-ticket vendors.
It may be a good idea for a city like Amsterdam or even San Francisco, but Asia – sorry, Yamaha, I don’t see it. People who have a bit more money buy the CR250R, the Duke 200 or the 300 Forza.
“Who would buy a heavy, weak, slow, weird-looking thing like that?”
Overweight Westerners who are so safety conscious that they feel the need to drive around in 4000lb tanks for their mundane daily commutes, where typically the biggest danger encountered is the unforeseen and dreaded pothole, but somehow, in spite of this neurotic obsession with their own health and safety, they are then on the flip side completely unable to stay away from fast food and overeating.
So ironically, less people over here die on the road. They instead all die of heart disease. They don’t die on the road to the fast food outlet, but cause due to their above obsession, they so easily and safely make there all the time. Go figure.
This looks like much more fun than those awful cruiser and GoldWing based trikes.
Yay…another bike we won’t see in America,and even before that, another fossil fuel burning anachronism.
Wake me when the big manufacturers show us electric bike with gas bike range and won’t cost 30K dollars.
Love motorcycles but every time I stop to put gas in them I think “this is so stupid and last century”
Yes, and does not look stupid.
Some of the new elect bikes are getting there. Just read a couple favorable looking reports on zeros i think it was and it seemed to me they were far less than 30k, maybe under 20k.
The nice thing about ice bikes though is they have an infinite range with minuscule breaks. Ride 200 miles, Pull into a gas station. Takes 2 or 3 minutes to fill up, repeat as long as you can stand it. No waiting for batteries to charge. Even the quickest elect charging time is eons compared to ” recharging” an ice bike at a gas station.
re: “Ride 200 miles, Pull into a gas station. Takes 2 or 3 minutes to fill up, repeat as long as you can stand it. No waiting for batteries to charge. Even the quickest elect charging time is eons compared to ” recharging” an ice bike at a gas station.”
unbeknownst, mickey has just stumbled upon one of the physical laws governing the universe. in practice it shows up as “no free lunch”. well done. (Anton Chigurh voice)
Very few riders ever re-fuel their bikes more than once a day. Those concerned with that are as Norm would put it, “fringe of the fringe” and wouldn’t be interested in any of the current types of electric bikes being offered, regardless of what powered them.
“Very few riders ever re-fuel their bikes more than once a day.”
Perhaps, but damn near all of them will refuel their bikes more than once in a given day at some point in a month or quarter. Which makes electric bikes unattractive to 1-bike garages at least.
I don’t know where you live and ride Dave, but most people around my parts are weekend riders out for a Saturday or Sunday or both, the majority of whom own just one bike. And they will need a fill-up to get home. The “fringe of the fringe” around here would be people who never need to fill up their bike more than once a day.
I hear that Jeremy but these are avid enthusiasts you refer to. Even if there are many of them in your area, they represent a small minority of riders nationally and a tiny minority globally.
We’ve been up and down the feasibility of electric in terms of cost but for riders in urban areas they already have plenty of range and we know the cost will come down with time.
To the editors:
Guys I’d appreciate if my Norm and Heaven on Earth post is not modded away. (1) Cause I think it’s a bit humorous and might give a few around here a most welcomed chuckle. (2) Cause it may just do Norm a bit of good and help him to be a little bit less Star Trekkie and bit more optimistic about life and the state and future of man in general.
Dave, I lived in seven states and eleven different cities (from small to huge) in the US, and I’d say that pattern I described fits everywhere I have been which is why I was curious to know where you live. I have also lived in Africa and Europe and traveled extensively for pleasure and work: Globally speaking, I certainly can’t argue with you. Most everywhere else I’ve ever been could benefit from electrics right now save for the scooter taxis and tuk-tuks which refuel several times a day. Anyone who as ever been stuck in a 3-rd world urban traffic jam surrounded by 50cc 2-strokes can certainly attest to that.
re: “Wake me when the big manufacturers show us electric bike with gas bike range”
okay, we’re going to put you into hypersleep. be advised, when you awake there will be some weakness and disorientation, but you will be at gateway station and 57 years will have passed.
re: “Just read a couple favorable looking reports”
I just read an UN-favourable looking report from a prof at UC Davis.
http://www.cycleworld.com/2014/03/29/pump-vs-plug-in-what-is-the-future-for-transportation/
power to the professors…!!!
ps: take particular note of his reference to how we can’t even find flight 370, a triple 7…? yeah that’s a big b#%*h.
“vast quantities of fossil fuels…being extracted at reasonable cost”
In a turbulent market that’s currently paying over 300% what it was less than 10 years ago, this is an absurd statement. Actually, is it even a statement? I wonder what was cut out with the use of the “…”.
“and with conventional vehicles significantly raising fuel efficiency”
Except that’s not happening. A late 90’s Honda Civic gets about the same mileage as the new one. Ditto just about every main-stream car in each size class.
Are these guys studying or marketing?
“In a turbulent market that’s currently paying over 300% what it was less than 10 years ago, this is an absurd statement.”
It may be 300% more than a decade ago, but it is still very reasonable. If it weren’t we’d by far less of the stuff. All you are pointing out is that dino-juice was stupid-cheap 10 years ago. And we consumed it like it was.
“Except that’s not happening.”
Yes it is. Forget about Civics and look at the whole. Corp average fuel econmy was 28.8 mpg in the late 1990s. It was 33.8 mpg in 2010. That is pretty good progress.
“Are these guys studying or marketing?”
I suspect they are probably just being realistic. The point was that there is no mass market for electrics and there won’t be anytime soon unless a massive amount of money is poured into the industry. I hope he is wrong, but he probably isn’t.
This is possibly the dumbest thing I’ve seen said here… and that’s saying something. First of all… Fossil Fuels? Son its not 1960 any more. We are quite sure oil doesn’t come from dinosaurs or plant material. Maybe you should read up on Abiogenic Petroleum Theory.
You should also consider the logical consequences of the shortsighted dream of all electric vehicles. Electricity is not free. Convert every car in American to electricity… and your home power bill will be about $4000.00 a month. Oh… And the only way to get it done cheaper would be to put nuclear power plants in every town.
But hey… don’t let reality bother your dream. Keep right on snoozin’
I don’t see where the poster even implied that fossil fuels come from dinosaurs. Not sure why you felt compelled to make that statement. And fossil fuel is still a perfectly acceptable term.
I love Yamaha, but wonder why they would disappoint with such a TRIvial product when they could be stuffing their new 850cc triple into a lean adventure bike with availability in the US. Just boggles my mind. Boggles I tell you. Boggles.
Seeing that the alternate language of the teaser website is Thai I’d have to guess it’s because the North American market is not the target for this product. How well would an 850 ADV bike go over in Thailand? Maybe the YZF-R250/R3 will appeal to both.
So they should put all products in the pipeline on hold and put the entire company to work on a variant of the 850 triple?
That thing is cool, but not THIS cool ….. !!!
http://www.thebikergene.com/three-wheelers/the-brudeli-625l-norways-three-wheeler-dirtbike/
I agree that 125 is a little too small. Maybe 250-400 cc would be ideal, but I love the leaning three wheel concept. Especially because it makes wet weather riding much more practical. I would consider it as a commuter.
agree
re: “Whether it’s a good idea to have untrained, untested riders flitting about on scooters that are only a little safer than regular scooters is a question above my paygrade”
survey says no. behemoth SUV drivers run over top of 3 wheelers with equal aplomb as they do over top of traditional 2 wheeled motorcycles. laboratory tests have shown the “thunk” heard in the passenger cabin coming from underneath the floorboards is indistinguishable from any other “thunk”.
Yes, but how is it for stunting?
http://www.bcsportbikes.com/forum/attachment.php?s=4d0760fc84acdce93e2900e41cdb549c&attachmentid=73725&stc=1&d=1238003991
http://www.bcsportbikes.com/forum/attachment.php?s=4d0760fc84acdce93e2900e41cdb549c&attachmentid=73726&stc=1&d=1238003991
the real magic of the third wheeel is that in many instances it doesn’t require a motorcycle license…thus attracting new buyers while not canabalizing current mc demand.
yeah, I was going to say, NOT requiring a motorcycle license has seemed to be a driver for Spyder sales. though that’s prolly a double-edge sword.
They need to make an electric version just so they can call it the ElecTriCity
badum… tsssssss
RIMSHOT…!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oShTJ90fC34
More like [sound of toilet flushing]
I have read that the Honda PCX150 is capable of 60 mph highway speeds, but perhaps not much more than that. That capability is certainly acceptable to those of us who do not need to ride at speeds higher than that. This TriCity is fuel injected, so perhaps if Yamaha just bumped it up to 150 or 250cc, that might be enough to give it limited highway (60 mph) capability. Otherwise this TriCity, as is, would certainly be an acceptable around town ride for the town I live in of 40,000 people, with our multi-lane streets and posted speed limits of 45 mph or lower.
This is probably not something that would appeal to most motorcyclists, but it would appeal to non-riders who fear two wheels but appreciate good gas mileage. It would also be a good vehicle for older riders who are no longer confident on two wheels. I believe the US would be a decent market for this bike.
I call my MP3s a poor man’s trike that still leans. At my age (70) these small trikes are much more rider friendly, get fantastic mpg and have more storage than most MCs. If you can get over the need for the ‘macho’ image they’re very practical. I have both MCs & 3 wheelers. If I want speed I get on a MC. If I want practicality, convenience, I get on a 3 wheeler.
I hate the damn thing.
Like the idea but hate CVT. How about a DCT 400cc version ?
This would be different product at twice the price, but would be pretty cool.
Some cars have CVT now.
Given issues with creeping (difficult), lurching etc I really question the viability of DCT on bikes at this point.
There’s a reason Mazda went a different route than DCT with their “Skyactiv” drivetrain.
Rember the Honda gyro ?
Gyro had 2 wheels in back, one in front and pivoted just forward of the rear wheels IIRC
“Whether it’s a good idea to have untrained, untested riders flitting about on scooters that are only a little safer than regular scooters is a question above my paygrade.”
Don’t underestimate yourself or feign false modesty. I make 2 bucks an hour on a good day, and this question is definitely not above my pay grade. Of course, at this present time, it is not a good idea, which is why few if any states will approve of such lax enforcement, but not for any safety reasons but instead for purely monetary ones, to keep the present status quo, the status quo. There is a reason why such an obvious answer like a 3 wheel scooter has taken so long to be made available to us, and it’s not cause they did not have the technical know how to offer it decades ago, as they pretend. They simply didn’t want people asking – if 3 wheels are okay then why not four? Why exactly should quads remain non-street legal when 3 wheelers are allowed? What’s the difference? None of course.
For the time being, the auto industry wants people to buy larger and hence more expensive motor vehicles. In the present situation, they simply cannot invent a passable excuse to charge as much as they want if the vehicle they are forced to sell is as light and as simple as a quad. Such an alternative would be so much cheaper – at least right now – that everyone would simply opt out of cars and go with quads, and there goes their profits.
Heck, if such an alternative had been available from the start, the auto industry would have never even been developed.
Sorry, 2 parts to the post.
The 3 wheeler has only been introduced now because the auto industry now believes that generation after generation have been so conditioned to think only in terms of large, auto 4 wheelers and small 2 wheeled bikes, that the introduction of a 3 wheeler will no longer cause such pre-conditioned people to question why quads should not be available as an alternative also.
Look for both Piaggio and Yamaha to go slow with this 3 wheeled concept, either by making it too pricey, too slow, or without proper engine options. The time for 3 wheelers and quads will come, they know this, but they have to be slow and cautious with the introduction, so as not to jeopardize the profits of the much larger and hence more important 4 wheel industry and wait there turn in line, like the good corporate citizens they are.
aaaaah, another conspiracy
Zombies with helmets muttering “Must ride with three wheels, must ride with three wheels…”
No, just zombies muttering must ride 4 wheels that are 4000lbs., or 2 wheels that are 400lbs, and now 3 wheels that are 600lbs. The zombieness comes from the inability to notice the inconsistency of this zombieish world view regarding motor vehicles.
In what non-zombie world should an extra wheel add another 3,400lbs to your freaking ride and to the price tag? In what non-zombie world does this sort of arithmetic make any sense? But yet the world we live in accepts these categories as the norm and sensible.
Sounds rather zombieish, no?
Quad are not legal for the road because they are unstable. The center of gravity is too high and when you put road tires on them they have the tendency to flip over.
Ever try knocking over a Rhino with a leg tied behind its back, or one with its full four feet on the ground? Well, if you ever had, then you would know that a Rhino with four on the ground is a heck of alot harder to knock off its perch than one standing on only 3 legs. There is a reason why most creature on land walk on fours and not threes, or why building have 4 corners and not 3, or why autos, our most popular and safest mode of land travel have 4 contact points and not 3.
But if you want to say 4 is more unstable than 3, then I guess I will just have to take your word for it, discounting everything else I see with my eyes, as well as the acute pain of the broken back I suffered in attempting to knock over 4 legged Rhino, and just believe whatever it is you have to say.
Ever tried knocking over a motorcycle?
Your analogies don’t work and they divulge a lack of understanding of vehicle dynamics. Read more, post less. Learn.
Ha, ha. Maybe you’re right. I certainly do not have Phd. in vehicle dynamics. I’m guessing you do, though. As far as your question is concerned, who needs to knock down a motorcycle. The trouble we have is trying to keep it upright, which is why we need the inertia of motion to do it for us. Just let go of a bike and it will knock itself down on its own. Why? Well, cause it’s only got 2 wheels.
Can’t say the same for a car. Why? Cause it’s got 4. Now exactly what is it specifically about vehicle dynamics and stability that some simple minded fool like me is supposed to learn from an obvious whiz like you?
You’re comparing a rigid, 4-wheeled vehicle with a 3-wheeled vehicle designed with the capacity to lean into turns. Instead of comparing the shortcomings of a 3-wheeler and a 4-wheeler while they’re parked, consider the advantages it could have over a 2-wheeler while moving.
The Piaggio mp3 is far more expensive than 2-wheel scooters in the same engine class and it sells very well in Europe because of its advantages.
The difference between a leaning trike and a quad is the fact that the vehicle leans into the corner:
On a leaning trike when you go around a corner the center of gravity shifts to the inside of the corner and down. The faster you go around the corner the lower and farther into the corner the center of gravity shifts. This makes the vehicle more stable and less likely to overturn. You can go faster and faster until the cornering force overcomes the grip of the tires and the vehicle slides.
When you go around a corner on a quad the center of gravity raises and shifts to the outside. This makes the vehicle less stable and more likely to overturn. When the force attempting to overturn the vehicle becomes greater than the weight over the inside wheels the vehicle will overturn.
The same principal works on automobiles too. The lower the center of gravity and the larger width between the tires, the less likely it is to overturn. That is why sports cars rarely overturn but trucks and SUV’s are much more likely to overturn.
To answer your question, no I haven’t tried to tip over a 4-legged Rhino. However, I have flipped a Yamaha Rhino going 20 mph on flat ground.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all wheel configurations are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former 2 wheelers and the sons of former 4 wheelers will be able to ride curvy roads, leaning over together at the table of the brotherhood of wheels.
I have a dream that one day even in the unimaginative, overly rigid, and somewhat ignorant minds of the Dave’s and Jason’s of the world, minds sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice where all wheel configurations will be free to lean over when they please – yes, even the four wheeler, and not just the 2’s and the 3’s.
I have a dream that my four wheeler will one day live in a nation where he will not be judged by the number of his wheels but by the content of his character (i.e. by his potential to lean over too).
“Instead of comparing the shortcomings of a 3-wheeler and a 4-wheeler while they’re parked, consider the advantages it could have over a 2-wheeler while moving.”
Just can’t completely unravel your convoluted, inconsistent attempt at logic and explanation. Motion does make a 2 wheeler more stable, but a moving 4 will still be more stable and safe in just about every single situation but one, high speed turns, and this only if its wheels are rigid and not allowed to sway like the front of a 3, or if it is not addressed in a another way, i.e. weight distribution or length and width of wheel base. This is why most like to ride 2 wheelers in the first place, cause of the inherent danger and instability of it, unlike that of a 4 (yes, even while moving) and the challenge and fun of keeping it upright through hair pins and turns, pot holes and suddenly stops and accelerations.
In the same way, motion does not suddenly make a 3 more stable than a 4 either, esp. if a 4 is allowed to lean as the 3 does.
I just don’t get what you specifically have against 4 wheels. Your animus is so bitter and resolute that it sounds pretty personal. Sorry, if 4 wheels harmed you in any way, but you know the old saying – forgive and forget.
In Idaho quads are allowed everywhere but highways and freeways, so you frequently see them in front of the grocery store in a small town.
Quads also legal is some parts of Arizona like Kingman where I live, but not on highways.
I’m in South Dakota. Still trying to figure out the rules here. We’ve got quads on all roads, no license (or license plate) on scooters under 50cc,
and my favorite……motorcycle plates on those mini 4 wheeled trucks.
Hey, I just figured it out….we don’t have any rules in South Dakota.
Must be cause you guys are so damn poor in S. Dakota. Enjoy it while it lasts. Supposedly someone struck black gold up in those parts, and with black gold comes money, and with money always comes rules, rules, and more rules. Damn, insufferable regulations designed to take $$’s out of your pocket and give to those who are more than you. A sort of reverse Robin Hood effect.
That’s what traffic cops are – Anti-Robin Hoods.
Well, Gov Janklow proved there’s not many rules, didn’t he?
“…the Tricity is part of Yamaha’s “New Mobility” line, aimed at providing “a future-proof concept that offers an attractive and realistic alternative for today’s urban commuters.” That means not only is the Tricity easy to ride, with its CVT transmission, self-balancing front end (no word on if there’s a locking function to keep the bike upright when it’s stopped, like the MP3) and linked brakes…”
Hurray for the coming Age of Estrogen. More and more evidence that the Era of Testosterone is running out of gas and going kaput.
Because Yamaha made a scooter? They’ve always made scooters, they’re (scooters) what pays for the racing efforts. We know this is true of Aprilia and Ducati (Piaggio).
Not just a scooter but a 3 legged scooter, designed to increase the domain of scooters. Now even little girls can get on one of these things and ride them like a bat out of hell. Imagine this: if you are a member of a biker gang (the last great symbol of unrestrained, hairy chested manliness in America), what the heck are you supposed to do when little girls on 150cc scooters can take over your territory, due to their more fuel efficient, faster, more discreet, and higher illicit substance holding mode of transportation, the dang pink scooter with 3 wheels?
(A) You can go and get a real job. Heck, but that’s why they are in biker gangs in the first place. Cause they don’t want to conform, take orders, take lip from the new female boss, or wait in line like the rest of us unmanly, domesticated, urban males.
(B) You can go and beat up your competition, but how are they going to looking beating up little girls. Over weight, hairy chested men beating up 60lbs little girls with cute dimples. And how exactly are they supposed to catch them, since those little brats now have access to faster rides and better weight to hp ratios.
(C) They can modernize and start riding scooters themselves, with the better performance and larger storage capacities. But how are the Hell’s Angel going to look riding around on a bunch of sissy looking scoots? And more importantly, how will this affect their self esteem and their view of their own self worth? Will lower middle class women with low IQ’s and low self-esteem continue to go gaggas over them?
Potentially, due to these new scoots, the biker gangs might just be forced to choose between either merely looking the part of the bad boy criminal, or actually being real criminals, but ones forced to modernize and ride around on sissy looking scoots which even little girls who are still losing their baby teeth can ride around on just as well.
Obviously, either alternative is not very good for macho manliness. 3 wheel scoots could very well spell the end of the iconic long haired, leather jacket, no helmet wearing, never smiling, always grimacing biker gang, as we know it, in America.
1. Most of the “biker gangs” you see today are mid to upper level corporate guys in a rolling costume party.
2. Scooters are no more a threat to the individuality of motorcyclists than skateboards.
3. Real men don’t care about any of that anyway.
(1) It seems separation of church and state is not the only separation which the belief system of secular modernism requires – separation of crime (at least effective, efficient, and highly profitable crime) and the appearance of being a criminal is also required. Now in a secular modern society, to be a highly successful and efficient criminal one cannot actually look the part of being an outlaw, but must instead appear as its impotent, mild mannered, mundane opposite – the guy in a constraining tie and slick suit or a pure white as snow trench coat.
But dang it, it’s just more fun to appear like a unshaven, tattooed, low IQ outlaw than to appear as its more socially responsible opposite, even though the latter is just so much more highly effective and profitable. That’s why these women with low self esteem/IQ’s from broken families hang out with the lamer but more successful professionals during the week to get their living expenses paid, but hang out with the financial loser, roid injecting, bad boy outlaws on the weekend when they really want to let loose and have a good time.
This also accounts for the wide spread weekend rolling costume party phenomena. The more successful professionals know they are lame and they want to partake of the same stupid fun and cool which the loser outlaws call a lifestyle. Professionals, being the greedy natured people that they are, always want things both ways, to have their cake and eat it too, so the weekend rolling costume parties from these otherwise socially responsible appearing people ought to be expected and not regarded as surprising.
As an impotent, mild mannered, mundane professional who legally steels from the poor to line my own pockets with the apparent approval of upper society and government, I must say that I resent being stereotyped with the “rolling costume party” participants.
(3) Yea, and real men also say they would never shave their butts just to please their girlfriends, but the wide eyed, what other option did I have look in his eyes, when you glance at that region and then at his face, as well as the squinty, overly confident and presumptuous, what other option did he have look in her eyes, tells a much different story.
No man, real or not, will feel very manly afterwards if he is getting consistently outgunned by little girls on little pink, 3 wheeled, criminally quiet and fuel efficient scoots.
Piaggio didn’t even try to sell their 125 MP3 in the US. I own both their 250 & 400 MP3s. Use the 250 for town and the 400 for long distance. I wish them good luck.
Far as how a 3 wheeler feels compared to a 2 wheeler with 2 front wheels, of course it feels different. That’s because you have more rubber on the road which is especially nice when the road is wet. Then it’s like driving a car ! 2 front wheels with independent suspension gives you more confidence going into a corner too. 1 of the wheels can go over an object and you hardly feel it because the other wheel doesn’t.
I got the opportuniy to ride a 250 MP3 the other day. I was suprised at how fluid the leans were. Seems like it would feel “weird” but it didn’t. Didn’t see advantage over a regular 2 wheeled scooter though.
I’ve ridden one and it didn’t feel weird either. As to advantages:
1. Twice the contact patch in the front which gives more grip for braking and cornering
2. If you lock the front brake it doesn’t low-side
3. If you lose traction in a corner it doesn’t low-side.
When I did my test ride the dealer said the MP3 is impossible to low-side. I took him at his word and tried a few things like intentionally hitting a patch of gravel while cornering. The front wheels slid until they got to the other side of the gravel then regained traction and I continued on my way. On a bike with a single front wheel I would have been sliding down the road.
Interesting. I didn’t try crashing, I try to avoid that, but it’s nice to know ( or think) that it won’t
Don’t think that – it certainly *will* low-side like any other bike… it’s just that you can push it a little bit further. Which, don’t get me wrong, is great – just don’t get lulled into a false sense of security.
I took an MP3 for a test ride and while I didn’t think steering felt weird, it did feel heavy and vague to the point I actually felt less confident in corners than I would on a regular bike. Perhaps it’s a matter of getting used to it.
Yes, that would be the biggest benefit, wouldn’t it: That losing traction at the front wouldn’t cause the pain and expense of a low-side. Meanwhile, the 3-wheel design doesn’t need to conform to arguably-excessive, modern 4-wheel (i.e., car) safety standards.
I remember a video of a prototype 3 or 4 wheeler from about five years ago, and I do believe it was a Yamaha – the rider had it on a test pad that was covered with grease, and worked like crazy to get it to low-side, and couldn’t do it, he’d just spin out, like you’d expect a car to do. I imagine a high-side wouldn’t be out of the question, if you happened to be sliding sideways and hit a raised crack in the roadway. But I was really impressed by the stability of the thing. Is the TriCity the grandson of that prototype?
Can we get that sweet 500cc parallel twin from the T-Max? I owned an MP3 400 for a couple of years (single cylinder) and it was scary to take the TX hwys with that little thumper and all that weight. FUN ride thou.
Why did you find it scary ? Not fast enough for you? I’ve had mine loaded up to 900# in 80 MPH downhill sweepers and it’s rock solid.
Probably the feeling of the engine being pushed to the limit in order to make enough power to overpass those rigs on the interstate. But it was just because I was stepping down from bigger bikes.
I’d be happy just to have a Tmax. This thing looks like a wheelchair doing it with a bike but I still think it’s cool.
That’s because you give more importance to how it LOOKS, compared to how it RIDES. I can tell you, you corner faster in these things (Piaggios, anyway) than in some standard bikes. It just gives you that confidence. Just look at the reviews of the MP3 500 on YouTube.
If this were a 300 or above, i would buy immediately. i live by scooters in SF but need one with the open footwell to carry stuff. the MP3 doesn’t have one of these. 125 makes some sense from an economy standpoint, but i think it handicaps the scoot in SF…
Apparently you haven’t really looked @ a 250 MP3 yet. It has a hook over the gas tank for stuff between your legs and a lot of storage underneath the seat and a real trunk too. Then if you add a top case you’re in hog heaven. I do all our grocery shopping with my MP3s.
The three wheeled scooter is one of the most important recent developments in transportation, IMHO. If Yamaha’s TriCity helps the sector evolve, I say more power to ’em. But 125 is too small for most murricans, including me.
I’ve been waiting for something like this to appear since I first saw this video of the 4MC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j127RX9S7vw
It looks like so much fun
That video is what I posted about (a day after your post, I didn’t see your link until now). I was wrong about it being a Yamaha, though. Thanks for refreshing my memory, the 4MC shows what’s possible, even though not too many people would pay the price for its capabilities. You could ride in Chicago in December with that thing, if you could stand the cold (and the salt and the potholes and the trucks and all the other po’d people trying to get to work).
I wouldn’t buy a 125 because it has too little power to be used in the exurbs where I live. However, if Yamaha brought to market a 500-650 cc model. I’d be very interested in purchasing one.
I am leary of Piaggio, but would buy this from yamaha as my urban commuter if it was available this fall in the US. Looks like more fun than a regular scooter. Bring it Yammy!
I (kind-of) second that — preferring the solid reputation of Yamaha over a Piaggio product. Living in a seemingly perpetually wet and slippery region, a leaning 3-wheeler (but with at least 400cc) would get my interest.