Trikes

[PaulD]

Has anybody heard of anybody doing an Overlander (Africa, Sth America) for example on a Trike, Do off road trikes exist, I think it could be fun, something different, the ones that I have seen are all road orientated and far to low.

Thanks
Paul

[Threewheelbonnie]

I've never seen a trike you could really describe as anything except a road tourer cum weekend plaything unless you get into Morgan type vehicles which are really cars. For overland and off road use you have three big limitations IMHO.

1. Storage space. Luggage on trikes is a problem, the only place within the triangle of wheels is on top which doesn't help. I'm sure this could be solved.

2. Wheel track. The world's roads are cut up by trucks and landcruisers. A bike rides down one track, an outfit down the same track with the chair hopping somewhere near the other. A trike always has the centre wheel in the rough stuff. The only off road trikes I've even seen were the original Honda's that were pulled from production because they had rollover issues when ridden on rutted slopes.

3. Mechanicals. Half a VW nailed to half a Harley is going to have parts available anywhere in the world those vehicles exist. What isn't readily available is the knowledge to support you with the bits that connect them together. If your VW brakes are connected to your Harley pedal with a cable designed for a 1974 Vauxhall Viva, you are going to need that knowledge available to you. Trike convertors aren't going to be set up for phone calls at 3am local time and UPSing parts unless they agreed when you started your trip.

If trikes are your thing, get modding and testing. If you are simply looking for vehicle that'll carry more stuff than a solo bike and doesn't keep falling over when it snows, get a bike you are happy with and a sidecar.

Andy

[PaulD]

Andy,

Firstly thanks for your reply, secondly I am definately a 2 wheeler, but since I showed my wife your Bonny set up, she was keen to put a sidecar on my Bonneville. I had passed a trike on the weekend and was curious to know more about them, but I now realise they are for Tarmac only. However eventually I will look at the sidecar as we like doing short local trips and we have two little dogs that just love motorbikes and that way they would be able to come along. I had seen some really nice trikes in Victoria they were doing a trip in the mountains and seemed to really enjoying themselves, so I'll have to get my self a ride in one some day to find out for my self.

Paul

[Threewheelbonnie]

Hi Paul,

Glad you liked the set up.

I'm afraid the trick with three wheels is to have two wheeled back up for days when you really need that extra feel of flowing movement. It's expensive, even when the two wheeler is an MZ!

Definately try and get a ride on trike and an outfit before you buy. A wide trike (half a VW type thing) can be almost like a old sports car, open and a little bit over powered for it's tyres, so fun on the right road. A narrow trike, which I've only ridden a few hundred meters, feels like a bike until you get to a corner, then it's like a cross between a kiddies tricycle and a really badly set up outfit. I followed a chap on one through some twisties in Wales and he was doing 20 mph on left hand corners an outfit would take at 40+. They seem to be aimed only at guys who really must have a Harley or Wing, don't want to give up solo bikes, but can't take the weight anymore. An outfit is about using the assmetric power to your advantage, getting load off the chair as you need it, using the weight of the chair against the drag of the bike to get it to turn etc. They are very different vehicles, some people love planning their way through each corner, some people hate that they think it's trying to kill them, hence try before you buy!

Dogs, wives, picnics, children, crates of , BBQ's that's where three wheels do come into their own.

Enjoy what you get.

Andy