Over the last 6 months I seem to be seeing more and more 3 wheeled motobikes, whilst they look like fun,but what is the advantage for the driver, they can't overtake quickly, surely the benefits of being on 2 wheels, I'm sure they are very costly -and why are their drivers able to drive around without helmets
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I believe they were initially popular with bikers that had suffered a disability (loss of limb or loss of use of a limb) as you can switch the controls around quite easily without risking it altering the basic stability of the machine.
You can ride / drive them on a motorbike licence, you don't need a car licence (which is why Reliants were so popular in the 60s & 70s).
The law also states that a trike of this kind (i.e. where none of the 3 wheels are on the same track) doesn't demand the rider / passengers wear a helmet by law, even if it is open-topped.
Although as a biker myself, I wouldn't go on one without a helmet. They may be harder to fall off than a 2-wheeler, but it will still make a mess of you if you DO fall off ....
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Yes, that should be you can ride most trikes on a full bike licence.
Most aftermarket trikes (converted from motorbikes, that is) count as a "Quadracycle" (licence group B1) - i.e. 3 or 4 wheel motor vehicles not exceeding 550kg unladen weight, but exceeding 50kmph and 50cc. The majority of bike licence holders can ride group A (bikes) and group B1.
If the vehicle exceeds 550kg, then it falls into the motorvehicle (car) group.
There's also a licensing complication with people that passed their bike test after October 2000, but it's all a bit arcane :) The upshot is if you didn't have a full car or bike licence before October 2000 and wish to ride a trike, you have to apply for a provisional car licence.
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The upshot is if you didn't have a full car or bike licence before October 2000 and wish to ride a trike, you have to apply for a provisional car licence.
So if it is a single seat trike, what rules on accompaniment apply?
pmh
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Off topic but on the Reliant theme. In the mid 60's when my brother was 16 he had a 3 wheel Isetta, which when on his provisional license he had to be accompanied by a full license holder. His friend had a 3 wheel Heinkel which on provisional he could drive alone, the only difference being the Isetta had a reverse gear. IIRC the 4 wheel bubble cars could not ge driven until 17.
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I had a mate with a Reliant, and I'm sure he had to blank off the reverse to drive it on L plates, this would be late '70s.
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Is the OP referring to trikes or the new moped type bikes with two front wheels?
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Quite a few tricycles have clearly been built by people who want to drive a vehicle with a VW flat four or American V8 engine, but for some reason don't want it to be in a car.
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The Gilera Fuoco is 500cc, some moped :-)
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one wheel at the front and 2 at the back -I've seen at least 3 in the last few weeks around Surrey -they look fun -all the riders looked typical "bikers" so possibly are driven by disabled drivers - I was just surprised that non of them were wearing helmets and couldn't understand why they were legally able to go without
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the riders looked typical "bikers"
How does that work then?
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....... what is the advantage for the driver ..........
They get noticed, which makes them "cool".
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3 wheeled motobikes
"Trike"? Sidecar outfit?
whilst they look like fun but what is the advantage for the driver
They're fun. They can have decent acceleration. You can make them yourself, if you're suitably oily and capable.
they can't overtake quickly
See above. If you mean a sidecar outfit, there are all *sorts* of interesting issues with just getting the thing from "A" to "B".
surely the benefits of being on 2 wheels I'm sure they are very costly
Not necessarily costly. AOL regarding two wheels being better.
and why are their drivers able to drive around without helmets
Whyever should they not?
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Is the OP refering to trikes, which do not require the rider to wear a helmet, or the Piaggio MP3, whos riders do require a helmet by law. The MP3 & Gilera Fuoco have 2 wheels at the front, which fall inside the spec for the width of a motorcycles wheels, hence the helmet requirement, & can lean into bends etc. at a far greater angle than a conventional 'bike, due to the extreemely complicated suspension system. They can also "lock-up" the suspension when coming to a stop, so the rider needn't put their feet on the deck as the 'bike stays upright, when the throttle is opened to move off, the suspension then reverts back to normal. As for overtaking other traffic, the 500 'bikes are no slouch when speed is needed. For normal riding, they are obviously more stable than any 2 wheeled 'bike & can be thrown around in virtually any road condition. There's also a hand-brake fitted. The Fuoco is a more robust looking 'bike than the MP3, & both are a lot of fun to ride.
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