Why dont they flip the 3 wheeler design around,...

can am did it for the street (well, all they did was put wheels on
a snomobile)

but who thinks a 3x3 quad, with 2 up front, and 1 in back could kick ***.

Id say 1 x3 but I think there could be traction issues, unless it was a big fat fat
rear tire.

Anyone seen one?

Im sure someone has built 1

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: kukerdan

Why dont they flip the 3 wheeler design around,...

</end quote></div>


IMO, Because it's dangerous as hell!

In 1988, the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the production of 3-wheeled ATVs. I don't see any manufacturer spending the time and money trying to fight it just to sell a couple of hundred units.

I actually saw a Can-Am Spyder on the road the other day. The guy riding it was pulling a motorcycle trailer and had a passenger. It was all the poor guy could do to keep it on the road. It looked very unstable. At first I though it was one of those motorcycles with the little training wheels on it. It didn't look nearly as cool in person as it does on their web site.

 

Ya, still probably be dangerous. My bro stalled on his 450R going up a steep hill a few weeks back, he rolled backward down with about 4ft to go before he lost control and slid sideways causing it to flip to the bottom. He's okay but, a 3 wheeled machine would have flipped much, much earlier with horrible results.

 

I'm pretty sure even if it was safe, you would not get much traction off-road with ONE power wheel pushing TWO front wheels.....

 

Three wheelers were never dangerous. I rode my Honda 200M for five years and never, and I repeat never did I ever have an incident with flipping or rolling. My experience came from a dirt bike, and that is where one needs to learn to read the terrain and understand the geometry of the machine. The problem was, I think that too many parents bought three wheelers for their immature teenagers and they rode them on the road with no helmets, and I'm sure there may have been alcohol involved. The problem was that most accidents probably occurred to those who had no dirt riding experience and did not use their heads. When riding a three wheeler on dirt and turning, you need to put pressure on the outside wheel to loosen the inside wheel. That is much easier on dirt as opposed to pavement. I'm sure there were many accidents on dirt also, but stupidity usually had a part, the same goes now for four wheelers. If you use any product other then for its intended purpose there may or will be problems.
Back in the 80's after three wheelers were baned, it was probably cheaper to invest in four wheeler development, then to fight the ban.

 

I respect your opinion but, i could not disagree more. I grew up on a 3 wheeler, wasn't allowed out of 1st until I learned to ride it. Had to watch pulling trailors or loading the racks on the ol' big red or it would want to roll over.

I remember riding it to my grandma's every weekend. One weekend my dad was riding home on the dirt road between our houses. The dirt hill we went down countless times grabbed the 3 wheels differently not allowing it to turn even the slightest without flipping and he went right up the bank and rolled over on top of him.

You see even the fact that you need experience reading terrain tells me that there dangerous.

 

I still read the terrain weather I'm on my Outlander or my 700 Griz. As I stated before I never had a problem with my 3/wheeler. Perhaps I am just a bit more cautious. The Big Red was a different machine, larger, more utility oriented then the 200 I had. Tire pressure played an important role in those machines. If I recall correctly my 200 took 2.2 lbs. Any more and it would bounce and not steer. There are many reasons for machines not handling the way they should.

 

3-wheelers do flip a lot easier then 4-wheelers.......

I'm a big believer in safe being a relative term generally based on the rider and not the machine..... but there is no question that some machines are inherently more dangerous then others. 3-wheelers rode fine at slow speeds, and under soft wide turns..... but aggressive riding of any kind took a lot more skill and strength of will then most people have - so in comparison they are seen as "dangerous" ..........at least more dangerous then 4-wheelers....

But the comparison goes on and on....... an 800 Renegade might be seen as more "dangerous" then a 500 Renegade...... but in the hands of the right rider there should be no difference, and some could even argue that a more talented rider would be "safer" on the 800 because the extra power could be used as an advantage in certain circumstances...


In some ways, big Utes are more "dangerous" then sport machines..... they are more likely to be operated by inexperienced users, they are often viewed as "tractor" type machines by outsiders who only see them used for work - and so like a lawnmower parents tend to let younger kids then should be on them, take them for rides..... - or inexperienced adults might not understand how ATVs ride and need to be controlled - they are heavy can crush a human body in a low speed roll.....

Others will argue that sport machines are more dangerous because they are quicker and lighter and require more body English to control - they are not as firmly planted on the ground - they tend to accelerate quickly and can get you into trouble.......

Point is that no matter what you ride there is an element of danger..... but a rider who is able to respect what he/she is riding is generally a safe rider on a safe machine.

 

I've seen pictures of a 4-wheeled ATV where they put a custom made swing-arm on the back and made it into a 3-wheeler. Thay way it can be licensed as a motorcycle and legally ridden on the streets where ATVs can't be. Somebody want to start abusiness doing that but I don't think enough people were interested. I don't think it would be as good as a 4-wheeler off-road but it would be a lot more stable than a conventional trike. Having two wheels in the front keeps them from flipping over that easy.

 

they are fun. but you need to know they way they run like any machine. I can drift at 60 km/h. with them. I own a 83 with a 85 engine with the shaft drive 250 cc in it. I just need a new semi clutch at 200k km aas a second owner. it has done fine at 80 km/h max speed. every 100 hrs or less I do oil changes since I run on the high side of rpm's !!! if I got it right it is near 225k km. or close to it. just needs a new semi clutch. if it can't be found the engine will be broke down to put a 212cc engine attached to make it run like new again. just the bottom end is needed. off any quad or dirt bike. cut the stator off the block add add a gear for #40 chain and have fun !!! if I can't find a new clutch I know how to weld it together for the whay I want after. I did a 2012 case with gears to a 420cc engine. to magneto side and it waas faster after. kepp it 1:1 when doing the motor over to a 420cc snow blower moter !!! once built the motor are cheaper to replace !!! unlike mine is stuck in second gear. so 55 km/h is my top end. if your gears ain't stuck 150km/h is the top end !!!