Motor Tricycle
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A motorized tricycle, motor trike, or motortrycle is a three-wheeled vehicle based on the same technology as a bicycle or motorcycle, and powered by an
electric motor An electric motor is an Electric machine, electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a Electromagneti ...
,
motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
, scooter or car engine.


Classification

Depending on the design of the vehicle, a motorized trike may be categorized as a motorcycle,
motor scooter A scooter (motor scooter) is a motorcycle with an underbone or step-through frame, a seat, and a platform for the rider's feet, emphasizing comfort and fuel economy. Elements of scooter design were present in some of the earliest motorcycles ...
, or simply the three-wheeled counterpart to a motorized or
electric bicycle An electric bicycle (e-bike, eBike, etc.) is a motorized bicycle with an integrated electric motor used to assist propulsion. Many kinds of e-bikes are available worldwide, but they generally fall into two broad categories: bikes that assis ...
. The main difference between a motorcycle trike and a scooter trike is that motorcycles are sat on in a "saddle"-style seating (as with a horse), with the legs apart, and motorcycles have manual transmissions. Scooters have a "step-through" seating style, in which the driver sits on a more chair-like seat, with the legs together; as well, scooters have automatic transmissions. Laypersons often associate the engine size as a dividing line between motorcycles and scooters, since a typical scooter has a small 50 cc engine, but scooter engines can also be as large as 650cc as used in the
Suzuki Burgman The Burgman series of Scooter (motorcycle), scooters (known in Japan as Skywave) is produced by Suzuki with engine capacities from 125 cc up to 638 cc. AN series Launched in 1998, the original model line-up consisted of the AN250 and A ...
. Motorcycles with sidecars are not usually considered tricycles. It can be harder to categorize three-wheeled automobiles. While some early prototype automobiles were steam tricycles, three-wheeled cars such as the
Morgan 3-Wheeler The Morgan Motor Company announced that they would launch the 3 Wheeler in 2011 at the Geneva Motor Show. Technical The 3 Wheeler was initially said to have a Harley-Davidson ''Screaming Eagle'' V-twin engine and a Mazda 5-speed ma ...
are often classified as cars rather than motorcycles. Generally, the motorcycle classification will require passengers to sit behind the driver, whereas in the car classification, at least one passenger is able to sit abreast to the driver.


Historical Origins

The motorized tricycle had quite a boom period at the end of the 19th century. Early engines weren't as compact or lightweight as modern ones, and clutches, and electric ignition were still new ideas being incorporated. Given this, the tricycle offered a better platform to add an engine to than a bicycle. The addition of engines to tricycles was covered in a motor supplemenet to Cycling magazine in 1899Cycling - Motor Supplement, 9 Dec 1899 from which the following are taken : * De Dion Bouton motor tricycle, France - 2.25 HP De Dion Bouton engine, electric ignition. *
Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between th ...
'Beeston' motor tricycle, Beeston, UK - De Dion Bouton engine of 1.75 or 2.25 HP. Electric ignition. £84 * Beeston Motor Company Ltd, Beeston, UK - 2HP engine with electric ignition, Priced £70 * Pennington motor tricycle, London - 2.5HP - Had a clutch so you can stop while the engine is still running (others you had to pedal to restart) *
Clement Clement or Clément may refer to: People * Clement (name), a given name and surname * Saint Clement (disambiguation)#People Places * Clément, French Guiana, a town * Clement, Missouri, U.S. * Clement Township, Michigan, U.S. Other uses * ...
motor tricycle, France - 2.25HP De Dion Bouton or
Aster Aster or ASTER may refer to: Biology * ''Aster'' (genus), a genus of flowering plants ** List of ''Aster'' synonyms, other genera formerly included in ''Aster'' and still called asters in English * Aster (cell biology), a cellular structure shap ...
engines * Riley motor tricycle, Coventry, UK - Novel use of freewheel at the engine end of the chain, instead of at the pedals, so that when freewheeling the chain isn't moving. * The Edie motor tricycle, Redditch, UK - De Dion Bouton engine of 1.75 or 2.25 HP. Electric ignition. * Empress motor tricycle, France - De Dion Bouton 2.25HP engine electric ignition *
Star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...
motor tricycle, Wolverhampton, UK - De Dion Bouton with hot tube ignition (electric ignition a £10 optional extra) * The Bard motor tricycle, Birmingham, UK - De Dion Bouton 2.25HP engine with electric ignition * The Phebus-Aster motor tricycle, France - Aster engine of 2.25HP with electric ignition There were many more makes, and then variations with tandem seating to allow a passenger. Prices were typically £70 to £85, so they were not budget transport - though a lot cheaper than the early cars. Most had no gears and no clutch (the Pennington being the exception), so you had to pedal start them. Other makers had twin wheels at the front and a single at the back allowing a passenger to be carried in comfort right at the front - away from the noise and smoke of the engine, but vulnerable in the event of a collision.


Motorcycle tricycles

A motorized tricycle's wheels may be arranged in either configuration: delta or reverse (tadpole). A delta trike has one wheel in front and two in back, and the reverse or tadpole trike has two wheels in front and one in back. Occasionally, rear wheel steering is used, although this increases the turning circle and can affect handling (the geometry is similar to a regular trike operating in reverse, but with a steering damper added). Tadpoles are more stable under braking and more likely to slide instead of roll; front braking hard on a delta requires the vehicle to steer almost straight to avoid tipping. The balance of friction patches and rolling resistance also means that tadpoles tend to oversteer and deltas understeer. Motor trikes are attractive for those with mobility or balance problems. Under some local regulations, while riding a three-wheeled vehicle, it may be possible to carry multiple passengers with a motorcycle driving license, to ride a motorcycle-style vehicle with a car license, or to avoid motorcycle helmet use regulations. These machines are generally custom-built. A common arrangement is to fit chopper-style ("ape hanger") front forks to a
VW Beetle The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, ...
engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...
and transaxle, popular because it is largely self-contained on a single
subframe A subframe is a structural component of a vehicle, such as an automobile or an aircraft, that uses a discrete, separate structure within a larger body-on-frame or unit body to carry certain components, such as the engine, drivetrain, or suspens ...
. Similarly, the engine, transmission and rear wheel may be taken from a large motorcycle as a single unit, and used in the construction of a tadpole trike. Mass-manufactured motor tricycles include the
Piaggio MP3 The Piaggio MP3 (''Moto Piaggio a 3 ruote'', "Piaggio moto with 3 wheels") is a tilting three-wheeled scooter by Italian manufacturer Piaggio. First marketed in 2006, it is noted for its combination of two front wheels and a single rear wheel. ...
; the
Piaggio Piaggio & C. SpA (Piaggio ) is an Italian motor vehicle manufacturer, which produces a range of two-wheeled motor vehicles and compact commercial vehicles under seven brands: Piaggio, Vespa, Gilera, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Derbi, and Scarabeo. Its ...
Ape Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a clade of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and as well as Europe in prehistory), which together with its sister g ...
(Italian for ''Bee'') delivery trike (delta); the
Harley-Davidson Tri Glide Ultra Classic The Harley-Davidson Tri Glide Ultra Classic is a three-wheeled motorcycle manufactured by Harley-Davidson and introduced in the 2009 model year. Its model designation is FLHTCUTG. History The Tri Glide Ultra Classic is the first three-wheeled m ...
; the
Bombardier Recreational Products BRP Inc. is the holding company for Bombardier Recreational Products Inc., operating as BRP, a Canadian manufacturer of snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, side by sides, motorcycles, and personal watercraft. It was founded in 2003, when the Recr ...
Can-Am Spyder (tadpole); the
Polaris Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that ...
Slingshot A slingshot is a small hand-powered projectile weapon. The classic form consists of a Y-shaped frame, with two natural rubber strips or tubes attached to the upper two ends. The other ends of the strips lead back to a pocket that holds the pro ...
(tadpole); the
T-Rex ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' live ...
reverse trike; trikes used by municipal authorities in the USA; and, historically, vehicles such as the
Scammell Scammell Lorries Limited was a British manufacturer of trucks, particularly specialist and military off-highway vehicles, between 1921 and 1988. History Scammell started as a late- Victorian period wheelwright and coach-building business, G Sc ...
Scarab railway dray, a common sight around post-war British railway stations.


Motorized freight trikes

In Asian and Southeast Asian countries, motorized trikes are used as small freight trucks and commercial vehicles. Nicknamed "three-wheelers" or "tuk-tuks" in popular parlance, they are a motorized version of the traditional
pulled rickshaw A pulled rickshaw (from Japanese language, Japanese ) is a mode of human-powered transport by which a runner draws a two-wheeled cart which seats one or two people. In recent times the use of human-powered rickshaws has been discouraged or ou ...
or
cycle rickshaw The cycle rickshaw is a small-scale local means of transport. It is a type of hatchback tricycle designed to carry passengers on a for-hire basis. It is also known by a variety of other names such as bike taxi, velotaxi, pedicab, bikecab ...
. While they are mostly used as taxis for hire, they are also used for commercial and freight deliveries. They are particularly popular in cities where
traffic congestion Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s. When traffic de ...
is a problem. They usually have a sheet-metal body or open frame that rests on three wheels, a canvas roof with drop-down sides, a small cabin in the front of the vehicle for the driver, an air-cooled scooter version of a
two-stroke engine A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of t ...
, with handlebar controls instead of a
steering wheel A steering wheel (also called a driving wheel (UK), a hand wheel, or simply wheel) is a type of steering control in vehicles. Steering wheels are used in most modern land vehicles, including all mass-production automobiles, buses, light and ...
. The smaller motorized trikes are used as delivery vehicles for lighter loads. The larger trikes, with more powerful engines, have larger cargo bays, and they can carry freight within a city.


China

Motorized three-wheel freight vehicles are a common sight throughout China. They come in various sizes, from open saddle-style trikes to "three-wheel trucks" with a fully closed cabin.


Philippines

In the Philippines, a motorcycle with a passenger cab (either to one side or centered) is called a tricycle. They are commonly used as a
public utility vehicle Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...
and for personal transportation.


India

Since 2012, electric tricycles known as e-rickshaws have become popular, replacing other commercial transports. For vehicles other than
electric rickshaw Electric rickshaws (also known as electric tuk-tuks or e-rickshaws or toto or e-tricycles) are small 3-wheeled vehicles powered by an electric motor and battery ranging from 650 to 1400 Watts. They save on fuel costs compared to auto rickshaws ...
s, various locally made configurations are used in India. They fall under the category of
Jugaad ''Jugaaḍ'' (or "Jugaaṛ") is a colloquial Indo-Aryan word, which refers to a non-conventional, frugal innovation, often termed a "hack". It could also refer to an innovative fix or a simple work-around, a solution that bends the rules, or a ...
and serve as both passenger and commercial vehicles. The motorized versions are popular for their low cost, because they are put together from salvaged motorcycles and often do not require the operator to have a drivers license.


See also

*
List of motorized trikes List of motorized trikes is a list of motorized tricycles also called trikes, and sometimes considered cars. There are three typical configurations: motorized bicycle with sidecar; two wheels in the rear, one in the front (aka trike); and two in ...
(motorized tricycles) *
Types of motorcycles The six main types of motorcycles are generally recognized as ''standard'', ''cruiser'', ''touring'', ''sports'', ''off-road'', and ''dual-purpose''. ''Sport touring'' is sometimes recognized as a seventh category or integrated with the ''touring' ...


References

{{Types of motorcycles Vehicle technology Wheeled vehicles