Wonder who built the first trike Harley Davidson or the Japanese. I wonder who quit making them first Harley Davidson or the Japanese. Harley tinkered with bring the Trikes back in the mid 80’s but scraped the idea due to safety issues. They chose to continue to build side cars.
heres another trike
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1932: The H-D 45ci Servicar model was introduced, one year after Indian had introduced their version in 1931. These basic models had a load capacity of 200 pounds in the rear compartment making them very heavy duty machines. The motord snd transmissions were interchangable with the stock 45 cu in of the 1937 H-Ds.
Not to be compared with the lightweight 3-wheel ATVs brought out by the Japs in the 70s to 80s. The Japs had puny motors of 50 to 150 cc, and were extreme lightweights. A very few were made for hunting or heavy duty but not in the H-D category.
Like comparing ants with elephants. Each has its place.
Safety really had little to do with the death of the ATV. But false perception by do-gooders and stupid actions by many illguided folks did. Yes, we had a witch burning like we had in Salem a few years ago and for about the same reasons. Stupidity.
We have some friends that are long time two wheel riders but like us have no experience on a trike or a sidecar rig. They’ve been comparing the hd trike conversion and the hd sidecar rig, (ultra classics). I’ve recommended they read some of the stuff posted on this and other forums to help get some opinions from experienced riders, comparing the two is difficult, as Hal has said they are not the same animal, however it is not clear if the same dangers of riding the trike pillion is the same as a sidecar rig. Mona prefers the looks of the trike, go figure???
I realize this is a sidecar site and not a trike site and hope you will be patient with me on this subject, Thank You
Lawrence Duckworth
Now here is something that can compared. Harley vs Harley.
Electra Glide with a sidecar:
Factory warranty still intact. Even extended if desired, Big item!
Motorcycle is a stock unmodified unit.
Sidecar can be removed and Motorcycle can be used as a solo ride.
Sidecar can be sold and you still have a motorcycle.
All three wheels/tires are the same except for tread design giving a comfortable ride.
Both motorcycle and sidecar have many decades of engineering incorporated.
Lots of storage and carrying capacity.
Room for three (or more if small children are riding).
Comfortable passenger seating in both sidecar and on motorcycle.
Ability to carry small children and animals safely.
Ability to carry odd shaped loads easily (can you say golf clubs?)
S/C passenger can wear shorts and sandals safely if desired.
S/C passenger can't fall off if they fall asleep.
S/C passenger has own windshield for weather/bug protection.
S/C passenger has unobstructed view of road and ahead.
Great resale value with a wide market sector.
Trike conversion:
You buy an expensive motorcycle and throw half of it away and subsitute an expensive rear half conversion.
Loss of factory extended warranty option.
Not many years of track record and engineering.
Mismatched chassis design with a narrow motorcycle wheel/tire in front and two fat automobile wheels/tires in the rear.
Large rear wheels/tires and short wheelbase give a choppy ride.
With less air in the rear tires, a mushy ride.
Less stability both ways if hard braking in turns.
Still a two passenger unit.
Passengers at risk of falling off.
No passenger windshield.
Passenger must/should wear protective clothing.
Small kids stay at home with the baby sitter.
Limited cargo space.
Limited resale market.
No contest!
Excellent Lonnie! You should send that in to Hack'd and The Sidecarist.
I,ve never driven a trike but whenever I've seen them on the road they always looked kind of...well...silly. Like they couldn't really decide what they wanted to be when they grew up. Hacks on the other hand looked like a real vehicle. Cool, vintage, retro. Conjures up visions of WW-II troops in France. Plus room for three plus baggage. Still retains the identity of the bike, H-D, Wing etc. It just seemed like a more natural move when going from two wheels to three.
Joe
BTW, when talking about fastest growing segment of the market you've got to be careful to look at the fine print. If the industry produced 1 unit last year, and 2 units this year that's a 100% increase in just one year but would hardly represent a firestorm of interest.
Joe
I printed what Hack’n said about the hd sidecar vs the hd trike conversion.
Mona’s changing her mind about the trike!!
Okay guys, it's time for a lady to chime in on this trike vs sidecar thing. I think that I've driven a hack long enough to know a bit about them, I have also test driven a trike and have ridden on the back seat of our long time triker friends' 1800 Goldwing trike. My husband rides two wheels (1800 Goldwing) and I love riding two-up with him. My friend with the trike will run over your butt with that trike and he loves it after many years of riding two wheels. After riding with him in the North Carolina mountains last September, I told my husband that I "never" want him to get a trike!!!!! Oh my lord, what a ride! I love the leaning and smoothness of riding two-up and riding in a sidecar is just too much fun and soooo cool, but getting thrown around on a trike is not for me!
The guys at California sidecar let me take one of their trikes out on the road for a test ride (I'm special - everyone else only got to ride in the industrial park where they are located). They said that I could take it any place that I wanted to go. However, it didn't take much of a ride to convince me that nothing "had" convinced me or was going to convince me that a trike was superior to a sidecar rig. The trike ride is very bumpy. My sidecar rig rides so much smoother than a trike besides all of the advantages that all of you know about cost, storage, versatility and being way cool! Guess you could say that I'm just a sidecar kinda gal!
Connie
