Sidecar + Scooter + Trike Motorcycles
Sidecar + Scooter + Trike Motorcycles is a catch–all category that, according to guides, includes machines that have styling, controls and seating positions like those found on motorcycles, but are different in important ways. Reviews of the Sidecars category include motorcycles with an affixed sidecar rig, also known as a “sidehack,” that adds a third wheel and a car that can be used to carry a passenger or cargo. Scooters have a step–through design that offers a chair–like seating position with the rider’s knees close together, as well as a twist–and–go transmission (usually a CVT) that doesn’t require a rider to change gears manually. Trikes are typically conversions–motorcycles with the rear wheel replaced by an axle and two car–like wheels/tires.
2009 Honda DN-01 Road Test
Kevin Ash
October 10, 2008
[this review of the 2009 Honda DN-01 was originally published in the November 2008 issue of Rider] Confusion. If there was a consistent theme running through the presentation of Honda’s new DN-01 in Milan, then this was it. Confusion first is exactly what the DN-01 is or is meant to do-it looks... Read more »
2008 Can-Am Spyder Road Test
Rider Magazine
September 15, 2008
photography by the author, Gary Drevenstedt and Scott Hirko [This 2008 Can-Am Spyder Road Test was originally published in the September 2008 issue of Rider magazine] The not-so-itsy-bitsy Spyder at the western edge of Mono Lake, an ancient salt lake near Yosemite National Park. Feeling lonely? Having... Read more »
2008 Piaggio MP3 500 Road Test
Rider Magazine
July 9, 2008
If Batman owned a scooter the Piaggio MP3 500 would be it. In the immortal words of Robin, the Gotham-city hero’s sidekick, “Holy mechanical marvel, Batman!” And that it is, with its three wheels and parallelogram steering and suspension components that allow the MP3 to lean up to 40... Read more »
2008 Lehman Renegade Trike Road Test
Bill Stermer
July 8, 2008
We’ve seen them at rallies and rolling down the road, three-wheeled vehicles based on motorcycles that are referred to as “trike conversions.” The conversion process is usually performed by a dealer and consists of substituting a differential and a pair of rear wheels for the bike’s... Read more »
2008 Trike Buyers Guide
Rider Magazine
April 17, 2008
You’ve seen them on the road and probably heard the rationale. With three wheels, a tricycle is more stable than a motorcycle; there’s no dropping your trike in a parking lot. Come to a stop and you don’t even need to put your feet down to keep it balanced. And think of the weight you’re saving... Read more »
2008 Can-Am Spyder First Ride
Rider Contributor
April 11, 2008
[This 2008 Can-Am Spyder First Ride was originally published in the April 2007 issue of Rider magazine] by Troy Siahaan The wild vehicle you see before you is the 2008 Can-Am Spyder. The wild vehicle you see before you is the 2008 Can-Am Spyder, which parent company Bombardier is using to bring the... Read more »
2007 Kymco Xciting 500 Road Test
Rider Contributor
October 24, 2007
[This 2007 Kymco Xciting 500 Road Test was originally published in the May 2006 issue of Rider magazine] The Kymco Xciting 500 weighs 529 pounds fully fueled and carries its weight low. Scooters were big back in the 1960s when I was in high school, and began making a comeback in the ’90s. Today,... Read more »
The 32nd Annual Griffith Park Sidecar Rally
Paul Garson
May 1, 2004
Even Huell Howser, the host of PBS-affiliate KCET TV’s popular “California Gold,” showed up for the weekend event that brought sidecar rigs trundling into L.A.’s Griffith Park from all points of the compass. After all, this is the mother lode for rare, unusual and very high-tech sidehacks and... Read more »
