4 Wheeled Gold Wing?????

[jasunderland]

I saw something while riding this weekend that maybe someone can explain to me.... I was slabbing it on the 210 and a black gold wing passed me and at first, I thought it was a trike, but after further examination, I saw the stock back tire, and also noticed that the 2 other wheels were the same size as the rear tire and the fat ones you see on a trike. Whatever this attachment was, it also had a trailer hitch(which is what I am guessing this attachment has something to do with.) I knew you could get any option you ever wanted on a gold wing from heated everything, to cup holders, to snow tires with chains, but I have never in my life seen one with 4 wheels. Any thoughts??

[shawn.m]

Their is a company selling a trike conversion kit that bolts to your stock bike. I basically adds two wheels to your standard bike. I have seen it at the bike shows before.

[ogmike]

Maybe this http://www.tow-pacinc.com/

[FishWitch]

I saw one on Sunday only with the trailer attached. It was pretty cool. Definitly an option for some one older or balanced challenged or in need of a bit more stabalization. It was a sort of cherry reddish maroon one on 5 heading north near Patterson. It appeared to be an older gentleman that was heavy set riding with a big ol smile!!!

[firefly]

I was at the local Honda dealer in Santa Monica and saw a weired looking thing, the front wheels have independent suspension and the bike is capable of 40* lean angle, it is a vespa brand
the sales man said that he takes it to Santa Monica mountains and beats sports bikes with it.

[Beemer bum]

Originally Posted by firefly

I was at the local Honda dealer in Santa Monica and saw a weired looking thing, the front wheels have independent suspension and the bike is capable of 40* lean angle, it is a vespa brand
the sales man said that he takes it to Santa Monica mountains and beats sports bikes with it.

I test rode one of these in Roseville at A&S BMW they also sell Piaggio.
This thing was a blast, you could throw it into a corner with absolutely no worry about the front end washing out on you.
I was deliberately trying to turn sharpest in the sandy parts of the corner, I only ended up drifting like a mustang hot on the track!
It was great, I can't wait to try the proposed 500cc model.
You can even play with the settings so you never have to put your feet down, or you can play like it's a real bike and fall over! The versatility is REALLY cool!

[redzdvl]

our local honda dealer also has those ...

our local kawasaki/suzuki dealer has the Can-Am Spyder ... kinda cool lookin - sure beats the vespa IMO .

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/Galler...Back=1&Media=1

[JeffeVerde]

Originally Posted by redzdvl

our local honda dealer also has those ...

our local kawasaki/suzuki dealer has the Can-Am Spyder ... kinda cool lookin - sure beats the vespa IMO .

From a "Hey! Look at me! I'm big and flashy- aren't you impressed?" standpoint, the Spyder beats the "vespa" [sic] (Piaggio, actually). But from a riding standpoint, the MP3 will do circles around the Spyder -- literally.

I had the opportunity to take an extended test ride on the Spyder. I can see where it will appeal to a certain market. But that market is not me, nor anyone who gets a smile on their face when the road turns twisty.

Can-Am states straight out that the Spyder is not a "motorcycle". I would describe it as an "open-cockpit vehicle" - it very much is a snowmobile with wheels. It gives you a similar environmental experience to riding a bike --- until you come to a curve -- and then it feels like a car because it doesn't lean.

Talking to a Can-Am Marketing rep, he said that they viewed their target market as someone with a garage full of flashy toys who liked the "Look at me!" factor. The Spyder will certainly appeal to that demographic, and also makes a good alteranitve to trikes for older/balance-challenged motorcycle riders. But I think they're missing the real market -- women, and especially "bike-widows".

Many (dare I say, most) women won't ride because the physical challenges of operating a motorcycle, combined with the real risks, are simply too daunting. Operating a Spyder isn't much different than operating a car; it allows virtually anyone to hop on and enjoy the sensations of riding *on* a vehicle rather than *in* a vehicle.

I can also see the Spyder serving as an entry to motorcycling, in that it lets the rider develop the situational awareness required to safely ride a motorcycle, without having to, at the same time, also try to master the skills necessary to simply not tip over on a motorcycle. Once the rider has mastered the situational awareness needed to safely move through traffic, the jump to a motorcycle would be much less challenging.