SRK & Solo limited to North Anerica

[Rickb]

Rick ....you are the living proof of the victory of hope over experience! But you´re right ... I´m a born again pessimist.

I'm an old and experienced realist......no hope or trust based on my many years of real world experience.  I'm simply looking at the engineering specs and the low center of gravity factor seeing rather stabile three wheeler concepts in both the SRK and the Solo.  I haven't seen any photos or videos  the original Corbin Sparrow that indicate stability issues. 

However, I read many complaints from CarverOne owners regarding stability. 

If the SRK or SOLO were internal combustion engine powered or had a 1F2R wheel configuration, I would have concern.  Obviously, we should both wait for actual testing results to verify the facts, rather than speculate.  

I'm more concerned about crash test safety on a small footprint vehicle, but that isn't a deal breaker for me either.

I appreciate your viewpoint along with all others.  It makes for interesting conversation.  We share a common interest, but have different points of view.......a good thing.  With that said, I don't even believe everything I think.

[paravil]

The power source is of only secondary importance to me, so I´d be perfectly happy with a petrol engine. A three-wheeler with one at the back doesn´t seem to be any safer than having one at the front. I´ve owned both: a Messerschmitt and a Bond Bug. They both were temperamental, though under different conditions. Ausdralian James has now progressed to fitting his narrow tilter with four wheels.

Here´s one more bold idea that will likely never see the light of day: http://naro.50webs.com/index2.htm

[DanCooper]

Here is a list of 3-wheelers, categorized by type. I note that by far the most common is the Tadpole no-tilt configuration, and a number of them are on the road. The only active tilt trike in production, as far as I can tell, is the Toyota I-Road, and its top speed is 37 mph. I think if there were serious stability problems with a non-tilting trike they would be well known by now. Last Summer I saw a report of a trike fatality leaving Sturgis, but it was a case of drifting off the road and had nothing to do with stability.

D = Delta
T = Tadpole
A = Active tilt
P = Passive tilt
N = No tilt

DA Carver
DN Bond Bug
DN CityEl
DN Harley-Davidson Tri Glide
DN Robin Reliant
DN Snyder ST600
DN ZAP Xebra
DP Honda Gyro
TA Toyota i-Road
TN Campagna T-REX
TN Can-Am Spyder
TN Elio
TN Messerschmitt
TN Morgan
TN Myers NmG (Corbin Sparrow)
TN Polaris Slingshot
TN Solo
TN SRK
TP Piaggio MP3
TP Yamaho Tricity

[paravil]

.... and not one of them turned into a market success. When I owned the Messerschmitt (and later, the Bug), it was just for the fun of it. Neither could be considered a serious option to a car. But now that traffic speed in an urban environment is very often down to walking pace, and parking is practically impossible, consumers still seem to prefer large, SUV type vehicles. A small, urban vehicle would have to be seen as a viable option. But, as yet, none are available.

[DanCooper]

Actually the Can-Am Spyder and the Polaris Slingshot are commercially successful. They are both produced at over 10,000 per year. These are fun vehicles for road trips in good weather. The SRK is a fun vehicle for city and suburban use. Some people don't equate city driving with fun, but let's face it, we do a whole lot more city driving than road trips, so why not make it as much fun as it can be.

[Rickb]

.... and not one of them turned into a market success. When I owned the Messerschmitt (and later, the Bug), it was just for the fun of it. Neither could be considered a serious option to a car. But now that traffic speed in an urban environment is very often down to walking pace, and parking is practically impossible, consumers still seem to prefer large, SUV type vehicles. A small, urban vehicle would have to be seen as a viable option. But, as yet, none are available.

The vehicle that best meets the needs for the snails pace urban driving environment you describe is Toyota's:

[DanCooper]

I don't face snail's pace urban driving in Casper. Around town I may go 80 mph on the Interstate. I used to live in Grenoble, where they are testing the I-Road. It is a perfect test site for a small, slow urban vehicle. The streets are narrow, the blocks are short, and there is a good light rail system. Not too many cities in the USA are like that. Actually, Grenoble has the Rocade Sud with a speed limit of 90 kph (56 mph) - I got a couple of speeding tickets. Now they are reducing it to 70 kph (43 mph) in rush hour, still faster than the I-Road. For those whose commute takes them on that road, the SRK would be a better choice. To say nothing of the fun factor. There are lots of winding mountain roads leading from Grenoble to great hiking and viewing spots, all within the range of an SRK.

[paravil]

Yes, the SRK does seem to be the best option at the moment (if not for the European market that would allow four wheels and would likely impose a rigid speed limit on a three wheeler). But the snail´s pace of development does not bode well.

[DanCooper]

The Can-Am Spyder is sold in Europe so surely the SRK could be too. There might be picky details about lights and turn signals, though. When I moved to France I couldn't bring my motorcycle, even though the same model is sold there. The same coming back.

[paravil]

I´ve never seen a Can-Am here in Berlin, or even heard of anyone owning one. A few non-tilting three and four wheeled quads are seen around, but ownership is extremely limited. Tilting, three-wheeled scooters seem to be catching on though. I haven´t been able to find out why there are no enclosed quads on the market. Could be due to safety and registration issues. Could this also be why Arcimoto have not introduced their enclosure renderings?