Fun One: Volkswagen shows futuristic trike concept

Volkswagen's fancy new trike concept, the One

Volkswagen have launched their ‘Visions of the Future’ website, where they showcase the cars – and, it seems, trikes – they may be building twenty years from now. And the one thing that caught our attention was, er, the One, a rather cool three-wheeler concept.

While it still won’t be able to fly, the VW One will be able to communicate with other similar vehicles, ‘see’ traffic signals and respond to them, find parking space and then park itself automatically, and link up with other One trikes to effortlessly find its way through rush hour traffic.

Back in May this year, we had reported that VW wants to start making motorcycles, perhaps with some help from KTM. We don’t know if that’s still on, but if not, the least VW can do is build the One as soon as they can…

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2008 MotoGP race reports and hi-res wallpaper...
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H.H. The Pope to ride in Indian-made Piaggio trike...
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DVD review: Riding solo to the top of the world

External links:
Project T25: Gordon Murray's take on the future of personal transport...
Bimota to take on Ducati Hypermotard with DB8 Veleno?
Luis D’Antin steps down as Alice Ducati MotoGP team boss!

Pope Benedict XVI to ride in Indian-made Piaggio three-wheeler

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and his Piaggio Ape Calessino-based Popemobile. Funky!

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI is getting a cool new set of wheels. No, not the Maserati Quattroporte. The Pope will soon be whizzing around the Vatican City in a custom-made Piaggio three-wheeler. Based on the Ape Calessino, the Popemobile has been made by Piaggio’s Indian subsidiary in Baramati, in India.

Two of these specially built Popemobiles, which bear the Vatican City insignia, have been presented to the Pope by Piaggio. In keeping with papal requirements, both three-wheelers have been painted white, with white leather seats and white hood. Even the tyres have white sidewalls. Totally cool, eh?

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Fast and funky: Some of the coolest trikes in the world...!
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Isle of Man to host 'green GP' in 2009...
Suzuki Gemma 250 goes on sale in Japan...
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Bandito: Hannigan Motorsports’ Kawasaki ZX-14 sidecar

A 320km/h sidecar combo? But of course...

Along with the wife, what if you also wanted to take your mum-in-law for a ride on your 320km/h Kawasaki ZX-14? Why, get Hannigan’s ZX-14 sidecar kit – the Bandito – of course. The US-based Hannigan Motorsports will sell a brand-new ZX-14 Bandito outfit to you for a mere US$18,000.

Hannigan say the ZX-14 Bandito is incredibly easy to steer, has a low centre of gravity and with its adjustable caster, wide, low-profile tyres, anti-sway bar, and high-performance suspension, can be easily cornered at high speeds. And, they say, it’s equally easy to ride for beginners as it’s for experienced sidecar riders. All we can say is, its beats taking a car any day…

Here's one of Hannigan's ZX-14 Bandito outfits in action in the real world...
Pic: Killboy

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Kawasaki ZZR1400 Turbo: 320km/h and beyond...
Battle of the Ninjas: Kawasaki ZZR1100 vs ZZR1400!
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170bhp Kawasaki ZRX1100 Turbo...
Allen Millyard's 2300cc, V12-powered Kawasaki!
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Blown Away: Supercharged Kawasaki ZRX1200...

UDO: Twisted Trikes’ FireBlade-powered three-wheeler

Honda Fireblade engine + three wheels = loads of fun!

Pics: Twisted Trikes

Here’s yet another three-wheeler that should be loads of fun. Created by Twisted Trikes, the UDO (unidentified driving object) package consists of a 954 model Honda CBR900RR engine, six-speed sequential-shift gearbox, three wheels, custom-made chassis, adjustable coil-over-shock front suspension, rack and pinion steering, and Momo F1-type steering wheel.

The UDO weighs about 290 kilos and while no performance figures are available, the thing should accelerate harder than most sportscars and hit a top speed of about 240km/h. Sounds like our kind of fun…

For more details, visit the Twisted Trikes website here

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GG Quadster: Return of the Quadzilla!
Acabion GTBO 70: Mad Max lives...
The absolutely amazing Carver One!
SUB G1: One racy trike...
All the trikes on Faster and Faster...

Superbike racing seems to be doing great in the US! Find out more on Motoblog

SAM: An electric trike from Switzerland…

Designed and built by the Swiss-based Cree Ltd., this is SAM, a battery-powered trike with a top speed of about 85km/h. GSX-Rs need petrol. This doesn't...

Designed and developed by Swiss company, Cree Ltd., SAM is a zero emission vehicle (ZEV) which is currently being tested in Switzerland. The three-wheeled vehicle, which has been in development for the last eight years, is now approved for road use.

SAM features two wheels at the front, and one at the back, with two seats placed one behind the other. The trike is powered by an electric motor that develops 15kW and 80Nm of torque. The motor gets its juice from 14 batteries of 168V, and these take six hours to get fully charged. Range on one full charge is about 60km, and SAM can hit a top speed of 85km/h. Time taken to accelerate from zero to 50km/h, with two passengers on board, is seven seconds.

With its lightweight extruded aluminium chassis, SAM weighs 695kg fully laden. The front suspension comprises of upper suspension arms and lower transverse epoxy leaf springs, while twin MacPherson struts on rocker arm make up the rear suspension. Steering is rack and pinion.

In terms of passenger safety, SAM comes fitted with three-point safety belts and an integrated roll bar. The trike rides on 15-inch wheels, and brakes are 240mm discs all around. When it finally goes on sale (next year, perhaps?), SAM will cost the equivalent of US$10,000. For more information, visit the Cree website here

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2009 Buell XB12XP. Stop!, Police!
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2009 Indian Chief out by Christmas this year...
The best race-replica Fireblade ever...?
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170bhp Kawasaki ZRX1100 Turbo
Born in the USA: 180bhp, supercharged Roehr 1250sc
Fruit juice-powered Triumph hits 254km/h...

...and here, finally, is how motorcyclists can take on truck drivers. Big respect... :-)
video: Oliepeil

Deus Ex Machina: Wearable motorcycle from the Art Center Pasadena

Jake Loniak's wearable motorcycle - the Deus Ex Machina. Some people just won't buy an R1...
Pics: Green Car Design

Professor Bumsuk Lim at the Art Center Pasadena, California, has taken his passion for motorcycles and used it to develop the Art Center’s first official motorcycle design class. The idea was to explore alternative vehicles, without sticking to the traditional package of two (or three, or four…) wheels.

Lim’s brief to his students was to not worry about traditional constraints like seating, storage space, market segments and so on, and just get on with creating a kind of motorcycle that simply doesn’t exist today.

Good thing, then, that at least some of his students listened to Lim. Jake Loniak, for example, who’s a Transportation Design student at the Art Center. Loniak came up with an interesting project, which he calls ‘Deus Ex Machina.’ Under this project, he’s designed an electric motorcycle that a single passenger can wear, and ride. Er… yes, it’s a ‘wearable motorcycle.’

Now we don’t understand this fully, but the Deus Ex Machina has 36 pneumatic muscles and two linear actuators which allow it to work with the human body as one cohesive whole. With this machine, man and motorcycle operate as one single unit.

Loniak’s design was inspired by Biomechatronics, which combines aspects of biology, mechanics, and electronics. The bike is powered by NanoPhosphate batteries and ultra-capacitors, and is fitted with an in-wheel motor that could supply enough torque for the machine to accelerate from zero to 100km/h in three seconds. Recharge time for the batteries is 15 minutes, and top speed, for now, is limited to 120km/h.

We don’t really suppose this motorcycle will ever make it to production, but it’s good to see that original thinking is alive and well among the people who might someday be designing our next motorcycle!

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Going hubless: Does the motorcycle wheel really reinvention?
Significant 'firsts' in motorcycling...

External links:
An amazingly hot ZX-10R...

First pics of the hydrogen fuel cell-powered Suzuki Crosscage in action!
Pics: Jalopnik

Guzzi-powered trike: The Blackjack Zero

The Moto Guzzi-powered Blackjack Zero
Pics: Blackjack

Involved in the design, development and production of trikes since 1995, Blackjack are now ready with their latest creation – the Zero – which is fitted with a v-twin engine from Moto Guzzi. (On their website, Blackjack have not specified which Guzzi engine, but we think it'll be the 1200cc v-twin.) Designed by Richard Oakes, the Zero, according to its creators, “delivers the excitement of a bike, with greater comfort, more sociability and a reverse gear.’ Er, more sociability? Oh, well, anyway…

The front-wheel-drive Zero’s bodywork comprises of a fibreglass tub with reinforced bulkheads, and the chassis is made of tubular steel. Rack-and-pinion steering, wishbones and adjustable coil-over-damper shocks at the front, and a trailing swingarm and monoshock complete the package. The Zero rides on 17-inch wheels, shod with 215/40 ZR-rated tyres and the 450-kilo trike can seat two people in comfort.

For more details, visit the Blackjack website here.

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Tjitze Tjoelker’s homemade Honda V8...
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Lamborghini Design 90: It's all bull!
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The world's fastest man vs the world's fastest bike!

Space Efficient Vehicle: Redefining urban transport

Can this SEV and other similar trikes replace cars on our roads? We hope so!
Pics: Michelin Challenge Design

One of our readers – Ralph Panhuyzen – recently wrote to us, asking us to write about the machine he’s designed. Panhuyzen’s ‘Space Efficient Vehicle’ was one of the entries in the 2008 Michelin Challenge Design and features two wheels at the front, and two (clustered together) at the back, effectively making it a three-wheeler. The Netherlands-based Panhuyzen, who’s project lead and inventor of the SEV, says that the machine ‘is best perceived as a next-generation Isetta.’

Compared with cars, the sleek, lightweight SEV has advantages of maneuverability, better fuel economy, lower emissions, leaner production costs, and the ability to use the existing road infrastructure more efficiently. With its small engine, the narrow-track SEV will do anything between 75 to 110mpg and it’s been designed to meet the transportation needs of singles, couples, and one-child families.

For more information, visit the Michelin Challenge Design website here, or send a mail to sevehicle@gmail.com

Here are some other interesting three-wheeler concepts from the MCD...

Pics: MCD

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MotoGP-replica GSX-R: Awesome!
Tjitze Tjoelker's homemade Honda V8...
Kalex AV1: Pushing the performance envelope...
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Pendolauto: Franco Sbarro’s four-wheeled motorcycle concept unveiled...
Kawasaki KLR650-based diesel motorcycles for the US Army!
Three's company: A bunch of interesting trikes...

And here's some pics from the 2008 Le Mans 24 Hours race. Team Suzuki won, while the Ducati 1098R, in orange and blue Gulf colours, looks the hottest!

Harley-powered trike: The Cirbin V13R

V13R: Three wheels, a Harley-Davidson 125bhp v-twin and lots of chrome...

Started by two men – André Morissette and David Neault – the Canada-based Cirbin have recently started operations, and the V13R trike is their very first product. Conceptualized as a three-wheeled hot-rod that’s fun, stylish and performance-oriented, the V13R is fitted with a liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, 1250cc Harley-Davidson v-twin. Claimed power output is 125bhp at the rear wheel, and since the V13R weighs 475kg, performance should be at least reasonably entertaining.

The V13R’s engine is mated to a five-speed (plus one reverse) sequential transmission, and a toothed-belt final drive system transfers power to the single rear wheel. Clutch, brakes and accelerator controls are placed like those in a conventional car. The V13R can seat two people, and there’s space for luggage under the hood. For those who want to carry more luggage, optional side cases are also available.

As a package, the Cirbin V13R has been tuned and optimised for sporty performance
Pics: Motoblog

The Cirbin V13R features fibreglass bodywork, steel tube chassis, tubular steel roll bars and three-point seatbelts. Suspension comprises of fully adjustable monoshock at the rear, and fully adjustable twin front shocks at the front – both ends are set up for delivering a sporty and responsive ride and handling. Front wheels are 17-inchers, wearing 205/45 ZR-rated rubber, while the single rear wheel is an 18-incher, shod with 295/35 ZR rubber.

For more pics and details, visit the Cirbin website here.

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Right up front: Ferruccio Codutti’s Monster S4
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The amazing Peraves MonoTracer...
Lumeneo Smera: Another car-motorcycle hybrid!
Pendolauto: Franco Sbarro's four-wheeled motorcycle concept...
Kawasaki KLR-based diesel motorcycles for the US military!

External links:
Old racebikes: Die another day...
Laverda 1000 3C Triple: Massimo’s Masterpiece...
Bored with bikes? Read Nuts magazine... (NSFW)

From the 1987 Battletwin RR1000 to the current XB12XT, Buell have come a long, long way. See the 2008 XB12XT riding impression here!
Buell XB12XT pic: Motorcycle USA

More three-wheeler weirdness: The Sidam XNovo

The XNovo features tilting wheels at the rear. So you can topple right over in the bends, especially if you are carrying a lot of luggage at the back...

Pics: The Biker Gene

If the Piaggio MP3, Gilera Fuoco, Carver One and Brudeli 625L weren’t eccentric enough already, we have a new addition to the Tilting Trike team – the Sidam XNovo. Like the Carver One, the XNovo has two wheels at the rear, but instead of the tilt mechanism being at the front (which is the case with the Carver), the XNovo’s tilting system is at the rear!

The Sidam XNovo will supposedly be fitted with a 500cc Piaggio engine, though hybrid and fully-electric versions may also be available. The trike’s rear wheels are independently sprung, and will be able to tilt during cornering maneouvers. This rather strange (stupid?) arrangement will, in our opinion, offer zero dynamic benefits – expect ride and handling to be utter rubbish. This is in complete contrast to the other trikes mentioned above, all of which utilize their third wheel to offer very significant handling benefits over regular two-wheelers.

It may be able to carry more luggage than a regular scooter, and even offer some weather protection, but the Sidam XNovo seems to be an ill-conceived, poorly thought-out vehicle. According to some reports on the Internet, this thing is expected to go into production later this year, and will be priced at around US$11,000. We'd much rather take a Gilera Fuoco really...

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Running rich: The US$270,000 Ecosse Heretic Titanium!
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The Pi X Bonneville racer edition: 30bhp for US$39,000
Future watch: Will motorcycle safety result in deathly-dull motorcycles?
The Fireblade-powered Rage R180RT!
WheelSurf Monowheel: Join the singles club…

External links:
Freddie Spencer and his 1985 250/500 double world championship...

Rotohak: The 325bhp BMW sidecar that… isn’t one!

Nice, shiny BMW, eh?

Pics: Rotohak

You’ll probably look at this bright-yellow sidecar rig and think it’s a BMW-powered trike. And you’d be completely wrong. Because what looks like a BMW engine poking out from the BMW R1150RT motorcycle fairing, is actually an empty shell!

The Rotohak’s sidecar actually packs a twin-turbo, 325bhp rotary engine from the Mazda Cosmo, mated to a VW automatic transmission. Both (the motorcycle’s as well as the sidecar’s) rear wheels are powered by this Mazda engine, and the owner claims this rig will actually wheelie if you cane it hard enough. Interesting? Read more about the Rotohak here.

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A bunch of very interesting trikes!
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The US$140,000 Neander Turbodiesel...
The BMW R1150GS-based Beutler Boxer!
Mad buggy: The Honda Fireblade-powered Rage R180RT...

External links:
Marco Melandri says Stoner's success is due to Ducati's traction control system!
Motorcycle USA: Kawasaki Ninja 250R riding impression

Which is the best dual-purpose bike in 2008? The Yamaha XT660Z Tenere, the Honda XL700V Transalp or the all-new BMW F800GS? We'd probably take the Tenere...!

One racy trike: The SUB G1

Lightweight, stylish, fast and fun - the SUB G1 trike looks cool!

Pics: SUB

Based in Southern California in the US, SUB was set up by Niki Smart, Jay Brett and Nick Mynott. The small company caters to people who want individualistic, one-off runabouts. And the G1, a three-wheeler, is one such vehicle – a fully functional, road-legal trike that can also be used on the track for a bit of fun!

Designed back in 2005, the SUB G1 was built to look good and go hard. The aim was to build a lightweight, single-seat, high-performance canyon carver. Here, handling and being fun to ride were more important than acceleration and outright top speed.

With two wheels at the front and one at the back, the 330-kilo G1 features tubular spaceframe construction and has a 50/50 front/rear weight distribution ratio. Suspension is double unequal length wishbones and anti-roll bar at front, and a single-sided arrangement – upper and lower trailing arms – at the rear. Steering is rack and pinion, and 350mm brake discs with twin-piston calipers are used on all wheels, which are 18-inch, forged aluminum numbers.

The Suzuki TL1000’s engine has been used in the SUB G1. The 996cc, DOHC, 8-valve, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected v-twin makes 135bhp and 105Nm of torque, and is mated to a six-speed sequential gearbox. (Surprisingly, however, there is no reverse gear.) Final drive is via chain, to the rear wheel. The G1’s estimated top speed is around 225km/h.

According to an email sent to us by Jay Brett, one of the founders of SUB, development and refinement work on the G1 is still on. Says Brett, ‘The sensation of driving one of these is incomparable. A bit like a bike, but you are fixed down low and in a reclined formula car position. It’s quite an awesome feeling, a shifter kart for the road!’

Three G1s exist today, with two of them being registered for road use in SoCal and the third one being in the UK. SUB claim that the G1 makes you feel like a racecar driver, because of its superbike-like speed and formula car handling. Indeed, we think the trike is quite fascinating and we quite like the way it looks. You can visit the SUB website for more pictures and details.

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Other cool trikes on Faster and Faster...
The wildest Peugeot-powered bike you've ever seen!
Get ready for the 2008 KTM 1190 RC8...
The very cool Aprilia SMV750 Dorsoduro and FV2 concept...
The 2008 Ducati 1098R. Simply awesome!
Bourget Shredder F80: 425bhp V8-powered quad!

More of this chick and this bike here

Side-Bike: 2008 Celtik now available in Europe

The 2008 Celtik. Three wheels, two seats, 133 horsepower. Go touring now...

Based in France, trike specialists Side-Bike are now ready with the 2008 Celtik, which will soon be available all over Europe. Powered by a 2000cc engine that makes 133bhp, the 650-kilo Celtik features single-arm front suspension and ABS. Prices start at US$36,000 for the two-seater Celtik, which has enough space for two suitcases. Looks ideal for getting away to the French Riviera for the weekend…

And here are some trikes from Side-Bike. From left: The Comete, Mega and Kyrnos

From left: The Renaissance, Zeus and a group shot of various Side-Bike trikes

Also see:
Other interesting trikes...
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When Ducati made scooters...
DVD Review: Riding solo to the top of the world
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External links:
The best car for for motorcyclists? Probably this...
The ever-amazing Ducati 851, like you've never seen it before!

Ready to roll: 2008 TriRod F3 Adrenaline

The 2008 TriRod F3 Adrenaline. One, two, three... GO!

Right now, trikes seem to be the hot ticket for those looking for a wild ride, and TriRod’s F3 Adrenaline is right up that alley. Billed by its manufacturers as the ‘world’s first production performance three-wheel motorcycle,’ the F3 weighs 340 kilos, is powered by a 2.0-litre Harley-Davidson v-twin, and costs all of US$55,000! TriRod say that the F3 has been created using ‘advanced technologies from Formula 1 racing, aerospace and motorcycles,’ and that it offers ‘unparalleled performance.’ Hmmm…

Like some other trikes we’ve seen recently, the F3 Adrenaline uses two wheels at the front and one at the back – a layout that’s supposed to offer stable, secure handling, the ability to corner harder at higher speeds, and adequate rollover resistance. Bodypanels are made of carbonfibre, suspension is fully adjustable and transmission is via a six-speed manual-shift gearbox.

More details on the TriRod website here.

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The US$270,000 Ecosse Heretic!
The amazing 2008 MV Agusta Brutale 1078RR...
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2008 KTM 1190 RC8. It rocks!
Pics and specs: 2008 Honda CB1000R
Heavy Hitter: Shelby's 150bhp musclebike...
The coolest MotoGP paintjob ever?

The V-Max Roadstercycle

What would the girlfriend have to say about this...?

What you see here is Fleming Engineering’s '34 Roadstercycle trike, fitted with a Yamaha V-Max engine and five-speed gearbox. All controls on this single-seater trike are handlebar mounted. The '34 runs 120/60-ZR17 Avon tyres at the front, while the rear is a monstrous 300/35-18 Avon Venom. Styling, in our opinion, is quite basic – one big engine sitting right up front and… very little else.

The engine looks impressive, but they could've worked harder on the styling

Fleming also make a Harley-engined trike – the '32 Roadstercycle. Both are street legal in the US and can be registered as motorcycles. More details and pics on the official website here.

More trikes:
The absolutely amazing Carver One!
Sexy, Italian and three-wheeled: The Gilera Fuoco 500
The KTM-based Brudeli 625L
Tiff Needell tests the awesome Campagna T-Rex
A trike from India...!
The 2008 Can-Am Spyder...

Carver One: Orders being taken now

The 68bhp Carver One should be the perfect tool for your daily commute...

An increasing number of people, it would seem, are just not happy with having a Honda FireBlade and a Honda Civic Type R in their garage. No, they want something more. Something different. Something with three wheels…?

In the last few months, we’ve reported on quite a few three-wheeled contraptions – the Piaggio MP3, the Gilera Fuoco 500, the Campagna T-Rex, the Volkswagen GX3, the Brudeli 625L, the Can-Am Spyder and even the super-fast Acabion GTBO 70, which is not really a three-wheeler, but works like one at lower speeds.

Now imagine overtaking your neighbour's Golf GTI...

So do we need another one? You bet we do. Enter the Carver One, a few units of which were actually first produced and sold back in 2003. Based in the Netherlands, Carver have tweaked and improved their machine over the years, and now this… thing, is all set to go into production. In fact, the Carver One will be made in technical collaboration with Prodrive, one of the world's leading motorsport technology providers.

The Carver One is powered by a turbocharged, 660cc, 16-valve, inline-four from Daihatsu. This engine makes 68 horsepower at 6,000rpm, is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, and powers the 670kg machine from zero to 100km/h in 8.2 seconds and on to a top speed of around 185km/h.

These hopped-up trikes can't really be beat for a spot of fun. Madness...

Of course, the most notable thing about the Carver One is not its acceleration or top speed numbers, but the fact that it steers like a car, and in turns, leans over like a motorcycle! Depending on cornering speed, the One’s Dynamic Vehicle Control (DVC) system automatically adjusts its tilt angle, ensuring optimum balance at all times.

Depending on the options you specify, this unique two-seater, three-wheeler costs about US$50,000. We don’t know if that’s good value for money, but it sure should be one hell of a ride!

More details on the Carver One at the official website here.

This video shows the Carver One in action!

Also see:
Some really cool custom bikes
Some interesting trikes!
The Polaris Revolver Sport Quadricycle
The Acabion GTBO 70: 700bhp, 600km/h top speed!

The Carver One, on test on Top Gear

2008 Can-Am Spyder. Man!

If you can't afford a Campagna T-Rex, this Can-Am Spyder just might be the next best thing...

Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP), the company that makes Sea-Doo watercraft, Ski-Doo snowmobiles, Rotax engines, and Can-Am ATVs, is now going to start building a brand-new three-wheeler – the Can-Am Spyder.

The 316-kilo Spyder is powered by a 998cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 8-valve, Rotax v-twin that makes 106 horsepower at 8,500rpm. The power is transferred to the (single) rear wheel via (foot-operated) five-speed manual transmission, and the vehicle uses a belt-drive system. An electronic, push-button gearshift mechanism will also be made available on the Spyder, as an optional extra.

The Can-Am Spyder also uses what BRP calls its Vehicle Stability System (VSS), where no less than four computers continuously monitor things like wheel speed, engine speed, and load. Working in conjunction with the Spyder’s anti-lock brakes, traction control and stability control systems, VSS automatically adjusts power and braking parameters if it is senses that something is going to go wrong.

The Can-Am Spyder will become available in US dealerships in September this year, and will cost US$14,999. A higher-spec variant, with automatic clutch and push-button shifting, will be pegged at US$16,499. For more details, visit the company website here or see Motorcycle-USA's riding impression here.

Powerful, yellow, funky and thoroughly impractical. Should be good fun then!

Other interesting three-wheelers:
Sin City: Volkswagen GX3
Tiff Needell tests the mighty Campagna T-Rex!
Brudeli 625L: Radical new KTM-based three-wheeler!
Piaggio MP3
Gilera Fuoco 500

Tiff Needell tests the Campagna T-Rex

Tiff Needell of Fifth Gear, having an absolute blast in the T-Rex!

Some time ago, we had written about this absolutely awesome three-wheeler, the Campagna T-Rex, which is powered by a Kawasaki ZZR1200 engine that makes more than 150 horsepower. Recently, Tiff Needell of Fifth Gear tested the T-Rex and going by the video you see here, he had an absolute blast. In fact, the T-Rex looks like so much fun, we wouldn’t mind swapping two wheels for three. At least for a day…

See lots of other interesting trikes here

Three Spree: Gilera Fuoco 500

The radical-looking Gilera Fuoco 500 scooter. Should be fun!

Gilera looked at Piaggio’s MP3 three-wheeled scooter and decided they also want to do one. So here it is – the Gilera Fuoco 500, which has been unveiled at the EICMA show in Milan. While we don’t know how practical it is, it sure looks terrific and it’s slated to go on sale in a few weeks from now. Cool!

Want to practise getting your knee down? The almost-impossible-to-crash Fuoco should be the ideal tool...

The three-wheeled Fuoco (Italian for ‘Fire’) is based on the Piaggio MP3’s chassis but has been modified and optimised for sportier handling. Power comes from a 500cc single-cylinder engine, which makes around 40 horsepower, and the transmission is of course a CVT system. Like with the MP3, the Fuoco’s main advantage over a conventional two-wheeler is said to be greatly improved stability and safety, especially on wet and slippery road surfaces. But hell, we’d buy it for its looks alone!

'Lose' the front end on this and it'll merely slide. On your GSX-R, you may end up in a hospital...

Also see:
Hi-res Gilera Fuoco wallpaper
Piaggio MP3
Brudeli 625L three-wheeler
Volkswagen GX3
Campagna T-Rex three-wheeler

Brudeli 625L: Radical new KTM-based three-wheeler

The Brudeli 625L lets you do this without fear of falling off!

BrudeliTech, the makers of the Brudeli 625L three-wheeler you see here, say that theirs is ‘a unique new vehicle providing an extraordinary riding experience,’ and that it is ‘best described as something in between a motorcycle and an ATV-quad.’ The machine is expected to be launched by mid-2007.

Designed by one of Scandinavia’s leading design houses, Hareide Designmill, the Brudeli 625L borrows its engine and various chassis components from the KTM 625 SMC supermotard, and utilises Ohlins suspension components. The specially designed front wheel mechanism lets the two front wheels lean at an angle of up to 45 degrees. With some practise, even moderately skilled riders should be able to ride the Brudeli harder than they would be able to ride a motorcycle, without falling off!

For videos of the Brudeli in action, go here

Yeah, three-wheelers can be fun!

Other interesting three-wheelers:
Volkswagen GX3
Campagna T-Rex
Piaggio MP3