Why Honda is waiting on 3 wheelers

[maximNikenGT]

Saw this interesting video on the original trike, the Honda ATC All Terrain Cycle. My thinking is that although the new Niken three wheel design that allows the rider to lean is fundamentally different than the Honda ATC,  Honda is maybe waiting to see the results through Yamaha before undertaking the plunge back into three wheels again. 

 

[koth442]

Two wheels in front is a lot more stable than two wheels in the rear. 

[HGP61]

Im sure Honda has the design already there for a leaning three wheeler recently looked at pictures of their concept bikes  but like most big corporations will wait to see if their is a profitable outcome before they commit 

[texscottyd]

Personally, I doubt any reservations are connected back directly to the ATC, since they were almost polar opposites of the modern leaning trike concepts.  I still cringe at the ‘Killer Trike’ hype, as I feel that term was an unfair product of greedy litigation, and not anything fundamentally wrong with the trike concept as as ATV.  Yes, they were hard to turn if you didn’t know what you were doing...  a solid rear axle and single front wheel will have that effect.   

Based on everything I’ve seen thus far, the new generation of leaning trike is designed to enhance front end feel and steering response.  No doubt Honda (and every other manufacturer) is watching the Niken market adoption with great interest...   

[Shizzle]

2 hours ago, koth442 said:

Two wheels in front is a lot more stable than two wheels in the rear. 

I would argue that fact. I owned a CanAm Ryker Rally Edition for a year. You talk about a twitchy unpredictable ride. Hated that thing. Bought it on a whim because my son was going to buy one and start riding, that never happened. I couldn't trade that POS soon enough. There are so many fantastic aftermarket Trike kits for Goldwings I don't see a reason for Honda to get into this business. I probably see more HD Trikes on the road than anything. But the Goldwing is the way to go for handling and performance. I have yet to see a Niken on the road. I don't think the market is there for that style of so called Trike.

Edited December 27, 2020 by Shizzle

[betoney]

5 hours ago, koth442 said:

Two wheels in front is a lot more stable than two wheels in the rear. 

 

3 hours ago, Shizzle said:

I would argue that fact. I owned a CanAm Ryker Rally Edition for a year. You talk about a twitchy unpredictable ride. Hated that thing.

All other factors being equal, 2 wheels in front will absolutely be more stable than one,.. unless you are riding in reverse. 

How much different is the Ryker than the Spyder?  I found the Spyder very stable and predictable, other than not leaning and actually having to steer it, it was actually a well mannered vehicle, maybe due to the adjustable suspension and larger size? (I'm not sure if there are other geometry/stability differences).

[Shizzle]

29 minutes ago, betoney said:

 

All other factors being equal, 2 wheels in front will absolutely be more stable than one,.. unless you are riding in reverse. 

How much different is the Ryker than the Spyder?  I found the Spyder very stable and predictable, other than not leaning and actually having to steer it, it was actually a well mannered vehicle, maybe due to the adjustable suspension and larger size? (I'm not sure if there are other geometry/stability differences).

Couldn't tell you a thing about the Spyder. But I had a lot of seat time in the Ryker. I had the Rally Edition, completely adjustable suspension front and rear. I even upgraded the sway bar to the upgraded CanAm version. Still a POS. If the road was smooth it was fine. But one little dip or bump in the road sent you flying across the lane. With a single wheel in the front you can kinda dodge these things but with 2 in the front it becomes a losing battle. If and when I ever come to the point where I have to be on a Trike it will be a Goldwing variant with 2 in the rear. I got lucky to be able to trade the Ryker for the Tracer GT, I only lost a couple grand and traded back to the selling dealer. He had heard similar complaints as mine. 

[andz]

On 12/27/2020 at 5:06 AM, maximNikenGT said:

Saw this interesting video on the original trike, the Honda ATC All Terrain Cycle. My thinking is that although the new Niken three wheel design design that allows the rider to lean is fundamentally different than the Honda ATC,  Honda is maybe waiting to see the results through Yamaha before undertaking the plunge back into the wheels again. 

 

One of my friends had a Honda ATC 250R back in the day, it was huge fun to ride but ready to bite you at the slightest chance.

If you got your balance right you could do monster crossed-up slides on sand but if you flipped it you usually ended up under it.