Tricycle. Types and application. Advantages and disadvantages. Peculiarities

Big cities are increasingly associated with crowds of people and congested roads. Manoeuvrable, relatively light vehicles come to the rescue. In big cities, many people prefer motorcycles or tricycles. What is a tricycle or trike, how to choose it, what to look for, what mistakes can be made when choosing, the editors of the Yanashl website learned.

Tricycle and trike: what is it?

A tricycle can be any vehicle that has three wheels. These include bicycles with three wheels and motorcycles. True, some are set in motion by twisting the pedals, while others cannot work without an engine.

A trike is a type of tricycle, a motorcycle with three wheels, two of which are rear and one front. You may come across the name - auto rickshaw - these are also three-wheeled vehicles for transporting people, common in Asian countries.

A three-wheeled motorcycle has an increased fork length, the two rear wheels can be decorated with spikes, and the engine is most often also located at the rear.

Three-wheeled motor vehicles must be registered with the traffic police. At the end of 2013, even a separate column appeared - B1. It means that a person can drive tricycles or quadricycles. Those who own category “B” can also drive this motorcycle. Level “A” will be sufficient if the vehicle has an engine smaller than 50 cm3.

Why does a motorcycle need three wheels?

One of the advantages of a triker is its stability, which is achieved through three wheels. After all, in order to ride a motorcycle or two-wheeler, you need to have good balance, otherwise you may fall. To turn over on a triker, you need to try, even in the event of a collision.

Many people like the design of three-wheeled motorcycles. Although this is not the most important factor when choosing, true fans of movement want their vehicle to be not only powerful, but also stylish.

Historical reference

The first three-wheeled vehicle was steam-powered and was called the “big cart of Cugno.” He appeared in 1790. He drove slowly. In an hour it was possible to travel only 5 kilometers.

The 19th century gave the world another steam transport, called Sarpolle. But soon the steam car ceased to be relevant on city roads. It was completely replaced by gasoline. People with an average budget still preferred three-wheelers as buying a full-fledged car was a luxury. And in 1906 the first tricycle appeared. Its creator, designer Morgan, installed two steering wheels and left one under the driver.

After a brief lull, trikes returned to popularity at the end of World War II. At this time, simple and inexpensive transport was vital. It began to be produced at all major automobile manufacturing plants in Europe. A three-wheeled motorcycle with a sidecar was the most used transport in the Soviet Union in the mid-20th century.

Today, motorcycles are not in such demand as before. People prefer cars that can accommodate all family members and move around with greater comfort. Three-wheeled models can be seen at exhibitions. And often the main thing in them is not power, but design.

How did tricycles come about?

The first tricycle in history was a steam-powered cart, invented by French engineer Nicolas José Cugnot . In those times of constant civil strife and war, it was designed to transport shells, equipment and guns. It had a low speed (about 4 km/hour), and required constant refilling with water (a full tank was enough for 10-15 minutes of operation). The steam cart made a huge impression on the French leadership, and therefore about 20 thousand francs were allocated to improve the device.

Cugnot's second attempt was unsuccessful, as a result of which the second project was placed in the Paris Museum of Arts and Crafts, after many years of vegetating on the margins.

Steam car Nicolas José Cugno

In the 19th century, steam carts continued to be improved, not only as a labor force, but also as personal vehicles. Which in turn gave a huge step in the popularization of this type of transport.

Model 1886 tricycle ( Karl Benz )

Kinds

Classification according to wheel arrangement:

• trike - a model with two rear wheels and one front;
• tricycle – may include vehicles with one rear and two front wheels.

Production type:

• Custom - exclusive models that were obtained by remaking bikes or cars. Trikes of impressive size and brutal design are created for exhibitions. They are not often seen on the road.
• Serial - Yamaha, Honda, Harley-Davidson. They also have a stylish design, but also have good characteristics. We have incorporated technological innovations that will make you feel comfortable on the roads.

Purpose:

• It is worth mentioning separately about cargo models. They are used everywhere on farms, in households, and in construction. Stable and roomy, they are also useful for fishing and hunting trips. Motorized cargo vehicles are not afraid of hard work, which is why they install engines from 110 cm3. Consumes about 5 liters of fuel per 100 km. To drive this vehicle, you need category “A”.
• A drift trike is a simple design with a large front wheel and two rear wheels, similar to a go-kart. Gas and brake are done both by steering and foot. Accelerates up to 65 km/h. Most often they are bought for competitions.

There are tricycles designed for racing. They move exclusively on a flat surface. They should not be used anywhere other than a stadium with a special coating.

Touring cars are not picky about the road surface. Trikes are most often chosen for transporting goods or transporting people.

Popular foreign types of tricycles:

• Bajaj Re 600 - Indian production - is a model whose purpose is to transport cargo or people. Often used as a minibus. In common parlance it is called "ant". An economical and easy-to-manage mode of transport.
• Carvel One. Its distinctive features are a tilting body, compactness and maneuverability. There is one passenger seat behind the driver. Economical to use. Per 100 km consumes 6 liters. fuel. Maximum speed – 185 km/h. The motorcycle created a real sensation when it was first introduced in 2007. The model is quite expensive and exclusive. Due to this, 188 Carvel Ones were produced.
• T-REX - hand-assembled. Original sporty design, but also high cost. As a rule, the body is made of fiberglass so that the overall weight of the product is less. They install a powerful engine - 197 hp. The T-REX will reach 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds. Maximum speed – 230 km/h.

With your own hands

The production of homemade tricycles is widespread in Russia and abroad. Different bases are used. Domestic upgrade enthusiasts prefer Java, Dnepr, Ural, etc. as a base. To make a machine with less power, you can use a moped. Not many people decide to use imported bikes; it’s expensive.

To work you need to get:

• profile pipe;
• trike drawings.

There are diagrams on the Internet, the axle is sometimes taken from an old bicycle, the engine from a Zaporozhets or Zhiguli. You cannot do without additional costs for seats, lights, etc.

Which one is better to buy

The vehicle, which is always so carefully selected, must be:

• stylish;
• have a robust design to be safe;
• manufactured using the latest technologies to be as comfortable as possible;
• powerful and fast.

If we talk about a drift trike that runs on battery power, there are the following selection criteria:

• A model for an adult must be able to withstand significant weight. Therefore, its carrying capacity is higher. There are trikes that can support over 100 kg. In order not to be afraid to move at high speed, it is better to choose just such ones.
• The speed directly depends on the power of the motor. To win races, the engine must be more powerful, and in order to enjoy drifting, less power. Good motors drain the battery faster. Modern models accelerate to 30 km/h; a beginner can choose a car that covers 5 kilometers in an hour.
• The time the trike stays without recharging depends on the battery capacity. The higher this value, the longer it can be left without charging. Racing cars have a large battery capacity.

The motorized three-wheeled unit is more related to motorcycles. Can reach high speeds, over 65 km/h. It is purchased for comfortable driving, travel and entertainment.

Which company is better

There are a large number of models of foreign and Russian production. Below are some of the most popular concerns that produce three-wheeled units.

ATVs

ATV and quadricycle are different vehicles.

The concept of an ATV does not exist in Russian legislation.
However, the term "ATV" is well-established and is widely used to refer to off-road four-wheeled vehicles, otherwise known as all-terrain vehicles. State standard of the Russian Federation GOST R 52008-2003 “Motorized four-wheeled off-road vehicles.
General technical requirements" (put into effect by Decree of the State Standard of Russia dated January 29, 2003 N 36-st) provides a definition of an all-terrain vehicle.
An all-terrain vehicle (read: ATV) refers to a four-wheeled off-road motor vehicle with low-pressure tires, having a motorcycle-style seat and a motorcycle-type steering wheel, intended for the movement of only one person (the driver) off public roads.

ATV by
the road safety law) includes all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). For this large class of self-propelled vehicles (which also includes ATVs), special categories have been introduced that exist separately and are in no way related to the categories of vehicles. These special categories were approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of July 12, 1999 N 79

6 (as amended on November 17, 2015).
ATVs belong to category AI (
not to be confused with category A1).

To operate an ATV, you must have a tractor driver's license. In this case, it is not at all necessary to have an ordinary driver’s license. But if you have a driver's license, then this is not enough to drive an ATV. More detailed information on how to obtain a license to drive an ATV can be found in a separate article on our website: “How to obtain a license to drive an ATV”

.

Let us remind you once again that riding ATVs on public roads is strictly prohibited. You can only ride ATVs outside the city, off roads, or in closed areas.

Registration of ATVs is carried out in the bodies of state supervision over the technical condition of self-propelled vehicles and other types of equipment in the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as Gostekhnadzor).