3-wheel [scooter] and some micro-cars.

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 3:56 pm

I saw one today for the first time, and talked to the owner. Very unusual. Two wheels on the front, but the thing banks just like a normal cycle.

I wonder if anyone has actually ridden one, who could answer questions. It looks like a flat on one of the front wheels could be fatal......easily. This one happened to be 250cc, but the owner had never gone past 60mph. Supposedly it can do about 85mph.

The girl owner said they were very common in Europe.....true?

aristide1 · Post by **aristide1** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 4:47 pm

http://www.piaggiousa.com/index.cfm

http://www.modernvespa.com/forum/topic7574.html

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 5:18 pm

Hello,

What I've heard about it is it is extremely stable, and it works very well. It is pretty expensive, from what I've seen. Here's lot o' pics:

http://www.gizmag.com/go/8251/gallery/

klankymen · Post by **klankymen** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 5:34 pm

Bluefront wrote: The girl owner said they were very common in Europe.....true?

Depends on what part of europe I guess.... I've never seen one before.

On a somewhat unrelated note.... top gear reviewed a rather different kind of 3-wheeler

aristide1 · Post by **aristide1** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 5:39 pm

http://www.can-am.brp.com/

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 3:35 am

Heh.....that'll teach me not to ask a woman any question about a motor-vehicle. She told me it was a Vespa. I saw the "MP3" logo on the back of the thing, but thought it had some other meaning. She probably just bought it at a Vespa dealership, that also sells other brands.

Thanks for the links.....helpful. My opinion.... I still need to hear from someone who has had many years experience with both cycles and scooters. It seems many people who have ridden the MP3 are beginners, as was the woman I talked to.

It's way too heavy. 550 lbs is a nice weight for a small car, hardly a scooter. I never did read just what happens if one of the front wheels goes flat or hits a pot-hole. I looked at the thing closely.....you can remove a front wheel easy enough (to fix a flat). But changing a rear wheel looks to be terrible. Many of the links talked about dropping the thing while parking.....no wonder.

Over the years I've owned many scooters......two Cushmans, two Vespas, one Lambretta, and one Honda. The Honda was the best by far. The Vespa 125cc was the most fun. Think I'll pass on the MP3.

aristide1 · Post by **aristide1** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 4:14 am

Piaggio owns Vespa.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 8:38 am

Hi Carl,

If you know of a 550 pound car, tell us more! My BMW K75S (750cc triple) motorcycle weighed about that much, so the weight doesn't bother be as much as the cost. I would hope that the 125cc would get better than 59mpg, as well. My best tank on my K75S was ~55mpg, and I averaged 45-48mpg.

I would imagine that if one of the front wheel went in a pothole, it would be a lot more stable than a single front wheeled scooter that went into a pothole. The two front wheels is supposed to help in slick conditions (oily, wet, and/or loose gravel) under braking -- it is pretty hard to drop it!

spookmineer · Post by **spookmineer** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 3:43 pm

The only car I can come up with is the insanely low weight (1005 lb - 456 kg) and powerful (up to 300 bhp) Ariel Atom, which in no way was meant to be a green car.
I guess everyone has seen this
Compared to a Dodge Pickup "lorry" and a completely new view on movie car chases.

The Wrightspeed X-1 on the other hand... fully electric (though concept) car..
Wrightspeed concept
Wrightspeed ride
or...
If I had some money...

aristide1 · Post by **aristide1** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 6:36 pm

Bluefront wrote:Heh.....that'll teach me not to ask a woman any question about a motor-vehicle.

Really? Try asking this one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Muldowney

Hey VanWaGuy, is this another example of your version of the "respect" you keep looking for?

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:41 am

Trolling in a thread about scooters?

Neil..... there have been many really small cars in the past. Ever see a King Midget? The problem has always been that the price of gasoline was relatively cheap, bigger cars are more practical, and gas mileage was low on the list of things to consider. Add to that, that small cars and cycles suffer safety-wise in a world filled with big monster cars.

This is all changing rapidly right this second. Your big SUV is turning into a spare bedroom, up on blocks, parked next to your house.

aristide1 · Post by **aristide1** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 4:42 am

Pointing out bias is not trolling. Yours or VanWaGuy's.

Now if I had pointed out that simply Google-ing Vespa MP3 you could have answered you own question, maybe that would be trolling, but the question didn't have any faults, so it was simply answered.

Then the sexist side came out, another outstanding trait you display, and I simply showed that you make too many assumptions.

Calling that trolling - well, your conversational abilities speak for themselves.

Will that be all or is there room for another foot in your mouth?

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 5:40 am

Hi Carl,

Sure -- the smallest ever production car was the Peel P50:

It weighed just 130lbs (59kg) -- but it is also one of the rarest cars in the world. I think there are something like 6 known to exist?

The Aptera Typ 1 is ~1,480lbs (130-340mpg), and the Loremo (85-157mpg) is around 1,000lbs.

spookmineer · Post by **spookmineer** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:00 pm

Very funny segment of Top Gear: Peel P50

When he drives behind the glass in a news show...

The wheels are not perpendicular to the surface, which gives it a nice cartoony look.

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:08 pm

I've been lucky enough to own, and to have driven some very unusual/small cars. Among the ones I've driven......The King Midget

This car was around for over 20 years, and was sold in many forms. I drove a two-seater, much different looking from the photo. It could be had in a kit form, without the engine. A single cylinder motor could be fitted in the thing....along with lights and enough stuff to get a license. It was light.....no telling the gas mileage. Those engines back then were primitive.

A woman who lived near me had a Crosley station wagon.....extremely small. I got a ride in it.....barely could squeeze in. This car had a 4cyl, shaft driven, ovc engine.....maybe 850cc. This was about a 1952 model.

And I got to drive and ride in an Isetta. Made by BMW I think.....it had a door in the front. That's it. When driving I was thinking about a front-end wreck.

The problem with all these......didn't fit in with the monster cars of the '50s. Today a minimalist car would be appreciated, but could never pass current regulations. If gasoline gets much more expensive, things might change. (hopefully)

aristide1 · Post by **aristide1** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:09 pm

never mind

klankymen · Post by **klankymen** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:25 pm

@aristide1: while I'm probably more politically aligned with you than with BF on many accounts, could we please keep this thread free of your constant bickering? It's simply annoying and distracts from other discussions.

@spookmineer: I actually just watched that segment last week, and I have to say it surprised me. If I remeber correctly Jeremy Clarkson said "The Peel P50 is the coolest car we have ever had on Top Gear" - and this coming from a guy with a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder who drives around in 4 mpg cars on a track yelling "POWER!!"

And I have to agree with him, while I am a complete and utter petrolhead, I really think the Peel is very fascinating, and well ahead of it's time... it's a pity cars have actually evolved backwards from there... how often have I driven to Munich, sitting alone in my 5-seater VW Golf with nothing else in the car but my backpack and a bottle of water. Seems so wasteful, all those horsepowers pushing around over a ton of car, just to transport my 160 pounds around. Not to mention all the empty air in the car, taking up parking space.

aristide1 · Post by **aristide1** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:58 pm

spookmineer wrote:Very funny segment of Top Gear: Peel P50

When he drives behind the glass in a news show...

The wheels are not perpendicular to the surface, which gives it a nice cartoony look.

He was barely moving around the turn, yet the inside wheel left the ground.

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 2:36 am

When I looked at the MP3, It gave me the impression that the scooter was turning into a small car. Two wheels up front, plastic shielding all around to partially deflect the rain, no sign of the engine.

Add a top and another rear wheel.......a small car.

proc · Post by **proc** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 2:54 am

The Piaggio Mp3 (and the Gilera Fuoco http://www.gilerafuoco.com/ which is faster but IMHO ugly) are quite new scooters, but they are gaining market in Italy event though they are expensive.

I tried it once and it was strange to stop due to a red traffic light and not have to put your foot down to avoid falling on a side

I can confirm that the 250cc version can reach about 85 mph.

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 3:04 am

That red thing reminds post WWII 3 wheeled mercedes... We don't exactly have 3 wheeled scooters in here but 4-wheeled scooter-cars.

Bluefront · Post by **Bluefront** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:49 am

proc..... so you actually rode an MP3? Is it something you got used to in a short time? And how about bad weather.....did you ride in the rain?

I'm just wondering if this thing would actually be better in slippery conditions?

My three-wheel experience......a Norton with a side-car. It could be ridden in the snow without any more difficulty than an auto.

spookmineer · Post by **spookmineer** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 3:53 pm

aristide1 wrote:
spookmineer wrote:Very funny segment of Top Gear: Peel P50

When he drives behind the glass in a news show...

The wheels are not perpendicular to the surface, which gives it a nice cartoony look.
He was barely moving around the turn, yet the inside wheel left the ground.

Part of the thrill of driving cars. When you can't drive a Ferrari sideways at 100 mph on a track, this will thrill him in a city

xev · Post by **xev** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 12:07 pm

I've seen a few in London the past week. They look stable and reliable.

aristide1 · Post by **aristide1** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 2:04 pm

xev wrote:I've seen a few in London the past week. They look stable and reliable.

Does that have anything to do with being around Lucas Electronics for too long?

walle · Post by **walle** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 2:47 pm

He took the car down the bloody lift ! â€œ doors closing â€

3-wheel [scooter] and some micro-cars.

3-wheel [scooter] and some micro-cars.

Re: 3-wheel [scooter]?