Honda Three Wheeler Patent Applied For

[redbirds_imp]

I've never ridden any of the three wheelers but I have read several test write ups on the three wheeled Piaggio scooter which is a leaning design and testers have been very impressed with the cornering traction, especially in wet conditions with twice the rubber footprint in front compared to a conventional motorcycle. The Honda, like the Piaggio, has a fairly narrow front track-an advantage in places where filtering is legal. I think a "bike" like this could easily embarrass some high dollar sport bikes by virtue of higher than normal cornering speeds. A leaning trike with this layout would seem to have all the advantages of a two wheeled bike plus additional traction at the front. Extra weight on the front might be the only disadvantage.

[the Ferret]

I've ridden the Piaggio MP3 500 with the parallelogram front end (leaning) and it was pretty much like riding a regular scooter with this caveat, at stops there was a lever you flipped to make the front rigid (I guess so you could sit there with your feet up?) which would keep it from falling over, and which would release as soon as you gave it gas. Couldn't tell any difference in handling going around a corner.