Motorized tricycle A motorized tricycle, motor trike, or motortrycle is a three-wheeled vehicle based on the same technology as a motorcycle, and powered by an electric motor, motorcycle, scooter or car engine. Classification Depending on the design of the vehic ...

s, also called trikes, are sometimes considered cars. There are three typical configurations: motorized bicycle with sidecar; two wheels in the rear, one in the front (aka trike); and two in front, one in the rear (aka reverse trike). However, language and definitions vary. One of the most successful trikes of its day was the

De Dion-Bouton tricycle The De Dion-Bouton tricycle was the most successful motor vehicle in Europe from 1897 until 1901. With about 15,000 copies sold, the de-Dion-Bouton motor tricycle scored the first breakthrough for the distribution of motor vehicles. In particular ...

; from 1897 until the start of the 20th century about 15,000 licensed copies were sold, with De Dion Bouton usually supplying the engines, and it was overall the most popular motor vehicle in Europe. Trikes have caused tautological confusion and simply defied typical two and four-wheel classifications, especially in the 21st century. Regardless, many popular motorcycles and/or automobiles had three wheels.

Examples

17th century

Stephan Farffler Stephan Farffler (1633 – October 24, 1689), sometimes spelled Stephan Farfler, was a German watchmaker of the seventeenth century whose invention of a manumotive carriage in 1655 is widely considered to have been the first self-propelled whee ...

's trike

18th century

Steam Tricycle in Front of North Entrance to Smithsonian Institution Building 1888

* Cugnot's ''fardier à vapeur'' (steam powered)

19th century

Ariel Ariel may refer to: Film and television *Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki *, a Russian film directed by Yevgeni Kotov * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', a 1989 and 1991 ...

2.25 hp tricycle (1898) *

Benz Patent-Motorwagen The Benz Patent-Motorwagen ("patent motorcar"), built in 1885 by the German engineer Karl Benz, is widely regarded as the first practical automobile and was the first car put into production. It was patented in January 1886 and unveiled in public ...

(Internal combustion engine) (1886–1893) * Buckeye gasoline buggy (1891) *

(1897–1905) * Eadie motor tricycle, (1898–1900) *

Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Trent, Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms ...

'Beeston' motor tricycle (1899) *

Léon Bollée Léon Bollée (1 April 1870 – 16 December 1913) was a French automobile manufacturer and inventor. Life Bollée's family were well known bellfounders and his father, Amédée Bollée (1844–1917), was the major pioneer in the automobile in ...

Voiturette (1895) *

Long steam tricycle The Long steam tricycle appears to be one of the earliest preserved examples of a steam tricycle, built by George A. Long around 1880 and patented in 1883. One example was built, which after some years of use was dismantled and the parts dispers ...

(c. 1880) *

Michaux-Perreaux steam velocipede The Michaux-Perreaux steam velocipede was a steam powered velocipede made in France some time from 1867 to 1871, when a small Louis-Guillaume Perreaux commercial steam engine was attached to a Pierre Michaux manufactured iron framed pedal bicycle. ...

(1884 Tricycle version) * Motrice Pia (1894) * Orient tricycle (1899–1901) *

Star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...

motor tricycle (1899)

20th century

AC Petite The AC Petite is a three-wheeled British microcar with a rear-mounted Villiers single cylinder, two-stroke engine. The car has a single bench seat seating two adults, and was said to be capable of to and . There were two versions of the car. ...

* Alta A200 * BSA Ariel 3 (1970–1973) *

Attica Attica (, ''Attikḗ'' (Ancient Greek) or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the entire Athens metropolitan area, which consists of the city of Athens, the capital city, capital of Greece and the core cit ...

200 * Bajaj RE (1990s–) (Autoriksha) *

BMW R75 : ''For the 1970s 750 cc motorcycles see BMW R75/5, BMW R75/6, or BMW R75/7'' The BMW R75 is a World War II-era motorcycle and sidecar combination produced by the German company BMW. The BMW R75 stands out by its integral two-wheel drive desig ...

(1941–1945) (w. sidecar) *

Bond Bug The Bond Bug is a small British two-seat, three-wheeled automobile which was designed by Tom Karen of Ogle Design for Bond Cars, who built it from 1970 to 1974, initially at Bond Cars Ltd factory, but subsequently at Reliant's Tamworth facto ...

Bond Minicar Bond Minicar is a series of economical three-wheeled microcars which were manufactured by the British car manufacturer Sharp's Commercials Ltd (the company was renamed Bond Cars Limited in 1964), in Preston, Lancashire, between 1949 and 1966. ...

Brough Superior Austin Four The Brough Superior Austin Four was a limited-production motorcycle designed and manufactured by Brough Superior of Nottingham, UK in 1932. It was listed in the 1932 Brough Superior catalogue as the 'Straight Four' but it was commonly known as ...

* Brutsch Mopetta *

Campagna T-Rex The Campagna T-Rex is a two-seat, three-wheeler, three-wheeled motor vehicle created by Campagna Motors, located in Quebec, Canada. It is powered by an in-line 4-cylinder engine from Kawasaki. Although it used to be registered as a motorcycle, it i ...

(1996–2018) *

CityEl The CityEl is a 3-wheel lightweight electric car originally designed and manufactured in Denmark, but currently made in Germany by Citycom GmbH. History The CityEl was originally developed as the Mini-El by Danish company El Trans A/S in Randers ...

(1987–) * Coventry-Victor 3-wheeler * Daihatsu Bee *

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

trike cars (1913–1923) *

(1897–1905) * Electricar (1920–1921) * Fend Flitzer (c. 1948) *

Fuldamobil Fuldamobil is the name of a series of small cars produced by ''Elektromaschinenbau Fulda GmbH'' of Fulda, Germany, and ''Nordwestdeutscher Fahrzeugbau'' (NWF) of Wilhelmshaven between 1950 and 1969. Various designated versions of the car were ...

200 * GG Duetto (1994–1999) * Goliath Goli *

Grinnall Scorpion The Grinnall Scorpion is a small-series sports car built by Grinnall Specialist Cars in England since 1992. Two models are available, the three-wheeled Scorpion III and the four-wheeled Scorpion IV, with the Roman numerals referring to the numbe ...

(c. 1991) *

Harley-Davidson Servi-Car The Harley-Davidson Servi-Car is a three-wheeled utility motorcycle that was manufactured by Harley-Davidson from 1932 to 1973. Concept and uses The Servi-Car was designed during the Great Depression when Harley-Davidson was desperate to expand i ...

(1932 to 1973) *

Heinkel Kabine The Heinkel Kabine was a microcar designed by Heinkel, Heinkel Flugzeugwerke and built by them from 1956 to 1958. Production was transferred under licence to Dundalk Engineering Company in Ireland in 1958. However, the licence was withdrawn shor ...

* HM Vehicles Free-way (1979 to 1982) *

Honda Gyro The Honda Gyro is a family of small, three-wheeled motorcycles sold primarily in Japan, and often used for delivery or express service. Overview These vehicles are tilting three-wheelers. They combine a tricycle's stopped & low-speed stability ...

* Indian Dispatch-Tow(1930s) * Indian Tri-Car (circa 1907)(Hendee Manufacturing Co.) *

Invacar The Invacar (abbreviated from "invalid carriage") is a small single-seater microcar vehicle designed for use by disabled drivers, and was distributed for free in the UK. History In 1948, Bert Greeves adapted a motorbike for exclusively manu ...

Isetta The Isetta is an Italian-designed microcar initially manufactured in 1953 by the Italian firm Iso (automobile), Iso SpA, and subsequently built under license in a number of different countries, including Argentina, Spain, Belgium, France, Brazil ...

(3-wheeled version) * JZR Trike models * Krauser Domani *

Lambretta Lambretta () was a brand of motor scooters, manufactured in Milan, Italy, by Innocenti. The name is derived from the word Lambrate, the suburb of Milan named after the river Lambro which flows through the area, and where the factory was locat ...

Lambro (1949–1972) * Lean Machine 1982 *

Libelle (microcar) The Libelle was an Austrian three-wheeled microcar built in Innsbruck by Libelle Fahrzeugbau- und Vertriebsgesellschaft between 1952 and 1954. It had a one-cylinder two-stroke Rotax engine with 199 cc and 8.5 hp, and 4 gears. About 50 a ...

* Lurquin-Coudert (1906–1914) * Mercedes-Benz F300 Lifejet Messerschmitt Kabinenroller

Messerschmitt KR175 The Messerschmitt KR175 microcar (1953–1955) was the first vehicle built by Messerschmitt under its 1952 agreement with Fritz Fend. In concept, although not in actual design, it was, in principle, a development of the Fend Flitzer invalid carria ...

(1953–1955) ( Messerschmitt Kabinenroller) *

Messerschmitt KR200 The Messerschmitt KR200, or ''Kabinenroller'' (Cabin Scooter), is a three-wheeled bubble car designed by the aircraft engineer Fritz Fend and produced in the factory of the West Germany, West German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt from 1955 un ...

* Minneapolis Tri-Car * Misc Custom Chopper trikes * Misc. Moto Guzzi Triporteurs * Morgan 3-Wheeler (pre-war productions) * Moto Guzzi Trialce * Möve 101 * Corbin Sparrow *

Norton Big 4 The Model 1, more commonly known as Big 4, was a Norton motorcycle made between 1907 and 1954 in various forms. With , it was the largest and most powerful side-valve engine in the model range and with plenty of low end torque was mostly used ...

(mc w/ sc) *

Peel P50 The Peel P50 is a three-wheeled microcar originally made from 1962 to 1965 by the Peel Engineering Company on the Isle of Man, and then from 2010 to present. It was listed in the 2010 Guinness World Records as the smallest production car ever ...

(minicar) (1962–65) *

Peel Trident The Peel Trident is the second three-wheeled microcar built by the Peel Engineering Company on the Isle of Man. An all-new design from its one-seat counterpart the Peel P50, the Trident has two seats. History The Trident was launched at the ...

Piaggio Ape The Piaggio Ape (; being ), initially marketed as VespaCar or TriVespa, is a three-wheeled light commercial vehicle, manufactured and marketed by Piaggio as an adaptation of the company's Vespa scooter ( being Italian for 'wasp'). It has been in ...

(1947– ) *

Reliant Robin The Reliant Robin is a small three-wheeled car produced by the Reliant Motor Company in Tamworth, England. It was offered in several versions (Mk1, Mk2 and Mk3) over a period of 30 years. It is the second-most popular fibreglass car in histor ...

(1973–2002) *

Reliant TW9 The Reliant TW9 (i.e., Three-Wheeler 9), also known as the Reliant Ant, is a small, front-engined, rear-drive, three-wheeled truck that was produced from 1967 to 1987 by Reliant Motors in Tamworth, Staffordshire, Tamworth and then by BTB Engine ...

(1967–1987) * Rollfix-Eilwagen * Scott Sociable * Scootacar Sinclair C5 driver

Sinclair C5 The Sinclair C5 is a small one-person battery electric vehicle, battery electric Recumbent bicycle, recumbent tricycle, technically an "electrically assisted pedal cycle". It was the culmination of Sir Clive Sinclair's long-running interest in el ...

(1985) * Soviet SMZ S-1L * Spirit of America Formula Shell LSRV. (jet engine) * Tatra 49 (1929–1930) * Triking (1970s-) *

Twike Twike, based in Rosenthal, is a German manufacturer of light electric vehicles in the European Union vehicle class L5e (US motorcycle). The main product, the Twike (a portmanteau of the words ''twin'' and ''bike''), is a human-electric hybrid ...

(TWIKE 1986+) *

Velorex Velorex was a manufacturing cooperative in Solnice, Czechoslovakia. Notable products included a small three-wheeled car, produced from the 1950s until 1971, and the Type 562 sidecar. The sidecar is still manufactured in the Czechia by Velorexpor ...

(1950s–1971) *

Utopian A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia'', which describes a fictional island soci ...

(1914) *

Westcoaster Mailster The Westcoaster Mailster was a small three-wheeled vehicle used for mail delivery by the United States Post Office Department during the 1950s and 60s. They could haul 500 pounds of mail, including large parcels, versus the 35-pound limit of a foot ...

21st century

* AEV 311 EV * Ape Calessino 200 (new production) *

Aptera (solar electric vehicle) The Aptera is a two-seat, three-wheeled solar electric vehicle under development by the crowd-funded American car manufacturer Aptera Motors. The stated design goal of the car is to be the most energy efficient mass-produced vehicle ever. The ...

* Arcimoto * Bombardier Can-Am Spyder (2007–) * Brudeli Leanster 625L * Carver * Campagna T-Rex (1996–) * Campagna V13R *

(1987–) * ElectraMeccanica Solo *

Elio Elio is an Italian male given name. Origin A name of dual origin, Elio is primarily a revival of (Helios), the Greek god of the Sun. derives, through the Latin , from the Ancient Greek (), which is taken from the noun of the same and mean ...

E-Series *

P models (prototypes) *eTuk USA (2015–) *GG Taurus GG_Taurus_Trike_9331

*Hannigan BMW 1600 Trike *Hannigan Harley-Davidson V-Rod Trike * Harley-Davidson Street Glide Trike (2010–) * Harley-Davidson Freewheeler (2015–) * Harley-Davidson Tri Glide Ultra Classic *

(tilting) * IRIS * JZR Trike models *

Kymco Kymco (an acronym for Kwang Yang Motor Co, Ltd ()) (stylized as ''KYMCO'') is a Taiwanese motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. With approximately 3000 employees, Kymco produces over 570,000 vehicles annually at its factor ...

CV3 (2018–) * MEV TR1KE * Morgan 3-Wheeler (new production 2010s) *

Myers Motors NmG The Myers Motors NmG (formerly the Corbin Sparrow) is a single-passenger, three wheeler, three-wheeled, battery electric vehicle designed specifically for commuting and city driving, produced from 1999 into the early 2010s. It was initially produ ...

(2010– ) * Peugeot Metropolis 400i *

Piaggio Piaggio Group () is an Italian motor vehicle manufacturer, which produces a range of two-wheeled motor vehicles and compact commercial vehicles under five brands: Piaggio, Vespa, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi and Derbi. Its corporate headquarters are ...

Ape Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a superfamily of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and Europe in prehistory, and counting humans are found global ...

(1947– ),

MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany under the lead of Karlheinz Brandenburg. It was designed to greatly reduce the amount ...

(2006–) *

Polaris Slingshot The Polaris Slingshot is a three-wheeler. The first edition of the model was introduced in 2014 as a 2015 model. Specifications The Slingshot has a tilt-adjustable steering wheel, side-by-side bucket seats, and does not Countersteering, lean ...

* Quadro 350S three-wheel scooter * Rewaco RF-1 Trike * Roadsmith Trikes * Scorpion P6 * Stimson Sting (2002–2007) * Tanom Invader TC-3 * Terracraft Supertrike * Tilting Motor Works Tilting V-Max Trike *

Tokai Challenger Tokai Challenger is a solar car from the Japanese Tokai University. The Tokai Challenger became the winner of the 2009 and 2011 World Solar Challenge, a race for solar cars across Australia. The car is designed and tested in collaboration with s ...

Toyota i-Road is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

(2013) * Traverston Striker * Tri Pod GII by Mynrva (2012-) Bandit 1250, ZX14R based * Triking * Trirod F3 * Twisted Trike * Uno III * Vanderhall Laguna trike VW GX3

* Veemo by VeloMetro Mobility – Fully enclosed, pedal-electric trike, regulated as an electric bicycle in North America. * Venom SS * Venom X *

Volkswagen GX3 The Volkswagen GX3 was a concept car created by ''project Moonraker'', which was initiated by Stefan Liske, former director of group product strategy at Volkswagen. The GX3 was first shown at the 2006 Greater Los Angeles Auto Show. It was consider ...

(concept trike) *

Yamaha Niken The Yamaha Niken is a 845 cc tilting three-wheeler motorcycle, manufactured since 2018 by Yamaha Motor and sold worldwide. Overview The Niken is a commercial version of the concept bike "MWT-9" announced by Yamaha in 2015. As part of Yamaha ...

– trike with the Yamaha MT-09 engine, for European and Asian markets * Yamaha RX1 snowmobile custom conversion to street trike *

Yamaha Tricity The Yamaha Tricity is a tilting three-wheeler motor scooter made by Yamaha Motor Company. It is part of Yamaha's LMW (Leaning Multi Wheel) offering along with the Niken. Three Tricity models have been developed: 125, 155, and 300cc models. Th ...

* ZAP Xebra (2006–2009) *

ZAP Alias The ZAP Alias Roadster was a proposed plug-in electric three-wheeled sports car, from the defunct American electric car maker ZAP in Santa Rosa, California. History The project was initiated in 2007 through a collaboration between ZAP and Lo ...

* ZTR Trike

Miscellaneous

Another idea is the flike, a sort of flying motorcycle/helicopter. Whike are sail-powered trikes, which may or may not be motorized depending if one considers a sail to be a type of motorization. There is another arrangement of three-wheel, with the wheels in a line; this is so far pretty rare.

Motorcycles with two sidecars

Motorcycles with sidecars often have three wheels, but there has been some use of two sidecars (one on each side of a motorcycle, not a sidecar that seats two which is another thing). In one case the use of flexible type sidecars allow the center-line motor bicycle wheels to stay on the ground, and providing adequate handling

Gallery

File:Trike.3.arp.jpg, Rewaco trike in the UK File:Himeji-Oshiro-Matsuri 2010 149.JPG, Krauser-BMW Domani, incorporating elements of both cars and motorcycles File:Himeji Oshiro Matsuri 085.JPG, Domani trike File:Can-Am Spyder RSS (01).jpg, Can-Am Spyder from the front File:JSH314.JPG, Can-Am Spyder from the rear File:Heinkel Trojan 153 BW 3.jpg, Heinkel trike-car File:Wdog Polaris Slingshot.jpg, Polaris Slingshot File:GyroUP-MRDroofed.jpg, Honda Gyro UP File:Moto Guzzi Lastenkrad.jpg, Moto Guzzi vehicle File:Choper2.jpg, Custom chopper trike File:R1200C trike rear.jpg, BMW R1200C aftermarket conversion to a trike File:Harley Davidson Tri Glide taken 2013.jpg, Harley-Davidson Tri-Glide

References

External links

{{Commons category, Motorized tricycles

Trikes Trike may refer to: Vehicles with three wheels and seated * Drift trike, a type of recreational tricycle with no pedals * Electric trike * Motorized tricycle * Three-wheeler * Tricycle (non-motorized) * Ultralight trike, a type of powered hang ...

Three-wheeled motor vehicles