Best Trike Suitable for Street Use

[slashfan7964]

Before you even jump on me, I know this idea has been beaten to death. Yes I've search, yes I've read everything, yes I've checked local laws and yes, I've been searching for a few years while lurking.


Ok here we go. What trike would be the best canidate to daily ride on the road. I want the trike to be able to do near 60mph to be on the safe side. Before we start, I'm ruling out 2 strokes simple for the fact that they are not emissions legal (as far as I know).

I'm doing this for several reasons.

~ It's cheap on gas and is very fuel efficient
~ Motorcycles are overrated and everyone has one
~ It's not your typical big bad Harley ridden by some jackwagon in leather with a girl who has a tramp stamp
~ Trikes are badass and stylish
~ It's relatively quiet in comparison to a lot of motorcylces
~ I want to look cool
~ You simply don't see trikes everyday and to see one on the street is absolutely unheard of
~ It has a manual transmission (unless I get an SX)
~ They provide a comfortable ride
~ Bolt on a set of tires and your on your way to the trails
~ It's legal in New York according to the DMV
~ Turns heads
~ Reliable


There's probably more I could think of but simply don't want to. At least I'm not BSing you on my reasons.

I was thinking 350X but I'm not sure how well an air cooled engine is going to do constantly topped out. I want to maintain reliability they are known for.



Now onto the legality of said vehcile. I've heard you may be able to get away with it if you register the trike as a custom vehicle. That means I'd have to put a larger engine on it etc. I'm not worried about the live rear axle situtaion...99% of cars have them too. I'm willing to put in the work to make this happen.

New York's DMV states:

You may not operate an ATV on the highway unless it has been designated and posted for ATV use by state or local authority. Usually, the only part of a highway between two off-highway trails will be posted for ATV use. Check with local police to make sure. DMV recommends that you turn your headlight and taillight on and waer bright, reflective clothing whenever you ride on the highway. Always enter the highway with care and yeild to other traffic

Basically, you can't ride on the road unless it's designated for it. However, as a state vehicle inspector, due to it's age and registering it as a motorcylce with each requirement, it's emissions exmpt. These are the motorcycle requirements it must meet for inspection.

1. Frame - Visual check for damage and/or objects that would interfere with safe vehicle operation.
2. Horn - Present, operational (loud, audible)
3. Mirrors (2) - One mounted on the left and right sides of the handlebars or on the sides of the windsheild?
4. Windshield (optional) - Optional, if present, must be a minimum of 15 inches in height
5. Headlights - A. Headlight (multi-beam) present/operational B. Taillight - minimum of one fully operational taillight and brake light C. Turn signals, required after 1/1/1980 unless they werent factory installed. D. Reflectors, minimum of one red reflector, may be part of or seperate from taillight assembly
6. Handlebars - Flexiable height (minimum 15 inches above seat to no higher than shoulder height when operator is mounted (not sure on this one)
7. Brakes - Present, both fron and rear
8. Wheels - Check rims for cracks, dents, or rust and proper fittings
9. Tires - Proper tire fpressure, check for dryrot, tire damage and excessive/uneven tread wear. Tire must have at least 2/32 of tread depth with no cord exposed
10. Passenger seating - Not required
11. Fenders - Minium of one rear end required






Doesn't look tough to meet. I also have a connection which I believe may be able to get me insurance on it, hopefully cheap.My uncle and other family are also cops so I can get out of anything fairly easy.

Other than that, just carry documentation with me and get DOT approved tires + plates. So what trike would be best suited?

[Ghostv2]

What about finding the old (tricky dicks?) motor cycle to trike conversions. Since I've been a member on here I have seen a few go up for sale and they are nice. Now they will turn heads and after all were a motorcycle to begin with, so it may be what you are looking for.

[muthey]

first off why are you omitting 2 strokes, as far as I know they cant be emission tested as that is the way they are made and are exempt. Check in to that as s 2 stroke is your best option if you are wanting those speeds and to maintain them. I see from the requirements you posted new york has the same initial standards as montana, I'm sure there are more there, but that is all we have here and I have a tri-Z 250 licensed for the street. Back on the 2 stroke subject there are 2 stroke street bikes and enduros, and most of your older mopeds are 2 stroke, just make sure you have an appropriate silencer on it to reduce noise pollution. Also how long and far are you going to be on the highway for as no atv is designed for long periods of high speed 60mph for a couple of hours you will melt the motor . Driving around town is one thing, but traveling 60 miles one of two things will happen you will run out of fuel, or the motor will have a melt down from too high of rpms. Street bike are designed for those speeds, with gear ratios and motor sizes. I'm not trying to shut you down, just want to make you understand running around town is one thing but going from town to town on the highway is a whole other ball game. You are dealing with 25 yr old motors and frames yes they can be gusseted to improve them but even if you went with a different motor you have to consider that you are running a much larger rear end that a street bike motor most likely cant handle. Best of luck with your endeavors though and let us know what happens

[just ben]

One thing you didn't consider is, in NY you CANNOT register any offroad vehicle for street use. Even with all the required equipment if the certificate of origin was branded off road use, That is all it can be registered for in NY.

[tblumer]

Yeah it's all about the VIN # in NY unless you're going to try registering it as a homebuilt special

[atc300r]

There is a member on here from NY that converted a Honda 650 in to a trike and legaly registured,insured and had it inspected for the streets.I will try and find the thread.Search xl650 street legal trike.

[6speedthumper]

Well... If you really wanted to use a 3 wheeler for the street. Then I would leave the engine mostly stock, widen it, and gear it tall so it can cruise at suitable rpm ranges. So, chain drive would be best. Also, making it for the street only is what I would do.

[slashfan7964]

First off before I get started on my response, I thank everyone for posting so far and I look forward to hearing more after this post.

What about finding the old (tricky dicks?) motor cycle to trike conversions. Since I've been a member on here I have seen a few go up for sale and they are nice. Now they will turn heads and after all were a motorcycle to begin with, so it may be what you are looking for.

I'm not going to rule that out. It would definitely be something I'd be interested in doing. However, bike depending, parts can and will likely be much more expensive than trike parts which are also very readily available. Maybe in the future, but a goal of mine is to make a trike street legal and still look like what it would have when it rolled off the showroom floor (or at least very nice). I'm not working right now and any job I get soon isn't going to be paying what I deserve to be paid with my qualifications so I'm on a budget. That said, I'm more than willing to make this happen over an extended period of time.

first off why are you omitting 2 strokes, as far as I know they cant be emission tested as that is the way they are made and are exempt.

The last time I checked they did not meet federal emissions regulations and therefore cannot be used on the street. As far as I know, no company can legal sell a 2 stroke in the states anymore. I may be very wrong about this though.

Check in to that as s 2 stroke is your best option if you are wanting those speeds and to maintain them. I see from the requirements you posted new york has the same initial standards as montana, I'm sure there are more there, but that is all we have here and I have a tri-Z 250 licensed for the street. Back on the 2 stroke subject there are 2 stroke street bikes and enduros, and most of your older mopeds are 2 stroke, just make sure you have an appropriate silencer on it to reduce noise pollution.

That's interesting. I'll definitely check into that. Provided what I wrote above doesn't hold true, I will consider a 2 stroke trike.

Also how long and far are you going to be on the highway for as no atv is designed for long periods of high speed 60mph for a couple of hours you will melt the motor . Driving around town is one thing, but traveling 60 miles one of two things will happen you will run out of fuel, or the motor will have a melt down from too high of rpms. Street bike are designed for those speeds, with gear ratios and motor sizes. I'm not trying to shut you down, just want to make you understand running around town is one thing but going from town to town on the highway is a whole other ball game. You are dealing with 25 yr old motors and frames yes they can be gusseted to improve them but even if you went with a different motor you have to consider that you are running a much larger rear end that a street bike motor most likely cant handle. Best of luck with your endeavors though and let us know what happens

Thank you for your support. This I am aware of. Most of the roads I will be traveling are backroads with speed limits nowhere exceeding 55mph. It will not see highways, thruways or large interstate routes. It will not be run at a time any farther than 6-16 miles in one direction. Right now it's looking like it's going to be roughly 15-16 miles one way and the same back, but with periodic stops. I'm aware these trikes were not designed for this and that is why I'm willing to do anything in my power to make them street ready.

I shall definitely keep you informed on this. Right now, it's more of a research and thought process. Nothing is concrete at this point.

One thing you didn't consider is, in NY you CANNOT register any offroad vehicle for street use. Even with all the required equipment if the certificate of origin was branded off road use, That is all it can be registered for in NY.

Ah, but isn't the beauty of modifications. Once modifications come in, anything's fair game. It's being altered and no longer being used for what it was intended/designed for. Registering it and titling it as a custom vehicle is where this comes in. I intend to modify it enough to the point where it would not be suitable for offroad use.

Yeah it's all about the VIN # in NY unless you're going to try registering it as a homebuilt special

The nice thing about New York is you can pay a $25 fee and have a brand spankin' new VIN number assigned to your vehicle if you title it as custom which is my intention right now.

There is a member on here from NY that converted a Honda 650 in to a trike and legaly registured,insured and had it inspected for the streets.I will try and find the thread.Search xl650 street legal trike.

I believe with enough work it can be done and I intend to press them until it gets done.

Well... If you really wanted to use a 3 wheeler for the street. Then I would leave the engine mostly stock, widen it, and gear it tall so it can cruise at suitable rpm ranges. So, chain drive would be best. Also, making it for the street only is what I would do.

This was an intention of mine as well. I'm going to be gearing it so the RPMs drop down to something suitable, otherwise it's pointless. If I can get it high enough to bring the engine around 2k rpms, we should be gold. Custom parts might be in order but I have hookups and can fabricate things myself.

I'm seriously considering making it street only and getting something else to hit the trails with.

[rg97]

If you're planning on running that long, either go water-cooled or find a way to get and air cooled engine below a certain RPM so it doesnt overheat. now, the only water cooled trikes (stock) are the 2-strokes, and personally I would stray away from them for reliability issues and other hangups. If you're looking at a 55 mph cruise speed, i say go 350X with super tall gears. A 200 or 185 wont get the job done with gearing that high. normally, my 200x is at its peak RPM to hit the 55-60 mph range, so it would need crazy gearing to reach that speed at a low RPM, thus I say 350X. More torque means that you can still accelerate at a slow-but-quick (compared to anything else) acceleration. The 350X's had oil coolers too, which is definitely something good for the road. You'll have to get some street tires too, not sure what to do there, maybe if you have a bald set of 21-23" tires...
just my 2¢

[slashfan7964]

If you're planning on running that long, either go water-cooled or find a way to get and air cooled engine below a certain RPM so it doesnt overheat. now, the only water cooled trikes (stock) are the 2-strokes, and personally I would stray away from them for reliability issues and other hangups. If you're looking at a 55 mph cruise speed, i say go 350X with super tall gears. A 200 or 185 wont get the job done with gearing that high. normally, my 200x is at its peak RPM to hit the 55-60 mph range, so it would need crazy gearing to reach that speed at a low RPM, thus I say 350X. More torque means that you can still accelerate at a slow-but-quick (compared to anything else) acceleration. The 350X's had oil coolers too, which is definitely something good for the road. You'll have to get some street tires too, not sure what to do there, maybe if you have a bald set of 21-23" tires...
just my 2¢

Street tires I'm not worried about. I can get DOT approved tires like nothing here. I'll use Hoosier cheater slicks if I have to. Someone told me you can get away with golf cart tires as well. They aren't cheap though. They do make my size and I can change the front if I need to.

So your saying 350X also? I was thinking about this as well. I'm considering that trike seriously.

[tanks350x]

here's the thread that you might be talking http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthr...et-Legal-Trikeabout?

[briano]

You think 99 percent of the cars on the road have a solid axle? Guess again. I drive a 97 s10 2 wheel drive everyday that has a spool in the rear end, which would make it the same as a trike. In 2 years I went through 56 tires on the back. Yes that is correct, 56 tires, there is always one skidding when you turn. I love it in the winter, and beat the crap out of it all summer. It will spin right around in it's own tracks if I want it to.


Good luck with your endevours, but please know what you are talking about before you post. 99 percent of cars on the road are open differential, which means one wheel drive.

[slashfan7964]

You think 99 percent of the cars on the road have a solid axle? Guess again. I drive a 97 s10 2 wheel drive everyday that has a spool in the rear end, which would make it the same as a trike. In 2 years I went through 56 tires on the back. Yes that is correct, 56 tires, there is always one skidding when you turn. I love it in the winter, and beat the crap out of it all summer. It will spin right around in it's own tracks if I want it to.


Good luck with your endevours, but please know what you are talking about before you post. 99 percent of cars on the road are open differential, which means one wheel drive.

I'm well aware of what I said. I will agree a lot of vehicle have an open rear end, having seen a lot come into the shop. The combination of the 2 and ones with posi style rear ends make up most of the roads. I also didn't say solid axle, I said live rear axle which covers almost everything, although newer cars are slowly getting IRS with LSD. No need to have an attitude, but I thank you for the good luck wishes

[loizl]

I ride my 350x on the street and there are no problems with the solid axle as long as you know how to ride a trike. It's widened and geared a little higher. I even rode my 86 tecate on and offroad for the Last 3 years and never had any problems with it

[slashfan7964]

I ride my 350x on the street and there are no problems with the solid axle as long as you know how to ride a trike. It's widened and geared a little higher. I even rode my 86 tecate on and offroad for the Last 3 years and never had any problems with it

I have heard stories from those who have also an they said its not bad.