Dragon claims 67 year old triker

[Constant Mesh]

https://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20080624/NEWS/91240681

 

[keithaba]

That sucks.... I'm not being mean, but I don't get this. "Smith lost control when his rear tire raised up while driving through a curve." followe later by, "speed was not a factor in the cause of the accident."

So trikes just lift up a rear wheel on turns all the time?

 

[NoCage]

This came up some time back... the steering dynamics of a trike are messed up. If all 3 wheels are on the ground, it steers like a cage; steer in the direction you want to turn. When a rear wheel comes up, like for this guy too hot in a turn, it steers like a motorcycle, so you'd have to counter-steer to bring the wheel back down. I can see where not making that transition when the wheel lifts would end in this result. R.I.P.

 

[keithaba]

This came up some time back... the steering dynamics of a trike are messed up. If all 3 wheels are on the ground, it steers like a cage; steer in the direction you want to turn. When a rear wheel comes up, like for this guy too hot in a turn, it steers like a motorcycle, so you'd have to counter-steer to bring the wheel back down. I can see where not making that transition when the wheel lifts would end in this result. R.I.P.

Well, that's what I'm trying to say. I'm not trying to point fingers at this guy, god knows I've ridden too fast on the gap....

But it bugs me that because it was a trike and he was 67, the cop deduces, "speed was not a factor."

If he lifted a wheel, of coarse speed was a factor...

Hope the guys family are doing as well as they can after a death of a loved one....

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

The C.P.S.C., years ago, banned the sale of three wheelers in America -- partly because of their handling dynamics. Somehow?, the aftermarket gets around this.

I'm fairly confident many O.E.M.s would really like to sell 'factory' three wheelers directly to the "oldsters" -- but, refrain because of the impending liability. You can just see the new GW, for aging 'boomers' being a three wheeler -- right on the dealer's floor.....

 

[El Toro]

The forerunner of the ATV was the trike styled ATC, all terrain cycle. Honda introduced them with 90cc engines back when I was still working in a dealership. Later, as a forensic engineer and expert witness, I remember the lawsuits as folks experienced stability problems. Eventually, the ATC's disappeared and the ATVs showed up.

I stopped providing forensic engineering services around 1989 when responsibilities in my "day job" became greater and lost touch. I didn't realize that 3 wheelers had been banned.

I wonder how Piaggio's MP3 or the Can Am Spyder get around this. I think that both are imported into the US. I suppose putting the two wheels up front provides some safety against diving type problems, and the articulation of the front end may also help with stability and maneuverability.

Its sad when folks die on the road. Deal's Gap was a lot more fun before all the publicity (Thanks, Deal's Gap Resort PR guy). :angry: I feel like Yogi Berra, i.e., "No one goes to Deal's Gap anymore. Its too crowded."

At least he didn't T-bone someone else and take them with him. That happens a couple times a year on US129 too.

Sigh.... RIP

 

[FJRocket]

Very sad.

There's a "grandpa" that rides a Harley round these parts with a sidecar. Essentially a trike. He can just lean and cut the wheel at about any speed and lift the sidecar... even with a passenger. So if the trike guy panicked, and cut hard, even going slow, the wheel would come off, steering characteristics change and get in big trouble fast. Especially on the Dragon. Man, I'd think you would have to do some serious leaning on a trike to keep the wheels down and keep ANY kind of speed.... even the speed limit.

That's one of the reasons I won't probably make the transition to a trike. I like even numbers, if I need open air after the MC days are done, I'll get a convertible.

 

[angus]

If you have the proper training a Goldwing trike will corner way better than a cruiser and better than a standard Wing.

 

[Silver Penguin]

That sucks.... I'm not being mean, but I don't get this. "Smith lost control when his rear tire raised up while driving through a curve." followe later by, "speed was not a factor in the cause of the accident."
So trikes just lift up a rear wheel on turns all the time?

My thoughts exactly. The two statements appear to contradict each other. One of the rear tires raised up while negotiating a curve but speed was not a factor?

No matter what the story, it's a sad loss for the friends and family of the rider. My sympathies to them. Who knows, they may have mistakenly thought that he was safer on three wheels than two.

Jill

 

[RonBB]

No personal experience on a trike but having ridden the Dragon several times I can certainly see how with the tight hairpins & abrupt elevation changes a trike could indeed lift a wheel at less than the speed limits there-especially if one had not ridden the Dragon before.

 

[raclow]

Sad to lose one of our local boys...from Arkansas. Trikes are great fun, to some, but a little difficult to steer in the curves.

 

[FJR919]

The forerunner of the ATV was the ATC, all terrain cycle. Honda introduced them with 90cc engines back when I was still working in a dealership. Later, as a forensic engineer and expert witness, I remember the lawsuits as folks experienced stability problems. Eventually, the ATC's disappeared and the ATVs showed up.
I stopped providing forensic engineering services around 1989 when responsibilities in my "day job" became greater and lost touch. I didn't realize that 3 wheelers had been banned.

I wonder how Piaggio's MP3 or the Can Am Spyder get around this. I think that both are imported into the US. I suppose putting the two wheels up front provides some safety against diving type problems, and the articulation of the front end may also help with stability and maneuverability.

Its sad when folks die on the road. Deal's Gap was a lot more fun before all the publicity (Thanks, Deal's Gap Resort PR guy). :angry: I feel like Yogi Berra, i.e., "No one goes to Deal's Gap anymore. Its too crowded."

At least he didn't T-bone someone else and take them with him. That happens a couple times a year on US129 too.

Sigh.... RIP

The Can Am comes with a vehicle stability system like many new cars have which modulates the throttle and each wheel of the brake system. The Piaggio system is unique that once underway the front suspension will allow the scooter to lean, so it's not like a conventional trike or the Spyder.

 

[jekirby]

If you have the proper training a Goldwing trike will corner way better than a cruiser and better than a standard Wing.

+1 Goldwing trikes are very popular around here. Heck our local dealer has 3 on their floor. The folks who are comfortable with a trike can take twisties with them that amaze me. One tried to explain that the good trikes have a modified front wheel geometry called 'easy steer' and it looks like it does the job. Sad to hear about this fellow.

 

[cota95]

As the owner of 2 sidecar rigs, I can tell you that it takes time to get used to the steering dynamics of 3 wheelers. And, they will never handle as well as a two wheeler no matter who is riding it!

 

[Pjturbo]

If you have the proper training a Goldwing trike will corner way better than a cruiser and better than a standard Wing

Sorr, I don't want to start an argument but no one has been able to show this yet, and it has been tried.

Phil

 

[HaulinAshe]

The Trooper was probably trying to do the family "a favor", and list the incident as an accident where speed was not a factor. That may make a difference to the insurance carriers and their eventual payouts. No need to make a bad situation worse kinda thing.

 

[twistedcricket]

I've often seen "speed was not a factor" as it relates to the vehicle not being over the posted speed limit. (insofar as they are able to determine) It typically has very little, if anything, to do with a driver's ability or inability to maintain control of a vehicle.

Sad nonetheless...

my $.02

 

[FJRMGM]

a rider does not have to be speeding to run off the road or lose control - one moment of inattention and a snap move to try to recover and all can be lost.

 

[Fubar]

Just a sidenote to this. If you read back through the history of the dragon.....this is not the first trike to not make the entire run. And it's not the first fatality, on the dragon, with someone riding a trike. I like my two wheels, and I thought the trike riders were on something more stable, but I learned here that they may not be just the ticket for older riders. Sad story....

Don