# Three-wheeled scooter: one in back, two in front
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-wheeled-scooter-one-in-back-two-in-front/484463
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [February 4, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-wheeled-scooter-one-in-back-two-in-front/484463 "2009-02-04T20:16:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-wheeled-scooter-one-in-back-two-in-front/484463/1 "2009-02-04T20:16:41Z")
So I’m on a neighborhood walk, and I stumble across [this strange-looking vehicle](http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/3872/2wheelscooter1wf3.jpg).
[Another view](http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/4236/2wheelscooter2hs8.jpg) and a [close-up](http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/4691/2wheelscooter3tj5.jpg).
I took those pictures for reference, and then spent a little time with Google. I came up with [this promotional description](http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2006/05/piaggio-mp3-three-wheeler-scooter-with.html) and [this apparent hands-on driving review](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/03/03/MTGFUODUOO1.DTL). And [another, much longer description](http://www.modernvespa.com/forum/topic7574.html).
I still don’t get it. How does this work? The three-points-of-contact backwards tricycle thing apparently increases stability, but what keeps the tires from losing traction during turns? [This video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj1irO5UY68) suggests some sort of independent suspension, but wouldn’t a mechanism like that increase the complexity of the machine and thus make it more complicated and expensive to maintain, and more likely to break? Is this just a gimmick? Has anyone here driven one, or does anyone actually have one?
(Also, the speedometer goes up to 100mph. Seriously?)
---
### Author:  [@Dromish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dromish)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2009, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-wheeled-scooter-one-in-back-two-in-front/484463/2 "2009-02-04T20:34:04Z")
Why wouldn’t it work? The forward thrust is provided by the single rear wheel, just like in a standard scooter, or motorcycle. The pair of turning front wheels is no more complicated than the front tires on a car. A trifle odd looking, to be sure, but no more inherently dangerous than a normal motorcycle. Essentially they’ve changed the single front tire in a standard motorcycle for a pair of smaller tires. I imagine it would ride very much the same, and if anything be a little more stable.
---
### Author:  [@Thin\_Ice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thin_Ice)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-wheeled-scooter-one-in-back-two-in-front/484463/3 "2009-02-04T20:36:47Z")
Never seen one before. From the promo page, “The PIAGGIO MP3 uses three 12” wheels with large tyres - 120/70 front, 130/70 rear. Together with the revolutionary front suspension, the wheels provide a tilt angle of up to 40° while riding like any normal two wheeler and simultaneously ensuring better road grip on any surface, especially slippery tracks. The parallelogram suspension also ensures increased stability at high speeds."
---
### Author:  [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2009, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-wheeled-scooter-one-in-back-two-in-front/484463/4 "2009-02-04T20:41:16Z")
It’s a Dymaxion scooter!
---
### Author:  [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-wheeled-scooter-one-in-back-two-in-front/484463/5 "2009-02-04T20:42:59Z")
Just from the thread title, I thought you might have seen one of [these](http://www.strangevehicles.com/images/content/109198.jpg).
---
### Author:  [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-wheeled-scooter-one-in-back-two-in-front/484463/6 "2009-02-04T20:51:56Z")
They’ve been around a while. I’ve seen one around here every so often for the last couple of years. A San Jose BMW dealer seems to be handling them.
---
### Author:  [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2009, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-wheeled-scooter-one-in-back-two-in-front/484463/7 "2009-02-04T20:55:48Z")
> [@Cervaise](#):
>
> The three-points-of-contact backwards tricycle thing apparently increases stability, but what keeps the tires from losing traction during turns?
Any vehicle will lose traction if you try to corner too hard. But there’s no reason a 3-wheel scooter would lose traction more easily than a 2-wheel scooter. It’s strictly a function of surface material/condition, speed, and turn radius. (Actually the size of the contact patch matters too, and I think the trike would have larger total contact area, and therefore better traction.)
A more serious hazard for multi-track (\>2 wheel) vehicles is tipover. But if the vehicle can lean into a turn, it increases the stability quite a bit.
> [@](#):
>
> …but wouldn’t a mechanism like that increase the complexity of the machine and thus make it more complicated and expensive to maintain, and more likely to break?
Yes. Those are the prices you pay for the added stability and security.
> [@](#):
>
> Has anyone here driven one, or does anyone actually have one?
I’ve ridden a human-powered trike with a [similar design](http://www.avantec-df.co.jp/). It felt perfectly stable, no skill needed at all to balance. It required some effort to lean into a turn (i.e. it didn’t lean all by itself as a normal bicycle would), but it became natural after a while and the cornering ability seemed at least as good as a 2-wheel bike. The motorized version probably has active suspension that makes it handle even better.
---
### Author:  [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2009, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-wheeled-scooter-one-in-back-two-in-front/484463/8 "2009-02-04T21:21:44Z")
> [@Cervaise](#):
>
> (Also, the speedometer goes up to 100mph. Seriously?)
I’ve never ridden one, but I’ve seen them in the show room. I did a bit of research on them about a year ago, and I have no reason to believe 100mph isn’t a bit low for the higher end MP3s.
---
### Author:  [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2009, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-wheeled-scooter-one-in-back-two-in-front/484463/9 "2009-02-04T21:26:10Z")
Ha, I thought you were talking about [these](http://www.minpaku.ac.jp/english/museum/exhibition/southasia/img/05.jpg). They tip all the time. I’ve ridden in them, though, they’re fun.