# What are the benefits and drawbacks of trikes?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-and-drawbacks-of-trikes/734320>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [October 11, 2015, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-and-drawbacks-of-trikes/734320 "2015-10-11T18:05:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2018, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-and-drawbacks-of-trikes/734320/61 "2018-09-06T16:54:33Z")

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> [@Kevbo](#):
>
> Think Tim Conway tipping over on a child’s tricycle.

You’re thinking of Arte Johnson on Laugh-In.

> [@Mumberthax](#):
>
> Apples and oranges. You have a hybrid; she doesn’t.

The point was that the trike lady was all smug about her fuel economy, whereas if she wanted to buy something so she could brag about mileage she should have bought something else. (A hybrid just recaptures energy that would otherwise have been lost in braking. It still gets all its energy from the gas engine.)

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**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2018, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-benefits-and-drawbacks-of-trikes/734320/62 "2018-09-06T17:57:42Z")

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I have a Spyder F3. It’s mostly because my hubby has a real motorcycle and enjoys riding very much, whereas I just want to go places with him and I’m _not_ gonna sit in the back.

(In Québec, to ride a motorcycle you need to follow something like 9 hours of classroom plus 12 hours on the road plus two government tests; for a trike permit you take 4 hours of classroom and 4 hours on the road and you’re good to go, no exams.)

Also: I’m clumsy, and my Spyder has a semi-auto gearbox, and can’t possibly tip over. I know I could get such a gearbox on a motorcycle, but first I’d have to go through the whole course and exam process with a manual bike.

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