What was this odd motorbike I saw a while ago?

Factual Questions
1

Or perhaps motor-trike. It had - I swear I’m not making this up and I wasn’t seeing things - two front wheels, but small and very close together. There was some arrangement where when it cornered they both leaned in parallel instead of one lifting off the ground as you’d expect.

What kind of bike was it, and why was it set up like that? That is, what advantage was it thought to have? I can see a little extra stability perhaps, but they were only a few centimetres apart. Also, why only the front wheels? As best I could tell the rear wheel was normal. Thanks all!

2

Maybe a Vespa?

3

I guess that must be it, and thanks, but how in hell is that thing a scooter? And how is having more stability in the front only any help at all?

4

You don’t ride motorcycles, do you? :wink:

Anyway, if the rear wheel starts slipping, in 99% of the cases the rider will be able to recover. But if the front starts slipping (eg. by applying the brakes too hard) that’s an instant fall. Two wheels at the front means that there’s less chance of locking the front brakes and if you do you the bike will still not fall over.

5

What you saw was a Piaggio MP3.

6

coula have been a Can Am Spyder

7

No, as I said the two front wheels were definitely only a few cm apart, and canted through corners like the one in the link in post #2. That’s the beast alright, I’m just suspicious it’s as useful a feature as they claim.

8

I see one of those frequently on my commuting days. I’ll have to pay it more attention.

9

Well, just the fact that it doesnt fall over sideways when you come to a normal stop is probably useful enough in itself.

I’ve seen one tooling around our town every few weeks for the past year or so.