When is a motorcycle a car.

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GWPete
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When is a motorcycle a car.

#1

Post by GWPete »

Saw this in Switzerland, when I was there in May
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Car type seat, 4 point seat belt, Windscreen wipers with washer fluid, Full roll cage when does it stop being a bike!
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Of course they are used to the cold but still made me feel like a wimp, now when people in Australia say it's cold today I just smile.
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dontwantapickle
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Re: When is a motorcycle a car.

#2

Post by dontwantapickle »

Since they market these Polaris slingshot contraptions as motorcycles.... I guess it's all open to interpretation.
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Re: When is a motorcycle a car.

#3

Post by Tbell »

Steering wheel makes it a car. IMHO
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Re: When is a motorcycle a car.

#4

Post by digger »

Steering wheel plus side by side seating makes it a car. It isn’t a motorcycle with sidecar.
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Re: When is a motorcycle a car.

#5

Post by GWPete »

I think two wheels is a motorcycle, and I wouldn't like to wear a seat belt even on the BMW200.
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Re: When is a motorcycle a car.

#6

Post by Sidecar Bob »

As I recall, some places that required helmets on other motorcycles and scooters didn't require them on those BMW scooters because of the full roll cage and full harness.

In most places up to 3 wheels is a motorcycle and 4 wheels is a car/truck and as such has to have the side pillars &c that a full sized car has. Bombardier ran into that when they decided to design a road going ATV so the Spyder had to have 3 wheels instead, making it more like a road going snowmobile...

As for the Slingshot, it seems that every picture of it I see looks uglier than the last one. If I was going to spend that much money for something with a steering wheel I'd probably look at cars instead and if I was really determined to have something with 3 wheels I would want something with a bit more class
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Re: When is a motorcycle a car.

#7

Post by mensor »

I give my uncle the hardest time about this hideous thing. (Opinions on the custom paint aside). I tell him it ain’t a bike and I won’t be seen anywhere near it. That said, if you’re gonna strap in, I’d take this over that thing in op. Neither is a motorcycle imo.
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Re: When is a motorcycle a car.

#8

Post by rcmatt007 »

it seems that our states had a mishmash of laws as to what was a car and what was a motorcycle. Trikes seemed pretty easy, but what about spyders… and so on. So those laws have tried to now have some uniformity. None of the three wheelers meet the safety standards of a "car"....

Interesting... the reason Morgan made three wheelers in England was it was a MC and therefore taxed at a much cheaper rate.
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Re: When is a motorcycle a car.

#9

Post by SnoBrdr »

dontwantapickle wrote:Since they market these Polaris slingshot contraptions as motorcycles.... I guess it's all open to interpretation.
PolarisSlingshot.jpg
In my state, these are registered as MCs.

The driver/rider here doesn't have to wear a helmet but I have yet to see a passenger in one of these wearing a helmet.

Would be interesting if a passenger got a ticket for no helmet.
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Re: When is a motorcycle a car.

#10

Post by FrontRunner »

I'm in the steering wheel = car camp. Can they be sporty and fun to drive, yes. Motorcycles don't have steering wheels. I don't fit in a Slingshot or a T-Rex, have never sat in a Morgan. I've ridden trikes and Spyders and I'll take a Spyder over a normal trike any day!
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Re: When is a motorcycle a car.

#11

Post by heraldhamster »

my understanding is that it's up to specific state laws.
that being said, I think most states consider it a motorcycle if it has less than four wheels.
since I've been planning my reverse trike for 30+ years I've done a bit of research in various states.
FWIW: from what I've learned, I can get away without wearing a helmet, even though it's licensed as a motorcycle, if I have a sit-in seat and a steering wheel.
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Re: When is a motorcycle a car.

#12

Post by SnoBrdr »

heraldhamster wrote:my understanding is that it's up to specific state laws.
that being said, I think most states consider it a motorcycle if it has less than four wheels.
since I've been planning my reverse trike for 30+ years I've done a bit of research in various states.
FWIW: from what I've learned, I can get away without wearing a helmet, even though it's licensed as a motorcycle, if I have a sit-in seat and a steering wheel.
Law hasn't been updated here to reflect the new machines.

If it wears a MC plate, it's a MC under the law.
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Re: When is a motorcycle a car.

#13

Post by dontwantapickle »

Hey guys.... let's ride our "motorcycles".
Do you think the Hell's Angels will let us join? I mean, after all, we're all "bikers".
Man.... I feel just like Peter Fonda behind the steering wheel of my Chopper.
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Re: When is a motorcycle a car.

#14

Post by rcmatt007 »

Here it is a MC..... therefore helmet required

Peter Fonda a "biker".... now THAT is funny
-Rodger-
all it takes for evil to prosper is the want of a few good men to do nothing-Edmund Burke
The question is not how much time do you have, it is what you do with the time that you have Gandalf
"One of the greatest dignities of humankind is that each successive generation is invested in the welfare of each new generation." Fred Rodgers
"it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert" ancient saying
78 constantly modified/customized since 1978, BOTM June 2015 de-evolving this very moment viewtopic.php?f=30&t=65511
76 Ltd "cookies bike" ALMOST DONE
79 project, finished, FOR SALE
'86 1200 (Beth's)(FOR SALE) with motorvation sidecar (sidecar sold) , July 2017 BOTM
'17 HD Road king and 08 HD Heritage softail (Beth's) (FOR SALE). I guess you can say we have MBS
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Sidecar Bob
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Re: When is a motorcycle a car.

#15

Post by Sidecar Bob »

From what I have read some states have introduced a new vehicle classification for vehicles with 3 wheels and a steering wheel. IIRC, they are calling them cyclecars or something like that.
Mr. Honda ('83 GL1100/Dnepr) summer How a motorcycle evolves thread
The Famous Eccles ('84 CX650EI/VeloUral) winter Never Ending Build (CX500forum)
Click: Colour schematics for all GL1000 & GL1100 and GL1200 standard models plus instructions on how to download the full size version
"A guy with two sidecars can't be all bad." - Cookie
Another guy with two sidecars..... Hmmmm... must be something to that....
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