Two years ago when the Piaggio MP3 was getting all of the attention as the new tilting 3 wheeler, lots of other companies were trying to adapt the technology for use on motorcycles. Harley Davidson had their idea, the Brudeli Leanster showed up and more recently, Tilting Motor Works put a 2 wheel front end on a Vmax. The IRS1000 was another attempt that appeared back then. It looks pretty interesting but the company website is down now and the Italian company that built it is probably gone, too.
All of these designs use a different tilting mechanism up front but they all do pretty much the same thing. There may be tradeoffs involved with the various designs but unless we try them all, we won’t know which one is best.
Since the tilting 3 wheeler concept is proven as workable, you have to wonder what would happen if some builder decided to run with this idea on a sportbike, like the IRS1000 shown here. The only question I have is what kind of market there is and who would build it. Would a builder do it and offer conversions or kits or would a manufacturer do it and offer something in their showroom? Either way, I have to believe there’s potential here.
More photos below:
Link: Motoblog.it
sohc says
More brakes, more contact patch. What’s not to love? still feels like a traditional two wheel bike when you ride them, just more planted.
jamesbowman says
I was one day pondering what would be the best layout for a track/race vehicle and concluded that the reverse trike layout was the most for the least. Then my mind settled on the fact that it must lean to vector the forces like a motorcycle. Then I went online and found I was not the first by far.
Now however why not add electric motors up front for awsome off corner acceleration and even use the motors to rotate in a hairpin? Norton wankel in the back, lower the driver/rider position into the vehicle, add some active areo devices and beat anything on the track with less fuel? Sorry 42 years and still dreaming like a school boy.
Neat enough concept they have if the Can Am Spyder tilted they might not have been able to build them fast enough.
Bob Mighell says
Tilting Motor Works is alive and well and progressing toward production of two wheeled tilting front end kits for Harley Road Kings, Honda Goldwings and the Vmax. We are in the process of 3-D modeling all of the parts in SolidWorks and making our drawings. The first production hubs, spindles and spacers were road tested last week and perform very nicely. I am hoping to begin marketing the kits sometime after the first of the year. I also have a working manual version of a tilt lock mechanism that will lock the tilt while at a stop so the rider does not have to put their feet down. We are currently working on the software to automate this to make it speed controlled.
Bob Mighell
http://www.tiltingmotorworks.com
jamesbowman says
Bob I have actually recently visited your web site and read about the updates. I am glad to hear it as I have always liked your design, I hope that cost doesn’t prohibit great success. I will be following your progress. Again very nice engineering and the quality of your workmanship is self evident.
zipidachimp says
and sales of the spyder are……….?
kim scholer says
The most important hurdle has been taken care of, in the sense that major manufacturers have already embraced the concept. Scooters only, of course, but it’s a start. The next hurdle is customer acceptance and affordability.
Meanwhile, a race series using leaning trikes only will weed out the inferior designs on no time. Rules could be made to even out the differences in powerplants.
OTTO MANN says
SPEAKING OF SCOOTERS, WHERE,S THE YAMAHA HAGANE?
Nicolas says
OK, sorry to be the designated grumpy negative commentator this time.
The video shows that it works. But it’s not impressive at all. Maybe some folks who contribute to this (excellent) site may have tried it and can provide their enlightened feedback, I’ve not and it doesn’t make feel like trying it. To my humble opinion, a motorcycle should keep no more than 2 wheels and stay a brutally simple yet beautiful object, not need for complicated (yet smart) machinery such as the ugly stuff who make the front wheels tilting.
2 wheels & one engine !
dave says
I’d like to see the IRS 1000 lap time compared to the same person riding an sv1000 with similar weight.
Making this design affordable is not going to be easy, but beating lap times, decreased braking distances and the obvious increased frontal profile may convince those of us sitting on the fence about the design.
A pretty plastic fairing covering up the mechanicals may convince guys like Nicolas that motorcycles are whatever you love to ride.
I know a few grown men with beautiful objects of desire that they store in garages for sunny days of posing at Starbucks.
In my humble opinion,,,, yadayadayada pllllleeeegghhhhhh!!
FREEMAN says
The youngins will not buy these because they probably make wheelies/stoppies/etc practically impossible and they won’t be able to beat their riding buddies on the standard bikes chicken strips. The youngins want to break/tame their wild bike, not the other way around.
Greybeard says
I hate to discourage innovative thinking as well BUT…leaning is leaning, no?
Lap times? Where, to the corner deli?
Two tires to wear out, two rims to bend, exceedingly expensive to repair/replace/align in the event of a crash.
It’s an approach to answering what question?
If you think there’s a need to be answered, party on, but for me?
No thanks.
jamesbowman says
I do not think that the purpose of reverse trikes are to replace two wheeled motorcycles. They will have their own niche and some advantages and disadvantages over a bike. I do not feel the IRS looked all that impressive on the track. However on track best bike vs best car, car wins. I think by combining some advantages of a car with some advantages of the bike done correctly RT can beat both.
Some advantages for the RT is increased stability, better stopping, ability to sport a canopy for inclimate riding, lower cg, virtually impossible to lowside, if rider is closer to fulcrum point less prone to high side. I personally think all wheel drive would work also.
Some disadvantages are motorcyles are established and accepted, less complex, lighter and very well developed, cheaper etc…
I don’t think tire wear would increase on RT because the wear is spread over three contact points they should last aprox 1/3 longer? I personally ride a Yamaha XT250 dual sport because its fun and economical, if I had a good RT with a canopy the car would get left out, as the bike is too cold and dangerous for me now with change of season. If a RT was a petrol electric hybrid maybe I could use zero gas to work and back, I do miss 75-80mpg on the Yamaha. So I am for two wheels and they are going nowhere soon. How ever count me in on a good RT they can be taylored to more closely fill a cars purpose i.e. Aptera or a Bike like Bob Mighell’s design.
pabsy says
the difference between the piaggo and the rest is the piaggo moves the front outer wheel forward as well as leaning it and this is exactly where that wheel needs to be for maximum grip and stability
the other soloutions simply tilt the wheels
piaggo accomplishes this via the simple expediant of tilting the joint in two planes rather than one from the ground
its the best soloution by far and if applied with attention paid to max lean angle it would be great for indivduals who who require the additional stability at a standstill especially
QrazyQat says
A pretty plastic fairing covering up the mechanicals may convince guys like Nicolas that motorcycles are whatever you love to ride.
So if you love to ride a snowmobile it’s a motorcycle? 🙂 I don’t think so.
Dodgy says
Having spent some time riding different versions of the MP3 (250, 400 and Gilera Fuoco 500), all I can suggest is that if you get a chance; test ride one!
I have spent hours explaining the concept, technology and benefits of them to people, but they just don’t ‘get it’ until they ride it…
Discovering the limits of riding on my favorite twisty but very poorly surfaced road on the 250 was eye opening. Notwithstanding the limited ground clearance (worse on the 4/500), it was subsatntially quicker through rough corners than an R1… Hilarious.
The first time I rode on I immediately started to hope someone wold add this sort of front end to a ‘proper’ motorcycle.
Keep it up guys!
George Cathey says
While a number of tilting trikes have been built over the years, there is one company in Dallas, Texas that is actually in production. Their bike is a conventional trike (one wheel in front) and does work pretty good. You can check it out at http://www.mysterydesigns.com. They have built a number of these units.
B*A*M*F says
Dodgy,
I’ve had my own experiences with the MP3 and I agree. People don’t get it until they try it. I did things on that bike that I would be scared of doing on a 2 wheeled machine. You can take corners more aggressively, even on inferior surfaces. I don’t think the whole electronic locking thing is really terribly useful. After the novelty wore off, I quit using it and just put my feet down like any other bike. A simple mechanical parking lock would suffice for me.
Also, the MP3 can definitely do a stoppie.
http://scooterclub-bg.com/e107_plugins/autogallery/Gallery/Stunt%20Gallery/Stoppie/Piaggio_MP3_Stoppie.JPG
FREEMAN says
There’s a big difference between the confidence of the rider and the capability and limits of the bike.
B*A*M*F says
Freeman, I won’t debate you on that. However, there is a counter argument to that. A 1903 Harley Davidson certainly had capabilities in excess of many of its potential riders. Your garden variety sport bike can do things in the hands of a pro that the average person with a motorcycle endorsement wouldn’t likely be able to replicate.
I’m not willing to go utterly nuts on gravel on 2 wheels, but on 3, it’s a breeze. Tilting reverse trikes make it a little easier for the ordinary rider to do extraordinary things. I don’t see anything wrong with that.
Nicolas says
Well, if you want a vehicle that you won’t lay down on the road, that doesn’t need to put the feet on the ground to keep vertical while stopped, that makes the ordinary rider (I am one of them) feel good on critical surfaces, you may also want something to protect from the weather, and transport your special sandbag with comfort … then get a car.
Damodharan says
Dear
all glad to such type of Trike.
Well jamesbowman
Regarding the All wheel drive trike. I am design it and that speciality about the Tilting trike is it will tit like normal Trike and
at the same time, power is transmitted to all the wheels from the common engine
I am working on the design and I personally feel I can manufacture it for production with an additional cost of
another 2000£ approx (on top of the cost of the bike model)
Since I worked making trike and I have seen the few possible problem I had faced while making it and did look for the alternative solution for design All Wheel Drive transmission system.
and also applying for patent for the design solution
any quereis or any suggestion u can mail me to damo.r16@gmail.com
Will MacCormac says
Does the bike now stand upright on its own? I saw another reverse trike which seems to stay upright without a kickstand or lock (spring?)
Dave says
I want one.
As long as the front track is no wider than a normal bike, a tilting trike would be more stable, better in bad weather/poor roads and I’m sure would corner faster than a two wheeler. Only total experts (or nutters) can slide a two wheeler but one of these would slide on the limit rather (like a car) than grounding out and low siding.
However, I do think many of the designs are over complicated and I believe the normal standard bike frame is probably not suitable – at least from the engine forwards.
We need low mounted swing arms, hub centre steering (like a car) and anti dive geometry (like a car). But with the tilting suspension its a bike retaining all of the bike advantages and now many of the car advantages thrown in.
Why do we have to remain wedded to the narrow thinking of the mainstream bike industry. Time to move foward. Dump the nasty tele forks and maybe one day we’ll even get some powerful; but economical engines.
Sorry that was silly of me. All bikes must have forks and slow speed (read heavy) gear boxes and thirsty engines. Its a tradition that can’t be broken.
Roll on Piaggio and Peugeot, et al. Hopefully you’ll also get into “proper” bikes