A three-wheeled extravaganza! Piaggio MP3, VentureOne, KTM X-Bow and Can-Am Spyder
The Piaggio MP3 has been seen by only a handful of people in the U.S., however it already has quite a following. The excitement stems from the fact that the vehicle is radically different from almost everything else available. Or is it? That topic was brought up over at 2 Stroke Buzz. Despite their name, they cover anything scooter-related, whether powered by a 2-stroke or 4-stroke engine. All the older Vespa's used two strokes, hence the name.
Anyway, while at the Dealer Expo a few days ago, they noticed that the three-wheeled design is becoming quite popular. With vehicles such as the Can-Am Spyder, the T-Rex and it's electric sibling the Silence PT2, the KTM X-Bow, the Lazareth Triazuma and the VentureOne tilting vehicle based on the Carver, the MP3 will be facing stiff competition for your hard-earned dollars. One benefit that the MP3 will have over most of its competition is that it will undercut all of those vehicles in price. The next cheapest vehicle listed there will probably be the Can-Am Spyder which is expected to sell just south of $15 thousand or so. The MP3 also stands to have the best gas mileage, but along with that, probably the slowest performance.
Another tidbit that I pulled from the posting on 2SB was that Piaggio has announced that a 400cc 4-stroke version of the MP3 will be coming stateside in addition to the already announced 250cc 4-stroke version. Pricing remains to be announced, however.
Be sure to check out Piaggio's micro-site on the MP3.
Related:
- Can-Am Spyder official site is live, view our gallery
- More transportation alternatives, this time plucked from Kneeslider
- Venture Vehicles to design and build 100 mpg three-wheeled road-going jetfighter
- Video of Venture Vehicles playing around with a Carver three-wheeler
- KTM using carbon fibre to make their X-BOW roadster faster
- Need a three-wheeled all-electric speed machine? It's yours for $42,000
[Source: 2 Stroke Buzz, Piaggio and previous posts here on AutoblogGreen]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Helen luney 6:30PM (7/15/2008)
I saw them in England can we buy them over here. with gas the way it's going I would to have one of these too ride
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Sarah Diamond 10:40PM (12/15/2008)
I recently bought a cool three wheel tilting scooter that i noticed they failed to mention in the article yet its half the price and in some instances even 1/4th of the price of these trikes and also gets much better mpg at 83mpg and came standard with 4 speakers an mps am fm player an alarm and a carbon fiber dash to mention a few cool items i like it and i think you all will enjoy it as well here is the link enjoy http://www.theautomoto.com
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dwarsco 2:28PM (2/23/2007)
Well im buying a Spyder when the come out. i have a 2006 tl 6speed navi. that my wife stole from me. a 93 corolla that i drive to work everyday. this is gonna pacify my mid life crisis . where are the specs?? spee ,mpg ?
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Jeremy Korzeniewski 9:52PM (2/23/2007)
The specs are not readily available as of yet. After the vehicle is in testers' hands, we should get some good hands on information. Here is what I do know - 1000cc V-Twin Rotax motor - like the ones in the Aprilia sportbikes (139 HP?)under 700 pounds. You can deduce a few things like the power-to-weight... should be exciting!
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john riley 9:52AM (3/12/2007)
I went to the Piaggio website, but I still don't see the point of a leaning 3 wheeler. Seems like it has the disadvantages of a 2 wheeler and none of the advantages of a 3 wheeler.
I get the parking, and I saw the railroad tracks in the video. Are they a huge deal? The thing could still slide out like a 2 wheeler.
Re the can-am, I had trouble with that too, but after I connected the dots. Bombardier = snowmobiles = road vehicle you ride in the same position as a snowmobile, I see where they are coming from.
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John 12:22AM (4/20/2007)
I have my Spyder on order.....'nough said.
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Piaggio Owner 10:27AM (8/05/2007)
I took delivery of my MP3 on June 14th, and as far as I know, it's the first in Montana. The scooter is VERY stable--enough so that I was very comfortable driving it at the legal 75 MPH limit on the freeway that passes through the town I live in. Another great advantage of its being a 3-wheeler is that one can lock the front wheels, both when parking it and when standing at a stoplight, and not have to put one's feet down to the ground. I'm getting the hang of leaning it into turns; with the added front wheel (the two front wheels are about 15" apart), it has a somewhat larger turning radius and more sluggish low-speed turning than one might expect. (But the front end is not at all twitchy, unlike the standard 150 cc scooter on which I practiced and took the driving test for my license.) At 450 pounds, it feels very solid. And I love the fact that it has a hand-operated emergency brake, which, in conjunction with the locking front wheels, makes it really easy to park.
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joe 9:25PM (7/05/2008)
Hi. What model (size) MP3 do you own, and what's the gas mileage so far? Thanks.