I'm confused. What's the etiquette with a Can Am 3-wheel thing?

**tigertim20** · 14th September 2012, 20:14

Originally Posted by Dangsta

Went for a blat today and ended up behind one of those two wheel at the front and one at the back things. Do you treat them like a "normal" bike and be all polite and stuff or do you treat it like a car and fuck it up the fuckity-fuck first chance you get and zip by it? Also, do you give them the biker wave or is that reserved for two wheels?

etiquette? treat it like every other vehicle on the road, assume they are a blind, ignorant brainless cunt who is out to kill you, and ride accordingly

**onearmedbandit** · 14th September 2012, 20:50

Like trikes and quads, I don't consider them motorcycles. How I dealt with one would depend on how it is being used

**NighthawkNZ:Me** · 14th September 2012, 21:12

Originally Posted by Dangsta

Went for a blat today and ended up behind one of those two wheel at the front and one at the back things. Do you treat them like a "normal" bike and be all polite and stuff or do you treat it like a car and fuck it up the fuckity-fuck first chance you get and zip by it? Also, do you give them the biker wave or is that reserved for two wheels?

Treat it like another vehicle on the road that you share with... whether bike, car, truck or van...

**haydes55** · 14th September 2012, 21:24

I would wave, haven't come across one on a ride yet. They most likely go on roads that 2-wheelers enjoy and most likely appreciate 2-wheelers as well. Chances are 20 minutes down the road they will pull up behind you at a gas station or bakery (Cos we bikers gotta have a good pie). "Nice bike" is a lot friendlier than "get a real bike homo". Treat others as you wish to be treated, I've had a few chats with random guys about their bikes and bikes in general at pit stops. I'm not going to shun someone with similar interests.

**sleemanj** · 14th September 2012, 22:25

Sidecar equipped bikes have 3 wheels, but they are certainly nothing like cars.

Perhaps we could say, anything the pilot sits ON, and has 3 wheels and a motor is a motorcycle.
- Can Am
- Sidecar setups
- Honda Gyro
- Trikes

Anything the pilot sits IN, and has 3 wheels and a motor is a three wheel car.
- Morgan 3 Wheelers
- Robin Reliant
- Carver One

Now, where it gets tricky, is vehicles that you sit in, but have 2 wheels!
- Monotracer

- Lit Motors C1

I don't know what to call those, except a whole heap of crazy.

**caseye** · 15th September 2012, 08:14

I'd call that some sort of amazing "bike" I'd like one of these, the possibilities are endless, blinged paint, that you can see, stickers for Africa. Extra mirrors, Bigger exhausts.
Yeah man.

**Subike** · 15th September 2012, 08:50

Originally Posted by sootie

Spyders (& probably Trikes generally) are really strange to follow. I ride in groups quite a bit, and when one of these things suddenly appeared all the two wheeled riders complained!
After a while you start to anticipate the lean, by watching the rider in front. I don't thinkgroup riders even realize what they are doing. Spyders corner almost dead flat like a car, and if you are the following rider, you tend to underestimate the bend curvature! I have got used to it now, but initially it caused a few headaches!

I found this interesting that you say you anticipate the lean of the bike on front of you and can fuck up a corner.
Thats bad riding in my eyes, where you become reliant upon the bike in front. Ride your own ride all the time, dont presume EVER that the rider in front of you has made the right choice for the road in front of him. I guess thats is a reason that some group rides end up with sadness, riders following each other presuming that everything is safe because , well the bike in front of them must be doing it right, and metal meets metal, skin and bone meet tarmac, then everyone thinks, "what the fuck went wrong". You presumed , anticipated, followed believed, that the guy in front of you got it right.

Now a Spyder, I like them, would consider it a class of bike, as is a trike bike, just a different configuration. I think that Casyee has the right idea on the description. But approaching, following, passing, Meh, its just another vehicle and respect its position on the road and it will respect yours, ( you hope) Wave, yup. and chat with at stops. Rallies? well how many trailer their rides to a rally then just ride in the gate?

**blackdog** · 15th September 2012, 09:53

Originally Posted by Dangsta

would you treat it like a car and zip by it if you get an opportunity?

You would have to be a pretty good rider on a pretty quick motorcycle to just 'zip' by one that's being hustled.

I was as quick around Manfeild on the Can Am as I was on a ZXR400.

**sootie** · 15th September 2012, 10:13

Originally Posted by blackdog

You would have to be a pretty good rider on a pretty quick motorcycle to just 'zip' by one that's being hustled.

I was as quick around Manfeild on the Can Am as I was on a ZXR400.

I am happy to confirm that. My bike is certainly faster than the Spyder my mate rides on the straits, but on the twisties it does very well indeed and the two machines are fairly well matched speed wise.

**willytheekid** · 15th September 2012, 11:12

...I messed with one at the start of the week

Guy on a black can-am "thing" that was noisy as hell (muffler was held on with wire), guy was being a dick and speeding through rush hour traffic...just so he could dangerously overtake me and rev the shit out of it in the process

(he was NOT making alot of friends with the other road users

..and it was painfuly obvious that he wanted my attention...why...dunno?)

...So I thought "Hay...cool car!...but lets make a point!..."

So when traffic got jammed up, and the opportunity arose, I filtered down the side of the stationary traffic and him....but he got jealous(and blinded

) and followed!

(it was a VERY tight fit!...and again, he made as much noise as possible

)
...twas a REAL shame when the traffic clogged up even more...and blocked all possible entries back into the flow of traffic...well...for his "car"!

I drifted through a little gap over to the right side of the line of cars and calmly carried on...leaving him stuck against the curb with lots of angry "deaf" motorists behind him!...I think he would have had a wee bit o trouble finding someone to allow him back into the flow of traffic

...well I thought it was funny! (I was laughing my arse off riding away)

...he friggin started it!!

Personal view of them...car! (a very cool car granted (and if I got crippled etc...I would probably look at one as an option)
But main reasoning, they lean OUT of a corner

...just like a car!

...just cos it has handlebars...sure doesn't make it a bike! (or give it the capabilities of one!)

But at least they are different and look like they could be lots of fun...as mentioned already...personal choice, physical ability and situation

...but I'll be damned if I'm waving to them!

(I already wave to harleys etc god-dammit

)

**BMWST?** · 15th September 2012, 11:23

Originally Posted by MSTRS

Any interaction is with the rider, not the machine, surely. And people ride those things for a variety of reasons...all of which are much the same as the reasons for riding 2 wheels. So why would you even ask?

they are not motorcycles imho.The have THREE wheels and they dont lean over.THAT is what motorcycles do.A trike is a car.PERIOD

**Road kill** · 15th September 2012, 11:36

A bike is a bike,a trike is a trike,a car is a car,a truck is a truck.

What's so hard to understand,,,some people are far to easy to confuse,yet they seem to claim some moral high ground based on their own inability to understand what most take for granted.

Now "that" is confusing.