Are trikes a fad or a sign of an aging biker population?

Asked by josie (30934

) May 27th, 2014

For Memorial Day I like to go to Washington DC to see Rolling Thunder and to stop by section 60 at Arlington to check in on some of my friends.

As the Vietnam guys age, I have noticed a slight but noticeable decrease in the number of bikes in Rolling Thunder.

Plus there were way more trikes this year than I remember in the past.

I don’t ride a motor cycle anymore so I am sort of out of the loop. Are the trikes a sign of aging riders, or is this just a new fad among bikers?

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2 Answers

My daughter’s husband’s father is an avid biker at age 72. I’ve asked him about that.

His answer was “yes” – people his age are more worried about accidents and balance, and a trike is sort of the best of both worlds. They still have the feeling of being on a motorcycle, but the added safety margin / stability of three wheels is appealing.

What I don’t understand is which trikes are better: two front wheels or two back wheels? You see both.

elbanditoroso (33550

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It’s both. There are new sport trikes that are appealing to more youthful riders while the trike that most would think of is indeed being ridden by older riders. HOWEVER I live in a area with heavy motorcycle traffic and trikes are not safer. They get into trouble quick on twisty roads. Physics just does not work with rear trikes with a high center of gravity. The sporty front trikes fair better, many have a low center of gravity.

ARE_you_kidding_me (20021

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