Yamaha are the official motorcycle supplier so they provide them for certain rolls, normal bikes will be press, neutral service etc

I've no idea about the TDF but those 2-front-wheel bikes are popular in the UK because our licensing laws allows for(some of) them to be ridden on a car license whilst remaining in the motorcycle taxation class, so they can (in London, anyway) be ridden in most bus lanes, are exempt from congestion charge and use motorcycle parking bays most of which are free.

It's all down to how far apart the wheels are. Some manufacturers do a UK-specific model to exploit the 'loophole'.

Yamaha Niken, 3 cyl 850cc not cheap though

https://www.thebikemarket.co.uk/yamaha/niken

You're right there Mike!

What are the supposed advantages, other than being just different, or that they can stand up on their own?

I think I'll stick with my Guzzi!

John

Used to watch one going about where I live and maintaining the front wheel geometrics looked pretty complicated for a bike

On our pothole ridden third world road system I got the impression that it wouldn't be long before wonky tyre wear became an issue, as with various cars

edit: Those Yamahas do look a lot more substantial though, the one I used to see was a more scooter type design

Edited By Ady1 on 14/09/2020 07:00:27

Thanks for the link Jason, I think it actually says they "….provide a lot of stability.", not necessarily more than a normal motorcycle.

I noticed a good few three wheelers in France and Italy in a road trip in 2019 so they are becoming more popular though still a minority of all motorcycles.

I read this bit too, additional is more in my book.

• The NIKEN has been chosen to offer the motorbike riders additional stability.

Piaggio marketed this type years before anybody else, the bike cranks over like a normal bike with a clever linkage keeping the front wheels parallel, but the inside one goes up, while the outside one goes down. The concept is to attract people who might be wary of holding up a normal two wheeler.

as always, for the brit manufactures…whats the cheapest they can get away with……

seems the modern 3 wheelers are used a lot on mainland europe….

Having ridden a Yamaha Niken I think this additional stability thing is just not noticeable while riding "normally". The bike rode well, but most do these days. I think the additional stability would help out in difficult conditions, slippery roads for instance, or when a rider exceeds their ability.

Very comfortable though and plenty of room for a pillion. These points, I think, would make it appeal to the riders providing support for Le Tour. Yamaha are making the most of an opportunity here.

I found it amusing (don't know why) that the Niken will not stand up without a conventional stand.

John

Not something I noticed as being that much better the a conventional motorcycle, it still needs input from the rider to keep it upright.

To get a motorcycle to track straight at very low speed, say less than 6-7mph, the technique is to move the handlebars side to side, only a small amount but this will keep the bike moving in a straight line without weaving. This is something I have noticed some support riders doing at cycling events when progress slows to these sorts of speeds, which isn't very often! I think control at very slow speeds comes more from rider experience than having an extra front wheel.

John

My dad used a sidecar bike for years and said they always stopped in a straight line because of the free wheel

You just had to remember the mudguard poking out 6 inches beyond the sidecar when passing down the outside of a bus…