These Xebra vehicles are classified as motorcycles (Photo: Ken Bingenheimer)
Wow, who knew it would be so hard--or necessary!--to define what is and is not a motorcycle. I mean, they have two wheels, right? Well, OK, some have three wheels. Are those really motorcycles or are they something else? And why does it matter?
If you're a member of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) you may already have seen this, but for those of you who are not, let me bring you up to speed.
As the AMA's Ed Moreland, VP for Government Relations, explains, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) wants to revise its definition of motorcycles to bring it more up to date and address the different vehicles that have lately been proliferating. The question he raises is whether classification of some of these vehicles as motorcycles will come back to bite those of use who ride the machines that are the classic concept of a motorcycle.
Take those Xebra three-wheelers in the photo there. They don't look like what you'd call a motorcycle, but they are classified as such. That classification is a boon to the manufacturers because with it they don't have to meet various safety requirements they would have to meet if they were classed as cars. But if you start classing all manner of vehicles as motorcycles, that's going to blow the safety statistics totally askew. Which might then lead to legislation that is unwarranted and unwanted.
Clearly it's a thorny issue, and if you read Ed's column you'll see that there are even more quirks involved than the few I've mentioned. You may want to offer your thoughts to the FHWA, or at least offer them to the AMA. The AMA offers these instructions for reaching the FHWA with your comments:
Go to regulations.gov, click on "Submit a Comment," enter "FHWA-2010-0010" in the "Enter Keyword or ID:" box and click the "Search" button. The "Submit a Comment" feature is under the "Action" column on the right side of the page.
Comments
Gosh, you said a mouth full - this would open up a whole new can of worms.
Would you wear a helmet AND a seat belt to ride in that little cage. Then some stupid will want motorcyclists to be seat belted to our bikes (they tried that a few years ago).
It's still a cage, no matter how many wheels it has.
While they don't look like motorcycles to me I can understand the manufacturers getting them classified as such. When I can no longer throw my leg over the seat of a two-wheeled motorcycle and cruise the road, I will probably buy a three-wheeled conveyance but I won't call it a motorcycle - I will call it a trike.
It is a misnomer, in my opinion. Like Patty, if and when the day comes that I can sit a TWO-WHEELED motorcycle, I'll switch to a trike, or a Can-Am...not some enclosed sardine can like that. Next they'll want to classify the Segway as a "motorcycle"...
Hey, the Segway has two wheels and a motor. You mean that doesn't make it a motorcycle?
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