The Front Wheels Setup

[zelio]

We need to get off this motorcycle endorsement kick for Elio. The only thing that makes him not a car is lack of the 4th wheel. After that, everything about him is CAR and NOTHING about him is motorcycle.
Being classified as a 'motorcycle' gives him the huge advantage of not being under the high cost of emissions requirements. Requiring a helmet would be the death of Elio.

Frontal area is much bigger than a bike and actually comparable to a car.

There are only 5 states that now require helmets for this vehicle and I strongly suspect that will change by the time Elio rolls off the line. So take a deep breath and just relax. This crisis, too, will pass. :-) Z

BTW Elio is a she. I know because I asked her and I will stick to that explanation no matter what! LOL

 

[3 Card]

We need to get off this motorcycle endorsement kick for Elio. The only thing that makes him not a car is lack of the 4th wheel. After that, everything about him is CAR and NOTHING about him is motorcycle.
Being classified as a 'motorcycle' gives him the huge advantage of not being under the high cost of emissions requirements. Requiring a helmet would be the death of Elio.

Frontal area is much bigger than a bike and actually comparable to a car.

26 states require a helmet..26 do not..How would that be the death of Elio? Does not seem to hurt Harley..Only paying insurance once a year which full coverage on my Harley is lees than 200 bucks a annually..The problems will be many states do not require motorcycles to be insured..Somewhere down the road there will be another classification for vehicles like Elio.. Plenty of biker wanna bees will be buying these because of the cost and others to save money plus people like me who just want a new toy..MY QUESTION IS, IF YOU ARE SO SURE ELIO WILL CRASH AND BURN WHY ARE YOU GETTING ONE OR ON EVEN ON THIS WEB SITE ? Sales will probably be lighter in helmet states.... I have sat in the P3, believe me it's a trike bike with a cage, however at an operating cost 0f 3 cents a mile you'd be surprised what people in the economy will wear on their heads.. My Jeep gets about 15mpg, my Harley averages just over 30 mpg..Would I wear a half helmet to go to Walmart or work where required ? You bet ya ! It should be classified as a motorcycle and anyone operating it should be aware of bike laws and know rhe difference between driving and riding..

 

[Cali Chris]

26 states require a helmet..26 do not..How would that be the death of Elio?

You need to do some more research. All but five states have bypassed the law to wear a helmet while DRIVING the Elio. Because the Elio has more resemblance to a car than it does a motorcycle. You sit in a seat in a enclosed cabin. You steer it with a steering wheel and the throttle, brake and if applicable clutch are all foot pedals. Most of the states have classified it as an autocycle. Make no mistake the over all driving experience will be entirely similar to a car with almost no similarities to a motorcycle. Not that it matters, but if the helmet laws did apply to the Elio then most people would not feel comfortable driving it with a helmet. That's why it would kill sales.

MY QUESTION IS, IF YOU ARE SO SURE ELIO WILL CRASH AND BURN WHY ARE YOU GETTING ONE OR ON EVEN ON THIS WEB SITE ?

WHAT?! I don't this is anyone here thinks or has implied that. I believe that the implication was that since the Elio will be so light it will stop better and maneuver more quickly than most of the cars around you. With that in mind it would be wise to drive defensively. If you stop faster than the truck or SUV that is tailgating you; that presents a real problem. Don't you think?



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[Joshua Caldwell]

Helmet laws and the Elio - if I get stopped by a cop I'll just claim I'm belted into the helmet... i.e. the enclosed body with airbags.

 

[3 Card]

You need to do some more research. All but five states have bypassed the law to wear a helmet while DRIVING the Elio. Because the Elio has more resemblance to a car than it does a motorcycle. You sit in a seat in a enclosed cabin. You steer it with a steering wheel and the throttle, brake and if applicable clutch are all foot pedals. Most of the states have classified it as an autocycle. Make no mistake the over all driving experience will be entirely similar to a car with almost no similarities to a motorcycle. Not that it matters, but if the helmet laws did apply to the Elio then most people would not feel comfortable driving it with a helmet. That's why it would kill sales.

WHAT?! I don't this is anyone here thinks or has implied that. I believe that the implication was that since the Elio will be so light it will stop better and maneuver more quickly than most of the cars around you. With that in mind it would be wise to drive defensively. If you stop faster than the truck or SUV that is tailgating you; that presents a real problem. Don't you think?



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Tailgaters are a proplem .. I agree.. Happens to all of us.. Causes road rage and makes me clean my gun more often

 

[ST13Fred]

MY QUESTION IS, IF YOU ARE SO SURE ELIO WILL CRASH AND BURN WHY ARE YOU GETTING ONE OR ON EVEN ON THIS WEB SITE ? It should be classified as a motorcycle and anyone operating it should be aware of bike laws and know rhe difference between driving and riding.. its' a trike bike with a cage...

Crash and burn?? Who said that? The rest of your question does not justify a response.

Calling this thing a trike or a bike is incorrect. There are no 'bike laws'; it's called motor vehicle laws.

So I suppose we will be 'riding' Elio, since, according to you, it is a trike bike?

 

[Zipper]

Tailgaters are a proplem .. I agree.. Happens to all of us.. Causes road rage and makes me clean my gun more often

From personal experience, the 'Back-Off' product line has proven to be very helpful in keeping the tailgaters at bay. (No financial connection to the Back-Off folks.)

 

[redhedman50]

An interesting fact about 3 wheeled vehicles: if there is a pothole, you will hit it. Learned that from Jay Leno driving the Aptera.

On a related note, these might not be that great in the snow because none of the wheels will follow in the tracks of the others, and even on traveled roads the rear wheel will most likely have to plow it's own path. On the other hand it is front wheel drive with most of the weight over the front wheels so it could do well.

Hey Autoxdriver,

Taking into account the width of the front wheels, and the distance left or right of center; one should be able to avoid all but unusually large potholes by letting one of the tires barely miss it on the outside edge of the pothole, while the rear tire misses it on the inside edge of the pothole. You can do it either side, and it should be at least a two foot buffer from the center of the car to the center of either tire. Hope it makes sense, but can"t draw a pic right now. It will just take practice. Most folks will try to center it like a car and get a bumpy surprise.

 

[Joshua Caldwell]

I imagine that an Elio rally up north would look remarkably like a Mario Kart game with people either swerving all over to avoid potholes... or for those about to get divorced with their partner in the rear seat - hit every last one

 

[Cali Chris]

I live in California and our roads are by far some of the worst in the nation. I really don't see this being as big of an issue as we are making it seem. Since this has been mentioned I have been watching to see where most potholes are during my daily commute and they are all either near the left or right side of the lane. There is only one that I found that is in the center of the lane and like redhedman5 stated they will almost all be avoidable.