Photo: Honda
Honda is doing a good job at keeping its plans in the three-wheeler segment secret, but even so, this doesn't stop rumors from surfacing. The latest one sees Honda working on a three-wheel scooter, but this time, the machine is a small-displacement one instead of the NC750-based model we already talked about.
Apparently, if we are to give some credit to the latest patent sketches that made it on the internet, Honda might be looking forward to bringing to the market a leaning scooter that should rival Yamaha and Piaggio. That is, the Yamaha Tricity (read road test review here) and the Piaggio MP3.
Leaning multi-wheel vehicles are becoming a thing and it appears that the interest of customers who are not necessarily looking for a motorcycle is only growing stronger. We also saw Yamaha making solid steps in the three-wheeled segment with the announcement that the MWT-9 will make it into production soon, and more models are being designed as we speak.
Honda has been rather conservative as far as leaning three-wheelers go, but it looks like things are finally moving. The sketch, if real, shows a scooter that has two leaning front wheels and a rear swingarm unit engine. This means House Tokyo is eyeing a 150-200cc displacement for the new scooter, and this might be just enough for commuting, crosstown traffic, and even short trips outside the city.
The presence of a kickstand may indicate that the three-wheeler Honda is allegedly preparing will not have a self-balancing system like that on the Piaggio MP3 or Quadro scooters, and be more in the vein of the Yamaha Tricity.
Even in the absence of the self-balancing feature, such a scoot should sell well, given the increasing popularity of these vehicles. And with more manufacturers tapping into this niche, competitiveness should be on the rise, which is, again, a great thing. Most likely, we'll find out more this summer, in anticipation of the 2016 edition of the EICMA.
Leaning multi-wheel vehicles are becoming a thing and it appears that the interest of customers who are not necessarily looking for a motorcycle is only growing stronger. We also saw Yamaha making solid steps in the three-wheeled segment with the announcement that the MWT-9 will make it into production soon, and more models are being designed as we speak.
Honda has been rather conservative as far as leaning three-wheelers go, but it looks like things are finally moving. The sketch, if real, shows a scooter that has two leaning front wheels and a rear swingarm unit engine. This means House Tokyo is eyeing a 150-200cc displacement for the new scooter, and this might be just enough for commuting, crosstown traffic, and even short trips outside the city.
The presence of a kickstand may indicate that the three-wheeler Honda is allegedly preparing will not have a self-balancing system like that on the Piaggio MP3 or Quadro scooters, and be more in the vein of the Yamaha Tricity.
Even in the absence of the self-balancing feature, such a scoot should sell well, given the increasing popularity of these vehicles. And with more manufacturers tapping into this niche, competitiveness should be on the rise, which is, again, a great thing. Most likely, we'll find out more this summer, in anticipation of the 2016 edition of the EICMA.
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