Five best alternative three-wheel bikes

If the continuing popularity of Piaggio’s MP3 family and the recent update to Yamaha’s Tracer 900-based Nikken prove anything it’s that there’s a growing interest in three-wheeled scooters and motorcycles. And there are a couple of good reasons for that. Firstly, conventional motorised two-wheelers can be intimidating for novices who haven’t grown up on two wheels and even a scooter requires a level of training, preferably off the public road to begin with.
Then there’s the safety factor, the fact any two-wheeled vehicle is inherently unstable and they can (and do) fall over from time to time, especially in slippery conditions. Three-wheelers change all that. We’ve reviewed the latest examples of the breed like the Yamaha Tricity previously but it’s by no means the end of the story. ‘Leaning’ three-wheeler scooters like the Piaggio MP3 with its sophisticated parallelogram suspension provide far more grip than a conventional single front wheel yet still enable the rider to lean around turns. This system both eradicates the likelihood of falling over while also delivering a far greater sense of security, especially on city roads with their potholes, diesel spills and other slippery hazards. Piaggio isn’t the only game in town, though, and here’s our chronological pick of some of the best, some of which you may never have heard of!

The original leaning three-wheeled scooter was created by Italian scooter giant Piaggio in 2006 with a novel front suspension/steering system. It’s proved a huge success as an urban runabout, been available in engine sizes from 125cc to over 500cc and lives on in the UK in five different forms ranging from 300cc to 530cc and from £6,500 to £11,500. Initially an affordable commuter it’s evolved into a more luxurious, highly-specced maxi-scooter that’s a viable alternative to a city car.

Sadly no longer available new in the UK, although there are used ones in the market still, the Fuoco was launched in 2007 by parent company Piaggio as a slightly larger, sportier alternative to its own MP3. As such it’s got bags of aggressive style, with 39 horsepower from its 493cc single cylinder engine, is capable of over 90mph while being practical and mildly entertaining as well. So much so it’s a shame it was deleted from Piaggio’s line up in 2014.

As Yamaha now also offers a 300cc, A2 licence-compliant Tricity and the full size, 900cc Nikken motorcycle it’s perhaps inevitable the smaller and perhaps more conventional Tricity 125 three-wheeler has been a little overshadowed. It’s still more than worth a look, though. Its 125cc engine means it’s A1 eligible while its leaning wheel design, linked brakes and affordable price arguably make it one of the easiest, least intimidating and most accessible ways onto three wheels, and a slick way of getting around town. The larger 300cc version, meanwhile, now currently starts just shy of £8,500.

Founded in Switzerland in 2010, Qooder is the new name for the former Quadro Vehicles which is slowly building a reputation for its novel three- and four-wheeled leaning scooters. The 350cc QV3 is its current three-wheeler and, although rare and difficult to get hold of in the UK, can be found new with prices starting at around £4,000 and feature an impressive spec including TFT digital display. Even more left field is its leaning FOUR-wheeler, the Qooder. If you want to stand out – and be secure – on a scoot, there’s no better way.

First launched in 2018, the Niken is a hugely bold and ambitious leaning three-wheeled motorcycle based around Yamaha’s MT-09 three-cylinder powertrain. As such it has larger 15-inch twin front wheels and a far more sophisticated twin suspension arm front end, full 115 horsepower performance and all the electronic riding aids associated with conventional motorcycles. It works impressively, too. A more sport-touring GT version was added in 2019, which suited its capabilities better and this version was then fully updated in 2023. It’s an impressive, capable machine, but also a slightly heavy and expensive one, which has limited its sales success.