05 July 2024

Three wheels good

Whilst snobbishly committed to ‘real motorcycles’ Paul Browne has not been immune to the city-friendly charms of the sports scooter.

Now he’s going one step – and indeed one wheel – further by embracing the gripping allure of the Yamaha Tricity.

 

As our cities continue to get busier, the commute takes longer and public transport involves coming into contact with strangers in ways that you’d never, ever, want.

Two wheels have been the solution to the dilemma of how to get across the city for many a year.

However, riding a fully loaded R1300GS across the city can get a bit tedious.

Filtering is challenging, stop-start riding and meeting red light after red light, while tapping up and down the gearbox, all gets a bit old and does so quite quickly.

Max factor

Before I go any further I have to acknowledge that I’m a motorcycle snob.

Having grown up with geared bikes the very idea of riding a scooter was beneath me.

A colossal no-no.

Not to be entertained.

Under no circumstances what so ever.

Then I rode Yamaha’s TMax, pictured left

The first sports scooter was a revelation. Rapid acceleration, no gear box to work with and a leg shield as standard.

There was even a big old space under the seat to store my helmet. I was converted.

Three’s company

These days the only way to move about in the city is on two, or three, wheels. I’ll get to the three wheels bit in just a moment.

Riding about town on something that’s putting out close to 200bhp simply doesn’t make sense.

These days the people from Yamaha have a full range of scooters.

One that I found particularly interesting is the Tricity.

There are two, a 125cc version and a 300cc one. They both roll on three wheels, with two on the front.

The idea here is to provide the rider with more grip and therefore more confidence. This is especially true when cornering.

Comfort zone

The 125 is propelled by a new single cylinder Euro 5 Blue Core engine.

Its low emissions are even lower thanks to its stop-start ignition.

Add incredibly comfortable rear suspension to the mix, along with a bigger space for the riders feet and comfort starts to become premium luxury.

The bike can be married to the rider’s smart phone via Yamaha’s MyRide app.

The LCD screen allows the pilot to see incoming calls, read social media, emails and texts. All when at a full stop of course!

The 125 is now on special from www.danfay.ie and Yamaha dealers across Ireland, where the solution to the daily grind will set you back €5,099 for the 125 and the 300 €9,450.

Meanwhile I’m still keeping my ‘real’ bike for the open roads and the track. After all, I have a spacious shed…

Yamaha scooter insurance quote? Call our specialist team on 0818 945 950.

 

 

 

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