New Yamaha 3 wheel scooter

Yamaha might be producing a new 3 wheel leaning scoot based on XMAX 300.
They applied for patents covering designs and such.

Sounds interesting I always wanted to try this type of cycle. XMAX a little short on power 28HP or so but who knows.

Mech 1 twa wrote:

Yamaha might be producing a new 3 wheel leaning scoot based on XMAX 300.
They applied for patents covering designs and such.

Sounds interesting I always wanted to try this type of cycle.  XMAX a little short on power  28HP or so but who knows.

There's quite a few XMax 300 owners on the Muppets forum might disagree with you there about it being a little short on power.

The XMax 300 is very capable of cruising at our motorway speeds and it's Bluecore engine is very fuel efficient with owners regularly reporting 100 mpg (UK), that's 83 mpg (US). The only criticism from owners seems to be it's poor LED headlights.

It's slowly being acknowledged among the maxi scooter community over here that the new generation of 300cc scooters are the way to go. For a start, being single cylinder they're a lot lighter and there's no problem hauling these bad boys onto their main stand

Old Limey seems to be happily clocking up the miles on his SYM Cruisym 300 round the Yorkshire Dales, and leaving the heavier Silver Wing at home.

First, is Yamaha considering a US release? Second, how much different can it be to a Piaggio MP3? More simple design perhaps? I guess it will be a wait and see for the US. I do like the Xmax 300, and if I decided to go up in size next the Xmax would be on my short list for new scooters.

Not sure if it's going into production or even coming to US.
Patent applied for so most likely it will. 2020 Model  at earliest.

Probably not coming to US as scooter market really dead here right now.....in my mind the 3 wheel leaners are sure safer then the 3 wheel trikes we have in US....and surely more fun to ride.

Piaggio has the MP3 for a long time as 250 400 + 500cc
at some time they even had it as a hybrid sadly only as a 125
The near identical 3 wheeler was also available as Gilera Fuoco.

https://www.rideapart.com/articles/253384/piaggio-expands-mp3-lineup-with-new-starter-scooters/

https://www.piaggio.com/en_EN/models/mp3-range/

Yamaha are bringing out a larger 300 Tricity 3 wheel scooter, it'll debut first at the EICMA Show in Milan early next month, and then the annual NEC show here in the UK. It looks interesting and will be using a fuel efficient Bluecore engine similar to the one in the Yamaha XMax 300 maxi scooter.

A few promotional clips of it are already out on YouTube in advance of it's debut at the annual trade shows.

I'm still interested at least it's going into production. USA hard to say but maybe.

Yamaha does strange things selling bikes over here. When they decided to sell FJR1300 in 2003-2005 you had to put a deposit down to buy it and wait. Same thing with Niken. Dealers didn't have any and very few got to ride one. One can only hope............... If it comes here I'm buying one.

Nothing like ruining the handling characteristics and general performance while complicating a machine that needs neither.

That's utter nonsense, if that was true then some of your fellow forum members are also guilty of ruining the handling characteristics and general performance of their Silver Wings by adding trike kits and those weird outrigger training wheel conversions.  

They remove all the general handling characteristics of a PTW altogether. The Tricity and similar 3 wheel scooters like the Piaggio MP3, Peugeot Metropolis, and Quadro 3 all have two wheels at the front and one at the rear. They also are designed to lean like a normal maxi scooter, unlike the upright rigidity of a Silver Wing converted into a trike.

The original 125 and later 155 Yamaha Tricity 3 wheelers were ideal city scooters, the extra wheel at the front adds stability and confidence to riders tacking bumpy streets with stone cobbles, wet leaves, tram lines, winter weather etc. Go to European cities like Paris and 3 wheeled scooters like the Piaggio MP3 are everywhere.

So how exactly have Yamaha with their wealth of R&D experience on 3 wheeled scooters, and 3 wheeled motorcycles like the futuristic Niken ruined the general handling characteristics and performance of their popular Tricity scooter.

All they've done is developed a larger more passenger friendly version of the Tricity with a host of improvements and the more fuel efficient Bluecore engine. Those improvements alone make the 300 version appeal to a much wider range of buyers, including car drivers who wouldn't even consider a conventional motorcycle or maxi scooter.

This new Tricity 300 looks to be a very interesting scooter altogether, it's certainly piqued the interest of myself and others on a certain UK maxi forum.

I know in certain parts of Europe you can ride MP3's on just a car license. And the quote about a tilting (2 up front) scooter riding terrible/being ruined by having 3 wheels? Have you ridden a MP3? You completely forget it has 2 wheels in front until you either hit gravel in a turn or come to a stop and hit the lock button. My main reason for not buying a MP3 was the dealer said they have high service intervals and I'm 90 miles away from said dealer. But it (MP3) was super fun going around turns and it could still slip into tight spots like a conventional 2 wheeler.

We tested a 250cc MP3 (Yamaha motor at that time)
It has a very compressed seating position with virtually no foot movement possible if you are size 12 like me and have somebody sitting behind you.
My knees sometimes interfered with the steering in certain positions. (5 foot 10 or 176 cm)
The 250 was absolutely quiet and with 20HP totally under powered for 2 adults and mountains combined.
Except for some stability what can be crucial in certain situations the negative aspects were much to many to even consider it. [
url=https://servimg.com/view/20122288/11][/url]
wife with size 8 feet and half a head shorter than I


p.s. as you can see I like to combine bikes and planes if I can get the right angle shot.

I stand by my statement. It's a complication that's not needed. More cost, more parts, more tires, more maintenance, more weight. Does the same thing as a two wheeled bike but less performance. It's impossible to get better mileage than a similar sized and horsepower two wheeler because it has more weight. At least with standard training wheels you can take them off once you learn how to ride. I can't see any benefit to such a machine unless you can't put a kickstand down when you want to get off.

It's a bit early to debate the 2020 Yamaha Tricity 300 as it still hasn't been officially debuted and neither as it's it's technical spec.

It's strange that you're complaining about weight when you've made numerous posts about your years on a heavyweight Gold Wing. Even your profile picture shows two motorcycles that are hardly considered lightweight, an old BMW K100 LT and that early BMW C650 GT you had until recently.

You obviously have no idea about how good the modern crop of 300cc maxi scooters are. But as the Tricity is using the Yamaha Bluecore engine similar to the one in the Yamaha XMax 300 performance should be fine. There's no complaints about at all from owners on this side of the Pond, or the fuel consumption of 100 mpg, that's 83 mpg in US gallons.

You say more maintenance, how exactly, It's likely to be normal maxi scooter stuff, let's forget about the front suspension until the tech spec is known, there's three disc brakes just like a Silver Wing, the only difference being there's one on each wheel. Removing a front wheel will be similar to doing in on a car, leaving the disc brake in situ. Anyway lots of maxi scooters over here are now bought on 3 year PCP contracts, and dealer servicing is part of that contract. So that cuts down on the grimy hands stuff and tightass owners wanting free maintenance manual downloads.

Those three tyres will be smaller sizes than on the ones on the Silver Wing, and replacing both front tyres is probably not much expensive more replacing one larger tyre. Anyway if running costs and replacing items is a concern, you really shouldn’t be riding a modern motorcycle or maxi scooter anyway. My own annual maintenance budget amounts to a fraction of what I spend on good quality riding gear.

Now you really will have to explain yourself with that remark 'At least with standard training wheels you can take them off when you learn how to ride'. Really? Don't you think any rider should have the skill, ability, competence, and confidence to be out on the road riding a motorcycle or maxi scooter without a set of outrigger or stabiliser wheels.

What experience are they actually gaining to ride without them fitted. If you haven't learned how to ride without them, out on the you're a menace and a liability to yourself and a potential RTA waiting to happen.

Training wheels belong on My Little Pony children’s bikes with pink mudguards/fenders and ribbon streamers on the handlebar ends, not 600cc maxi scooters.

Yamaha UK has a nice promotional video of Tricity on their site. No prices or specs. but it's going to weigh more for sure. Suspension locks at a stop unlike the Niken.

It took me about 5 minutes to learn to ride a bicycle when I was 5 crashed a bit but never looked back. Not training wheels but something different. I doubt it can lean more than a 2 wheeler but close enough for most . 2 front tires offers a larger foot print and won't follow every imperfection in the road and after 5 minutes will feel natural. AS long as it leans will be fun.

Nothing on Yamaha site here in US. Most likely won't be coming here.

It might not need a lot of maintenance for awhile since it's a new bike. But there will be more maintenance because there are more parts. One extra wheel, with it's associated bearings and brake. Then there's the suspension which has more moving parts than two wheelers. It will be interesting to see how the front ends work since both wheels won't hit the same bump every time. There will be times when one wheel hits a hole in the pavement while the other doesn't. That is going to put some interesting torque loads on the front end.

It might be all butterflies and unicorns but I'll bet the don't sell many on this side of the Atlantic.

You want to watch a few YouTube clips of  another 3 wheeled scooter the Quadro 3 being ridden on city streets. That's the 3 wheeler that the Yamaha Tricity 3 closely resembles in styling and size. You see the Quadro being ridden with one front wheel on the pavement/ sidewalk, and the other wheel on the road... er pavement.  It doesn't unsettle the scooter or rider at all.

As for lean angle, in one clip the rider takes a Quadro 3 in a wide circle and can lean over enough to brush the road with his gloved left hand.

As for the front suspension, how is normal riding going to cause excessive wear. I've read a few posts about problems with the over complicated heavy set up on the Piaggio MP3, Quadro use a lighter simpler air shock system on their 3, Peugeot have used their car technology expertise on the Metropolitan, and the front suspension on the Tricity 300 looks similar to that on Niken.

Anyway you're all doom and gloom dissing this new 3 wheeled scooter before it's been exhibited, road tested by the bike press, or found its way into showrooms. It's not all about maintenance, it's about riding the thing.

Still no explanation about the logic of learning to ride with training wheels on.  

I like the idea---2 wheels in front, based on 100,000km 3 wheel Messerschmitt experience/ownership. Had 2 of them, one used, one new---advantage over bike or scooter=heater/radio, take out front seat could sleep in it, too.

Three wheel pusher type much safer the one wheel in front favored in US.

Yamaha is probably going to be much more reliable than Italian stuff. Yamaha still has a fair number of dealers in US......try to find Vespa/Piaggio.

Yamaha has a lot of dealers in US. Like John stated Italian stuff dealers are hard to find. I had one close by but it's out of business now.

Watch the video shows bike riding on cobble streets and crossing street car tracks looks very stable.
Yamaha UK site is at the top nice short video.

Still doubt I'll ever buy one over here. It's a big investment to bring a new model in. Dealer training and advertising need to justify the expense. If sale are slow heads will roll.

https://newatlas.com/quadro-qooder-4-wheel-tilting-scooter/53888/
how about this one with 4 wheels and the way you just mow down pedestrians to get to the pole position. It´s  like carmageddon allover. look at 2.16 min


There is a promotion in Spain for a 350cc QV for just 5999 Euro
I think they are going after the Piaggio MP3 and trying to counteroffer the Yamaha with Swissmade quality and a low low price.

just passed the Qooder 400cc tilting four-wheel scooter on the street, the way it was driven I thought it was a 125cc

I don’t think that the Quatro-type “scooters” will ever come to North America. Mainly because of the niche market and the, above mentioned, cost of introducing and support of a new product. If it were to be brought in here it would most probably be registered as an automobile.

Interesting kinda like a Smart Car sans body.

The Swiss made Quadro 3 and 4 wheeled scooters have been out a few years now, I was at their stand at the UK annual bike show in 2015 and 2016. They're a nice piece of kit, while a few dealers had one or two in stock back then, a nationwide UK dealer network has never been established. Quadro are not exhibiting at our annual show in a few days time.

As for the Yamaha Tricity 300, it probably won’t come to North America simply because they will sell far more in Europe. If you look carefully at the videos of the Tricity 300 it has a foot brake. That means British and European car drivers who don't have any previous motorcycle riding experience can legally ride the Tricity 300 on their car licence. Just as they can the other more established leaning 3 wheel scooters with foot brakes like the Piaggio MP3 and the Peugeot Metropolis.

Meldrew do you mean it only has a foot brake no hand brake involved at any time?

Both foot brake and hand brake, as far as I'm aware the addition of a foot brake and a certain width between the front wheels allows car drivers to ride them on their diving licence without L plates.

Thank you, I was thinking ( dangerous ), that my GL-1500 had a foot brake as well as others I've had. It's the devil in the details that let on ride on a auto license.

I don't think that a rear foot brake only is a problem. I had a Honda CN250 Helix 250 for eight years and it worked fine. You had to press the foot brake as part of the engine start set up and more importantly the brake wasn't in the way of your right foot when you were riding feet flat or feet forward.

oldwingguy wrote:

Thank you, I was thinking ( dangerous ), that my GL-1500 had a foot brake as well as others I've had. It's the devil in the details that let on ride on a auto license.

I'm not sure a foot brake on a floor board is a good idea.?? BUT Different rules and regulations. I really prefer hand controls on a scooter. Honda DTC auto shift bikes still use a foot brake like most normal bikes with foot pegs. Takes a little time to jump from a manual shift bike to a scooter. Harder the other way.

Foot brake could be removed or modified I'm sure. Still don't think it's coming to US.

I can't see any reason where you'd go into a Yamaha dealership, buy a brand new 2020 Yamaha Tricity 300 and then later modify or remove the foot brake. Within the first hundred miles of riding it out of the showroom you'd have adapted your riding style to using it or placing your foot away from it. If you don't like foot brakes, don't buy a 3 wheeled or any scooter that has one.

IF I could buy one I'd have to ride it and see if it bothers me. Why should I place my foot away from it that's a reason to remove it?  Rarely ride flat footed always forward a little. It's the same reason people replace shocks, springs , fork oil to improve things or suit their preferences. Ride ON.

You've only got to look at the Yamaha promotional video of the Tricity 300 to see it isn't a feet forward type of maxi. I can't ride my 2018 Forza 300 in the same feet forward way I rode previous scooters like 400 and 650 Burgmans, a habit I got into riding the original maxi scooter the CN 250 Helix.

Like I mentioned earlier you adapt, just like I had to adapt to a more comprehensive functional and more complicated instrument display than the Silver Wing and of course using a Smart Key.

A feature that the Tricity 300 probably has if it's sharing some features of the XMax 300 scooter. Thinking about it I've read forum posts complaining about Smart Key features too. Almost all from people that have never used one.



It's very unlikely that the prospective buyers of the Tricity are going to start changing anything toi improve their preferences. As already mentioned Yamaha is aiming the Tricity squarely at the car driver, and they're more likely to be adding gear like taller screens, rear racks, and top boxes from the Yamaha Accessories list.

never saw a foot brake on an MP3
and none of the 3 or 4 wheeler are the feet forward type because this space is where the 2 front wheels are, but you can always mount pegs.

The MP3's with foot brakes are mainly all North of Africa and a bit too far.

Wasn't there debate in US 20 or 30 years ago on whether scooters with hand brakes only would be legal.

I enjoyed foot rear brake during my 175,000 Helex miles

Well I just could tell from the 250cc I tested many years ago.
Now doing a bit research Piaggio has 2 different MP3 one with which is registered as a motorbike and an LT model with a Brake pedal what is registered as a car. (wiki)
I remember they once had the MP3 as an hybrid with a 125cc and a less than 5kw e-motor

Sepp wrote:

never saw a foot brake on an MP3
and none of the 3 or 4 wheeler are the feet forward type because this space is where the 2 front wheels are, but you can always mount pegs.

I never knew thought it would have a similar floor board to SW. Ignorance on my part.    Pegs would work in that situation.

I must be blind too after looking at all the photos much different floor boards.

Why would you bugger up the bodywork on any maxi scooter, or Urban Mobility scooter as Yamaha like to call their non-sports scooters fitting a set of highway pegs or whatever they're called to ride splay legged and look ridiculous.

I have to say this is entirely an American thing, I've never seen them on a maxi scooter in European countries that have a very long and established scooter culture, or here in the UK where to put it bluntly you'd be laughed at.


So here's the new Tricity, designed like another other current 3 wheeled scooter to have an upright riding position for city riding and with good wind and weather protection for the rider. It's not even on sale yet and already I'm reading posts about sticking your feet out of the bodywork onto these pegs.

No doubt it'll be under the usual excuse that it's improving your ride etc. Fine, you may have a bad ass biker fantasy, or simply like cold air blasting up the leg of your pants onto your wedding tackle.

If you want to ride in that position go buy a HD cruiser, or better still an old Helix.

"cold air blasting up the leg of your pants onto your wedding tackle"
My daily chuckle! Thanks for that mental image, Meldrew!

Since I have been riding a MP3 and had a bike for 10 years what was not designed to stretch out the legs, I know how enjoyable a stretched leg can be while on tour.
Have a look what I am talking about and take the warning seriously if you from the USA.
http://malaguti-spidermax.blogspot.com/2010/09/malaguti-spidermax-footrest-to-extend.html

oh, and there never was a cold air problem, since my bike had 2 radiators what would form a warm air canal around your and the co drivers legs.