I was just about to mention my Trikke in a FaceBook post when I realized that I would have to explain the whole Trikke concept to most folks.  The Trikke is a three-wheeled, body-powered vehicle that you ride with a side-to-side carving or weaving motion.  The promotional image to the left gives you an idea of how it is operated. However, this is a situation where a video is worth at least 10,000 words.  Many videos of Trikkes in action are posted on this page on the Trikke website.

My friend, John George, first introduced me to the Trikke in the spring of 2005. I bought my first one (a T8) in April 2005. Shortly thereafter I added a T12 Roadster and a small T5 for my kids. The T8 is being modeled by my daughter Rachel in the first picture below. The next photo shows Rachel, Rebekah, and Anna riding the three Trikkes in the 2005 Old Fashioned Fourth of July parade in Sterling, KS.

I actually rode my T12 Roadster in the 20-mile bike ride at the 2005 Fourth of July celebration. I may post some more pictures when I find them. I still can’t believe I did that just a few months after being introduced to the Trikke. I completed the 20-mile ride that year, but it took a LONG time. I attempted the 20-mile ride again at this year’s Fourth of July celebration. Overall, I felt better about the 2012 ride even though I didn’t finish. The final three miles of the route ran straight into a strong south wind. One thing you quickly learn about Trikkes is that head winds and hills are brutal!

Riding a Trikke is incredibly fun but very challenging – that is actually a big part of their appeal for me. After seven years, I am still finding ways to improve my Trikke technique. I love honing my skills in a challenging physical activity. Trikke riding is also an excellent workout. The vehicle is not nearly as efficient as a bicycle, so you burn more calories in less time. Also, it is a very low-impact workout for the whole body. That is, until you take a spill and impact the pavement 🙂 That hasn’t happened to me very often, but you do REALLY need to pay attention to loose gravel, potholes, and slick spots when riding this thing. The Trikke carving propulsion motion depends entirely on lateral forces on all three wheels – you need to pay close attention to the coefficient of friction.

NOTE: This post originated as a 5 Sep 2009 email that I sent to friends and family.  I have adjusted the date on this blog post to match the original email.

Attached is a picture of my new toy.  A 2003 Kawasaki Vulcan 500 LTD.  I bought it today from a really nice couple in Grapevine, TX.  The bike is in great shape with just a little over 1800 miles.  The color is interesting and hard to describe.  In most of the pictures it will look black; however, the official Kawasaki color name is “Pearl Purplish Black Mica”. Depending on the lighting it can look black, navy blue or deep purple.  Following is some additional information:

— some really nice pics of this year/model

— my approach to riding and this purchase

My mom and mother-in-law strongly disapprove of this new hobby.  My wife, Sandra, is biting her tongue trying not to be a “parade rainer”.  I understand their concerns and am trying to be as smart, prudent and safe as possible about this.  Everything I read and everyone I talked to suggested one start with a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course.  I took the course on 15-16 Aug 2009 and have to say it was worth every penny.  Excellent material and excellent instructors.  I learned A LOT, and I realize that I have lot more to learn to become a safe and skillful rider.  The only way to do that is to get a bike and start riding.

I did a lot of research to find a good starter bike – see below for some helpful links.  I wanted a cruiser style, and many, many articles and reviews recommended the Vulcan 500 as a good starter bike that many folks end up riding for years.  It is small enough to keep beginners out of trouble, but big enough to take out on the highway if you want.

Many consider the Vulcan 500 a “girl bike” because its size is very well-suited to smaller riders.  The Vulcan 500 is often pictured in advertisements with women riders and many of the ones listed for sale were originally bought by guys for their wives.  The one I bought today was, in fact, the wife’s bike.  She doesn’t care for riding in traffic and found that she was not riding it much.  For me, part of being smart, prudent and safe is recognizing that a “girl bike” is all I should be riding at this point in time!

After settling on the Vulcan 500 I shopped for several weeks collecting almost 70 ads from craigslist.org, cycletrader.com and eBay.  I’m really pleased with the deal I got today.  Thanks for letting me brag about it a bit!

— good info for beginning riders

http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/MotorcycleIntroA.html

http://www.bestfirstmotorcycles.com/

http://www.chuckhawks.com/good_first_motorcycles.htm

Shawn