Some Odd-Looking Patents
Three-wheeled motorcycles are some of the weirder machines out there. Kawasaki wants in on the game, apparently. The company recently filed patent paperwork for a three-wheeled motorcycle that utilizes one of the weirdest front suspension systems I’ve seen.
Instead of up and down forks, the design uses horizontal links. The motorcycle should be able to lean in the corners, too, so that makes it different from many of the other three-wheelers out there. Think more Yamaha Niken rather than CanAm Spyder.
According to RideApart, Kawasaki says this unique design will help save weight over forks. That’s questionable, though, due to the fact that there appears to me many different parts and components to this new system. It appears as though the wheels themselves will not lean. Instead, one will lift over the other to facilitate the lean. You can see what I mean in the images. This should make for a smooth ride, too.
I really hope this weird-looking thing does make it to production. I’m actually a fan of these weird, leaning trikes and am all for major manufacturers getting behind new and different designs.
