What is a motorcycle

Posted September 4,2010 NLMC blog


AMA and the National Safety Council is trying to determine what qualifies as a motorcycle, right now it's just about everything from two wheeled full dressers down to dirt bikes, along with three wheeled trikes, three wheeled vehicles (two wheels in the front), to quads,scooters, and even light trucks.
The problem is accident reports, to get a correct figure they are thinking about multi designations.
Think about it, what is a motorcycle? Two wheels and a motor? what about step through scooters? Three wheelers are registered as motorcycles, from custom trikes to delivery trucks to wheeled snowmobiles. And then there are add on and conversion kits, "It was a two wheeler but now it's been triked. Or what about a two wheeler with a two wheel stability add on, 4 wheeled motorcycle?

The problem is there has never been a real designation. A motorcycle is also a bicycle. The word bi meaning two, for a two wheeled vehicle. But what it comes down to is what is a cycle? A Trike is actually a tricycle.
Simply meaning three wheeled bike. Look in a dictionary and there is NO explanation, it reads: CYCLE "n" a bicycle, motorcycle, tricycle, etc. But doesn't explain anything. You have to look up those items on their own.

Bicycle: –noun
1. a vehicle with two wheels in tandem, usually propelled by pedals connected to the rear wheel by a chain, and having handlebars for steering and a saddlelike seat.

Tricycle:
 /ˈtraɪsɪkəl, -ˌsɪkəl/ Show Spelled[trahy-si-kuhl, -sik-uhl]
–noun
1. a vehicle, esp. one for children, having one large front wheel and two small rear wheels, propelled by foot pedals.

2. a velocipede with three wheels propelled by pedals or hand levers.
3. a three-wheeled motorcycle.


Motorcycle /ˈmoʊtərˌsaɪkəl/ Show Spelled [moh-ter-sahy-kuhl] noun, verb, -cled, -cling.
–noun

1. a motor vehicle similar to a bicycle but usually larger and heavier, chiefly for one rider but sometimes having two saddles or an attached sidecar for passengers.


So with all these 2,3,4, and even dual rear (5) wheelers out there listed as motorcycles...

What does this qualify as....

Yup, it's a motorcycle...Bombardier

klay