Just in case the 2012 presidential election does not bring back $2-a-gallon gasoline, as one contender has promised, this might be a good time to start considering fuel-efficient two-wheel transportation. Or, in the case of the Piaggio MP3 400, fuel-efficient three-wheel transportation.
Though weather realities and cargo capacity will always limit their utility, motorcycles and scooters move millions of people, in cities from Kampala to Keokuk, every day.
Piaggio, the Italian conglomerate that owns the Vespa, Aprilia and Moto Guzzi brands, might have a solution. In the MP3 scooter, this longstanding challenge has been addressed with a patented design that uses two front wheels. It leans through corners like a conventional scooter or motorcycle, but adds the cornering stability and braking power of two separate front tires and disc brakes.
To make the MP3’s dual front wheels feel and act as one, Piaggio’s engineers invented an elaborate parallelogram suspension and steering system that lets the front wheels tilt together with the machine, yet move independently over bumps. An electrohydraulic lock pins the linkage in the straight-up position when the MP3 is stopped.
The lock can be manually engaged at walking speed, eliminating the need for the rider’s feet to be on the ground at a stoplight. When the light goes green and speed builds, the system unlocks automatically, returning the MP3 to its normal lean-to-turn mode.
The MP3 400 arcs left and right like a big Vespa, but with a reassuring touch of roll resistance as its lean angle increases. It’s as if the MP3 is saying, “Go ahead, throw me into corners. I’ll be there to catch you if you overdo it.”
Having two front wheels is a revelation. It is hard to grasp how much concentration goes into steering and braking a two-wheel machine until you ride an MP3 that handles essentially the same, but without the fear of crashing should a front tire lose traction. On a tight, curvy road, the MP3 can maintain a surprisingly fast pace, especially if that road happens to run downhill.
On the highway, though, the MP3 400 easily stays with the traffic flow, even at the 75-m.p.h. cruising speeds that prevail on the Interstate (Piaggio says the top speed is 88 m.p.h.)
Perhaps because of its unconventional looks, and the inherent challenge of creating a market for a radical new product, MP3s apparently move better through corners than they do through American showrooms. The 2011 MP3 400 has a retail price of $9,099, including the delivery charge. Piaggio dealers currently offer discounts on 2011 models as well as new 2008 MP3 scooters.
In the image-conscious motorcycle and scooter marketplace, the MP3 may turn out to be an idea that has arrived too far ahead of its time. Which is a shame. I had a great time riding tomorrow’s technology yesterday.
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