[vito]

Some bikes are pretty big, like my 900 pound plus Goldwing. But the new Yamaha touring bike is even heavier at about 1,000 pounds. When does it reach the point that we will need a double wheel in back, and maybe front, to handle the increased weight? Not a trike, with the wheels separated by a few feet, but the two wheels together like the rear wheels on a "dually" pickup. Of course if bikes get really heavier, then maybe we will need two wheels in front and two in back, spread out to give full time stability. Maybe with a roof and sides for better weather protection. Then we could call this new thing a car! Maybe I'm wrong, and that today's tires can handle that amount of weight with only two tires, but it does seem that some bikes are getting pretty enormous in size. We sure have come far from those early 150 pound motorcycles about 100 years ago.

 

[Unkle Krusty]

Quite a few dually front wheeled bikes in France.

UK

 

[Zebraranger]

I cant answer your question, but it would make for poorer maneuvering and cornering, just like bikes with wider than normal rear tires suffer from now. I'm no engineer, but I would imagine that some technical changes would have to be made in the bikes suspension. Swing arm, possibly frame, to counter the negative effects of the wide width of dually wheels.

 

[vito]

I know that another answer, assuming that the two tires presently used are and continue to be capable of supporting the weight of ever heavier motorcycles, is a stabilizing system such as what Segways use, that would automatically straighten and hold the bike straight at under a certain speed. It would have to have a manual disengage switch so that slow speed turns would not prevent any lean at all, but would solve the problem of excessively heavy bikes when brought to a stop, especially on uneven pavement. Plus such a feature could get a really heavy bike off the side stand for those without enough upper body strength to do so for themselves. When on a group ride last year where we stopped to eat on a road that sloped significantly, some of those that parked their bikes leaning down slope on the side stand could not get their bikes upright when we were ready to leave. Granted that this involved a few really old guys, like in their 80's. But some type of gyroscopic device could solve this problem for the strength challenged rider by just standing the bike up once the engine was started. Again, this all assumes that two tires can handle the weight of the bike safely. I don't imagine when the early inventors of the first motorcycles were doing their thing with attaching small engines to bicycles that they ever even imagined that someday a "Motor bike" would weigh in excess of half a ton.

 

[Oz]

The Dodge Tomahawk has 2-front wheels and 2-rear wheels. Looks like it was made to go straight ahead only - no turns.

Vito, the obvious solution for older riders on half ton bikes is to drop down in weight to easier to handle bikes. My current bike weighs 300 pounds less than my previous bike. I'm glad I made the switch.

 

[Unkle Krusty]

Wot Oz said.
My Yami at 555 pounds dry is too heavy. My Suzuki at 410 dry is okay, but my XS400 at 375 is getting nice.
With duallys you make the wheels stay flat, and the center frame pivots. George on my Island builds three wheeled pedal bikes, some with an electric drive in the front hub. He calls them leaners. Same term for side car leaners.

UK

 

[DGS65]

98' Valkyrie coming at 800 lbs +
I though my last 700 pound bike was heavy!
I hope to never have to pick it up!!!

 

[jag13]

Just google "4 wheeled motorcycles" to see quite a few bikes already doing this.

 

[BWB75]

There are already lots of 3-wheeled motorcycle hybrid things that look like little cars or little dragons or whatever. They seem to answer this market niche.

 

[Unkle Krusty]

There are already lots of 3-wheeled motorcycle hybrid things that look like little cars or little dragons or whatever. They seem to answer this market niche.

The Yamaha shop near here sells mostly 3 wheeled things, as in a lot more than bikes. Ugg.

UK

 

[hogcowboy]

The Dodge Tomahawk has 2-front wheels and 2-rear wheels. Looks like it was made to go straight ahead only - no turns.

Vito, the obvious solution for older riders on half ton bikes is to drop down in weight to easier to handle bikes. My current bike weighs 300 pounds less than my previous bike. I'm glad I made the switch.

I Forgot about this thing. Just the fact it exists would suggest the industry is fully aware of the possibility for some kind of change.

Dodge Tomahawk...