Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Attention all US owners - what's a motorcycle?

I understand that the authorities in the USA are currently considering a redefinition of what constitutes a motorcycle. This could have far-reaching consequences...

There's a new three wheel car under pre-production now here that's called the Elio.

They're lobbying different states with helmet laws to exempt their fully enclosed three wheel car from the motorcycle helmet law. Several states have passed such exemptions for them already.

Without this exemption it would be like hopping in your Honda Civic and have to wear a helmet everywhere you go.

But take it one step further, there are coupe cars and there are ragtop cars. Both fall under the same laws for driving on the road.

Now take a state that has exempt the Elio from the helmet law and it's a three wheel motorcycle by legaleze.

So you have the M3W which is the same enclosed "car" but a ragtop, or topless, either way I think we're splitting hairs about topless etc.

I called our local State Highway Partrol which is responsible for home builts and such. I asked about the M3W as a "car" with a steering wheel, steel frame, boddy sides etc and he said it's still a motorcycle and the helmet law applies.

Now being a motorcycle, the strengent laws about car safety do not apply, air bags, seat belts, wipers; and the list goes on.

If we force a M3W to become a car, it has to have everything a new car would have to meet current safety standards.

I think here in Missouri, if I end up with a M3W, I'll wear the helmet and enjoy it regardless.

I thinkg trikes of any sort should remain motorcycles, but I do think requiring a three wheel cycle/car like the M3W, to wear helmets. I don't see the M3W much, if any less safe than say a Fiat 128 Spyder ragtop, no helmet required.

Lots of things can come of changing things, cycle to car, but I don't think there will many "good" things from it.

Here is all of the revelant motorcycle classification information for Michigan, which has no helmet laws. That being said, I still wear a helmet every time I go out in the M3W.

Found in this thread here: http://www.talkmorgan.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/133102/1

So, I was reading through the Michigan Secretary of State Motorcycle Operators Manual (MOM) in preperation to go take my test and get my permit so that I could register for the riding course to get the CY (motorcycle) Endorsement on my drivers license. I get almost all the way through the booklet, all the way to page 53 when I find this gem under the "Supplementary Information for Three-Wheel Motorcycles" section:



This is what the state considers a 3 wheeled motorcycle that does require an endorsement:


Found here: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/sos/Supplemental_Info_three_wheel_vehicles_325990_7.pdf

So, looks as if a Motorcycle Endorsement is not needed after all!

Mi3Wheeler, I was riding already when the Michigan helmet law went into place back in 1967. A guy I knew was a State Partol and he caught me about two blocks from my house riding without my helmet. He politely told me to walk my bike home and put on my helmet. What a bummer that was...

As far as cycle training for the endorsement of M on your license may be tough if you do not ride a two wheeler. Here in MO they do not allow three wheelers into the training courses. Most have their own bikes for training, but some county parks do training and you use your own bike. In these cases they allow scooters to be use by trainees in the course.

I'm not sure how one would go about getting the M without riding a motorcycle.

I've heard here that some have gotten their M by riding trikes, but I think it's boils down the location and the official overseeing the ride test.

When I got my M back in 1967, all they did was ask if I had more than 1k miles of riding, which I did. That's all it took back then.

Good luck with your M.

Most of my post above is over a year old now, as when the first M3Ws arrived here we were unsure if we needed to obtain an endorsement or not. But the Michigan laws haven't changed since then. In Michigan the M3W registers and insures as a motorcycle, but because you don't straddle the engine and because it has car controls and you sit inside of it, you do not need to have an endorsement on your license. Also, since the helmet law repeal a couple years ago, you no longer need to wear one but I still do.

Charlie,

That's great about not having to have an endorsement to "drive" your motorcycle M3W...

Where about's are you in Michigan? My family homestead area is Clare and Farwell. My brother still lives in Clare just down the road from Jay's Sporting Goods.

Our marina back in the '60s and '70s was at Lake Station west of Farwell about 8 miles.

I'm from Grand Ledge (a "suburb" of Lansing) then I lived 5 years in Grand Rapids during college and then moved back to boring Lansing for work. Although my family has a lake house on the big lake, just north of Elk Rapids (30 min north of Traverse City) that I try to get away to whenever possible.

I carry a copy of that what is, and what is not considered a motorcycle in my Morgan, just in case it ever comes into question. I do not wear a helmet, but I do have one that I would wear instates that have a helmet law. I do wear my leather helmet a lot though :-)

-Okemos, MI

In Texas a motorcycle has:

engine between legs
does not have a steering wheel.

A morgan is not a motorcycle here.

Charlie, depending on how old you are, I have an old friend that tought 7th grade in Grand Ledge for years. His name is Steve Sapp.

To show how old we are, we went to the Lansing Playboy club back in the day and one of the Bunnys was one of his old students. That set the tone for the night...