In the past, the Soviet country mastered the production and launched the serial production of the first domestic cargo scooters Tula and Vyatka. Their designs were created on the basis of advanced technical achievements.

Both models have sprung independent wheel suspension. Their layout is subject to the interests of creating some comfort for the driver and passenger. Besides, motor scooter Tula equipped with an electric starter. Both scooters have two-stroke forced-cooled motors. In both cases, there is a tendency to some increase in the diameter of the wheels. This is due to the specific operating conditions of domestic scooters in our country. The Tula scooter has the following characteristics: two-stroke single-cylinder motor, working volume - 200 cm3; fuel consumption 3.2-3.5 liters per 100 km; speed - 80 km / h; weight - 160 kg.
The Tula scooter was also produced in a cargo version.

In this case, the design of the rear of the frame, on which the van is placed, changes. The drive from the motor is carried out to the differential, and from here to both driving rear wheels. Cargo scooter usually equipped with a reverse gear (reverse). Gear ratios are downgraded.

This makes it possible to transport much more cargo. It is characteristic that such vans were created on the basis of the IZH-49 motorcycle. However, this design cannot be classified as a scooter, since the overall layout is typical for a special-purpose motorcycle, which we talked about above.

A cargo motorcycle is a three-wheeled vehicle designed for use as a light weight transporter. These units require registration with the traffic police and a driver's license of the appropriate category. Next, consider the characteristics and features of the most popular tricycles.

general information

The three-wheeled cargo motorcycle is not a special novelty in the field of transport. Similar samples have been known since Soviet times (Ant, Dnepr, MT with a sidecar). However, modern modifications of domestic brands and foreign analogues have made a huge leap forward. First of all, it concerns the power unit, functionality and additional equipment.

Small vehicles can be equipped with a flatbed or tipper body, have reinforced suspension with leaf springs or be equipped with car tires. Variations with a cab have been developed. The power of the power unit varies between 11-18 horsepower, and fuel consumption is about 3-5 liters per hundred kilometers.

Cargo motorcycle "Ural"

Tricycle "Ural Hercules" is a modification of a heavy motorcycle, designed to transport various goods. Technique proved to be excellent on any road surface. At the same time, the unit can carry loads up to five hundred kilograms. Design features allow it to be used on construction sites, warehouses, trading depots and in agriculture. Removable sides allow transporting oversized materials. Driving a vehicle does not require a category C license.

The domestic cargo motorcycle has the following technical parameters:

• length / width / height - 2.53 / 0.85 / 1.3 meters;
• fuel tank capacity - nineteen liters;
• maximum speed threshold - 70 km / h;
• power unit with a pair of cylinders - 745 cu. cm, 40 horsepower;
• starting system - mechanical and electric starter;
• gearbox - four-speed block with reverse gear and;
• brakes - front disc, rear - hydraulic drum type;
• suspension unit - telescopic design at the front and spring version at the rear.

In addition, the unit has a microprocessor ignition system and cardan final drive.

Cargo motorcycles "Lifan": description

The St. Petersburg company offered consumers a cargo-type tricycle called "Lifan". The vehicle is an analogue of the Chinese version of the LF-200 ZH3. The equipment is designed to transport small-sized cargo weighing up to 275 kilograms. The cargo motorcycle is equipped with a four-stroke gasoline engine with a working volume of 200 cubic centimeters and a power of seventeen "horses". The multi-disc clutch assembly is placed in an oil bath. The start of the power plant is carried out by means of a kickstarter or electric ignition.

The tipping body of the vehicle is made on the principle of a dump truck, which speeds up the unloading of bulk materials. The modification under consideration is economical, practical and light in weight. Due to the presence of folding sides and compact dimensions, "Lifan" is perfect for use in the agricultural sector. Safety is ensured by a drum-type brake unit, and the tank capacity is enough to cover 170 kilometers without refueling.

Characteristics

Tricycle "Lifan" has the following parameters of the technical plan:

• power unit - single-cylinder four-stroke engine (volume - 197 cc, air cooling);
• gearbox - five-speed manual transmission;
• clutch assembly - multi-plate element;
• fuel tank volume - 11 liters;
• weight - 305 kilograms;
• length / width / height - 3.2 / 1.25 / 1.4 meters;
• fuel consumption per 100 km - 6.5 liters.
• body - a dump truck with folding sides.

Cargo motorcycle (tricycle) "Lifan" has a number of advantages. These include free access to the engine, several color schemes, affordable price and ease of maintenance.

Tricycle Spark

Consider a few more cargo motorcycles from different brands. Let's start with a brief overview of the Spark model. The modern tricycle with a body SP125TR-2 is very popular due to the possibility of using it in the agricultural sector to move small loads. The drop-side tipper unit is equipped with a four-stroke, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled gasoline engine. It has a power of twelve horsepower at 7000 rpm and a working volume of 125 centimeters cubic.

Characteristics:

1. The mass of the apparatus is 280 kilograms with a maximum carrying capacity of 0.5 tons.
2. Length / width / height - 3.26 / 1.23 / 1.27 meters.
3. Transmission - cardan type.
4. Brakes - drum mechanism.

The features of the vehicle include the presence of sides, reclining on three sides.

Foton FT-110ZY

This brand is widely represented in the domestic market. The tricycle of the series in question has an original design, has an affordable price and good performance.

• power unit - a motor with a volume of 110 cubic centimeters and a power of 8 horsepower;
• fuel consumption - about three liters per hundred kilometers;
• load capacity - up to 200 kg;
• top speed - fifty kilometers per hour;
• gearbox - four-speed unit with reverse and reverse.

There are also more powerful versions in the Foton line, which differ in engines, transmission and payload.

New "Ant"

The reanimated model of the famous Soviet tricycle was made by Soul. A copy of the legendary "Ant" has the following abilities:

• engine - four-stroke motor;
• volume - two hundred cubic centimeters;
• power - 16.5 horsepower;
• five-speed gearbox equipped with reverse gear;
• there is a lightweight cardan shaft;
• suspension - double spring system;
• oversized body;
• improved optics;
• reinforced front fork.

In addition, cargo three-wheeled motorcycles "Ant Soul" are equipped with a self-tipping board, can transport up to seven hundred kilograms of cargo, are easy to maintain and repair.

In an embrace with Kondrat

Will I fit in here at all? With a growth of under 190 centimeters, they have doubts about my compatibility with the transport of the future. Test driver Kondrat, without a shadow of embarrassment, explains the algorithm for entering the passenger seat. I hold on to the edge of the doorway with my hand, step over the threshold - voila! It turned out surprisingly easy, although the MK-17 tricycle is swinging under me. Riding on a soft motorcycle seat is comfortable, the back is supported by a wide back. But the main thing is that neither in the elbows nor in the shoulders I feel tightness. And there is space above your head.

Kondrat sits down in front of me and lowers the guillotine door. Now we are isolated from the autumn drizzle and gusts of wind. An 800cc Suzuki V-twin motorcycle engine snarls under the floor and pumps coolant into the heater. Warm and dry! And these are the first advantages of the outlandish three-wheeled vehicle.

The driver puts the electronic stabilization system into manual control mode and demonstrates the maximum tilt angles of the narrow tricycle.

Now fifteen degrees from the vertical, - and Kondrat famously throws the device from the left slope to the right. Contrary to expectations, we do not fall, but continue to stand firmly on wheels. It's impressive. But when the apparatus does not move, you inevitably slide towards the board. On the go, under the action of centrifugal force, everything will return to normal and there will be no discomfort.

The driver presses the button to turn on the automation, and with the buzzing of the servo, the tricycle takes up a vertical position. We touch and begin to maneuver at low speed. A strange feeling: from a narrow, like a motorcycle, apparatus, you expect rolls, but they are not. Electronics considers that the overturning moment is small, and clearly exposes the vertical position. Comfortable! I don’t hold on to anything, but I don’t slip in corners at speeds up to 10-15 km / h.

Kondrat succumbs to the gas, the speed grows, and now noticeable rolls already appear in the corners. Under the influence of centrifugal force, I involuntarily try to help the tricycle by leaning to a comfortable angle. But the servos are stronger than my muscles, and it quickly comes to the realization that the best option is to sit relaxed. The electronic system itself will choose the most comfortable and correct tilt angle of the body for a given speed.

And the speed is still low: the MK-17 is undergoing testing and refinement. Testers do not drive faster than 50 km / h, although calculations say that a tricycle can accelerate to two hundred!

It was not possible to drive behind the wheel: the only prototype is trusted only by the test driver. But there is a feeling that both the motorcyclist and the motorist will quickly get along with this thing in themselves. And the passenger will not have to get used to it - much more comfortable than a motorcycle.

Fall protection gyroscopes

MK-17 is the brainchild of the candidate of technical sciences Alexei Kazartsev. Actually, the abbreviation MK-17 means the 2017 Kazartsev motorcycle. Riding through the dead traffic of the capital on a motorcycle, he thought about a narrow and maneuverable vehicle for the city, suitable for year-round use. Under his leadership, a group of designers, including Belarusian specialists, developed a device with the features of a car and a motorcycle in four years. It's good that the matter was not limited to drawings and computer models: a fully functional sample was built.

Its definition is rather ponderous: a narrow vehicle with a closed cabin, equipped with active and passive stabilization systems. In fact, this is a tricycle with a double cabin. What is the novelty? After all, there are already trikes (three-wheeled motorcycles) and three-wheeled cars ...

Let's start with geometry," says Kazartsev. - For both, the wheels are located at the vertices of an isosceles triangle with a fairly wide base. Because they are stable and, unlike motorcycles, can ride without tilting.

The MK-17 is comparable in width to a motorcycle - only 92 centimeters. Its wheels are at the corners of a triangle with a very narrow base.

He is not able to ride at all without tilting the body - he will tip over under the action of centrifugal force. Therefore, movement is possible only under the supervision of an electronic stabilization system.

On the MK-17 there are gyroscopes, but not power ones, but information ones. Together with accelerometers and magnetometers, they supply the control system with information about the deviation of the device from the vertical, about centrifugal force and position relative to the support. Electronics controls the electric motor, which provides the desired inclination through a system of rods. It is the electronic filling, sensors and software that make up the know-how. No wonder the hood that covers the electronic unit and the actuators of the stabilization system is sealed - it is not yet possible to photograph them. Other iron is more traditional.

It is based on a double-circuit space frame sheathed with plastic panels. Two doors with "lambo" hinges open upwards. The prototype has a V‑shaped engine and gearbox from the Suzuki Intruder motorcycle, but it is possible to use a different power unit.

An additional gearbox is mounted in the transmission (provides reverse gear), from which a cardan shaft extends to the rear 16‑inch wheel. Suspension of the front 18-inch wheels - on double wishbones, rear - on the pendulum, like a motorcycle. Brakes - disc on all wheels.

Devices, interior elements, part of the chassis parts are of domestic production. Kazartsev tried to minimize the number of expensive imported components.

Does the MK-17 have analogues? There are no direct ones. But abroad, the class of narrow vehicles is rapidly developing. Remember the stunning 1997 Mercedes-Benz F300 Life Jet concept car (it didn't go into production)? Work in this direction is being carried out by Nissan, BMW ... And the electric tricycle

Now the prototype MK-17 is an exhibit of the museum of equipment of Vadim Zadorozhny. Aleksey Kazartsev believes that the niche of narrow vehicles will not be empty in our country either, so the tricycle has market prospects. With a favorable set of circumstances, mass production of the MK-17 can be established by 2020.

Do we need such transport? Let's say that I, a convinced motorist of a non-juvenile age, urgently need to get from one side of the city to the other. Taxis get stuck in traffic jams, the metro is packed, other public transport requires transfers. Alternatively, I am offered to be a passenger on a motorcycle or a narrow vehicle. What will I do? I’ll ride a tricycle with a cabin, but no motorcycle!

Cargo scooters

A cargo scooter is an inexpensive and economical, and therefore a very popular and widespread vehicle with and without a cabin, primarily in Asian countries. In our country, three-wheeled motor scooters with a body were especially fond of rural residents back in Soviet times. In the USSR, cargo scooters scooters Ant and Vyatka, designed to transport small loads, were very actively used at large construction sites and in public utilities, where, for example, welding machines or gas cylinders were often transported on them.

In the middle of the "zero" years, more modern cargo scooters, tricycles and even mopeds, manufactured mainly in China. The most recognizable of them were the Chinese cargo scooters Foton, KinFan, and then the Racer, Omaks tricycles, 250ZH, Orion and Bison, cargo mopeds Orion from China and Honda compact tricycles from Japan. Photon and KinFan, by the way, had very good reviews from their owners. The demand in online stores for this type of equipment today significantly exceeds supply, although the price of a cargo scooter is by no means “penny”.

It is not so easy to buy a new cargo scooter or tricycle in Russia, especially in Moscow. Shipments from China are irregular and not cheap. Meanwhile, in the Russian outback there are villages where having two or three cargo scooters is considered the norm. Moreover, the more such scooters you have, the higher your social status, albeit unofficially. Don't laugh - it's a fact! So why is it so difficult to sell in a country where this technique is so popular? The answer to this question, most likely, will be able to give economists, and we have to take care of already purchased and repair used scooters.

Electrical cargo tricycles- a technique that has appeared due to the development of modern technologies. Passenger and cargo electric tricycles are in demand at enterprises, in city parks, in covered warehouses with large areas. These vehicles do not pollute the atmosphere and indoor facilities with exhaust gases, they do not create noise and do not require the handling of flammable fuels. But so far, cargo electric tricycles are not able to seriously compete with conventional cargo scooters, since their cost is much higher, and the power reserve is quite small.