Two versus three

Tom Rayner pits the three wheels of a Piaggio MP3 400 against the Honda SH300I’s two for the ultimate city riding challenge

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I RECENTLY christened Honda’s SH300I “King Commuter” – praising its reliability, comfort, light weight and practicality for London’s congested streets.

In fact, I would go as far as to say that it is the best two-wheeled scooter I have ever ridden – surely fitting competition for Piaggio’s MP3.

Since the Honda has a 300cc engine, it was only fair to match it up with Piaggio’s 400cc version of the MP3; the two machines also produce roughly the same horsepower.

The challenge was simple: two weeks riding both machines – an all-weather, living-with test to find out if the three-wheeled revolution is finally here.

The first question anybody ever asks when you ride an MP3 is, “What’s it like, then?”. The answer I always give is, “great fun”.

On the go, you would be hard pressed to tell it apart from riding a two-wheeled scooter. It leans and handles in precisely the same way.

The MP3 definitely benefits from a 400cc motor as 238kg is a lot of weight to lug around, and even with 34bhp, the engine needs some time to get up to speed. However, any sluggishness off the mark is more than made up for by a mid-range that pulls it to a top-speed of about 90mph.

The SH300I, without the bulk of the MP3, flies off the line quicker than most motorbikes. The large wheels mean it can be flicked from side to side at a moment’s notice and give it greater stability around the corners.

The ABS brakes are firm with good feel and bring the Honda to a progressive, but swift, stop. The MP3’s brakes are equally good – with two wheels at the front providing grip and the rear brake stabilising things at the back. You have complete confidence to jam on the anchors when required.

This is the feather in the cap of the three-wheeled brigade. The extra wheel at the front means that it’s virtually impossible to lose the front end of an MP3. The clever physics cause the bike to under-steer rather than tuck and fall, even in the wet.

I’ve seen some crazy test riders pushing an MP3 to its absolute limits – almost willing it to crash – but try as they might, it just under-steered itself back into line.

Of course, this doesn’t mean to say that the MP3 is foolproof. It can still be dropped at slow speed, just like any other bike, and car drivers are just as inclined to pull out on three-wheelers. In other words, don’t disengage your brain or turn off the “idiot radar”.

The big advantage of commuting on two wheels is the ability to filter. Lose this and you might as well be sitting in a Ford Focus. So the question is: can the MP3 400 keep up with the SH300I through one of the busiest cities in the world?

In short, no. The SH300I whizzes through London like nothing else on the road. It’s light, pokey and slim – the recipe for the ultimate city scooter. In contrast, the MP3 is heavy, harder to manoeuvre at slow speeds, and is encumbered by the extra width at the front end.

Gaps which the SH300I has nipped through effortlessly see the MP3 slowly edging its way by. The front tyres regularly scrape kerbs as you weave ungraciously through stationary traffic.

Don’t get me wrong, the MP3 can still filter reasonably quickly, but it requires more careful planning, forethought, caution and a strong pair of legs.

Of course, the other disadvantage with a fat front end is squeezing into the increasingly congested motorcycle parking bays. The Honda simply takes a deep breath and shoehorns itself into the tightest of spaces – like a cat silkily easing through the gap in a fence. The MP3, on the other hand, needs roughly one-and-a-half times the amount of room.

Westminster Council has recently started charging bikers £1.50 a day to use its bays, and the result is an exodus from the pay-bays into the free ones outside the charging zone. Space is at even more of a premium, and every inch counts.

One area where two wheels will always have an advantage over three is cost. The end result of the added complexity of Piaggio’s twin front wheel set-up is a bashing in the wallet.

The Honda SH300I is not a particularly cheap scooter, but it’s still £500 less than a 125cc MP3. The 400cc model I tested costs nearly £1,550 more than the Honda.

Servicing is also going to be more expensive on the MP3 and, as obvious as it sounds, you’ll be shelling out for three tyres instead of two.

When it comes to cutting through city traffic, two wheels are better than three. But add a wet road into the mix, damp metal grates and the rainbow splodge of a fresh diesel slick and suddenly three wheels start to make a lot more sense.

However, five grand is a lot of money for a scooter – three wheels or six. Honda’s SH300I comes with ABS for emergency situations, and a careful rider will soon learn the limits on a wet road and ride within them.

The MP3 is more likely to attract car drivers and people who would never have ridden a motorcycle because they look “unstable and dangerous”. In fact, the MP3 is seeking out an entirely new demographic; like a missionary preacher, it’s on a crusade of conversion.

After two weeks in the saddle of both machines, riding to work through central London rain or shine, it was time for me to make a decision.

It’s the final day of the test and both bikes are parked outside my house, both fully fuelled and ready to go. Which do I choose?

I pick up the keys to the Honda and step outside. Thunder rumbles in the distance and I feel a spot of rain on my nose. Perhaps, “just this once”, I say to myself, I’ll take the MP3.