Author Topic: Route 66... on 3 wheels?  (Read 3386 times)

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Offline @re

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Route 66... on 3 wheels?
« on: August 01, 2008, 03:21:29 PM »
Hi all.

I'm not sure that  this qualifies to be put under "Other Transportation" but what the heck, there are only friendly people around here anyway, so...

As some of you may know, I was in Ireland on holiday a couple of months ago with some colleagues from the school where I worked until recently. I'd never been on holiday with any of them before, and it was really nice. I talked with one of these colleagues, a music teacher, about the possibilities of traveling together some other time, and he said that he had a life-long dream of renting a motorcycle and drive the old Route 66 from Detroit to Los Angeles. As I don't have a bikers' licence, I can't join him in doing that, but for several years now I've dreamt of buying a 3-wheeler, specifically a Grinnall Scorpion III, which is no more than a motorcycle with two wheels in front, a semi-protective bodyshell, and seats. Scorpions are rare Stateside, but there is another bike-engined, three-wheeled monster called the (Campagna) T-Rex that is built in Canada and exported south across the border. I've found a couple of companies on the Web that rent these machines, but none of them have answered my emails.

So, my question to you, and particularly you guys living in the US, is this: Do any of you have the faintest idea if it is at all possible to rent such a thing in the US? My plan would be renting it in Chicago or LA and then deliver it at the other end of the route, and I know it's probably a VERY expensive plan. But it would be nice to know if it was at all feasible, although if it happens, it probably won't be for a few years yet. If anybody can provide me with a name of a company and perhaps an email address, I'd be very thankful!
1974 Fiat X1/9 1500
2005 Alfa GT 1,9 JTD

Offline Otto Puzzell

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Re: Route 66... on 3 wheels?
« Reply #1 on: August 01, 2008, 03:32:46 PM »
I'll do some investigating...
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Offline @re

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Re: Route 66... on 3 wheels?
« Reply #2 on: August 01, 2008, 03:56:55 PM »
It'd be highly appreciated!

I found five T-Rexes on eBay, and the winning bid on one of them is currently as low as $9,200, although the reserve is not met. If the dollar stays as weak as it is, the cheaper thing to do might be to just buy one and then sell it after the trip...
1974 Fiat X1/9 1500
2005 Alfa GT 1,9 JTD

Offline Otto Puzzell

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Re: Route 66... on 3 wheels?
« Reply #3 on: August 01, 2008, 04:02:17 PM »
Arranging insurance might be a hassle...
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Offline @re

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Re: Route 66... on 3 wheels?
« Reply #4 on: August 01, 2008, 07:07:55 PM »
Ah. Didn't think of that. Reality check :)

Well, I don't know the least little thing about buying cars in the US - I've only been there once, and then I rented a Chrysler Voyager (not very exciting, I admit, but we were seven people) and drove from Manhattan to Albany and back for a Billy Joel concert, with a little stop at OC Choppers' in Montgomery on the way up.
1974 Fiat X1/9 1500
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Offline Otto Puzzell

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Re: Route 66... on 3 wheels?
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2008, 04:27:04 AM »
I'm surprised I didn't notice your error when you posted, but Route 66 doesn't start in Detroit - it starts in Chicago.

Anyway, I was able to find this place, which rents trikes in Las Vegas, which is along the Mother Road.

http://www.rewaco-trikes.com/rental.htm

Eagle Riders has trikes for pickup in LA, but not Chicago, so maybe you could run the opposite route.

http://www.eaglerider.com/Rentals/HD-Electra-Glide-Trike.aspx

This place rents CanAm Spyder trikes, but requires an expensive class before a renter without a motorcycle license is set loose.

http://www.werentmotorcycles.com/Site/Terms.html

Here's another Vegas-based renter of Trikes (Honda and HD)
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Offline @re

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Re: Route 66... on 3 wheels?
« Reply #6 on: August 02, 2008, 06:22:51 AM »
I know that the Route 66 starts in Chicago - that's a typo on my part!

Thanks for the links - thing is, I didn't want to rent a trike, I wanted to rent a T-Rex or a Grinnall. But the Can-Am might just be something worth trying - it's not too expensive and only requires a four-hour course to be allowed to drive it. So that's something to keep dreaming about! Thanks a lot!
1974 Fiat X1/9 1500
2005 Alfa GT 1,9 JTD