Interpretation ID: aiam3613
President
Bede Design Inc.
901 E. Orchard Street
Mundelein
IL 60060;
Dear Mr. Bede: This is in reply to your letter of September 29, 1982, asking for a interpretation that your modified motorcycle is a 'motorcycle' under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. In addition to the standard motorcycle configuration of a single front and rear wheel, your design incorporates two small wheels in outrider positions, both of which hold the vehicle at rest, but which, in motion, do not touch the ground simultaneously. The purpose of the wheels is to add stability so that in a left turn the left outrider wheel will touch the ground, and in a right turn, the right wheel.; This configuration appears to meet the definition of 'motorcycle contained in 49 CFR 571.3(b) as a machine 'designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground.' Although the vehicle rests on four wheels, it travels on only two or three depending upon whether it is proceeding in a straight direction or in a turn.; We appreciate your interest in motorcycle safety. Sincerely, Frank Berndt, Chief Counsel