Words You Never Thought Would Be Together: "Trike" And "Patent"

Troy Siahaan
by Troy Siahaan

In the world of trikes, two of the many issues needing to be addressed when converting a two-wheeler into three, is that of steering and ride quality. Traditional trikes rely on the small contact patch of the front tire to handle changes in direction, while rear suspension designs draw a compromise between comfort and road-holding ability. Sabertooth Motorcycles, producers of the Wildcat trike series believe they have the answer. The company has received patents on a rear-wheel steering, and active suspension design it will incorporate on the Wildcat line.

The first of these technologies Sabertooth calls SureTrac, a rear-wheel-steering system (patent number 8,607,913), which provides added stability and ease of turning. It will be standard equipment on the V8 WildCat trike series and the new 850 cc, 104 hp WildCat “e” trike series.

“Turning the handlebars on a conventional trike requires ever increasing force the faster the rider is going, and on slick roads the front tire can slide while the rear tires go in a straight line,” says Sabertooth Motorcycles Founder Ben Daniels. “Rear steering makes the trike much easier to turn and lets a two rear wheel trike handle nimbly while increasing safety and stability.”

Sabertooth’s new proprietary DynaGrip active suspension system (patent number 8,645,024) incorporates an independent rear suspension for a smooth, comfortable ride and also functions to stiffen the rear suspension in coordination with the rider turning the handlebars, thus preventing the trike from leaning or squatting in turns. An active suspension provides a better quality ride in all scenarios, which represents a leap forward in trike technology.

Visit www.SabertoothMotorcycles.com for more information and to see the entire lineup of V8-powered bikes and trikes.

Troy Siahaan
Troy Siahaan

Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.

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