Richard mentions his favorite oxymoron in another thread is "quad bike". I'm not so sure that is an oxymoron or just someone's lack of the concept that "quad" indicates four, yet "bike" indicates two.
We have unicycles with one wheel. We have bicycles with two wheels. We have tricylces with three wheels. But I have never heard of a quadcycle or a quadricycle for a four wheeled vehicle.
Does it have something to do with the first three being peddal powered and the 4 wheeler usually being motorized?
Posts: 1412 | Location: Buffalo, NY, United States
The expression "quadricycle" (abbreviation "quad") is perfectly correct and this kind of vehicle was at was at one time quite common. Those who were fortunate enough to watch the annual veteran vehicle run from London to Brighton on 03 November would have seen several examples of quadricyles and tricycles amongst the 500+ vehicles involved. No bicycles, though; their run is in March.
Which leads me naturally to the question of power. Whereas mororised unicycles are even rarer than the self-powered examples, motorised bicycles are very common! The famous Harley Davidson company has been making them for 99 years! Motorised tricycles are also quite common (and the expression "tricycle" describes one of the classes of vehicle that British drivers can have on their licences).
Quadricycles can be both pedal-powered (there are several pedal-rickshaws on the streets of London and elesewhere) or motorised. When motorised they are correctly described as "motor-quadricycles" and the correct abbreviation is "quad". There can been no such thing as a "quad-bike" and more than there could be a "quad-trike".
Cycles with greater numbers of wheels are rare and I have never heard of, say, a quintuple-cycle.
So I stick by my guns. Quad-bike is an oxymoron; that it has become such through ignorance does not, to my mind, alter the fact.
Richard English
Posts: 8038 | Location: Partridge Green, West Sussex, UK
Richard? Have you ever had the opportunity to ride a "Trike" as they are called here in the states? A "trike" is a three-wheeled motorcycle. It starts as a standard motorcycle and then is enhanced by a separate company. Lehman produces some of the best trikes in the US. They start with a Honda, a Harley, or whatever, and add a trunk, a rear axle and many other features. You would think it would be easier to ride than a motorcycle because you don't have to worry about balancing, however, as most motorcyclists know, a lot of the art of riding is not in the balancing, it is in the leaning and counter-steering you do to make a curve or turn. You can't do that on a three-wheeler! It's like learning to ride, all over again!
Posts: 1412 | Location: Buffalo, NY, United States
At work we have industrial three-wheeled cycles used to transport tools and supplies around the building. Most people call them bikes or bicycles. I keep telling them that they are tricycles. But then, postal workers can't count too well, anyway!
Yes, I have ridden a trike of probably the most precarious type. I used to have a 1935 Rudge Special with a sidecar. Very easy to turn over but a lot of fun nevertheless.
I have also driven a three-wheeler Morgan, which was also fun but also less than 100% stable.
As it happens I bought my Rudge outfit before I owned a solo motorcycle and thus had little difficulty in coming to terms with the fact that I couldn't lean into a corner!
Richard English
Posts: 8038 | Location: Partridge Green, West Sussex, UK
My next car is going to be exactly what you're describing. It's called the "Sparrow," and it's basically a motorcycle with a body and a third wheel added. It's extremely sharp in appearance, gets a zillion miles to the gallon of gas, and pretty much guarantees you a quick death if you collide with so much as a parking meter.
Tinman, my postman does a fine job of counting...he just can't seem to understand that everyone within a 5 mile radius of me with the same house number as I have, doesn't live at my house!
Richard, you beat me each time with the ages of your vehicles! My daily rider is a 1978 1/2 Honda. It started life as a 1979, but we picked up a 1978 for spare parts, and now it has one wheel from each bike, the engine from the '78, the mirrors from the '78.......(it is getting older faster than the rest of us!)
And CJ, with a "zillion miles to the gallon of gas", can I buy you your first billion miles or so?
Posts: 1412 | Location: Buffalo, NY, United States
quote:he just can't seem to understand that everyone within a 5 mile radius of me with the same house number as I have, doesn't live at my house
My postman has the same problem, although it's usually just one other street that he confuses. Yesterday for variation he gave me the guy next door's bank statement.
quote: My postman has the same problem, although it's usually just one other street that he confuses. Yesterday for variation he gave me the guy next door's bank statement.
Better than my credit card company, arnie. They called me last week and asked me if I received someone elses blank checks with my statement. Apparently, they sent my checks to someone else!
Posts: 1412 | Location: Buffalo, NY, United States
