Triplets

[Will Owen <nashwill@domain.elided>]

Matt Danning wrote:

"Anybody out
there ever driven a Geo Metro, or one of the many
triple motorcycles who can comment?"

The only two-wheeled triplet I ever rode was a
Kawasaki 500, and that VERY gently...but I've driven a
couple of 3-cylinder cars, and rather enjoyed them.
The little Suzuki (and its Chevy/Geo equivalent) made
cute noises, but was utterly gutless with the autobox
that rental agencies insist on supplying. But my own
5-speed Subaru Justy was a charmer in almost every
way, at least for its size. Not quite as flingable as
a Mini, but much better riding and with a good top
speed (around 90). The engine was a nice bit of
design, with 3 valves per cylinder and a
centrally-located single OHC, an internal coolant pump
(kinda like a Montreal, huh?) and oil pump on either
side of the crankshaft, with one of them - don't
remember which - driven by the balance shaft. Have no
idea what top revs were, since it was the DL model and
had no tach, but its strong suit was an astonishing
lot of low-end torque. Long grades and stiff headwinds
would call for a shift down to fourth, but I still
managed point-to-point averages of 70+ mph when I was
commuting between Nashville, TN and Bowling Green, KY.

Of course, on the days when my wife would let me drive
HER car - the Milano - things went a bit more quickly!
Odd thing was, both cars got almost the same gas
mileage for these trips.

Now: if anyone wants to expand this thread to include
TWO-cylinder cars, I have some stories about a couple
of those, too...

Will Owen
Pasadena, CA
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