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My friend lost a leg in an accident he has a prosthetic leg. He wants to ride his scooter but it just too hard to put that leg out at a stop. Can he ride an MP3 safely ?
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That would be for him to determine. Not saying it can't be done but he would probably want to practice in an open lot with no traffic around.
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So its possible. The bike balances with out putting your legs down when stopped.
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Takes practice to come to a stop without putting feet down. Because of my height I typcally use my left leg down at lights. Once at a stop they could use the tilt lock to hold the scoot up. Dont recommend rolling stops with tilt lock only due to ruts and things in the road that could cause the scoot to lean and cause balance loss. Would be a matter of getting used to putting down good leg and holding it up at stops and such and of course tilt lock once stopped. Hope this helps.
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Re: can you ride with a prosthetic leg.
moewave wrote:
My friend lost a leg in an accident he has a prosthetic leg. He wants to ride his scooter but it just too hard to put that leg out at a stop. Can he ride an MP3 safely ?
I ride a fuoco and am a below knee amputee on one leg , do not have full knee movement and have muscle weakness also in the same leg. Getting the fuoco got me back onto a solo bike after 30+ years although i did have trikes and sidecars(still have) in that time. It takes a bit of getting used to and funnily enough i don't use the tilt lock that much ,strange that as i got the fuoco because i thought it would be a help stopping at junctions.You do have to be extra carefull though coming to a halt as i cannot move my artificial leg as fast as my o/e one. One other strange thing is i always seem to put my artificial leg out to steady me when i come to a stop and then if i feel the need i put the tilt lock on. Where the tilt lock is a great use to me is moving it around and when i stop to park up somewhere. The fuoco is a heavy lump i just wish it was 100kg lighter. If you have any more question please ask.
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in there netherlands there was someone who did have one leg i've a handicap to on booth of my legs (spasm) for me its a calculated risk that i will drop it from time to time
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Can be done. But not as easy as it looks. And having only one leg, it's a 50% chance it goes the wrong way.
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Re: can you ride with a prosthetic leg.
moewave wrote:
My friend lost a leg in an accident he has a prosthetic leg. He wants to ride his scooter but it just too hard to put that leg out at a stop. Can he ride an MP3 safely ?
Also forgot to say that the biggest problem for me was CONFIDENCE. Having not ridden a solo m/c for so many years ( i was a 365days a year motorcyclist for 12 years before getting knocked off the bike by a blind car driver) .I was worried about all sorts of things mostly what would happen if i dropped the bike ,i have had to get over that one and as i'm alot older you don't self repair as quick as you used too.I found that out after falling down the house stairs Laughing emoticon You don't say if your friend is a above or below amputee i would say if he's a below it would be easier. I did meet a guy at my prosthetic clinic who had a 2 wheel scooter who was a above knee amputee unfortunatly we did not get to talk much but he was interested in how i was with the fuoco, it was a pity that circumstances prevented us getting to talk much.
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moewave wrote:
So its possible. The bike balances with out putting your legs down when stopped.
It does but it is not user friendly until one gets a good bit of practice. Practice in an open lot and probably with someone to help you stand it back up because you will probably drop it!! No big deal, most all of has. Also look up the video of haw to stand it back up after it is on ground!! You will do fine HAVE FUN!!!
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moewave wrote:
So its possible. The bike balances with out putting your legs down when stopped.
No, if that is what the individual requires - it is not possible. The MP3 normally leans just like any other scooter. The tilt-lock function is intended for parking and for locking the bike in position while stopped. It can be locked as you roll to a stop, but not reliably. That is basically just someone trying to show off. And no, a handicapped rider will not have fun as they fall over with their bike and are unable to right it! (I know a fellow who rides with one fully functional leg - he rides a Ural sidecar rig with hand shift. It works for him)
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I think if the MP3 had a narrower seat just using 1 leg when you stop would be more natural, but it seems that wide seat makes not putting both your legs out at a stop makes the MP3 feel very iffy on balance at a stop. Whenever I let someone else ride my MP3 I tell them to be sure to put both legs out when they stop, for unlike a MC any big scooter with it's wide seat doesn't feel the same as a MC when stopping.
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Don't forget that you'll need to back up your MP3 at some point in the ride (to park or get out of parking ) and you'll need both legs to back up.
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Thanks to everyone for your input. My friend is a recent above the knee amputee and is contemplating a trike. I wondered if the MP3 would work too Ill pass this info along.
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moewave wrote:
Thanks to everyone for your input. My friend is a recent above the knee amputee and is contemplating a trike. I wondered if the MP3 would work too Ill pass this info along.
A Can Am Spyder perhaps?
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Re: can you ride with a prosthetic leg.
moewave wrote:
My friend lost a leg in an accident he has a prosthetic leg. He wants to ride his scooter but it just too hard to put that leg out at a stop. Can he ride an MP3 safely ?
Based on the way you prefaced the question, I would say no.
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One of my friends in San Antonio had a prosthetic leg and he rode a Kymco Agility 150. Awesome rider. I would have him sit on one without the stablizer on to determine for himself. Good luck!
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moewave wrote:
So its possible. The bike balances with out putting your legs down when stopped.
This is the biggest misconception surrounding the MP3's It does not balance itself. When you come to a stop you must lock the tilt lock to prevent it from falling over. If the weight of the scoot is too much to one side when locked it can (will) fall over. Craigslist is full of MP3s that were bought because someone told them it can't fall over. If your friend wants to ride again have him get a traditional trike or add a tow-pac to a 2 wheeler. The thought of a one legged man pinned under a 500+ lb scooter is not good. Nor is the one of him trying to pick it up.
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14perry wrote:
moewave wrote:
So its possible. The bike balances with out putting your legs down when stopped.
This is the biggest misconception surrounding the MP3's It does not balance itself. When you come to a stop you must lock the tilt lock to prevent it from falling over. If the weight of the scoot is too much to one side when locked it can (will) fall over. Craigslist is full of MP3s that were bought because someone told them it can't fall over. If your friend wants to ride again have him get a traditional trike or add a tow-pac to a 2 wheeler. The thought of a one legged man pinned under a 500+ lb scooter is not good. Nor is the one of him trying to pick it up.
The Tow-pac add on is an option but it really drags on the acceleration of the MP3 then, so I don't see it as a practical option. I have a Tow-pac I put on 460cc scooter and it severely limited it's ability going uphill and belt life so now I'm putting that Tow-pac on a 949ccc auto. MC that has plenty of power.

Last week I saw a Suzuki 650 Burgman w/a real trike kit on it(10" wheels) and talked to the riders from Canada. They said the trike setup was made in Texas and cost $10K. It looked kind of funky but they were happy with it. They were going up a long 6% grade 2up @ 50 mph but I guess they had more power since they were sight seeing. I asked him how long his drive belts lasted that way and he didn't know as he hadn't had the set up that long yet. They were from Quebec, Canada and were planning on moving to Flagstaff, Arizona.
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if our fork truck driver at work can get by with one arm, I don't see why you couldn't ride a scooter with one leg
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jeff84 wrote:
if our fork truck driver at work can get by with one arm, I don't see why you couldn't ride a scooter with one leg
Does your fork lift driver need strength in both arms to keep the fork lift from falling over on it's side?
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Would the Yourban be a better bet than a Fuoco? Its lighter isn't it?
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Yourban never made it to the USA
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I think if you're going to spend $$$ on a trike conversion, then you might as well go for something that will handle a million times better than a trike.... a CanAm Spyder. It can lean like a motorcycle, but it won't corner like a typical trike or sidecar. And it will stay upright anytime you need it to.

External inline image provided by member with no explanatory text
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Larrytsg wrote:
I think if you're going to spend $$$ on a trike conversion, then you might as well go for something that will handle a million times better than a trike.... a CanAm Spyder. It can lean like a motorcycle, but it won't corner like a typical trike or sidecar. And it will stay upright anytime you need it to.

External inline image provided by member with no explanatory text
I didn't think that Can-Am Spyders leaned? The one that I test rode 5-years ago did not lean but rather it was steered through corners.
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Hmmm, I always thought the body leaned a bit, giving you some of the feeling of riding a motorcycle, but I understand that there is no counter steering.

Still, I feel that the Spyder is more stable than a regular trike.
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cummingsjc wrote:
I didn't think that Can-Am Spyders leaned?
It doesn't. It does, however, have power steering, electronic stability control, and a bunch of other goodies.
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a good example of either forgetting to or failing to operate the tilt lock whilst not putting your feet down..

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UTC quote
[quote="moewave"]My friend lost a leg in an accident he has a prosthetic leg. He wants to ride his scooter but it just too hard to put that leg out at a stop. Can he ride an MP3 safely ?[/quote

It depends on the amputation: hip disarticulation (like mine), above knee(AK)or below knee (BK). BK should present no problem. AK, knee joint should lock snd present no problem except paying attention to what the knee joint is doing.
Hip disarticulation is very different as artificial hip joint doesn't lock but stabilizes over-center and can not stabilize in any seated situation. Remember: there is no muscle actuation of limb below joint so leg cannot be lifted as in pedaling a bicycle or climbing stairs. So any other than AK or BK is out as far as scooter use is concerned.
As with my case, no prosthesis is used and weight of scooter is balanced to the remaining leg. I was considering an MP3 would be the answer but am opting for a much lighter scooter.
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moewave wrote:
My friend lost a leg in an accident he has a prosthetic leg. He wants to ride his scooter but it just too hard to put that leg out at a stop. Can he ride an MP3 safely ?
MP3 should, in theory, meet the need with tilt lock suspension keeping him upright but there are many more maneuvers like backing-up or stationary ops whrre the weight is an issue.
The whole thing is so so subjective only your friend can work it out. Wish him my best and tell him not to give up... There's always an answer!
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