ITALIAN company Quadro (which already makes MP3-type scooters) has taken an extra wheel and thrown it at our petulant faces, in the form of the Parkour, the world's first four-wheeled scooter.
The 350cc, 27 bhp, 250kg Parkour looks very similar to current three-wheel scoots, with the added twist of a rear end that imitates the company's patented hydraulic tiling system up front. It's like looking into a mirror and seeing the back of your head. But Quadro simply says that it "makes a genuine motorcycle feeling possible".
Quadro also says car drivers can ride the Parkour - which is expected to go on sale in November 2013 - without additional licencing. While UK riders can already ride the MP3 300ie LT on a car licence because its wheels are over 460mm apart (the legal requirement) we don't have that data on the Parkour yet, so we'll just have to take Quadro's word for it.
If you thought three wheels was bad enough, what are you going to make of this? Have the Piaggio MP3, Peugeot Metropolis and their ilk have steered the biking world dangerously close to Reliant Robin, Morgan 3-Wheeler and tuk-tuk territory?
Is the new Quadro a travesty or a leap in biking safety? Will you give Parkour riders a biker's nod, amused headshake or cager-fist-shake? Heck, will you buy one?
