Quad bikes: a semantic question

I believe that may be the official classification, it applies to the glorified go-karts such as Renault Twizzy, I thought Smart "cars" were included but apparently not ...

Therefore Quad Bi must mean 8 wheeled...

I'll get my coat.

Mike

Different etymologies: "quad bikes" stems from Hooray Henries racing round Tom Quad who found 4 wheels better than 2 after a third bottle of Claret.

Nah, they are strictly for the gamekeepers. The old Etonians in ChCh wouldn't be seen in anything less than a Landy...

I agree but I guess it was a trade name first like Hoover and has now slipped into common usage. Round here we call them pikey Bikes, as the youth of the travellers seem to use them a lot with a trailer behind them. Brian

But what is smart about a smart car? Brian

Motorquikes? The common term is nonsensical - same as '3-wheeled bike'. Just because of handlebars and saddle...! I've seen plenty of (pedal) bike with a seat, not saddle, and 'tiller', not 'bars.

There's a place near Doncaster, supposed to be somewhat educational, that has "octobikes" - actually a trike with 8 seats. I've seen a tractor with one seat referred to as a 4x4 and also a 6-wheeler with more than 4 seats the same.

Round here the farmers use them.

I was surprised to see one with a spreader on the back; it was slug pellets, where you don't need many per acre.

Andy

I always found them entertaining around the Yorkshire dales when they were ridden by a shepherd with his two border collies leaning into the bends on the rear carrier.

One snowy day I spotted one pulling up in front of a rural school with two little girls in pink jackets and wellies sat where the border collies usually were.

Mike