This Three-Wheeled Car Is A Terrible Motorcycle

Technicalities and license requirements aside, no one will actually believe the Snyder ST600-C is a motorcycle. Period. Whether you love it or hate it doesn’t matter, because either way, you know deep down that it’s not a bike, no matter how someone may have marketed it to you. 

This three-wheeled car is powered by a motorcycle engine, however, and shifts via a four-speed manual transmission. You’ll need a shiny motorcycle endorsement on your license if you want to drive one, though, so bear that in mind before you go on any wild classifieds-browsing sprees. 

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YouTuber Watch JR Go purchased a shiny 2011 Snyder ST600-C for the princely sum of US $1800. This little three-wheeled, rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive car is powered by a 586cc twin motorcycle engine. It also features a sealed beam motorcycle headlight smack in the middle of the hood, where many automakers usually stick a logo emblem. That’s in addition to the regular headlights on either side, which are apparently not anywhere near as bright as that moto headlamp in the middle. Unfortunately, the moto headlight is aimed way up in the sky, so it’s not very usable as an effective road illuminator and it’s not clear how easy it is to re-aim it.  

The tiny little 12-inch wheels are actually smaller in diameter than some modern maxi-scooters, but they do have disc brakes all around, so yay for that. Since it’s a rear-engined car, there’s obviously no storage space in the rear. That said, if you’re driving it around solo, the back seats obviously make a great place to stash your stuff. There’s a frunk up front under the hood, but it doesn’t appear to have much in the way of usable storage space, either.  

What little information you can glean about Snyder ST600-Cs online seems to indicate that they’re made by a Chinese company that has made similar vehicles under a bunch of different names. They started showing up as curiosities in America around 2011 or so, which tracks with the one in this video being a 2011-model-year vehicle. They’re incredibly lightweight because they have zero safety features and are largely made of plastic, but they’re supposed to get around 70mpg. When new, they were optimistically priced at an MSRP of around $8,000, though we have no idea if any ever sold for that price.  

You can occasionally find one of these popping up on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or similar sites for around $2,000, give or take. As a curiosity that can barely struggle to make it to 62mph, it’s up to you to decide if it’s worth it. However, you might have more fun plunking that $2,000 down on your choice of motorcycle with a motorcycle engine inside instead. Or, if you must have a moto-engined three-wheeler, put it toward sticking a Triumph 675 Street Triple engine inside a Piaggio Ape and going ham in the snow. Your call! 

Source: YouTube