Most people would find that the EMU Trike® ORIGINAL is just right for them. There are however, some differences between the two trikes that may make the EMU Trike® HW the better option. First, let’s start of with what the two trikes have in common: Both trikes are equipped with the following:
Now let’s review the differences: MEASUREMENTS/DIMENSIONS/WEIGHT/CAPACITY ORIGINAL: The Original trike weighs just 70 lbs. It is only 27″ wide so it will fit through a standard indoor doorway. The length is 40″ when the wheel is straight. The maximum weight capacity is up to 250 lbs, but can be less depending upon how the rider ‘fits’ on the trike. HW: The HW trike weighs 85 lbs. It too is only 27″ wide but the length is 5″ longer at 45″. The maximum weight capacity is 370 lbs. Building a trike with a longer foot-base was necessary in order to get more people mobile and gain their independence. Not only does this longer base increase the weight capacity, but it also enabled us to build the trike with a seat that can be adjusted forward or backward. Just an inch or two can make a big difference for the rider. BRAKES ORIGINAL: Front hand-brake/parking brake on handlebar controls the front wheel drum brake. There are no rear-wheel brakes on the Original trike. HW: Front hand-brake/parking brake on handlebar controls the front wheel drum brake, but we have added an additional FOOT BRAKE which controls two rear-wheel disk brakes. Some of our customers have severe arthritis or a palsy in their hands and can find it difficult to operate the hand-brake. By adding the rear-brakes which are activated by a foot pedal, they can now feel confident about braking promptly and safely. REAR WHEELS & BATTERY PLACEMENT ORIGINAL: The two rear pneumatic tires on the Original trike are 9″ tall. This lower height of the tires means that the battery placement is on TOP of the foot-base, under a 4.5″ tall battery cover. (See image above) There are two tiny stabilizer wheels on the rear. HW: The two rear pneumatic tires on the HW trike are 12.5″ high, which now leaves room for placement of the battery UNDERNEATH the foot base. This allows us to completely remove the 4.5″ hump that was the battery cover and now the foot-base is flat for easy step-through while boarding. There is no need for stabilizer wheels on the rear of the HW trike due to the extended length of the base. Some of our customers have difficulty lifting their feet and legs up over the 4.5″ battery cover when boarding, so this change is quite helpful for them. SPEED/FORWARD/REVERSE ORIGINAL: The Original trike has three speeds: 0-8mph, 0-15mph & 0-20mph. It has reverse, but the trike is practically ‘zero-turn’ – meaning the turn is very tight. HW: The HW trike has three speeds: 0-8mph, 0-15mph & 0-20mph. There are also three gears for REVERSE. we decided to add the ability to REVERSE for extremely tight situations (such as elevators, etc.) BASKETS ORIGINAL: There is one wire basket on the front of the Original trike.HW: In addition to the wire basket on the front, we have added a wire basket on the back. Because of the weight restrictions for the Original trike, we do not recommend placing baskets on the back of it, as some people may place very heavy items in the rear basket which could make the trike ‘back-heavy’ when riding up-hill. Because of the different type of build for the HW trike, a rear basket does not pose this risk. COLOR OPTIONS: ORIGINAL: The Original trikes comes standard as WHITE. However, you can change the look of your Original trike by purchasing the optional colored interchangeable battery cover and fenders we have available. (See color options in the accessory column below) HW: There are two color options available for the HW trike: Metallic Blue and Cherry Red When choosing the color options for the new HW trike, we went with the two colors that are most popular with our customers over the years. The Metallic Blue and the Cherry Red are ideal for both males and females. |
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