In the interest of testing something out for someone on Beginner Bikers, I took a couple of rides trying to use only my right hand and right foot. She has no use of her left arm and leg and is looking for a way to ride; a couple of people popped up with the idea that the MP3 might be an option for her, what with the lockable front wheels and all.

It just made sense to get out there and try it rather than speculate. And it was a really good excuse to ride.

I did a 45 mile ride and a 55 mile ride, over as much differing terrain as I have available in this area--there are enough hills, curves, off camber streets, stop signs at incline and the like to be able to give it a good test. I didn't take it off road, though...I didn't think I'd enjoy that and it didn't seem pertinent anyway.

For the most part, it was easy. I just used the front brakes to stop, only put my right foot down, and I locked the wheels at stoplights to keep from tiring my leg. The placement of the headlight switch was a non-issue: I just made sure it was set where I wanted before I took off. I didn't need to use the horn, so that wasn't a problem this time...but it would need to be moved. I had plenty of stopping power with just the front brakes--but I never went over 55.

The real issues, though...it was comfortably doable only on flat streets. Once I had to stop at a light with a road surface slightly off camber, the problems surfaced. With the road leaning to the left, just putting my right foot down wasn't enough support, and while the wheel lock kept the scooter from going over, getting going again was difficult. When you've got the wheels locked off camber, you have to be seriously committed to rolling on the throttle. If you're making a tight right turn, it's not quite so easy as I would have imagined.

And the rear brake--I didn't realize how much I really needed it until I was trying to avoid using it. If you stop on an incline, you need to be able to use it; to get going you kind of need to be able to hold the rear brake while rolling on the throttle. If you just let go of the brake while rolling on the throttle, you start rolling backwards and it's not an easy start.

You might be able to hold the front brake while rolling on the throttle, but it would take a whole lot of practice. Relocating the rear brake to a foot pedal on the right side wouldn't be feasible because you need a foot down for stability on inclines because once you start rolling, the wheels automatically unlock.

Overall...not a great choice for someone with hemiplegia. A regular trike, with the wider, fixed wheelbase, and customized hand controls is probably a better ride.