RV Review: A bike. A boat. An RV. The Z-Triton is all of these

Life can be so limiting. And decisions so difficult. Imagine you have a weekend to get away but you enjoy bicycling, enjoy boating but also love RVing. But, really, there are only two days so now you’re going to have to decide which vehicle to take. 

Or not. 

Enter Latvian inventor Aigars Lauzis and his Z-Triton tricycle thingamajig. This unique vehicle is a bicycle, a boat and an RV. Seriously. And it’s a real thing, kind of. The company is presently taking orders for these. I could see a lot of real-world use here.

Z-Triton bike

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In fact, living right on the shores of the oldest lake in the North America (now I know you’re going to Google), I would love to give this thing a full test. Well, except there are laws that don’t permit us to spend the night on the lake. California knows how to be a legislative party pooper. 

Pre-orders for the Z-Triton

Anyhow, back to the Z-Triton. The company is taking pre-orders for this with an expected U.S. price of just $16,300—or $14,500 Euro. For that money you get a three-wheeled contraption that can be pedaled but also offers electric power much like the Rad Power Bike I got to try a while back. 

But that bike was what I would call normal height. But this thing perches the driver up front, way up high, almost as if you’re sitting on one of those ancient penny farthing bikes. Behind the rider is a fiberglass shell that forms the basis of this vehicle in boat form. 

In some ways, this has all the fun of the old Amphicar but without a Triumph engine. 

That fiberglass shell has a sliding top much like a fighter jet. Converting this from road-going machine to something worthy of Popeye and his pals is relatively easy. You unlatch and swing up the front wheel, swing the two side wheels into their pods, drop the prop and attach two inflatable pontoons on the side. 

Battery for the bike and boat

The same battery that can assist you in pedaling this rather heavy bike-house-thing up hills is the one that powers what is probably an electric trolling motor. You sit inside with an “N”-shaped steering wheel and putter around your chosen body of water. 

While there are solar panels built into the roof of this rig, should those not provide enough reserves there is also the provision for oars. So you’re back to people-power momentum just as you would be on the bike should you encounter dechargification. 

Since this is sort of an actual three-wheeled vehicle, there are brake and marker lights as well as turn signals. Those same lamps also serve duty as the required nautical illumination. 

Ahoy, matey!

I’m sure there’s a regulatory reason this is here, but when you’re sitting inside the boat there’s actually a manual windshield wiper. You can operate the thing with the roof open or closed. 

The RV part of the Z-Triton

Lastly, the thing we all come here for: the RV part. There is provision for as many as two skinny folks to sleep inside this rig. In fact, whoever’s in charge of pedaling can also bring along a belted passenger with a seat on the “nose” of the Z-Triton. 

As if being a boat, an RV and a bicycle weren’t odd enough, there are some rather odd oddities on this thing including the fact that bicycling and boating happen from opposite ends of this vehicle. 

If you’re on sea, you’re operating from the back of the craft. But the pedals, steering and that seat way up high are on the opposite end. 

Another funny bit is that there’s actually a place to put a potted plant on the outside of the thing. Seriously. Further, you can even have a seat for a pet behind the bicycle rider’s seat. 

Pets. Plants. Passengers. 

But, as you would imagine, this craft isn’t light, weighing in at about 440 pounds. So if you run out of juice, you’re going to be huffing and puffing. Well, I would be. Or just lasso a passing car or something like that. 

You can rent a Z-Triton … in Latvia

If you, like I am, are eager to give one of these a try but not $16,000 willing, perhaps you might head over to Europe and rent one. There is a rental program in place where you can test cycle these. Unfortunately, that rental will be on Lake Latvia and there’s a little bit of conflict not all that far away. Perhaps I’ll wait. 

*****

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Tony comes to RVtravel.com having worked at an RV dealership and been a lifelong RV enthusiast. He also has written the syndicated Curbside column about cars. You can find his writing here and at StressLessCamping where he also has a podcast about the RV life with his wife.

These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. We receive no money or other financial benefits from these reviews. They are intended only as a brief overview of the vehicle, not a comprehensive critique, which would require a thorough inspection and/or test drive.

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