Thanks for the comments, Bob - they have me thinking.
I'm not sure ATVs are a good comparison because they are designed to crawl over places even a good off road biker would fear to tread. And not only have sidecars "always been around", but they seem to have remained in a largely simple and uncluttered state. Some streamlining to go with some streamlined bikes, but basically simple.
Unfortunately, the same can't be said of trikes, and last evening I made the mistake of looking at the trike section of Ebay. I can immediately see why fans of R E would be turned off by them. 1500 cc, 1800 cc even a 350 cu. in. Chevy, VW powered etc. flying bombs with all the crap that those who would be drawn to R E would turn away from. And what does $25,000 or more get you? For most, about the same two person seating that a normal bike would have plus about 7 cu. ft. of trunk space. Bloody depressing, I say!
My thoughts go in an entirely different direction. I'm sure what Helm Cycle is working on is something that will fit the simplicity and appeal of an R E. The original R E Patrol and the Harley Servicar were a far cry from modern trikes, much more retro. My thoughts go toward the tourism industry I'm involved in, the high gas prices I'm faced with (twice what you have in the U.S.) and the deflated thickness of my wallet. I'm thinking more toward the trikes of Asia, including India and Indonesia. Monika Motors, now under new competent management, is putting out some interesting trikes (tuk tuks) for less than $10,000 (six passenger) and some three passenger versions (three plus a driver) for less than $2000. Mind you, they aren't designed to go fast but they do have practicality and economy in mind. And they indicate a little more 'class' than the modern over bloated trikes do. Simplicity...