Wasp Motorcycles
TypePrivate
IndustryMotorcycle
Founded1964[1]
FounderRobin Rhind-Tutt
Headquarters
Dinton, Salisbury, Wiltshire
,
United Kingdom
ProductsMotorcycle sidecars and frames
WebsiteWasp Motorcycles

Wasp Motorcycles is a motorcycle and sidecar manufacturer based in Dinton, near Salisbury, England, that specialises in building competition solo and sidecar machines for motocross, trials and sidecar grasstrack,[2] as well as the Wasp 3 Wheel Freedom for disabled riders.[3]

Wasp first saw racing success in 1971, when it won the European Championship.[1] Wasp sidecars have been the winning chassis eight times in the FIM Sidecarcross European and World Championship.[4][5] In 1972, all of the top eight places in the European Championship were riding Wasp outfits.[6]

History

Wasp was founded in 1964 by engineer and off-road motorcyclist Robin 'Robbie' Rhind-Tutt,[6] who was originally employed by the Ministry of Defence as an engineering apprentice at Boscombe Down.[6][7] He designed and built a number of off-road motorcycle frames which he used in motocross competitions.[8] Other competitors were interested in Rhind-Tutt's frames and commissioned him to build specialist frames, so he decided to form Wasp Motorcycles Ltd. The company changed its name to Wasp Engineering Ltd in 1997,[9] but continues to trade under the name of Wasp Motorcycles.[10]

A Wasp/BSA motocross sidecar outfit ridden by former world motocross champion Dave Bickers was used in the 1979 World War II film Escape to Athena, disguised to look like a German military BMW R75.[11]

Products

Wasp manufacture and modify sidecar motocross,[12] sidecar grasstrack ('side-car-cross'),[13] and solo motocross motorcycles.[14] They also produce motorcycle leading link suspension for sidecars[15] and fork conversion kits for road bikes to improve braking and handling, and they manufacture Métisse frames pioneered by Rickman Motorcycles.[6][10]

Wasp 3 Wheel Freedom

The 3 Wheel Freedom is designed for use by disabled riders,[16] including paraplegic motorcyclists, and has an electrically operated ramp to help access. With a tubular space frame bonded to fibreglass body it has independent suspension and a twin-piston brake connected to the motorcycle brakes. The design of the sidecar enables it to carry a wheelchair and it can be attached to any motorcycle of over 500 cc.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 "Wasp Motorcycles". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  2. ↑ Bacon, Roy; Hallworth, Ken (2004). The British Motorcycle Directory: Over 1,100 Marques from 1888. Crowood. ISBN 1-86126-674-X.
  3. 1 2 "The Wasp 3 Wheel Freedom". Wasp Motorcycles. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
  4. ↑ "Norton Wasp". Norton Motorcycles. 2006. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
  5. ↑ "Sidecar-Cross racing World Champions History of the sport". sideacross.com. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Westlake, Andy (2008). Off-Road Giants!: Heroes of 1960s Motorcycle Sport. Veloce Publishing Ltd. pp. 117–118. ISBN 978-1-84584-190-4.
  7. ↑ "Robin Rhind-Tutt". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
  8. ↑ Morley, Don (1986). Classic British scramblers: all post-war two-stroke and four-stroke scrambles motorcycles, AJS to Wasp. Osprey Colour Series. Osprey collector's library. ISBN 9780850456493.
  9. ↑ "Companies in the UK". Companies in the UK. 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
  10. 1 2 "Robbie Rhind-Tutt and Wasp". Wasp Motorcycles. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
  11. ↑ Crosse, Jesse (2006). The Greatest Movie Car Chases of All Time. MotorBooks International. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-7603-2410-3.
  12. ↑ Nothcote, Bill (August 2001). "Dnepr / Russengalerie". Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  13. ↑ Chadwick, Ian (23 April 2001). "British motorcycle manufacturers". Retrieved 23 November 2010.
  14. ↑ "Twinshock racing in the UK - RT2 Wasp outfit". Retrieved 23 November 2010.
  15. ↑ Axon, Jo (4 March 2008). Sidecars. Shire Album S. Shire Publications Ltd. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-7478-0344-7.
  16. ↑ "Riding for Wheelchair Users and people with 'balance' problems". National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD). Retrieved 24 November 2010.
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