Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Motorcycle |
Founded | 1964 [1] |
Founder | Robin Rhind-Tutt |
Headquarters | , United Kingdom |
Products | Motorcycle sidecars and frames |
Website | Wasp 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]
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]
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]
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]