Wasp Motorcycles

Wasp Motorcycles is a motorcycle and sidecar manufacturer based in Berwick St James, 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 Motorcycles
TypePrivate
IndustryMotorcycle
Founded1964[1]
FounderRobin Rhind-Tutt
Headquarters
Berwick St James, Salisbury, Wiltshire
,
United Kingdom
ProductsMotorcycle sidecars and frames
WebsiteWasp Motorcycles

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. "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. "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. 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. "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. Sidecars. Shire Album S. Shire Publications Ltd. p. 27. ISBN 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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