Wasp Motorcycles

Wasp Motorcycles
Company type	Private
Industry	Motorcycle
Founded	1964
Founder	Robin Rhind-Tutt
Headquarters	Dinton, Salisbury, Wiltshire, 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]

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

^ ^a ^b "Wasp Motorcycles". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
^ Bacon, Roy; Hallworth, Ken (2004). The British Motorcycle Directory: Over 1,100 Marques from 1888. Crowood. ISBN 1-86126-674-X.
^ ^a ^b "The Wasp 3 Wheel Freedom". Wasp Motorcycles. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
^ "Norton Wasp". Norton Motorcycles. 2006. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
^ "Sidecar-Cross racing World Champions History of the sport". sideacross.com. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Westlake, Andy (2008). Off-Road Giants!: Heroes of 1960s Motorcycle Sport. Veloce Publishing Ltd. pp. 117–118. ISBN 978-1-84584-190-4.
^ "Robin Rhind-Tutt". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
^ 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.
^ "Companies in the UK". Companies in the UK. 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
^ ^a ^b "Robbie Rhind-Tutt and Wasp". Wasp Motorcycles. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
^ Crosse, Jesse (2006). The Greatest Movie Car Chases of All Time. MotorBooks International. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-7603-2410-3.
^ Nothcote, Bill (August 2001). "Dnepr / Russengalerie". Retrieved 22 November 2010.
^ Chadwick, Ian (23 April 2001). "British motorcycle manufacturers". Retrieved 23 November 2010.
^ "Twinshock racing in the UK - RT2 Wasp outfit". Retrieved 23 November 2010.
^ Axon, Jo (4 March 2008). Sidecars. Shire Album S. Shire Publications Ltd. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-7478-0344-7.
^ "Riding for Wheelchair Users and people with 'balance' problems". National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD). Retrieved 24 November 2010.

External links

Official website

[Grace-Wasp-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.

[3WheelFreedom-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.

[westlake-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.

[Wasp-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 (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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