Wasp Motorcycles

British motorcycle manufacturer

Wasp Motorcycles

Company type| Private
Industry| Motorcycle
Founded| 1964[1]
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

[edit]

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

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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

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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

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1. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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. ^ 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.
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. ^ a b "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.

## External links

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* Official website

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British motorcycle manufacturers

Manufacturing in the United Kingdom

Current|

* AJS
* Ariel
* CCM
* Cheney
* Greeves
* Hesketh
* Métisse
* Norton
* Triumph
* Wasp

Defunct|

* Abbotsford (1919–?)
* ABC (1919–1923)
* Aberdale (1946–1959)
* Abingdon (AKD) (1903–1925)
* ABJ (1950–1954)
* Ackland (1919–1924)
* Acme (1902–1922)
* Advance (1905–1947)
* AEL (1919–1924)
* AER (1937–1940)
* AJR (1925–1926)
* AJS Motorcycles Ltd (1909–2000)
* AJW (1928–1976)
* Akkens (1919–1922)
* Alecto (1919–1925)
* Alert (1903–1906)
* Alldays & Onions (1903–1915)
* Allen Norton (1990–1994}
* Ambassador (1946–1964)
* Ariel (1902–1970)
* Armstrong (1980–1987)
* Ascot-Pullin (1928–1930)
* AMC (1937–1966)
* Baker (1927–1930)
* Bat (1902–1926)
* Baughan (1920–1936)
* Beardmore Precision (1914–1930)
* Blackburne (1913–1922)
* Bradbury (1902–1924)
* Brough (1908–1926)
* Brough Superior (1919–1940)
* BSA (1919–1972)
* Calthorpe (1909–1939)
* Chase Brothers Motorcycle (1903–1906)
* Chater-Lea (1900–1936)
* Clyno (1909–1923)
* Corgi (1946–1954)
* Cotton (1918–1980)
* Coventry-Eagle (1901–1939)
* Coventry Victor (1919–1936)
* DMW (1945–1971)
* DOT (1908–1978)
* Douglas (1907–1957)
* Dunelt (1919–1935)
* Duzmo (1919–1923)
* EMC (1947–1977)
* Excelsior (1896–1964)
* Francis–Barnett (1919–1966)
* Greeves (1953–1976)
* Grindlay Peerless (1923-1939)
* Haden (1912–1924)
* Hazlewoods Limited (1895–1923)
* Healey (1971–1977)
* Hesketh (1981–1988)
* Humber (1898–1930)
* HRD (1922–1928)
* Ivy (1911–1934)
* James (1902–1966)
* JAP (1903–1939)
* Levis (1911–1939)
* Martinsyde (1919–1923)
* Matchless (1899–1966, 1988–1990)
* McEvoy (1926–1929)
* Megelli (2004–2014)
* Montgomery (1902–1939)
* Ner-A-Car (1921–1926)
* New Hudson (1903–1958)
* New Imperial (1901–1939)
* Norman (1935–1963)
* Norton-Villiers (1966–1972)
* Norton Villiers Triumph (1972–1978)
* NUT (1912–1933)
* OEC (1901–1954)
* OK-Supreme (1882–1940)
* P&P (1922–1930)
* Premier (1908–1921)
* Panther (1904–1967)
* Quasar (1975–1982)
* Quadrant (1901–1928)
* Raleigh (1899–1967)
* Rex-Acme (1899–1933)
* Rickman (1960–1975)
* Rover (1902–1924)
* Royal Enfield (1893–1971)
* Ruby (1909–1932)
* Rudge (1911–1946)
* Scott (1908–1965)
* Silk (1976–1979)
* Singer (1900–1915)
* Sprite (1964–1974)
* Sun (1911–1961)
* Triumph (1885–1983)
* Tandon (1947–1959)
* Sunbeam (1912–1964)
* Velocette (1904–1971)
* Villiers (1898–1966)
* Vincent-HRD (1928–1959)
* Wilkinson (1911–1916)
* Wooler (1909–1954)
* Zenith (1905–1950)

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