Now for something rather different, a motorcycle tricycle, more usually known as a "trike". You might think that such rarely seen vehicles were made either for the disabled, or for those who don't want to fall over.
Not necessarily so. At heart, motorcyclists are very much individualists, and if you want to be really different you need something very different. For some a trike is the answer.
Until quite recently, if, on this side of the Atlantic, you wanted to have a trike, you built it yourself. There are a few interesting and often rather weird DIY trikes around. Most tend to be the rear end of a Volkswagen Beetle stuck on to a motorcycle front end. There are others using car rear ends, sometimes with automatic transmission and huge V8 engines. These are very much "one offs".
Now, for those to whom the trike concept appeals but who are not into DIY mechanics, you can have one built to order. The Grinnall Trike was designed by Volvo designer Steve Harper.
His design blends perfectly with the styling of the BMW R 1200 Cruiser. Unlike so many trikes it does not look like a home-made lash-up, more as if BMW themselves had made it. Indeed the end result is BMW-approved. The standard of engineering of the rear sub-frame and the finish of the bodywork are absolutely first-rate.
These Grinnall trikes have proved hugely popular with trike enthusiasts worldwide, with Europe, Australia and the US in particular representing the major markets.
The evolution from motorcycle to tricycle starts with removing the rear wheel and rear frame from the donor motorcycle. This is replaced by a torsionally rigid space sub-frame which carries a Land Rover Freelander differentialm and sophisticated double-wishbone rear suspension which is then enclosed in new bodywork. Rear wheels are cast aluminium 6.5" x 15" with 195/70 ZR 15 tyres.
The bodywork is hand-made, fibreglass reinforced polyester with a two-pack paint finish either in standard BMW colours, or to your own design. Apart from revised steering geometry the front of the bike, engine and gearbox are untouched.
The overall result is a stunning looking and very out of the ordinary machine. Though not intended to be a "performance" machine, it can accelerate from 0-60 in five seconds and achieve around 100 mph flat out. Cornering, for those coming to a trike for the first time, is markedly different, the fact that a trike does not lean when cornering can, initially, be a trifle disconcerting.
We happily confess to not being skilled or intrepid trike riders - even so this machine has enormous appeal. It guarantees a huge "grin factor", a relaxing ride and armchair comfort for both rider and passenger with the added advantage of a 20-litre rear luggage compartment. And it is very, very different from the ordinary.
The makers can convert your BMW R 1200C to a trike, or they can supply a new or second-hand donor machine. You can even buy all the necessary components and do the conversion yourself in around 24 hours. If, at some stage, you want to revert to the original two-wheel format, it can be done in much the same time.
There is a long list of possible options, backrests, luggage rack, topbox, billet foot-plates, electronic push-button gear-shift, linked braking system, towbar and lighting socket, rear Brembo/BMW brakes instead of the standard Ford brakes and Billet wheels.
Cost is rarely a consideration for those who want to be so very different. The basic trike coversion kit costs £4,360 (€6,459). Factory assembly costs £799 (€1,183). Depending on which version of the BMW 1200C you choose for the base vehicle, that would cost from €15,800 to €17,350. More on www.grinnallcars.com
TechSpec
ENGINE: Standard BMW R 1200cc 8-valve, flat-twin. Motronic MA 2.4 digital engine management, 5-speed gearbox, single dry plate clutch, shaft drive to Land Rover Freelander differential.
CHASSIS: Steel tube space frame. Brakes, front: dual BMW 305mm disks. Rear: 252mm, single piston, sliding callipers with handbrake. From suspension: standard BMW Telelever. Custom top yoke with revised geometry. Rear: double wishbones in oval tubing with inboard concentric coil springs and adjustable dampers.
DIMENSIONS: Dry weight: 280kg. Approx. Wheelbase: 1,830mm.. Fuel: 17 litres.
PRICE: From: €6,459 for basic DIY kit, to €23,442 to €24,992 ready to go.