Wasp Motorcycles
{{Short description|British motorcycle manufacturer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox company
|name = Wasp Motorcycles
|logo = File:Wasp motor cycles logo.jpg
|type = Private
|founder = Robin Rhind-Tutt
|location_city = Dinton, Salisbury, Wiltshire
|location_country = United Kingdom
|key_people =
|num_employees =
|industry = Motorcycle
|products = Motorcycle sidecars and frames
|revenue =
|net_income =
|homepage = [http://waspmotorcycles.com 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,{{cite book|last1=Bacon|first1=Roy|last2=Hallworth|first2=Ken|title=The British Motorcycle Directory: Over 1,100 Marques from 1888 |year=2004|publisher=Crowood|isbn= 1-86126-674-X}} as well as the Wasp 3 Wheel Freedom for disabled riders.{{cite web|url=http://wasp-motorcycles.tripod.com/id5.html|title=The Wasp 3 Wheel Freedom|publisher=Wasp Motorcycles|access-date=18 November 2010}}
Wasp first saw racing success in 1971, when it won the European Championship.{{cite web|url=http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/wiki/Wasp_Motorcycles|title=Wasp Motorcycles|work=Grace's Guide|access-date=8 April 2016}} Wasp sidecars have been the winning chassis eight times in the FIM Sidecarcross European and World Championship.{{cite web|url=http://norton-motorcycles.webs.com/wasp.htm|title=Norton Wasp|publisher=Norton Motorcycles|year=2006|access-date=22 October 2010}}{{cite web | url= http://www.sidecarcross.com/gp/history/index.shtml | title= Sidecar-Cross racing World Champions History of the sport | publisher= sideacross.com | access-date= 24 November 2010}} In 1972, all of the top eight places in the European Championship were riding Wasp outfits.
History
Wasp was founded in 1964 by engineer and off-road motorcyclist Robin 'Robbie' Rhind-Tutt,{{cite book | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=JSZ7nf7iqHIC&pg=PA117 | pages= 117–118 | first= Andy | last= Westlake | title= Off-Road Giants!: Heroes of 1960s Motorcycle Sport | publisher= Veloce Publishing Ltd | year= 2008 | isbn= 978-1-84584-190-4}}
who was originally employed by the Ministry of Defence as an engineering apprentice at Boscombe Down.{{cite web|url=http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/wiki/Robin_Rhind-Tutt|title=Robin Rhind-Tutt|work=Grace's Guide|access-date=23 November 2010}} He designed and built a number of off-road motorcycle frames which he used in motocross competitions.{{cite book|last=Morley|first=Don|title=Classic British scramblers: all post-war two-stroke and four-stroke scrambles motorcycles, AJS to Wasp|series=Osprey Colour Series|year=1986|publisher=Osprey collector's library|isbn=9780850456493}} 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,{{cite web|url=http://www.companiesintheuk.co.uk/ltd/wasp-engineering|title=Companies in the UK|publisher=Companies in the UK |year=2010|access-date=22 October 2010}} but continues to trade under the name of Wasp Motorcycles.{{cite web|url=http://wasp-motorcycles.tripod.com/index.html|title=Robbie Rhind-Tutt and Wasp|publisher=Wasp Motorcycles|access-date=22 October 2010}}
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.{{cite book | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=MVWgcbRfOrkC&pg=PA100 | pages= 100 | title= The Greatest Movie Car Chases of All Time | first= Jesse | last= Crosse | publisher= MotorBooks International | year= 2006 | isbn= 978-0-7603-2410-3}}
Products
Wasp manufacture and modify sidecar motocross,{{cite web|url=http://www.dnepr.at/d/ga_billn.htm|title=Dnepr / Russengalerie|last=Nothcote|first=Bill|date=August 2001|access-date=22 November 2010}} sidecar grasstrack ('side-car-cross'),{{cite web|url=http://www.ianchadwick.com/motorcycles/britbikes/|title=British motorcycle manufacturers|last=Chadwick|first=Ian|date=2001-04-23|access-date=23 November 2010}} and solo motocross motorcycles.{{cite web|url=http://twinshock-chairs.webs.com/|title=Twinshock racing in the UK - RT2 Wasp outfit|access-date=23 November 2010}} They also produce motorcycle leading link suspension for sidecars{{cite book|last=Axon|first=Jo|title=Sidecars|series=Shire Album S|date=4 March 2008 |publisher=Shire Publications Ltd|isbn=978-0-7478-0344-7|page=27}} and fork conversion kits for road bikes to improve braking and handling, and they manufacture Métisse frames pioneered by Rickman Motorcycles.
Wasp 3 Wheel Freedom
The 3 Wheel Freedom is designed for use by disabled riders,{{cite web | url= http://www.nabd.org.uk/adaptions/wheelchair.htm | title= Riding for Wheelchair Users and people with 'balance' problems | publisher= National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD) | access-date= 24 November 2010}} 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.
References
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
External links
- {{official website|http://waspmotorcycles.com/}}
{{British motorcycle manufacturers}}
Category:Motorcycle manufacturers of the United Kingdom