Marotti drops bizarre aero-influenced trike [w/VIDEO]

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 11:29:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Europe, Honda, Motorcycle

Click above to watch the video after the break

What's the closest thing you can get to driving a fighter jet on the streets? We've all heard the analogy before and it's usually little more than marketing hyperbole, but a case could probably be made in favor of this reverse-trike from Polish vehicle manufacturer Marotti. Though we're not exactly smitten by its slab-sided appearance, the machine certainly looks the part of an unidentified flying object - complete with an unusual spat of rudders and tail fins. Plus, Marotti's use of a 750cc V-four motorcycle engine from Honda that puts out 100 horsepower is sure to make the machine accelerate like it's been flung off the side of an aircraft carrier due in large part to the trike's low weight of just 970-pounds (440 kg).

Marotti claims its trike is "as dynamic as a motorcycle and, at the same time, as safe and easy to drive as a car." We can't vouch for that assessment, but after watching the videos pasted after the break, we wouldn't turn down the chance to find out for ourselves.

Gallery: Marotti reverse-trike

[Source: Marotti]

Continue reading Marotti drops bizarre aero-influenced trike [w/VIDEO]

Marotti drops bizarre aero-influenced trike [w/VIDEO] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: Unusual Kawasaki-powered Sportcycle

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 17:29:00 EST

Filed under: Auctions, Motorcycle

Click above for more images of the Sportcycle

Cars powered by motorcycle engines and motorcycles powered by car engines... dogs and cats, living together - mass hysteria! Perhaps a more suitable compromise between four- and two-wheeled machines is in order, maybe splitting the difference and going with three wheels instead. From VW-powered trikes to ZX14-engined specials, the three-wheeled platform has seen its fair share of development over the years. One such machine, called the Sportcycle, offers a new twist on the three-wheel platform. It's powered by a Kawasaki ZRX, as in a whole Kawasaki ZRX motorcycle and not just its engine. The entire Kawasaki motorcycle on which the Sportcycle is based has been left completely intact, minus the front wheel and fork. Those have been replaced by the driver's seat and a full front axle sporting two wheels. It's absolutely brilliant in a crazy, maniacal kinda way. One benefit to this peculiar platform is that a second passenger could still ride on the bike's stock seat if you removed that absurd rear wing. The Sportcycle is currently on eBay Motors with a Buy-It-Now price of a little under $15,000, which is about what you'd pay for similar trikes like the the Tri-Magnum and XR3 from Riley Enterprises and the Can Am Spyder, which can also be had brand-new for about 15 grand. Thanks for the tip, Johannas!

Gallery: Kawasaki-powered Sportcycle

[Source: eBay Motors via The Kneeslider]

Continue reading eBay Find of the Day: Unusual Kawasaki-powered Sportcycle

eBay Find of the Day: Unusual Kawasaki-powered Sportcycle originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Nov 2008 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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