Although they handle all sorts of trike building, the lads at the Trike Shop have made this style of very obviously motorcycle based trike their very own, adapting the deceptively simple and stylistically sympathetic concept to complement a vast selection of different types of motorcycles. Probably the most unique selling point (to use a crap business-speak term) is that these trike conversions are easily reversible bolt-on, bolt-off affairs. The rest of the vehicle being hardly affected, it can be returned to an ordinary ho-hum run of the mill 2-wheeler in a matter of an hour or so.

The 2001 X1 Lightning was brand new and bought by The Trike Shop on spec. They wanted to have a promotional machine that would really get them noticed at the International Motorcycle and Scooter Show at the NEC in Birmingham and went all out to start and finish the project before it was due to be shown. The entire project took just four weeks, even so, and it only just made the deadline. But as a promotional tool the Buell couldn't have worked better, being one of the stars of the entire show, not just the stand. Just to make all the hard work they'd put in to the project even more rewarding, a chap from Northern Ireland put his hand in his pocket and bought it. About the only reservation the guy had was the colour scheme - orange and green - and bearing in mind what part of the world he hails from, it wasn't altogether surprising. Needless to say, the Trike Shop guys were arranging for their painter, Harry Muff, to change the dark green centre stripes to a less volatile black before shipping the Buell over.

Unlike many custom features, because so much of the X1 remains virtually unaffected from showroom spec there's not too much to tell that can't be covered by reading our information on 2001 X1s elsewhere in the site, but …

However there are some gorgeous extras up front that The Trike Shop have had added that definitely are not original spec. Most obvious is the 17 inch front wheel, created by Steve Taylor of TaylorMade: its high polished 16 spoke mag construction is a joy to behold and matches perfectly the pair of 18 inch rear wheels he also built for the project. That all three wheels are matching one-offs already transport this trike away from the ordinary, but The Trike Shop didn't stop there. Contacting Ken Harrison of Harrison Billet they asked him to produce a one-off set of his justifiably famous brakes to match the wheels. So the discs Harrison created are also 16 spoke, aligning perfectly with each wheel's own spokes to fabulous affect. It also means, of course, that the Buell is in no way under-braked, Harrison's powerful 6-pot calipers are running in a pair up front while his 4 potters are paired up at the rear.

While the forks are Buell through and through, nobody could miss the beautifully engineered one-off triple clamped Billet yokes. Also by TaylorMade, that front end isn't going anywhere the rider doesn't want it to go. Between the yokes are the distinctive, bug-like eyes of a pair of Streetfighter front lamps paired with bullet type inset indicators. Providing some useful extra leverage, a more aggressive stance and a more comfortable seating position is a set of polished alloy Renthall moto-crosser style handlebars sat in a set of standard risers. Not standard though is the front master cylinder; the Buell's has gone to be replaced by a massively powerful item off of 200mph Suzuki Hayabusa. The rear master cylinder is also Japanese, donated by a not much slower Honda Blackbird. Both of those cylinders are going to be up to the job considering the amount of weight and sheer momentum they were originally designed to cope with! Less noticeable, but oh-so-trick are the titanium engine fasteners and titanium front wheel spindle created by Ajay Titan. I asked why, expecting some crucial engineering or mechanical reason. 'Just because we could!' Haydon replied. Fair enough. Respect due to the Rumney Posse.

While the engine internals are absolutely bog-stock, the motor benefits from losing the porta-potty air cleaner Buell are required to fit and replaced by a much, much neater ForceWinder filter feeding the injector. At the other end of the combustion cycle, a siamese 2-into-1 pure stainless SuperTrapp exhaust system efficiently whisks the gases away with a very noticeable boost in power … and er, makes the Buell sound the absolute business into the bargain. The distinctive Buell/SuperTrapp growl as the trike fired brought a vicious grin to my face - and started an argument about who was going to ride the beast the few feet to a conveniently picturesque corner of the shop's grounds. The lucky winner ended up disappearing up the street, to return a few minutes later with a big silly grin. Couldn't say I blamed him.

The seat is stock Buell but ithas been artfully re-covered by Dave Harding to resemble a Corbin Gunfighter. And up underneath it, covering a multitude of none too attractive bits and bats, a mirror-polished stainless plate has been inserted, stretching right up to the Buell rear stop lamp and bullet rear indicators. The Trike Shop too cleverly has utilised a set of those high-level stop lights currently in vogue in the rear windows of new cars as additional rear lights frenched neatly into the back of each wide mudguard. I knew those lights must have had some use. Funnily enough, the trick orange paintwork is nothing of the sort. I was staggered to discover that the paint is stock Buell Bullseye Red - it's just been enhanced massively by a generous coat of ChromaFlare lacquer, laid on by Harry Muff (stop giggling at the back). It would've been worth remembering that neat trick next time your bike needs tarting up on the 'cheap - trouble is ChromaFlare lacquer doesn't actually come cheap - in fact, the words 'bloody' and 'expensive' spring to mind. But like any really good paint, you don't usually need half as much as you think you do.

Of course, the rear framework and engineering is all Trike Shop, independently sprung on a set of GAZ shocks originally intended to compliment a Honda CBR600: they're the Trike Shop's preferred springs. I was initially confused that the Trike Shop claimed that absolutely no re-gearing was necessary, but they get their maths right; rear wheel size, rear tyre size and the right number of teeth on the diff means they are able to get the very best from each motor. Sceptics need only look at the trophy cabinet - their Suzuki 'Busa trike, normally piloted by Matt Black of www.bikersweb.co.uk fame, consistently trounces any opposition at the Bulldog Bash's now infamous put or shut up Run-Wot-Ya-Brung on the Avon Park quartermile. Some tinkering, tweaking and adjustment to the fairing this year should see the 'Busa trike top 200mph 'easily' … but rather them than me eh!

This Buell X1 is one of The Trike Shop's very latest conversions and is only one of three American-V based trike projects they've recently been working on. While I was in the shop they showed me a conversion they'd only just finished for an American guy's Dyna, ready for shipping out to Florida. Obviously not having immediate access to the American's motorcycle, but assured it was bog standard, Haydon cast around for another bog-standard Dyna to build around. Local shops weren't able to help, but a phone call to Black Bear Harley-Davidson secured a willing (albeit temporary) donor. It worked in Black Bear's favour two-fold: firstly they came out of the deal looking like the good guys they undoubtedly are and secondly Haydon liked the Dyna so much I think he bought it. Not massively confident that he wouldn't make a mistake bolting the new conversion on, the guy in Florida Keys had sent over tickets for the guys to fly over and bolt it on for him. As I write they should have been and come back. The only fly in this quite wonderful ointment was that Haydon wasn't massively happy about flying and was receiving some serious stick from the other guys in the workshop.

Elsewhere in the workshop, up on a bench the guys were also mid way through a conversion for a brand new 883 Sportster. Haydon is convinced that there are no comparable trike conversions like The Trike Shop reversible currently in the 'States and would love to break into that huge potential market. Certainly having one of their conversions in Florida is going to help and again certainly, working on American motorcycles will get them noticed. But wherever you are, it doesn't seem to matter much what you ride, the guys at The Trike Shop will happily shove an extra wheel on it for you.

The Trike Shop
Apple Tree Cottage
The Avenue
Rumney
Nr. Cardiff
Wales
Tel: (0044) (0) 2920 369420

Specifications

Owner:	The Trike Shop
Make & Year:	2001 Buell X1 Lightning
Engine:	2001 Buell Thunderstorm 1200 with stock ignition and fuel injection system breathing through ForceWinder filter.
Exhaust:	Stainless 2-into1 siamesed SuperTrapp
Frame:	Stock with swing-arm removed (unbolted) Trike Shop conversion incorporating two Gaz Shocks
Forks:	Stock in TaylorMade yokes
Front Wheel:	TaylorMade 17-inch, 16-spoke billet, stock Dunlop tyre
Front Brake:	2 x Harrison Billet 6-pot calipers on one-off Harrison Billet 16-spoke disc rotors, Suzuki Hayabusa master cylinder
Rear Wheel:	2 x TaylorMade 18-inch 16-spoke billet, 24x5 tyres
Rear Brake:	2 x Harrison Billet 4-pot calipers on one-off Harrison 16-spoke disc rotors, Honda Super Blackbird rear master cylinder
Seat:	Stock, recovered to look like Gunfighter by Dave Harding
Petrol Tank:	Stock
Oil Tank:	Stock
Paint:	Harry Muff - ChromeFlare lacquer over stock paint
Polishing:	The Trike Shop / Paul the Scratcher
Handlebars:	Polished alloy Renthals
Wiring:	Standard except additional lighting
Lights:	Twin "Streetfighter" headlamps, standard tail-lights supplemented by high-level car brake lights.
Stuff:	Polished stainless set base. Titanium fasteners on engine and casings and titanium front wheel spindle (Ajay Titan 01290 617667). Top and bottom suspension arms in stainless. Engineering : The trike Shop / Harrison / TaylorMade / Ajay Titan
Other details:	Paul the Scratcher, Kurt the Horse Whisperer, Harry Muff (07855 716824), Harrison, Dave Harding.