Trike Design, one of the few custom three-wheeler constructors in the UK, is up for sale. Proprietor Martyn ‘Hank’ Hancock (67) is having to retire and put the long-established Caerphilly-based business on the market due to health issues, including arthritis.
“The limited company can be bought lock, stock and barrel for £50,000, which includes the overdraft,” Hank told BDN. “When I announced the sale, people posted complimentary comments about us on social media, an example being a customer who’d had three trikes of ‘exceptional quality’ built here”.
Donor machines are converted to be driven by two car-type rear wheels with a typical job costing £12-15k. Most have been Harley-Davidsons, but Yamaha, Victory, Indian and Triumph bikes have also been converted. In 2021, Triumph Motorcycles donated a 1200cc Bonneville to be extensively modified for disabled Falklands veteran Simon Weston. The charitable project was masterminded by Triumph-associated industry figure Norman Hyde, who took care to choose a business with a sound reputation. Another feather in Trike Design’s hat was the 2-litre Harley trike that Hank rode in the 2012 Paralympics closing ceremony.
“It was seen by millions, and I got calls from abroad,” Hank says. His overseas customers have included Durban Harley-Davidson in South Africa and Moto Valencia Victory in Spain.
Some trikes have been designed and built from scratch. Hank remembers a challenging project built around a Jaguar V8 power unit that required collaboration with a company specialising in rally car set-up.
Robin Davies, the chassis expert at Trike Design, who also has a background in rally car preparation and has the motto, “If it doesn’t exist, we’ll make it”, focuses on developing a formula for laying out geometry and suspension. The two have been working together for 44 years.
“That’s longer than most marriages,” jokes Hank, whose wife Heather is company secretary. He believes the enjoyment of motorcycling with an increased feeling of safety in modern road conditions is a major reason for customers adding a third wheel.
“It’s a simple fact that trikes don’t fall over,” he says. They are also ideal for dedicated bikers with disabilities who can’t go solo riding, and the Simon Weston Triumph exemplified how controls can be adapted for severe physical restrictions. Trike Design is a National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD) Gold Affiliate. Their best seller is the Brooklands Sport model, which can incorporate a roomy rear luggage box.
According to Hank, modifications and repairs to trikes built elsewhere are carried out ‘quite often’, and the shop offers a specialist service for custom and cruiser two-wheeler owners. With full workshop facilities, it’s also a local destination for general repairs, tyre sales, and a steady flow of MoTs dealt with by staffers Aaron Perrott-Douglas and Paul Hughes.
Trike Design
029 2088 0885
[email protected]
www.trike-design.co.uk