Wheelchair Motorcycles Come to the US

British company MobilityWorks will bring several wheelchair motorcycles to the US (Akron, Ohio) to be used by paraplegic bikers. The first four arrived last week, with three more expected shortly and a total of forty-five Conquest Trikes available in the United States.

They will be distributed to a network of authorized mobility van dealers throughout the country, with manufacturing of the Conquest eventually being completed by the MobilityWorks Commercial Manufacturing Division.

"We're very excited to have this in our showroom. It's such a unique solution for people in wheelchairs that we anticipate a lot of interest and traffic coming in as a result of it being here," Brian Austin, General Manager at the MobilityWorks Akron consumer location said, "We already have a special place laid out on our showroom floor for the public to come and view it, along with our wheelchair vans."

The Conquest Trikes are modified BMWs that allow a wheelchair to roll into position behind a pair of handlebars, lock down and ride away.

The motorcycle is capable of going 0-60 mph in 7.6 seconds and a 15-second quarter mile time. A ramp at the rear of the motorcycle allows for the rider to pull themselves along two-rails to an electronic clamp that holds the wheelchair in place.

Sitting higher than the standard motorcycle height, changing gears is managed with an electronic push-button cluster under the left-hand grip, which includes a reverse.