Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/343790
MOTORCYCLE Purpose-built trike designed to reach mass market BY LIZ KEENER MANAGING EDITOR Sabertooth's WildCat motorcycles are sights — and sounds — to behold. The chopper-style bikes powered by Ford racing V-8s are eye- and ear-catching, but they're not on every rider's wish list. With that in mind, Sabertooth is look- ing to expand its reach to the mass market by building a new vehicle with a smaller power plant, and an extra wheel. The WildCat trike will be Sabertooth's first venture into the trike segment and the mass market. The company has been building its V-8 motorcycle models for a decade, but with two new patents to its name, the company is looking to develop one of the first purpose-built trikes. "There's an opening for someone — us — to make a very well designed consumer trike, the same way the Spyder was designed to be what it is," Sabertooth owner Ben Daniels told Powers- ports Business. "You want to really design some- thing from the ground up to be designed for what it is, and there's certainly a market for that." PURPOSE-BUILT TRIKE Sabertooth's cruiser-style trike is different from others on the market in that it will be built from scratch as a trike, rather than converted from a two-wheel motorcycle using a kit. "The next generation is a purpose-built trike that has a frame that's built for a trike and rakes that are built for a trike," Daniels said. The trike will also carry new technology, as Sabertooth was awarded patents for its Dyna- Grip active suspension system and SureTrac rear-wheel steering system. The DynaGrip active suspension offers independent rear suspension for a smooth ride while also stiffening the sus- pension during turns, preventing the trike from leaning or squatting. SureTrac provides added stability and ease of turning from the rear. "Basically what you're doing is you're just steering from the back, so it makes it handle a lot better," Daniels explained. Those technologies, plus other features such as the 850cc, 104-hp Weber engine and an automatic transmission, make the trike suitable for any rider, including beginners. "It's basically a twist and go and hit the brakes," Daniels said. He expects that, coupled with pricing that Sabertooth looks to three wheels for expansion 36 • July 13, 2014 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com See Trike, Page 41 Sabertooth has developed its first WildCat trike, which will hit the market in 2015. Though this prototype features a Ford racing V-8 motor, the production model will be powered by an 850cc Weber engine. HEAR THE V-8 ROAR PSB managing editor Liz Keener recently stopped by the Ham Lake, Minn., facility where Sabertooth's V-8 motorcycles are assembled. She recorded video of this WildCat 427X, soon bound for South Africa, running. To watch the video, see the digital edition of this issue, or visit http://bit.ly/Tt5XGD.