A Quarter Million Plus Seems Like A Lot Of Money For A Bike to Haul Firewood

This sort of hype is starting to get on my nerves, and I believe I need to point out what seems like a simple conceptual truth to manufacturers of various “motorcycle-like” vehicles: a “motorcycle” uses but two wheels to get from point A to point B, and no more.

A “trike” is not, as my wife likes to scornfully point out whenever she sees one go by, a “motorcycle.” To use her carefully chosen and oh-so-apt description of such conveyances, a “trike” is a “motorcycle with training wheels.”

Neither is a “quad bike” a motorcycle as it clearly does not meet the simplest definition of the machine in question.

That said, I wouldn’t return this back to the factory without riding it should they decide to send me one for ride testing.

Put together this year by a firm called Lazareth, the Wazuma W8 is billed as an ‘atypical three-wheel vehicle’ which features two linked rear wheels – and it’s driven along by a Ferrari mill. It tips the scales at a relatively porky 1400 pounds and looks, well, sort of ungainly.

According to the French maker  of this thing, Lazareth, the mighty 550bhp engine pushes this “couch on wheels” to 150pmh. And as an added bonus ‘the engine management can be modified and monitored with a computer.’ This monstrosity sports a high-performance gearbox, and mighty Brembo brakes whacked on to a bespoke suspension.

“The Wazuma offers matchless driving sensations with a unique design,” said a spokesperson for the company by way of extolling the virtues of this machine. “It’s designed to be simple, aggressive and high-performance. It is, first of all, a masterpiece of engineering; a sculpture.”

The price for all this art and engineering?

A sort of staggering $266,000 dollars of American Cash Money, which makes it, at least in my estimation, the most expensive couch for hauling firewood the world has ever seen…

WAZUMA W8’s VITAL STATISTICS

• Engine: Ferrari – 550 bhp
• Top speed: 150+ mph
• Wheels and tires: 18 inch 285‐30ZR18 front and 315‐30ZR18  rear
• Weight: 1400 pounds
• Suspension system: Four horizontal shock absorbers from EMC
• Gearbox: Six speed made for the BMX M3 roadster

Buying Your First Bike? The Guide to Motorcycle Insurance

Whether you ride a sport bike or an American cruiser, your insurance needs can get complicated.
We’re here to help you find the right motorcycle insurance, whatever you ride…

Tips for buying your motorcycle insurance, coverage you need:

• Collision to pay for damage caused to your vehicle in an accident with another vehicle or any stationary object.
• Comprehensive to cover such things as fire, hail, wind, vandalism, hitting an animal, etc.
• Towing / Pickup
• Medical payment or personal injury protection to cover the medical bills resulting from an accident.
• Uninsured or underinsured motorist to protect us when the other driver is at-fault and does not have coverage or assets out of which your bills can be paid.