Serial amphibian creator Alan Gibbs has used the American International Motorcycle expo in Florida to launch three new outrageous recreational vehicles. Not satisfied making ridiculously fun-looking amphibious quadbikes, cars and trucks, Gibbs has now built two-and three-wheeled motorcycles that you can ride straight down a boat ramp into the water.
At the touch of a button they convert to jet skis, retracting wheels out of the way and switching to jet propulsion. There’s almost no delay – the switch from road mode to water mode is done in less than 5 seconds, so you barely even lose momentum as you ride in or out of the water.
Probably the most fascinating of the three to watch is the Biski, which looks pretty much exactly halfway between a maxi-scooter and a small jet ski. It’s a street legal amphibious motorcycle with a 55-horsepower, twin cylinder engine that’s capable of 80 mph (129 km/h) on the road or 37 mph (60 km/h) on the water.
Like the Triski, the Biski pulls its wheels up and out of the way, and it’s driven and steered by a jet on either side of the wheel. It’s worth noting that when you switch to water mode, it appears the front wheel is locked in place, dead straight. The transition takes around 5 seconds, and barely slows your progress as you ride off the road, into the water and go.
The Biski comes in at a wet weight of 228kg - only 9kg heavier than a Yamaha TMAX scooter, which is a fairly impressive achievement. It also looks remarkably steady in the water, allowing riders to climb on and off the bike as it floats.
Presumably the Biski is going to be far cheaper than the other Gibbs machines, because it doesn’t need the complex folding front suspension the others do. As a functioning motorcycle, it’ll be useful in a wider range of contexts as well, and will take up very little space in the shed – maybe about as much space as a large touring bike as opposed to its stablemates, which will occupy a whole car space.
If and when they make it to production, the Biski and Triski will be the most convenient way by far for the average Joe to get his powerski kicks short of living on a lake. Jump on the bike, ride down to the lake, ride straight in, muck around having fun for half an hour, ride right out of the water and home again without needing to put a foot down.
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