The Lean Three
THE LEAN THREE
JUST WHEN WE THOUGHT we'd seen every three-wheeled, motorcycle-based vehicle in existence, up pops the Brudeli 625L. Judging by the photos, this KTM-Single-powered “leaner” could be the coolest and most entertaining yet.
Developed in Scandinavia by design house Hareide Designmill, the Brudeli (www.brudelitech.com) is pitched as a motorcycle/ATV hybrid, much like the recently tested Can-Am Spyder (CW, April). Main difference being the Spyder is intended purely as a street vehicle and doesn’t lean the way this Norwegianbuilt machine does. The Brudeli could also be described as the dual-sport of the three-wheel world, as it is intended for both onand off-road use.
The chassis features front twin A-arms mounted on a subassembly that allows the 500pound threewheeler to lean up to 45 degrees in corners. The footboards stay essentially parallel to the ground while the rest of the vehicle leans. Suspension components comprise a pair of Öhlins
shocks at the front and a WP unit at the rear (on a KTM swingarm).
“The most fun is sliding it on all the gravel roads we
have here in Norway,” company principal Geir Brudeli says. “It looks easy, but it is quite challenging.”
The 625L is currently being tested for tarmac duty with hoped-for street homologation (got headlights?) in Europe by the time of the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, Italy, this November. Initial production is on a per-order basis at a price of around $27,000, with the company hoping to establish select Stateside dealers in 2008. -Blake Conner
