Not all motorcycle-based, homemade creations are a success. I am still haunted by the Ninjamower, that poor gaudy green monstrosity that was looking for a new home. Sometimes, however, someone comes up with a really cool concept—whether it should be built or not remains debatable, but balance is brought to the world once more when a successful and wickedly fun creation hits the street. The AMT3 is one of them and it makes me happy just looking at it.
NOT ALL MODS SHOULD LIVE
The AMT3 is the creation of Adam at AMT Machine Shop, based in Vancouver, Canada. Though it looks nothing like a motorcycle at this point, the reversed trike has the heart of a 1999 Kawasaki Ninja 900R, a 899cc, four-stroke, inline four engine that produces 145 horsepower and redlines at 12,000 rpm. This gives the AMT3 that very distinct Ninja sound and weighing in at 730 lb, also makes it surprisingly fast. The sequential transmission remains unchanged and receives a gearstick to match its new three-wheel persona. The same applies to the clutch that is now hooked to a pedal rather than to a lever.
The buggy looks like a Slingshot stripped to the bone, painted in Kawasaki-appropriate neon green. Think adult-sized soapbox. It truly is part car, part motorcycle as it integrates components picked from different four and two-wheel vehicles. It gets Wilwood brake pedals box and front disks, Kawasaki rear brake system, as well as coil suspension at the front and a swingarm at the back. The steering wheel and its components come from an Austin Mini, integrated with a Kawasaki tool cluster.
Adam went as far as to make go through the process of making three-wheel vehicles street legal in his home province of British Columbia which allows the owner of the AMT3 to put his little beast on the road. The trike was up for grabs via eBay with a starting price of $20,000. The auction closed on January 3, 2018 and there is no say whether it made its way to a new buyer or not. I’m sure that whoever is driving the AMT3 now has a constant smile on his face.