Boom for stylish cruising

3:12pm Tuesday 15th January 2008

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BOOM Trikes South Ltd is the other new arrival in Southamp-ton, in the courtyard next to Dockgate 20 to be precise, and as you'll expect from the name they sell trikes.

Not just any trikes, but top-quality three-wheelers built in Germany.

As an example of the 11 models offered I've included a photo of the Boom Chopper 3i powered by a brand new VW 1.6 injected engine.

It looks big, but it isn't too big to cope with easily on the road and I'm definitely looking forward to testing one next month.

Having crawled over and under a Boom I'm more than impressed by the level of engineering and finish - the welding on those stainless steel bars exceeds many manufacturers' standards.

But then what else should we expect from a vehicle that is produced in Germany to some of the most stringent standards around?

This isn't a kit bike or a one-off custom. Booms are leading edge machines that warrant the standard Chopper 3i's price of £15,900.

One question that has to be asked is what kind of people use three instead of, two, wheels?

And there's a very simple answer - people from all walks of life including regular motorcyclists.

The advantages of an extra wheel, extra luggage capacity and the possibility of not falling over hold great appeal, not only to those who simply like a little extra attention while on the road.

These trikes can be driven (a description I find difficulty using after years of saying ridden') by holders of a standard car, or full pre-February 2001 bike, licence.

A helmet is not a legal requirement in the UK although, surprisingly, they are usually required in the rest of Europe, but seatbelts are not required.

To the best of my knowledge - that's just to cover myself - a trike can tow a trailer.

On the motorway a 1,600cc powered model will cruise comfortably all day, as you'd expect from a car-engined machine, but there's no air conditioning - had to say that, sorry.

A visit to www.boom-trikes-south.co.uk, or better still to the showroom in Second Avenue, Millbrook, will provide full details on the Booms and the Swiss-built GG Quad and Quadster.

If you can't spare the time for a visit you can even call sales and marketing guru Simon Hornby on 023 8070 1757.