GG Taurus trike

Built by Swiss company Grueter and Gut Technik, or GG for short, the Taurus is a high performance hammerhead trike, a fascinating vehicle with a boldly bulbous design that conceals a thumping 1293cc German powerplant.

Three-wheelers have always been niche products, half-way houses between motorcycles and quads if you will, and although Can-Am has had some success with its Spyder models, the high price of admission has prevented them from becoming truly mainstream. Then again, that rarity could be seen as a plus point.

This trend of such trikes being rare, expensive power toys probably won't change with the advent of the GG Taurus, which is likely to be more expensive than the Can-Am Spyder.

Nevertheless, Grueter and Gut's attempt at the hammerhead trike - two wheels fore, one wheel aft - is guaranteed to turn heads on the road, what with its smooth-but-aggressive bodywork and massive alloy wheels. It's face is almost goulish in a way, with the maw-like central air intake flanked by rows of arachnid eyes/lights. 

The chassis and frame are custom made and as well as holding everything together, including the four-cylinder 175hp (129kW) motor lifted from a BMW K 1200 S, it looks pretty trick when it's naked (see second image).

The front suspension is a car-like setup with trapezoidal cross-members made from aluminium. The rear end gets fully adjustable shocks.

Brakes consist of 270mm twin floating front discs and a single 284mm rear disc, and the wheels are big 17-inch jobbies at the front and a larger 19-inch hoop at the rear.

With plenty of power on tap, the GG Taurus uses the same six-speed engine from the big-bore Beemer and transfers power to the rear wheel via shaft drive, and peak torque is 140Nm at 8250rpm. Akin to the Can-Am Spyder, the gearbox has been fettled to include a reverse gear.

GG Technik claims a top speed of 220km/h.

The Taurus weighs 397kg without fuel or rider and has a massive 34 litre fuel tank to improve its cruising range. That compares well with the Can-Am Spyder RT-S's 25 litre bladder.

Another one to add to the "if only" list, the GG Taurus looks like a high quality trike but has only been homologated for Europe at this stage. Interestingly, European owners can ride the vehicle without a motorcycle licence, needing only a car licence.

Engine
Type 4 cylinder liquid-cooled inline
Valves 4 valves per cylinder
Capacity 1’293 cc
Performance 129kW (175 bhp at 9250 rpm)
Torque 140Nm at 8250 rpm
Cat. converter three-way cat. converter
Gearbox 6 gears plus reverse gear

Performance
Top speed 220km/h

Chassis
Frame GG in-house construction
Suspension Front: Single-wheel suspension with trapezoid cross-members in aluminium
Rear: GG Swing arm in aluminium
Shock absorbers Hydraulic shock absorbers with infinitely variable adjustment
Spring travel front 100mm, rear 130 mm
Drive Cardan with reverse gear
Brakes Hydraulic brakes, front ø 270mm, rear ø 284mm
Front floating, rear rigid brake disks
Wheels Forged aluminium wheels, front 8x17inch, rear 10x19inch
Tyres Front 205/40-17 / Rear 275/30-19

Homologation
Europe/Switzerland EC homologation for full power
Driving licence Car or motorbike driving licence

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