Monotracer Dry Motorcycle

Is a cabin motorcycle the sports cars of the future? They are fast like a Porsche, economical like a Smart Car and offer fun like a Super bike—without the hassle of getting wet. A small company in Winterthur manufactures them.


Do you love the feeling when driving a motorcycle, but hate heavy leathers? Then you surely have already dreamed about a motorcycle with a roof: A vehicle, which keeps you warm, offers driving fun, and does not ruin your hairstyle, because hairstyles do poorly in a helmet.

Ecomobiles
Such a vehicle exists from one Swiss manufacturer. The small company PERAVES from Winterthur has built cabin motorcycles for more than 20 years. The unusual machines, once called Ecomobiles (connoisseurs say Eco), are fast like Porsches, economical like Smart Cars, and unfortunately as expensive as a Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Therefore, Ecos are nearly as rare as old Bugattis. Only 100 exist today.


Arnold Wagner (66) invented the vehicle. He was formerly a jumbo jet captain with Swissair and at the same time boss of an aircraft construction company in Kirchheim, Germany. "Shifting between the two jobs led to 80,000-kilometer drives each year. It gave me sufficient time to reflect about better and progressive means to think about movement," says Wagner. Other people muse only Wagner drove his project further and invented an all-around enclosed vehicle that stays upright. With a push of a button there were retractable side wheels.


Armed with technology for retractable landing gear and a light, strong Kevlar, monocoque frame, Arnold Wagner learned from aircraft construction. In 1982, the Eco began: The first prototype rolled, still propelled from BMW's double-piston engine; 1985 model Ecos were equipped with robust engines (BMW K-models) used today on U.S. police bikes.