The Harley-Davidson Museum has pulled the covers off discarded prototypes of a leaning three-wheeled motorcycle developed by The Motor Company.

Harley-Davidson commissioned automobile hot rodding legend John Buttera to build the original prototype (pictured above) in 1998. Codenamed the “Penster”, the Trike looks like it could have been an earlier version of the Can-Am Spyder, but it had a tilting front end similar to the Piaggio MP3.

According to The Kneeslider, Harley-Davidson filed a patent for the leaning front end which uses hydraulic actuators to tilt the trike and return it to a vertical position.

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Innovation and experimentation will probably be some of the major factors in helping us out of the current economic meltdown but desperate times don’t always need desperate measures.

You have to respect the effort and thought that goes into creating something from nothing (note the water bottle: they even thought about keeping hydrated!) but I am afraid this idea will most likely not see the light of day, I guess you just never know for sure, anyone want to invest?

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Here at Motorcycle.com, we spend an awful lot of time searching out and covering stories about the motorcycles that will shape the future of the industry. Sometimes it is also a good idea to turn around and look back at just how far we’ve come. The first known motorcycle in existence was constructed back in 1885 by German inventors Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach near Stuttgart. Essentially a motorized wooden bicycle, the Reitwagen, (riding car) as it was called, was the first petroleum-powered transportation device.

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Canadian author, Randall Dale Chipkar, has published a book that claims very high electromagnetic and radiation levels have been measured coming off motorcycle seats.

“I have read up to 500 milliGauss of ELF EMF radiation above motorcycle seats. In contrast, many doctors raise cancer concerns involving 3 to 5 milliGauss of ELF EMF exposure from hydro power lines and other sources,” adds Chipkar.

“Various types of extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic field (EMF) radiations have been linked to health disorders including cancer. Many motorcycles generate excessive ELF EMF radiation up through the seat penetrating directly into the rider’s groin and torso. The prostate is of major concern as it is one of the closest delicate glands invaded by the radiation. The colon and neighboring organs are also at risk,” adds Chipkar.

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