The Unconventional HD Penster Prototype
A front-wheel trike with a story that never made it into production.
Bizarre Penster
Harley-Davidson has a history of exploring divergent ideas. Topping the weird list is the 2006 Penster — a Sportster-powered, tilt-steering reverse trike. While the ill-handling Penster was bizarre enough, the history that led to its design is stranger still. It involves a hot rod legend, the Citroën-powered Trihawk, the ill-fated Porsche-designed Nova V4 engine, and even a motor home company.
Project 21
Dubbed 'Project 21,' the Penster was the brainchild of Clyde Fessler, then Vice President of Business Development. While the prototype trike was a long shot, Fessler was instrumental in the financial turnaround and evolution of Harley-Davidson. He is credited as the brand architect of H.O.G. (Harley Owners Group), as well as the growth and development of the Genuine Motor Accessories and MotorClothes Merchandise.
Photo courtesy of Clyde Fessler.
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H-D Trihawk
In the early 1980s, Harley-Davidson purchased the Trihawk company, as well as Holiday Rambler Motor Homes. The unaesthetic Trihawk was an odd collaboration of automotive enthusiasts that included overnight-millionaire Lou Richards, the inventor of McDonald's hamburger patty-forming machine,' Dave Stollery, a former child actor turned car designer, and racing car designer and engineer Bob McKee.
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Zany Sports Car
Despite being visually horrendous, the Trihawk received praise from moto-journalists for its handling and performance. In May 1982, Road & Track magazine wrote that the three-wheeler was a “proper sports car...with just a touch of zaniness.” Jeffrey Bleustein, then Vice President of Harley-Davidson, took a ride in a prototype Trihawk and was so impressed he persuaded other board members to acquire the manufacturing rights.
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Dream Trike
Intended as a tow-behind RV accessory, Harley-Davidson produced ninety-six Trihawks from 1983 to 1985, until the endeavor was squashed by creditors. The project was then re-jigged to use the prototype Nova V4 liquid-cooled engine. Ultimately, the engine was sidelined and the venture abandoned, but the dream lived on. Enamored by three-wheelers, Clyde Fessler revived the concept in 1998 and commissioned legendary hot rod builder Johnny Buttera to build a prototype.
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Truck Handling
Fessler was convinced that a three-wheeler would appeal to the aging 'Baby Boomer' generation. While he may have been correct in his prediction, the Penster had a fatal flaw. In a 2017 interview with American Iron magazine, Fessler stated, “The mistake we made when designing the Penster was from an automotive standpoint. In other words, castor and camber. We’d roll around corners like a truck.
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Turn Response
The central issue with the Penster was that the steering did not respond properly. Fessler explained, “If you were taking a right-hand turn and all of a sudden you had to switch lanes to the left like you can do on a two-wheeler, well it wouldn’t respond but the wheels were still leaning and then you wanted to turn the handlebars but they wouldn’t crank over.”
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Museum Entry
Harley-Davidson spent years refining Buttera’s design. The 2006 Penster had a wider stance and vertically aligned shocks that leaned along with the front wheels, presumably correcting the handling issues. Still, the Penster was quietly shelved, and the four prototypes permanently housed at the Harley-Davidson Museum. In 2008, The Motor Company chose a less radical approach and released the Tri-Glide Ultra Classic.
>>Join the conversation about the Penster Prototype right here in the Harley-Davidson Forum!
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