Not your average tricycle: Gribble?s prize-winning creation a real head turner

What do a ?56 Plymouth, a 1982 Honda Shadow, a Harley and a 2001 Honda Civic have in common? Well, if you ask Jimmie Gribble, they are all part of the very special three-wheeler he built for his wife Cynthia. The Gribble?s unique custom motorcycle has only been on the road since April, but has already won first place in a prestigious event, the Little Sturgis Custom Bike Show in Kentucky.

The unusual vehicle has been drawing a lot of comments whenever Jimmie or Cynthia go tooling around town perched on its ostritch-skin covered seats. Of course one of the first questions is, ?Why did you decide to build this thing?? Jimmie has a good explanation for that. It was all for the love of his life, his wife Cynthia.

?She likes to ride and she had a car accident that hurt her ankle,? Jimmie said. ?So she can?t support a motorcycle. So she decided she wanted a trike. We looked a few different ones, and I said, ?Well, you know, I can build one.??

As it turns out, this was no idle comment. Jimmie is a skilled paint and body man, having worked at that trade for many years before taking a job at Bridgestone. He has his own shop and has continued his paint and body work as a hobby.

Cynthia was also instrumental in Jimmie?s choice of the ?50s look for his creation.

?She said she wanted something different, and she likes old cars with the fins,? Jimmie said. ?I had told her what I thought I?d do is mix a car and a motorcycle together, and she said she would like some fins.?

Though many people think the rear section is from a ?57 Chevy, it is actually from a ?56 Plymouth. Oddly enough, the car actually belonged to the parents of one of Jimmie?s schoolmates. But the story of how the couple got the Honda Shadow motorcycle is even more affecting, and has a lot of meaning for both Jimmie and Cynthia.

?Terrell Harriman was a good friend of ours,? Jimmie said. ?He had the motorcycle. I had asked him about buying it. When I told him what I was going to do with this motorcycle, well, he never would price it to me. And then one day it just showed up in my shop. So I saw him a couple of days later and I said, ?Hey, you never did tell me what you wanted for that.? And he said, ?Well, since it?s for Cynthia, to make her a trike, I?m going to give it to her.? So he actually gave her the front of the motorcycle.?

But sadly, Terrell never got to see the creation he contributed to so generously.

?Unfortunately, Terrell died of a heart attack only about two weeks after I got started working on this,? Jimmie said. ?He never did get to see it finished. Terrell was an awesome person.?

Cynthia says her trike is more than just a vehicle to her, since, in a very real sense, it represents the generosity of her friends.

?It shows who your true friends are,? Cynthia said. ?He just gave us the bike and wouldn?t take anything for it. We told Terrell that he would be the very first one to ride on the back,? Cynthia added. ?And then he passed away.?

Jimmie says he has put about 800 hours into the trike, but is quick to point out that he and Cynthia both worked on the project, with Jimmie doing the paint and body work. Another friend, Mike Pelham, helped with the wiring, while other friends did some of the machine work. It was very much a community project, and as such, means that much more to the couple, and to Cynthia in particular.

?It has more meaning because of the friends who gave us the parts, like Terrell, and the friends, like Mike Pelham, that helped us work on it,? Cynthia said.

The trike has a number of humorous touches, like the lettering on the gas tank, which came from a Harley Davidson. The couple decided to print ?Hardley Dangerous? on it as a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the venerable motorcycle manufacturer.

Jimmie says the trike is quite a hybrid. The bike section and engine comes from a 1982 Honda Shadow, the drive train and gauges from a 2001 Honda Civic, the rear end from a 1956 Plymouth and the gas tank and ostrich-skin covered seat from a Harley Davidson. Jimmie ingeniously took care of his wife?s love of music by installing a waterproof boat radio on the trike.

?I?ve built a lot of cars,? Jimmie said, ?but this has gotten the most attention of anything I?ve ever built I believe.?

One thing is for sure, when you see it on the street, it is bound to get a second look, even if you?re not quite sure exactly what it is you?re seeing.