A BIKER has transformed his motorcycle into a unique hearse – including a sidecar to carry the coffin.
Darren Abbey, from Fleetwood, Lancashire, spent two years transforming the former racing bike at a cost of £25,000.
Jam Press/Superbike FuneralDarren Abby, 56, has converted a racing bike into a bizarre hearse[/caption]
Jam Press/Superbike FuneralThe coffin is carried on a flatbed sidecar[/caption]
Motorcycle-mad Darren has run bizarre burial service Only Fools and Hearses since 2011.
His first unique funeral vehicle was a Del Boy-style Reliant Robin, but he has since branched out into other whacky motors.
So far the adapted Suzuki GSX R1000, which had a top speed of 186mph when he bought it, has been used in two funerals, presumably those of other bike fanatics.
After snapping up the superbike for £4,000, the 56-year-old set about stripping it down to its bare bones and giving it a full rebuild, with the help of pal Dan Armer.
The new design is based on an iconic piece of motorsport history: the legendary Heron Suzuki driven by motorcycle racer and TV presenter Barry Sheene, who remains the last Brit to win a world championship in the top tier of Grand Prix racing, doing so back-to-back in 1976 and 1977.
The main body of the bike has been given a red and white vinyl wrap with hints of neon green paint, while the flatbed sidecar features the outline of the Isle of Man TT track.
This is not without its irony, given that Barry Sheene was one of the first racers to object to racing the TT over safety concerns on the notoriously treacherous circuit.
There are also a number of quirky stickers dotted about the bodywork, including a portrait of the late, great Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister.
Discussing how the unusual project came about, Darren said: “With it being a full-blown race bike the reality could have been it never happened because of the style of bike.
“Everyone said to me from the start it wasn’t going to be a straightforward project, hence nobody has ever built one and now I understand why.
“I’ve always wanted to do something nobody’s ever done before.
“As I always state to families – a funeral is a celebration of life and we’re all unique.
“I’ve done some amazing funerals…families are laughing and crying because it’s a special way to be sent off.”
Jam Press/Superbike FuneralThe bike is decked out in the colours of British racing legend Barry Sheene[/caption]
Jam Press/Superbike FuneralIt took Darren over two years and £25,000 to create[/caption]
The sidecar features the design of the Isle of Man TT courseJam Press/Superbike Funeral
Jam Press/Superbike FuneralDarren called it a ‘special way to be sent off’[/caption]