The two-wheeled hearse is the cool way for final appearance

Auckland // A passing comment while attending the funeral of a friend led a New Zealand man to build what he believes is the world's first motorcycle hearse. After a remark that it would have been more fitting for the deceased to have arrived by motorbike, rather than the traditional vehicle, Mike Price spent years and thousands of dollars creating a two-wheeled hearse. It began as two wheels and a coffin on the garage floor. But Price added a 1340cc Harley Davidson motor, a fuel tank and front guard, and eventually a second driver to give more stability. Plus he tucked a lot of componentry under the cowling. "I built it as I went. The hydraulics just evolved," he says. Price has moved back to New Zealand, from Australia, to launch the company. "It'll create jobs and the country needs exports," he told the Papakura Courier. After securing copyright in 28 countries, Price has taken it out of hiding and put it on display in Auckland.