Beast Hemi V8 Powered ‘Rocket II’ 1200HP Trike Motorcycle

Most of us love a good custom-built chopper. The more chrome the merrier. And when it comes to custom trikes, the same rules apply. Trikes can provide “mile-eating” comfort that most sport bikes, cruisers may not provide. Surprisingly, trikes have been growing more and more in popularity, especially for those that hit a certain age and still want to experience life on the road.

From Harley’s Tri Glide Ultra to the original Honda Goldwing, trikes can offer some pretty sweet amenities. For those of us that enjoy getting our hands dirty and even sometimes in trouble, trikes offer a great opportunity to take on a custom-build project that can be somewhat less forgiving.

The Rocket II is no question, one of the most unique trikes ever conceived. It was designed and built by two of the world’s most creative artists, and its styling is as powerful as its 1,000-horse Hemi. Tim “The Frogman” Cotterill is an English sculptor who grew up loving the outdoors, animals, and motorcycles. He’s spent decades creating frog sculptures that are always in high demand—but his artistic talents extend to vehicle design as well. It was around 1989 when Tim got the inspiration to build a radical, three-wheeled, six-cylinder trike.

The stocky, aptly named “Rocket” seriously disturbed the peace in his old English hometown. But he soon moved to California, and though he lost interest in that wild trike, he never forgot about it. But a few years ago, Cotterill met another artistic gearhead: Michael Leeds of Blastolene. Leeds designs and builds high-profile machines, including a stunning retro/future roadster called the Blastolene Special owned by Jay Leno. Leeds’ considerable skill clearly carried over to sheetmetal, and with Tim’s ideas and drawings in hand, they went about planning what Tim called “A custom motorbike like no other.” It would be called the Rocket II.