German bikers dying to ride in Harley hearse

A German motorcyclist aims to help fellow enthusiasts arrive at their final resting place in style - in a sidecar hearse fitted to a Harley. Joerg Grossmann, from near Frankfurt, says he developed the hearse for die-hard bikers who want to ride right to the end. His prototype recently attended its first funeral fitted to a Kawasaki.

He says 10 Harley hearses, each costing about 60,000 euros (£50,000), will be ready later this year. Mr Grossmann, 48, estimates he could attract about 1,000 bookings each year in Germany alone. Hiring the Harley hearse costs 1,200 euros a time compared with about 200 euros for a normal hearse.

He says he already has plans to expand his services into Switzerland and elsewhere. Mr Grossmann said many motorcyclists were excited about the idea. "It's something special," he said.