Driving a TWIKE in summer is grand – take off the Targa canopy and you get the same outside feeling you would get with a convertible car. This is why TW560’s canopy is off for most of any summer.

Winter is much less fun. The dark canopy makes the interior a rather cramped and dark place…

TWIKE canopy
TWIKE canopy

 
Well, not so long ago, purely by chance, I met a former pilot who had sold his TWIKE over 15 years ago and told me he had recently discovered a hard-top for his TWIKE in his cellar… If I was interested in having it?

Wait: a hard-top?

Yes! See for yourself!

First TWIKE series with hard-top
First TWIKE series with hard-top

 
Series 1 TWIKE production saw all TWIKEs being produced with a flexible and transparent plastic as a roof. The canopy was a later addition to the TWIKE after the hard-top solution proved to be not very practical.

If you’ve ever asked yourself what the strange rubber profile which is stuck onto the upper beam of the canopy frame was… this entry will give you the answer: it’s where both halves of the hard-top covers slotted into!

Always wanted to know for what this strange notch on the canopy was for?
Always wanted to know for what this strange notch on the canopy was for?

 
You get two halves which slot into the front and top…

Polycarbonate TWIKE hard-top
Polycarbonate TWIKE hard-top

 
They then are slotted into the front part of the TWIKE canopy frame.

First fitting
First fitting

 
In winter this is like driving without a canopy. Full visibility, no wind and if you get some sun, temperatures are higher than outside very quickly, which in a TWIKE without heating is a blessing. (which is, incidentally, why it wasn’t such a good solution overall – anytime temperatures outside are still ok and you are driving in the sun, temperatures inside are unbearable).

I truly love my hard-top.

Thomas, a fellow TWIKE pilot who lives in my village, had heard that I had a hard-top and wanted to try it before attempting to buy/make one for himself – my pleasure, Thomas!

Let’s go.

First, we had to remove the metal strip with the canopy snap fasteners as the hard-top slots into where the metal goes.

Front metal strip removed
Front metal strip removed

 
Then we slot both halves in and make sure they have a snug fit everywhere.

As if there were no canopy
As if there were no canopy

 
Then, we use the straps at the back to fasten the hard-top to the frame and it is pushed into the slots as far as possible.

Full visibility
Full visibility

 
With a small piece of duct tape we make sure they stay in place horizontally and we’re done!

Fits TW230 perfectly
Fits TW230 perfectly

 
TW230 is ready for some serious old-school TWIKEing. 😀

Thomas is very happy
Thomas is very happy

 

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