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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 19th November 2009 15:03
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| We used to have an ongoing photo thread that occasionally touched on bikes, one of which was the Dodge Tomahawk - a Viper V10 concept bike: 
I was reminded of it when a mate sent me this picture of the Millyard Viper-engined special: 
...which looks like a bit of ludicrous thing, but is as nothing compared to Jagged Edge: 
Made in England, this is your authentic twin-turbo (jerry-built from Peugeot diesels) Jaguar 5.3 V12 engined hard-tail chop. Scarily, the front end is a standard GPZ1100 item. Designed for drag-racing, but road-legal. Sir, you are either a true genius or an utter lunatic. Anyway, as barking mad vehicles are something that I quite like - anyone else got any they'd like to add?
>> ex silens nox noctis <<
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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 21st November 2009 09:38
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| Hehe - what jolly fun! The first is a mystery. I had to stare at it for a full minute before I could work out which way round it was. How is that going to go round a corner, then? With those twin tyres it isn't going to lean at all, but the track is so narrow it must be extremely unstable. The engineering looks brilliant, but I think I will pass on this one. The third looks a bit rough. Kudos to the builders for actually making it happen (and getting it road legal ?????), but I'm not sure it would ride well - even on a drag strip. Now the second looks good. For all the huge engine size, it looks balanced and rideable, and I rather like the styling. It's a little retro, but it all fits together, and looks like it might be fun to ride. The other two look like torture. Here's my contribution. It's a 7-cylinder radial plane engine fitted into a bike frame by someone called Jesse James of West Coast Choppers in 2007. I think it looks rather fine, and cooling shouldn't be a problem. Looks like it might have the BMW problem of touching down the cylinder heads, though. 
Let's see some more! Good idea that man.
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2003 ST1300 Pan Euro
1995 Yam XT600E
http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/
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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 19th November 2009 15:03
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| I think the Dodge has vertical split-rims, allowing the two halves of the wheel to "shear". But I still wouldn't like to try and get it around my local B-roads! Or a roundabout, come to that. Love the radial engine (- I'm sure I've seen a chopper somewhere with one of those mounted longitudinally, but couldn't find a pic). But the ground clearance doesn't look to be up to much - it looks like it's actually resting on the bottom cylinder. One of my favourites: 
The Egli Concept, designed by Swiss ex-racer Fritz Egli for speed record attempts. I have no idea whether the rider can actually get out unassisted, but, practicality be damned - it seems to have inspired just about every "concept bike" designer of modern times. And a quick mention for petrolhead and US chat show host Jay Leno, who was interviewed in Performance Bikes this month. Amongst his 90-odd bike collection is an MTT Y2K (this very one): 
Looks like a fairly normal, if stretched, racer, but under the plastic is a two-speed automatic Rolls Royce Allison jet turbine rated to 225mph. So far, so good, but Leno actually rides the thing around on the roads on a fairly regular basis. He did say it got quite expensive - mainly in compensating car drivers whose bumpers melted in the jet backwash! Very entertaining bloke, actually, and thoroughly into bikes. He also says he likes older, hard to ride machines where there's so much satisfaction in earning every bit of performance. Damn fine attitude, that man.
>> ex silens nox noctis <<
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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 21st November 2009 09:38
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Do you know, that Egli thing makes me think of only one image - what a bike should look like:
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2003 ST1300 Pan Euro
1995 Yam XT600E
http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/
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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 19th November 2009 15:03
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| Can't much fault the Manx for being an absolute classic - I love the stripped-down simplicity of it. But, if we're talking Nortons, I do have a fondness for the 588 rotaries:  
Those of an age will probably remember them hooning around the Isle of Man in 80s/90s in the hands of Hislop, Spray and Nation. Not unsuccessfully, either - but then, there weren't any rules to equate the swept volume of a Wankel rotary with standard cylinders, so they did end up with effectively double the engine capacity of anything else out there. That's innovation for ya! Speaking of which, the Norton name is now back in Britain, following the pie-in-th-sky Nemesis project (not pictured, because they never built any) - and with the discovery of an old batch of unused rotary engines, the 588 was reborn: 
Sadly, didn't manage to qualify at this year's TT (might have done, had an accident not reduced Senior qualifying time drastically). But it did do a parade lap. Proddie version may be available soon, to be built in a small factory at Donington... I'd rather have an original, though.
>> ex silens nox noctis <<
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Forum Guru
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Last Login: 24th September 2009 10:49
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I'm not so sure Endo, that Norton is rather lovely looking!
Maybe not strange due to the bikes themselves...but the people on it
Couldnt figure out how to link images, so they are attached
________________________________________________________________________All you people who are just browsing, get registered and get chatting! We don't bite 
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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 21st November 2009 09:38
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I love the first one - see how removing the legshields gives that trackday racer appearance! The second one is just cruelty to dumb motorcycles.
I think the modern Norton looks the business - the earlier one, like the early slab-sided GSXR models, just looks clumsy to me. I have never been convinced by the rotary concept, I have to say. I drooled over one of the early Suzuki RE-5s when one turned up in the car park of a pub I was leaving, and was even more impressed when the girl - er - performer who had been showing her talents in the pub came out and got on the back of it and was whisked away by her boyfriend. But then I went home and read a detailed technical article on the engine (it was probably LJK Setright in Bike) and started to wonder why Suzuki had bothered. A massively complex engine that needed two separate cooling systems and two separate lubrication systems, to produce less power than the GT750 and use more fuel in doing so - what was the point?
The problem with the Wankel (always good for a laugh, that one) was that it came at a time when two-strokes would produce more power, more reliably, and use less fuel, with fewer working parts making the manufacture much cheaper. And really, modern four-strokes are so good these days that it's going to take something astonishing to push the reciprocating engine from its current dominant position.
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2003 ST1300 Pan Euro
1995 Yam XT600E
http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/
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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 19th November 2009 15:03
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| I'm not sure I figured out image links either: I tend to save them to hard disk, then upload 'em. Philosophy - disk is cheap, my time isn't, and this site does have a number of software "features" that I've never been bothered to explore... Mad usage is good! I particularly like the safety-conscious footwear and use of the exhaust as somewhere to rest it - hope they're not going much of a distance... Sorry lads, I rather like slab-siders (see also: RF900R)! The modern Norton design is a thing of great beauty, but I have fond memories of the fag-packet paint jobs. A little dated now, but with pedigree. Rather like Honda's NR750...I still want one! 
The Wankel idea wasn't a great step forward, practically. Like so many other technological dead ends, it probably seemed like a good idea at the time...especially during a period of quite extensive manufacturer experimentation. In racing, though, it was perfectly placed to exploit the rules like crazy - I'm sure that was Norton's main aim, even if not Suzuki's. It's a good engine - my brother runs a Mazda RX-7 - but no real improvement on a conventional one. And it's an absolute pain having to replace the rotor tips at far-too-regular intervals.
>> ex silens nox noctis <<
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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 21st November 2009 09:38
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| I have read quite recently of two developments in the powerplant area, but I can't for the life of me find where I read about them! Typical, can't find my glasses, etc. One was an engine which was much smaller than the equivalent IC engine, about the size of a thick book (the words 'vane engine' come to mind, but I have looked it up and I don't think it's that). Apparently, Suzuiki are interested in it, for the prospect of using the extra room inside the frame to shorten the Gixxer's wheelbase even more, while having an even longer swinging arm. The other was a project to build a zero-emissions two-stroke, which looked fearsomely complicated, but which would have many advantages over traditional power plants. Endo, you probably know all about these already, but if I can find the sources [1] I will post more. [1] They are somewhere in the pile on my bathroom floor, ho ho.
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2003 ST1300 Pan Euro
1995 Yam XT600E
http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/
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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 19th November 2009 15:03
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| Not sure about the Suzuki project. I know they were working with GM on hybrid technology and shared production lines, until GM had to sell their Suzuki shareholdings last year, but I guess it's not a hybrid motor! Vane engines seem quite interesting, sort of a variable rotary unit (yep, had to look it up) but I hadn't seen anything about them in a motorcycle context. There are quite a few clean two-stroke projects around: Aprilia have their DiTech (Direct Injection) system in production at Euro-3 level, Orbital do ADI (air-assisted DI) and Evinrude have the Ficht (named after the manufacturing company) DI unit - but neither of those are currently used for bikes - and Honda allegedly have ARC (Activated Radical Combustion) - but in inscrutable fashion claim that they couldn't sell it to the public as it'd be too powerful for road-going two-strokes. Nothing to do with their business strategy of steering all bike racing (and hence all road bikes) towards four-stroke classes, then... The last big thing I remember was the Boyesen E-TEC motor (last year?) which was all about running the exhaust valve off the crankshaft in order to keep the mix in the cylinder until it was fully burnt. I'm not allowed to keep my references in the bathroom. Have to sneak them in and out when the missus isn't looking! Oh, and today's wacky technology "improvement"...the Canadian "Uno". Basically, it's a Segway type thing, using two self-balancing gyros and an electric motor. Apparently good for 40mph.  
No, I can't see the point either. Even the inventor can't get it to go around corners above 15mph. Not since the Sinclair C5 has there been a more pointless answer to a question nobody actually asked...ie: exactly how stupid a vehicle can I put on the road?
>> ex silens nox noctis <<
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