Thursday, February 14, 2013

10 Freakish Motorcycles

Today in Myths, Legends and Tales we take a look at some truly bizarre custom two wheel machines. These bikes push the limits of the human imagination and give us some ideas on customization of our own. We'll try and put something together with the neighbors bicycle this weekend and see if we can get it to purr like our number...

10:  Dolmette Chainsaw Motorcycle

If ever there was a bike created for the weekend warrior and motorcycle enthusiast, this is it. Powered by 24 chainsaw engines, this motorcycle cranks out 168 horsepower and 96 lb-ft of torque. Developed by Dolmar, known for their professional-grade chainsaws, the Dolmette bike is over 12 feet (3.7 meters) long and weighs about 660 pounds (299.4 kilograms). Each engine is pull-started just like a chainsaw and the entire assembly is connected to a 5-speed Harley Davidson transmission.

9: Hubless Motorcycle 

The Hubless Monster motorcycle was developed by Amen Motorcycles and is the first fully functional double hubless bike in the world. The plans for the bike were drafted eight years before the bike was built. As the company began its work, the tire size for the motorcycle didn't even exist.

8: Dodge Tomohawk 

When the Dodge Viper was first introduced, many car enthusiasts dropped their jaws, and their wallets, for its looks and high horsepower. Later, Dodge went one step further, if nothing more than for publicity's sake, and strapped the Viper's 500-horsepower engine between two (actually four) wheels and put a seat right on top of it. The Dodge Tomahawk has an 8.3 liter V-10 engine that can theoretically reach a top speed of 400 miles per hour (643.7 kilometers per hour), but of course it's never been ridden that fast, that we know of.

7: The World's Longest Motorcycle

Although this bike may not be known for its speed, it tops out at only 30 miles per hour (48.3 kilometers per hour), it does hold the Guinness World Record for the longest motorcycle in the world. The 46-foot (14-meter) long motorcycle was built by Colin Furze as a gift to himself for this 29th birthday.

6: The Monster Bike 

The world's tallest rideable motorcycle (aka The Monster), was the dream of Greg Dunham from California. It took three and half years to complete the motorcycle, which started out as a drawing he made after attending a monster truck show years earlier.

5: Snaefell Laverda Sidecar 

Created by the French motorcyclist, Francois Knorreck, this modified 1976 Laverda is truly a once-in-a-lifetime site on the road. After making sport modifications to the original motorcycle for several years, Knorreck decided to go in a completely different direction and add his own hand-crafted sidecar onto the motorcycle. The sidecar consists of 63 molds, parts from BMWs, Audis, Volkswagens and even doors that open up like a Lamborghini.

4: Mission One Electric Motorcycle

We've added this all-electric motorcycle to our list of strangest motorcycles not because of its appearance, but because a full-production, 150-mile per hour (241.4-kilometer per hour), battery-powered motorcycle isn't something you see on the road every day. The Mission One, created by Mission Motors in California, has a high energy lithium-ion battery that provides the bike with 100 lb-ft of torque to the one-speed transmission. The battery range is 150 miles (93.2 kilometers) and can be recharged in 2 hours from a 240-volt source or 8 hours from a standard electrical socket.

3: The UnoCycle 

This strange motorcycle was developed by then 17-year-old Ben Gulak after a family trip to China. Gulak noticed all the smog coming from small motorbikes and decided he would make a zero-emissions commuter motorcycle. After two years of work, the UnoCycle was born. The battery powered motorcycle incorporates gyroscopes, similar to those used on a Segway, to balance the bike and allow the driver to move forwards and backward simply by leaning in those directions.

2: The Radial Chopper 

Out of all the motorcycles on the road, not many can claim that they're powered by an airplane engine. This bike, developed and built by John Levey and his brother-in-law Mike Wherle, took just nine months to build and incorporates a 2800cc Australian Rotec radial engine. The 110 horsepower, 160 lb-ft torque engine has a circumference of about 32 inches (81.3 centimeters) and starts up with a big puff of smoke every time.

1: Peraves Cabin Motorcycle 

This futuristic-looking cabin motorcycle might look strange on the road now, but in coming years it might be the predominant alternative to gas-powered vehicles. The cabin motorcycles, created by the Peraves company in Switzerland, were finalists in the 2010 Progressive Automotive X-Prize competition, where new vehicles exceed 100 miles per gallon (42.5 kilometers per liter) equivalents and are tested for regular daily driving use. The two-seater cabins are fully enclosed and the motorcycle rides on two wheels, except when stopping. As the vehicle slows down to a stop, a small wheel on either side of the cabin lowers to stabilize the bike

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