A few cylinders on a bike.

[ka5piu]

Hello.

Just like with amateur radio amps, there are 2 schools of thought.
One says build the biggest tube and build the amp around it.
The other says build an amp with several tubes.
This also applies to motorcycles.
http://www.bigbikeriders.com/48cyl.htm
http://www.v8bikes.com/

[WF7A]

I couldn't help but notice the fire extinguisher next to the bike.

I bet he gets a look when goes to the auto parts store and asks for 48 spark plugs for one vehicle; gapping them all would take a whole afternoon!

[k5phw]

I'll keep my inline four, thanks... http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[K8MHZ]

Remember the Tomahawk, the bike with Viper V-10 in it?

[w2amr]

Quote[/b] (ka5piu @ Feb. 26 2007,13:09)]Hello.

Just like with amateur radio amps, there are 2 schools of thought.
One says build the biggest tube and build the amp around it.
The other says build an amp with several tubes.
This also applies to motorcycles.
http://www.bigbikeriders.com/48cyl.htm
http://www.v8bikes.com/
That first bike is an engineering nightmare. I give the guy a lot of credit.

[w5lda]

I'll stick to my "07"harley Softtail custom

[kr2d]

Quote[/b] (k8mhz @ Feb. 26 2007,17:47)]Remember the Tomahawk, the bike with Viper V-10 in it?
I think a better description is a V10 with a bike parts bolted to it. That thing is awesome!

I've seen a Boss Hoss around here. They have a Chevy(?) V8.

[ne6ao]

So he says it weighs over a ton What does he do if it goes over as in puts it down.He wont get it back up by himself?

[KC9ECI]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ej-2VQPzdSc

[ka5piu]

Quote[/b] (KC9ECI @ Feb. 26 2007,18:22)]http://youtube.com/watch?v=ej-2VQPzdSc
Hello.

Think of that as the "transistor" of motorcycles.
Although a motorcycle powered by an aircraft APU turbine might sound cool, it is not really.
The exhaust is quite hot. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
The other major flaw is fuel use.
See that massive tank behind the seat?
Perhaps 30 minutes of run time.
I have a piston engine helicopter.
It can stay in the air for well over 8 hours with the extended fuel tank.
That is a range of 600 miles.
All on less than 100 gallons of gasoline.
And, the model 47 is rated for auto gasoline as well as AvGas.
So, $2.50 a gal, X 90 = $225
$225 / 8 = $28.125 Hr fuel costs.
Or a little over 11 gallons per hour.
A small turbo copter runs around $250 an hour fuel costs.
That and turbines are very expensive to service.

[WF7A]

There was a turbine-powered passenger car in the 1960s that never made it to market--something about taking too much time for the engine to spool up when accelerating and the little problem of melting the paint off the car behind you. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[KD6NIG]

Quote[/b] (WF7A @ Feb. 26 2007,21:33)]There was a turbine-powered passenger car in the 1960s that never made it to market--something about taking too much time for the engine to spool up when accelerating and the little problem of melting the paint off the car behind you. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Probably hard to 'crawl along' in 5mph bumper to bumper traffic when you have an engine with that much 'kick'....

[ka5piu]

Quote[/b] (KD6NIG @ Feb. 27 2007,13:26)]Quote[/b] (WF7A @ Feb. 26 2007,21:33)]There was a turbine-powered passenger car in the 1960s that never made it to market--something about taking too much time for the engine to spool up when accelerating and the little problem of melting the paint off the car behind you. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Probably hard to 'crawl along' in 5mph bumper to bumper traffic when you have an engine with that much 'kick'....
Hello.

The gas turbine engine has a few flaws.
It does not start very quickly.
It has a somewhat narrow power band.
It produces very hot exhaust.
It needs a massive amount of air.
It produces power at very high RPMs
It is not that efficent.
It has a lag between throttle change and output.
And, it produces a lot of noise.
On to good side.
very high power to weight and size ratio.
What I see is the perfect engine for a hybrid automobile.
You jump into your car and hit the start button.
As you start to tool on down the road the turbine starts to spool up.
This is at limited idle while running at a slow speed.
Once at highway speeds, the turbine takes over, running at the best speed for conditions.
As the turbine produces electric power and this is sent to a battery there is no turbo lag.
As the car slows down, the turbo again goes into idle, the car uses dynamic braking to recharge tha battery and stop.

[W2LYS]

For some strange reason I feel more interested in the V8.

[ka5piu]

Quote[/b] (W2LYS @ Feb. 27 2007,15:29)]For some strange reason I feel more interested in the V8.
Hello.

I think that the trikes are really cool.
The VW engine powered things are just about the perfect balance of of excess horsepower and human control.
The bug engine works best with a dual pedal rear brake.
One pedal is left and one is right.
Forget the front brake, it does very little.
#### the front wheel to the left or right, step in the correct pedal, and go spinning in really tight circles.
The VW trike is also the basis of some paraplanes.
The engine than drives a prop but due to the weight the things have very little lift.
Of course, there is always somebody who can crash even the simple flying motorcycle.
http://www.nothingtoxic.com/media/1137999600/Motorcycle_Hang_Gliding

[W4HAY]

Looking at that oil puddle in the second picture, one might confuse it with a Harley Davidson...