48 cylinder motorcycle

[kf4anm]

http://www.leftlanenews.com/video-th...otorcycle.html

[SiP]

I think my considered opinion is:

WTF!!

[Bud Manley]

Wonder if it's actually driveable.

[trbig]

First thought was... I'd race him with my 1100 through the Talimena parkway for titles. Second thought was.... I wouldn't want the thing after I won!
It sounds like an old diesel truck engine a bit when it revs up. A definate case of "More is not better". It has to have some Harley parts on it though... notice the oil spot under it already. (With the handy water fire extinguisher ready to try to put out the gas and fuel flames..)


Tod

[Bud Manley]

I don't know. Looks like he glued a bunch of lawnmower parts to a stretched frame crotch rocket. tires look a little under compressed unless they're solid.

[SiP]

he has some serious brake hardware and I would think the suspension is up rated - so it's probably fun in a straight line. But like my old Zephyr - a pig around the bends

[AlanB]

Hi Guys,

I have read a couple of magazine articles on that bike; it is a heap of Kawasaki KH250 cylinders on some home-cast crankcases. The cranks are pressed up in the same way as the stockers.....just longer....MUCH longer!

It uses a little petrol engine for a starter, and does run and drive.

I think the builder put some other multi-cylindered (more than stock!)kawas before this one.

AlanB

[tomatao]

Some people ask why, others ask why not. This is definitely a "why not" guy.

[Guy_b_g]

waaaay to much time on his hands....

(doesn't sound right...I think one of the cylinders isn't firing...maybe a "color tune" is in order"?...)

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

You gotta give him credit, even if it is an idea whose time probably even isn't scheduled....

[exquized1]

I wouldn't want to be the one stuck under that bike in an accident! you would need a tow truck to lift it.

but wow! its a piece of work!

[Geezer]

Originally posted by AlanB
I have read a couple of magazine articles on that bike; it is a heap of Kawasaki KH250 cylinders on some home-cast crankcases. The cranks are pressed up in the same way as the stockers.....just longer....MUCH longer!
AlanB

I don't think it's KH250 cylinders or it would be more than 4.2L. My guess is that he used 80 or 90cc engines.

My guess that one crankshaft long enough for a bank of cylinders would twist like a strand of spaghetti. There's more this monster than meets the eye.

Geezer

[AlanB]

Hi Geezer,

KH250 is a three-cylinder. I don't know the exact capacity, but the law here means that it will be just under 250cc. Divided by three gives around 83cc per pot.

AlanB

[DiverRay]

Geezer,
As I have fixed a few Kaw's, I know even the 900cc 4 stroke had a "pressed together" crank. The 250 triple would have the same crank, so it would be easy to just add more sections.

[Geezer]

I forgot the KH250 was a triple... My gray matter doesn't matter much any more. ;o)

As long as one of those cranks has to be, it would still be a weak point. Very few bikes with a pressed together crank have the power take off at the end. By the time all that power is applied to the last segment of the crankshaft, it's more power than the pressed joints can take. We used to spot weld the joints in pressed together cranks to keep them from slipping with only moderate power increases. He must have welded the cranks and with the common intakes and exhausts, the power would be way down (per cylinder) over the stock KH250.

Strangely enough, Philip Vincent designed a 50 cylinder engine that totaled up to 1000cc. I don't recall what it looked like but as I recall the drawings were rather insane looking.

Geezer