My uncle sent me this...

as an aircraft mechanic, this brings a tear to my eye. i love it.

I love how this picture gets passed around all the time with "look at the airplane motor in it" remarks but NO ONE...and I mean not a single person EVER says "whoa...check out the one in the back powered by a Rolls/allison 250/88 turbine...

A turbine on a motorcycle is just dumb, but it's sweet on a street legal car...


http://www.cardomain.com/features/jetbeetle

how about a beetle? that is street legal....

I see it has no controls ??

I guess it doenst run... well it may run but it doesnt look like you can ride it ?? can you?

Quote from: scottpA_GS on June 28, 2006, 08:08:23 PM


I see it has no controls ??

I guess it doenst run... well it may run but it doesnt look like you can ride it ?? can you?

I'm sure it's ridable, most choppers don't have front brakes. Maybe is has some kind of suicide shifter...? and all other wires and cables are probably in the bars.

Interesting...

Holy shaZam! that's cool.

It's probably got a one speed tranny (do airplanes have transmissions?) or maybe a CVT.

Quote from: makenzie71 on June 28, 2006, 07:57:45 PM
I love how this picture gets passed around all the time with "look at the airplane motor in it" remarks but NO ONE...and I mean not a single person EVER says "whoa...check out the one in the back powered by a Rolls/allison 250/88 turbine...

Holy shaZam! that's cool.

Mak:  This may be a dumb ?, but which bike are you referring to?

silver one in the far back, first picture.


almost can be mistaken as a fender....


radical sweep on the cowlings.

Holy SH*T!!!

I really did think that was a fender!

Here is the engine data
http://www.rotecradialengines.com/specs.htm
This looks like most choppers, all styling and little performance advantage.  Imagine the torque roll on this pig.
Same for the turbine.  Power characteristics are all wrong for ground vehicles.  It is great if all you want is top speed.
Chrysler learned it, Ford learned it and Howmet learned it.  The chrysler patriot had a slight advantage in the hybrid function covering the power gap.
A diesel bike makes more sense.  Military has a diesel KLR.

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on June 28, 2006, 09:05:27 PM
(do airplanes have transmissions?) or maybe a CVT.

no most don't, how ever, high rpm engines like turbo props (jet powered prop) have reduction gears.

this bike may have at least a 3 speed, the radials only have a rpm range of 1000 to 3000 rpm there a lot of hp but even more tq and thats what there good for. they don't go normally go faster that 2500 rpm or the prop can do supersonic, (tips if long enough). 

i would guess by looking at it, it make about 300-450 hp and 600tq that just a rough guess.



pop quiz hot shots what does all radials have that most other engines have.




hint, it's a number, piston question.

Quote from: rangerbrown on June 29, 2006, 02:54:11 PMpop quiz hot shots what does all radials have that most other engines have.

Did you mean to say, "that most other engines don't have"?

I'm gonna guess: an odd / uneven number of pistons.

yea, thats right sorry, was in a rush to type it, a radail will never have even number of cly. 5,7,9 un less there double row

Maybe all radial engines have an odd number of cylinder, but thar doesn't mean all non-radial engines have an even number.

For those interested, here it the engine they have used

http://www.rotecradialengines.com/0RotecR2800/R2800.htm

The guys behind the engine originally made engines for RC planes, and just decided to scale everything up. They sure are fine looking engines if you get to see one in person

When I look at that what I see looks more like a Rotary. Which would make NO sense. But thats what my eyes see. Im sure its a radial. But for some reason I keep seeing Gnome Rotary. Maybe its the Flyboys trailer I just saw the other day.

But is it just me?

do you even know what a rotary engine looks like? it has no pistons, that engine has pistons.

Nope.  He knows what he's talking about.  He talking about a traditional aircraft rotary engine.  This is distinct form a radial engine.  In a rotary engine, the entire cylinder head rotates around a stationary crankshaft (animation.

You're thinking of a Wankel-style pistonless rotary engine.