A Few Words About ROCKET- AND JET-POWERED Motorcycles

MotoChronicles

From gunpowder rockets to 400-hp turbine beasts, jet bikes are among the wildest machines ever built. Discover record-breaking runs, close calls, and the engineering behind these pavement-shaking oddities. Buckle up for a high-speed ride through motorcycle history!  #Motorcycles #Engineering #Speed  Subscribe to the channel for more wild rides and stories. Comment below: what did you like most about the video?  👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@krasmoto  0:00 - Introduction to Jet and Rocket Propulsion 2:30 - Early Rocket-Powered Motorcycles 6:14 - Daredevils and Rocket-Powered Speed Machines 11:22 - Pulsejets and Eric Teboul’s Rocket Bike 16:46 - Jet-Powered Land-Speed Projects 20:24 - The Y2K Turbine Motorcycle and Successors 23:42 - Experimental Designs and Rocket Bicycle

Transcript

00:01Greetings, friends. Recently, in the A Few Words About Motorcycles video series, we've explored tracked motorcycles, monowheels, two-wheeled machines

00:10with steam, diesel, rotary, and radial engines, as well as 2x2 all-wheel drive motorcycles.

00:17If you missed any of that, an info card for the full playlist has just popped up in the top

00:22right corner.

00:24In this video, I'd like to talk with you a little about jet and rocket-powered motorcycles. Grab some treats,

00:31get comfortable, and we'll get started right after a quick sponsored message.

00:49Let's start, perhaps, with terminology and general facts.

00:53A reaction engine is an engine that creates the thrust necessary for motion by converting the internal energy of fuel

01:00into the kinetic energy of the reaction jet of a working fluid.

01:03The fuel search in this field was already well underway at the end of the 19th century.

01:09The jet engine was invented by Hans von Ohein, an outstanding German design engineer, and Frank Whittle.

01:17The first patent for a working gas turbine engine was obtained in 1930 by Frank Whittle, but it was von

01:23Ohein who built the first working model.

01:27However, mankind had known about jet propulsion somewhat earlier, in the form of gunpowder boosters.

01:34The earliest records of the use of solid fuel rockets, Chinese gunpowder rockets, date back to the 13th century.

01:41The first rocket-powered motorcycle ever built used this kind of technology.

01:50It was a machine called the Opel Rakuten Motorrad.

01:54Few have heard that Opel produced motorcycles.

01:58Adam Opel's company began producing them in 1901.

02:01When Fritz von Opel, the son of the company's founder and the testing and advertising director at Opel, met Friedrich

02:08Sander and learned about his gunpowder boosters, he was thrilled.

02:12Fritz, besides being actively involved in the company, was a motorcycle and car racer, and an all-around daredevil.

02:19He dreamed of speed records and fame.

02:21Opel became so fired up about the idea that he slapped solid fuel rocket boosters onto practically everything.

02:26A car, a drayzine, a glider, and ultimately a motorcycle.

02:30The Opel Motoclub 500 served as the base for the rocket-powered motorcycle.

02:34It was the company's most powerful and serious motorcycle, developed in collaboration with Elite Diamant Motorrad, a well-known motorcycle

02:41maker at the time.

02:43As of 1928, the motorcycle speed record was 200.6 km per hour.

02:49According to some data, however, we know that Glenn Curtis reached 219.4 km per hour, our own homemade motorcycle,

02:59back in 1907.

03:01Looking at one of his company's motorcycles, Opel thought the frame was sturdy and should withstand extreme loads.

03:08And if you equip the motorcycle with rockets, there's a chance to break the record.

03:12Work got underway in earnest.

03:15They covered the rear wheel with a fairing and placed three solid rocket boosters on each side.

03:20Ernst Neumann Neander designed a modified front fork and lowered handlebars for the high-speed model.

03:26In addition, the motorcycle received large sheet metal footboards.

03:30The point of the run was that the base 500cc single-cylinder engine with 22 horsepower, which had been restricted

03:38to produce 30 horsepower on this bike, accelerates it to 145 km per hour.

03:44And then, pressing a special lever, activates the boosters with a total thrust of 30 kg, which in three stages

03:51accelerate this marvel of engineering to speeds over 200.

03:55The record run was supposed to take place on May 23, 1928, on a public road near Freiburg in Breisgau.

04:05Purely theoretically, Fritz could have reached new heights.

04:08The calculated top speed of the rocket motorcycle was around 230 km per hour-hour.

04:14But for safety reasons, he was forbidden from doing it.

04:17The run never took place.

04:19The very next year, another racer, a certain Lures, decided to replicate Opel's attempt.

04:25However, he mounted not six, but a whopping 14 gunpowder boosters onto the motorcycle.

04:31It is not known for certain how it all played out, but the record was never broken.

04:38Two years later, in 1931, in Germany, a rocket-powered motorcycle was built by an engineer named Richter.

04:45The test of the machine, equipped with 12 rockets, most likely powered by gunpowder, took place on the AVUS racetrack.

04:53The engineer expected to reach a speed of around 90 km per hour-hour, but the test didn't go as

04:59planned.

04:59Failing to reach the expected speed, the motorcyclist crashed, getting away with minor injuries, while the machine was thrown off

05:06the track into a ditch where it exploded.

05:12The next machine hailing from the US, and called the Simplex Servicycle, was probably built by Aeromarine in 1949, based

05:21on the US 125 motorcycle, which was used by the military during World War II.

05:27The original two-stroke engine was removed here, and two jet engines were installed instead.

05:34All we have right now are two magazine sketches.

05:41And here is another commercially unsuccessful rocket motorcycle, built in France in 1951 by engineer Pierre Noubel.

05:49The machine was named the Veloreactor.

05:54The motorcycle was essentially a classic pedal-powered bicycle, fitted with three small pulse jet engines.

06:02A small batch was even produced, and one of the machines has survived to this day, and is on display

06:08at the Chateau du Boste Museum.

06:12And here is the jet-powered trike of Daredevil E.J. Potter. E.J., nicknamed Michigan Madman, made a name

06:20for himself in drag racing.

06:22He is largely known for riding a homemade motorcycle with a small-block Chevy V8 engine pushing 500 horsepower.

06:31In 1972, a motorcycle equipped with a real turbojet engine appeared on American drag strips.

06:39E.J. Potter was a legend of American motorcycle drag racing.

06:44Potter raced bikes, both bought and home-built, long before he turned 16 and could get his driver's license.

06:51Right at 16 he got the idea to drop a Chevy V8 into a Harley frame.

06:57As far as he knew, no one had ever done that before.

07:00And although he had to deal with a bunch of technical issues, insane vibration, unpredictable handling and the front wheel

07:08lifting off the ground, as Potter himself later said, his youth and ignorance were the main reasons for the project's

07:14ultimate success.

07:16In 1960, the machine hit the track and squeezed out 209 kilometers per hour.

07:22In the late 60s, this same combination of rich experience gained from his own mistakes and useful ignorance helped him

07:29build a three-wheeled motorcycle with a Fairchild J44 aircraft turbojet engine bought at a military surplus sale.

07:39The machine was named Widowmaker, literally meaning one who turns wives into widows.

07:45Once the braking parachute failed, and Elon had to jump off the motorcycle while moving at a speed of 120

07:54miles per hour.

07:55For 13 years, Mr. Potter roamed the tracks of America.

08:00He competed in every race, getting a dollar from sponsors for every mile per hour or over a hundred.

08:07The rocket-powered trike helped its owner make more money.

08:10According to contemporaries, he usually did three runs a day, making $150.

08:17There were only three runs, because after that the tires had to be thrown away.

08:21In 1973, Elon retired from motorsport, taking up tractor pulling.

08:27Despite his wild youth, E.J. Potter lived to be 71, living behind a daughter, a son and four grandchildren.

08:35I want to draw your attention to these photos, where Potter's motorcycle is being ridden by his equally famous fellow

08:42daredevil, Evel Knievel.

08:48This three-wheeled machine, called Spirit of America, powered by an F-86 fighter jet engine, was built by engineers

08:56as a car built to set the outright land speed record.

08:59And right away you're like, ah, a video about motorcycles? What are you even talking about?

09:04But as it turned out, the Automobile Federation didn't recognize this machine as a car, since it didn't have four

09:11wheels and lacked a mechanical drive from the engine to the wheels.

09:14And then the guys from the FIM stepped up and quickly classified the Spirit as a motorcycle.

09:19I agree, it's a controversial point, but Spirit of America is definitely worth talking about.

09:25The Spirit had a general electric J-47 engine from an F-86, and was tested on the Bonneville salt

09:32flats in 1962, where handling issues arose.

09:37Craig Breedlove returned to Bonneville in the Spirit of America in 1964, and broke the record, accelerating to 846.961

09:45km per hour, around October 15th.

09:50After setting a new record, the Spirit lost its drogue parachutes at the end of the second run, skidded for

09:578 km through a row of telephone poles, and crashed into a brine pond at around 320 km per hour.

10:05Amazingly, Breedlove climbed out of the cockpit, completely unhurt, just wet.

10:09The vehicle was restored and brought to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago as an exhibit.

10:18This photo shows Ervil Porter on his rocket-powered motorcycle.

10:23Ervil, from Milton, Florida, was a pioneer who built a rocket-powered motorcycle for drag racing.

10:30In the first half of the 70s, he set a personal record.

10:34A quarter mile in 7.78 seconds, at a speed of 313.18 km per hour.

10:42The machine was equipped with a catalytic rocket engine, that runs on concentrated hydrogen peroxide.

10:50Porter built one of the motorcycles specifically for Larry Welch, who in 75 reached a speed of 200 miles per

10:58hour hour in the quarter mile.

10:59As it turned out, Ervil's motorcycle was stolen in Florida after just a few runs.

11:06Since the 70s, hydrogen peroxide rocket bikes have occasionally appeared on drag strips.

11:12And the most famous one at the moment is Eric Tabool's creation, which I'll talk about throughout the video.

11:22Since the 90s of the last century, Robert Rocketman, Maddox has been developing jet-powered vehicles and is nowadays one

11:31of the world's leading experts on pulse jet engines.

11:35Although there is little practical application for these engines, enthusiasts like Bob have brought them to the market for some

11:41creative repurposing.

11:43Oregon native Maddox grew up in an era when jet-age technology was really starting to capture people's imaginations.

11:50Military planes and airliners filled the skies in the 60s, transforming the way we thought about travel and speed.

11:58Robert got hooked on the idea of pulse jet engines around the age of 9 or 10 after reading about

12:04the German V-1 and V-2 rockets in an encyclopedia.

12:09The idea gained further traction when Maddox took up skydiving.

12:13Its simple mechanism and light weight allowed for great performance, although there were a few issues with noise.

12:20Pulse jet engines are the ideal choice for anyone looking to build a jet engine in their garage.

12:28Robert sells kits for anyone who wants to build their own jet engine.

12:33The video shows the Maddox pulse jet motorcycle equipped with a pair of pulse jet engines that produce 50 kg

12:41of thrust each.

12:43They run on regular gasoline, so there are no problems with refueling.

12:48Unfortunately, you can't ride a motorcycle like this on public roads, as the machine is too loud and the jet

12:55engines could also damage anything behind them.

12:58Robert built this show bike for exhibitions and drag racing.

13:06The next jet motorcycle story comes from France.

13:10The engineer and enthusiast's name is Eric Tabour.

13:14The Frenchman decided that even a jet turbine wasn't enough for drag racing and installed on his two-wheeled missile

13:20a rocket engine that worked on the same principle as the Apollo Lunar Module's rocket engine.

13:25As a result, in May 2010, he got the official verdict from the timekeepers at the Santa Podrax trip.

13:33A quarter mile in, 5.232 seconds.

13:37The finish line speed was over 400 km per hour.

13:413, 2, 1, GO!

13:53This means that Eric has built the fastest accelerating rocket-powered motorcycle in the world.

14:00The design of Eric's record-breaking bike is both simple and complex.

14:03These days, you can hardly surprise anyone with a steel duplex frame.

14:07And just like a rigid rear suspension, a conventional inverted fork from some production sport bike with stock calipers and

14:16rotors.

14:16But this is where the apparent simplicity ends.

14:19Then come further painstaking calculations and aerospace technology.

14:24The chassis was designed for ultra-high speeds and colossal aerodynamic loads.

14:29To make the bike stable, the wheelbase was made significantly longer.

14:34Steering geometry, which is more akin to a chopper than a sport bike, is intended to further increase stability.

14:41The rider's posture, fairing and footpegs are all designed to minimize the insane air resistance.

14:47But the powertrain was, of course, the sweetest treat.

14:52It was modeled on the attitude control rocket engines used in 1964 on the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle Training Module.

15:02It is, nonetheless, built using the most modern aerospace components and materials of our time.

15:09The engine design may look simple on the outside, but it's actually quite the opposite.

15:14Liquid rocket fuel, based on hydrogen peroxide, produced by G-Max Racing Fuels Limited, is kept under 22 atmospheres of

15:24pressure in a stainless steel tank.

15:27The pressure is created using compressed air or oxygen coming from a high-pressure tank up to 200 atmospheres through

15:34the main valve and regulator via reinforced hoses made by Titeflex Aerospace.

15:40Moreover, the air or oxygen itself does not participate in the chemical reaction.

15:45The fuel line connects the tank to the catalytic chamber through the main valve.

15:50It's operated using compressed air supplied from an auxiliary cylinder via a pneumatic start button on the handlebars.

15:56In full compliance with aviation standards, the button is protected against accidental pressing by a safety pin with a red

16:05ribbon.

16:05The jet bike's catalytic chamber uses a pack of several dozen catalyst screens of different types.

16:12At the beginning of the active zone, where gas velocity and temperature are high, platinum screens are used.

16:18Behind them, a pack of pure silver screens is installed, and only at the end of the chamber, where temperature

16:24and pressure are at a minimum, are there nickel-plated stainless steel screens.

16:29This active zone layout allows for the most complete release of rocket fuel energy.

16:35The rocket bike's dashboard is equipped with the three pressure gauges that allow you to monitor the pressure in the

16:40cylinders.

16:45The next two jet-powered vehicles are associated with British racer Richard Brown.

16:50The first one is called the Mach 3 Challenger.

16:53Brown is an avid racer who, back in the mid-90s, tried to set records on a classic-style motorcycle.

17:00However, at a certain point, the idea of a jet-powered streamliner came to him.

17:05That's how the jet-powered Mach 3 Challenger was created.

17:08During testing at an airfield in Yorkshire, Brown's bike accelerated from 0 to 240 km per hour, hour in just

17:163 seconds, allowing him to break a number of British and world records.

17:21On the Bonneville Salt Flats, with Richard behind the wheel, the Mach 3 Challenger in 1999 reached a speed of

17:28535.73 km per hour, hour, which was a record for that time.

17:33However, this achievement was not recognized as a new land speed record for two-wheeled vehicles because unfavorable weather prevented

17:41a second run.

17:42In 2010, Brown decided to return to record-breaking runs.

17:47All this time, the British jet reaction team wasn't sitting idle and was constantly improving the new motorcycle.

17:53The machine they were going to take to Bonneville in 2015 was equipped with a gas turbine engine previously used

18:00in a helicopter.

18:01The turbine was modified to create an after-burning turbojet engine.

18:05With a length of 610 cm, a width of 54 cm, and a height of 85 cm, the jet reaction

18:13weighs 560 kg with a full tank of fuel.

18:16Brown believes that his motorcycle could theoretically reach speeds of up to 720 km per hour.

18:23The motorcycle cost the team 100,000 pounds, and it took 4 years to build.

18:29However, for reasons I never managed to find any information on, jet reaction never actually set the speed record.

18:35And at the moment, the official record still belongs to Rocky Robinson on the Top 1 oil ACATAC.

18:44Richard Brown isn't the only enthusiast looking to conquer the highest possible speed.

18:49Take for example, the jet bike built by Mike Charlton and his friend Roger Killian, powered by a General Electric

18:56J85 turbojet engine, producing a static thrust of 6100 newtons.

19:02The machine weighs about 950 kg with fuel and rider on board, with a total length of 7.3 meters.

19:11In August 2009, Mike managed to reach a modest 273 km per hour, as the bike experienced technical glitches and

19:20handling issues.

19:21Mike continues to work on a shoestring budget in his private workshop, running his cars and motorcycles at various events

19:30across America.

19:34And here's another Land Speed Record motorcycle project, being built by Anders Johansson from Sweden.

19:41It's worth noting that the design of this motorcycle is generally similar to the sensational Y2K Superbike.

19:47The jet turbine is built using a Garrett Television 94 rotor.

19:51The builder made everything over the course of 3 years.

19:55The motorcycle is propelled by a mechanical drive from the turbine to the rear wheel.

20:00According to the creator's estimates, the engine produces between 150 and 180 horsepower.

20:06With this engine, Anders, set a personal record in the standing mile, accelerating the machine up to 284.8 km

20:14per hour.

20:16Now the engineer is building a 270 horsepower engine.

20:24And now it's time to talk about the Y2K gas turbine hyperbike from Marine Turbine Technologies.

20:31This marvel of engineering was created in 1998.

20:34The heart of the Y2K Superbike is the Rolls-Royce 250C18 gas turbine helicopter engine, which delivers a peak output

20:45of 320 horsepower at 52,000 turbine RPM.

20:51Fun fact, the exhaust gas temperature is around 700 degrees.

20:55That's dangerous not only for the riders' legs, but also for the bumpers of nearby cars.

20:59The power unit, weighing 61 kg, is paired with a 2-speed automatic transmission that brings these monstrous RPMs down

21:08to levels more typical for motorcycles, proportionally increasing the torque.

21:13As a result, 286 horsepower of peak power and an impressive 576 Nm of torque reach the rear wheel.

21:22This miracle, this marvel of engineering accelerates to 100 in 1.5 seconds, and to 300 in just 14 seconds.

21:31The top speed is 402.5 km per hour.

21:34By the way, this is the only gas turbine-powered motorcycle legally permitted for use on public roads.

21:42The fuel tank holds 34 liters, but don't be fooled by its capacity, because the fuel consumption is almost a

21:48liter per kilometer.

21:49The price of the Y2K was around $185,000.

21:54In its time, the motorcycle entered the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest production motorcycle and the most expensive

22:01motorcycle.

22:02In 2005, marine turbine technologies produced the last Y2K motorcycle, and seeing strong prospects for producing turbines for the oil

22:11industry shifted its focus away from motorcycles.

22:15But the story of this fascinating machine didn't end there.

22:18Around the same time, in 2005, the founder of Maxicorp, Seth Eisenberg, visited MTT's headquarters in Louisiana to discuss continuing

22:27the motorcycle project.

22:29After an agreement was reached, Maxicorp's motorsport division took part in developing the next generation of the motorcycle.

22:36One of the Y2K motorcycles was sent to the UK, where it was stripped down to begin the refinement process.

22:44The result was a naked bike called Mad Max for the Mad Max race team, with an engine putting out

22:51around 400 horsepower.

22:53A lot of resources and time were poured into the project, and the end result barely resembles the Y2K.

22:58The prototype's value is estimated at 200,000 pounds.

23:02Starting in 2014, the Mad Max motorcycle set speed records in Britain multiple times.

23:09And just recently in 2017, according to sources, Montana T surprised everyone once again by announcing the 420RR model which

23:18outperforms its predecessor, the Y2K, in every metric.

23:21They used a newer Rolls-Royce engine here, the 250 C20 model, putting out 420 Oshpi and 678 Nm.

23:33The top speed increased up to 440 km per hour.

23:41In 2019, photos of the Weltmeister motorcycle appeared online.

23:46And this machine is a modern take on what a jet motorcycle might have looked like if it had been

23:52built in 1930s Germany.

23:54The author of the idea and its implementation is Per Pergobos.

23:58The motorcycle is based on a DKW E200, frame fitted with two twin Angus valveless pulsejet engines.

24:07Its static torque is 550 Nm, and the top speed is around 120 to 150 km per hour.

24:19And finally, what looks like a bicycle, but with a hydrogen peroxide rocket engine.

24:25On a racetrack in France, Francois Guissy made it into the Guinness World Records on a rocket-powered bicycle, reaching

24:31a speed of 333 km per hour.

24:35It took Francois 4.8 seconds to accelerate to top speed at the Circuit Paul Ricard racetrack near Marseille.

24:44The Frenchman believed that on his next run, he will be able to reach 400 km per hour hour.

24:51The rocket bicycle named Kamikaze V was designed by Mr. Guissy's Swiss friend Arnold Neracher.

24:59And it was used in a series of competitions for ever higher speeds organized by the two men since 2011.

25:07The current model uses concentrated hydrogen peroxide as fuel and silver as a catalyst.

25:17Guys, it's time to wrap things up and summarize.

25:21In this story, I tried to cover jet bikes as thoroughly as possible.

25:25It wasn't easy to digest such a massive amount of information, but damn it, it was insanely interesting.

25:30Jet motorcycles are an extremely fascinating branch of motorcycle engineering.

25:34Yeah, public roads are off limits to them because of the extreme noise and danger.

25:39But man, are they awesome on drag strips and the Bonneville salt flats.

25:43I wouldn't be surprised if, in the near future, a bike like this makes history as the fastest two-wheeled

25:51machine in human history.

25:53And on that note, my story comes to an end.

25:56Thank you so much for watching.

25:57This was the CrossMoto channel.

26:00And yeah, if you liked the video, the best thing you can do is subscribe to my channel and share

26:05it,

26:05so that even more motorcycle enthusiasts can see this story.

26:10See you next time!

Category

Transcript

Recommended