Split-Wheel Motorcycle
A motorcycle with two wheels that can be separated was constructed by redneck engineers, making it the first of its kind.
The Bikes and Beards team has created a revolutionary split–wheel motorcycle, the world‘s first of its kind.
Borrowing the concept from a DIY bicycle, the team is confident that “anything that can be done on a bicycle can be done on a motorcycle“ as well.
Their innovative engineering has resulted in an extraordinary redneck invention.
Sean Kerr and Craig had the intention of expanding the Honda CBR’s factory swing arm by adding an extra wheel to the back.
They initially intended to alter the front–drive wheel by adding another sprocket so they could power the rear–drive wheel.
However, it quickly became apparent that it would not be that simple.
Kerr suggested that their first challenge was to find a way to secure the bike‘s third tire to the swing arm without causing the rear tire to lift when the suspension was compressed.
“But I’m no physics mathematician, so we’re going to cross that bridge when we get there.”
The tires
Next step, was to tackle the tires.
Initially, they divided them in two, then chose to fill them with spray foam to maintain their form.
The spray foam proved ineffective, prompting the decision to fill the tires with pipe instead.
They put rubber mulch in the pipe and sealed the openings with spray foam.
This seemed to do the job.
Kerr reported that after two days of working on it, things had started to go better than they had anticipated.
With the wheels in place, it was time to put the DIY bike to the test.
The ride
To the guys’ credit, it actually worked.
But not perfectly.
“Why is it going up and down? Why is it doing that?” Kerr said while riding it for the first time.
“It’s almost like one tire’s bigger than the other.”
Despite the bumpiness, Kerr was able to get the split-wheel motorcycle up to a top speed of 48 km/h (30 mph).
“As I rode the bike I realized I had finally bridged the gap between motorcycle and jackhammer,” he said.
It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty damn close.
A+ for creativity.
