pictures of multiple engine bikes i saw

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double trouble

New Member
I was on vacation and happened to visit a flea market in Tennessee . They had bikes with up to 6 engines. I snapped a few pictures with the phone. I have no idea who builds them other that the card i took from the shop.









 
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The way the engines are mounted on that six engined bike tells me it has never run or been ridden. That little thin strap of steel wouldn't hold much. I think it was built just as a display and not meant to be functional.
Interesting but just a conversation piece.

Tom
 
Dandridge, Tn...Ive been there a few times. Awesome lookin' bikes. A bit too much power for me though. Having to fix all those engines....It would be too tiring. lol 1 china girl is enough for me.
 
2door said:
The way the engines are mounted on that six engined bike tells me it has never run or been ridden. That little thin strap of steel wouldn't hold much. I think it was built just as a display and not meant to be functional.
Interesting but just a conversation piece.

Tom
Click to expand...

I suppose your right. But tongue in cheek, maybe just add some guy wires?

MT
 
2door said:
The way the engines are mounted on that six engined bike tells me it has never run or been ridden. That little thin strap of steel wouldn't hold much. I think it was built just as a display and not meant to be functional.
Interesting but just a conversation piece.

Tom
Click to expand...

If you had seen the beautiful welding , you wouldn't say that.
The metal strap you saw might have been the throttle for all engines.
These bikes were works of art and I bet that each one could be ridden .
They were very innovative structurally .
My guess is that the owner was/is a professional race car or motorcycle builder.
This is very professional.
Some of the bikes were 5grrrrr
I did not see a website. Probably why nobody has seen them before.
 
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double trouble said:
If you had seen the beautiful welding , you wouldn't say that.
The metal strap you saw might have been the throttle for all engines.
These bikes were works of art and I bet that each one could be ridden .
They were very innovative structurally .
My guess is that the owner was/is a professional race car or motorcycle builder.
This is very professional.
Some of the bikes were 5grrrrr
I did not see a website. Probably why nobody has seen them before.
Click to expand...

2door is talking about the thin strap steel bar that all those engines are mounted to on the front, I agree with what he said, that mounting would not be sufficient for supporting those engines very well, it is a nice bike for novelty purposes but not for anything else, just a project with no real use in my opinion, but it is interesting even though I never understood why someone would go to so much trouble and expense on something tbat is basically useless, but we all have our own ways of thinking so nothing wrong with that at all

Thanks for sharing.
Map
 
Well since there is more being said if the 6 banger is actually a running bike, I just thought that if it could be that the engines themselves are connected together with bolts so then it could be that with minimal additional bracing they could hold fast?

Just a thought, as the 6 engines in the picture do seem to be very close without any space between any of them.

MT

Also just noticed the one in the center, that actually makes 7 engines total. There are 7 tail pipes too!
 
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I'm on the fence here. I say maybe it's somehow possible that these could be functional or somehow made functional if they are not. However, I do see some flaws that seem to support the contrary. In at least one of the shots, the angle at which the engines are mounted seem to be blocking the pedals. I don't see a way they could be mounted and not block the pedals. Even if the pedals were not blocked from making a full rotation, how do you get you legs around 6 (7?) engines? Therefore, pedal starting would seem to be an impossibility. Also, no centrifugal clutches that I noticed. So how do you start them? At the top of a hill? How many clutch levers? One cable for all engines? Won't work. And even if they do start and run, I can't see where they would be legal in any state, and they are not practical either. I lean more towards display/conversation piece, because even if somehow functional, they are not practical in the loosest sense of the word.
 
Ha. Yeah I'd rather deal with 1 overachieving 50cc two stroke that makes 9 hp than 7 craptastic 1.2 HP two strokes on a bike that looks like something that crawled out of a nuclear disaster area. Unique anyways, maybe you could make a drinking game to see who can get all 7 to fire up at once! rotfl
 
Biggest problem I see is how are the drives connected? That would be one difficult clutch/output shaft to assemble...not to mention getting the sidecovers on afterwards.
But I do get it...advertising.
Weird stuff catches the eye and slows them down enough to see what you're selling.
 
i will try to call the place today and see if i can get an explanation of how these bikes start and ride.
If you saw them in person , you would appreciate the quality and care.
 
If there was a video of them actually running and carrying a rider that would certainly be interesting. But, 101 mph? Ahhhh................

Tom
 
double trouble said:
i will try to call the place today and see if i can get an explanation of how these bikes start and ride.
If you saw them in person , you would appreciate the quality and care.
Click to expand...

Please don't take me wrong, I'm not hating on the bikes at all, they are good works of someones imagination and mechanical skills, but to me from what I can see in those pics they're just not functional machines that on could hop on and hit the road on under engine power, but still ok if a person like things like that, they would need to have each engine drive a long multiple supported jackshaft that had a single drive gear going to the real wheel to be functional for one thing, and also I don't see how you would ever get them started, if there was some way to hook a single clutch up to all of the engine you wouldn't likely be able to pull the clutch lever with one hand, and if you could, when you released the clutch on all of those engine that rear tire would just lock up and skid from that much resistance...

The bike with three engines, looks like it could be functional, the bike with five.... nah.. I dont think so.

I'm just not seeing in the pix how this multi engine bike can actually be a functional rider... but hey I could be wrong and maybe my questions are do to something I cant see in the pix.... shrug?

Map
.wee.
 
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I talked to the owner today for quite a while. His name is Bob Hale. His daughter Loren is 22 and rides the bikes at shows. The large multiple engine bikes are one time use. They fuel them up with Acetone and liquid aluminum stop leak. They are running them at the salt flats. One run and the pistons are cooked. You pull them 30 mph with a Harley Davidson or a truck to get them started. The throttle assembly is from Kawasaki. Jay Leno owns a 7 engine model. They only come in odd number engine combinations because they will blow the case apart in there is an even number.
There is no website because Bob does not use computers. He was quite a character and I gained a lot of knowledge talking to him. He does sell the kits for the throttles and jack shafts . They also sell complete 1 engine bikes.
If you need more information , call for yourself. It was very informative.
 
I have to say that isnt for the 5 engine bike........NT carbs, crappy stock exhaust.... and what the heck is that " fueling them with acetone and liquid aluminum stop leak".... LOL!

I'd have to put my high top boots on for that one.....LOL!
laff

map
 
Why would you build a bike with 7 engines and fuel them up once to cook the pistons? Think about it. Put 7 engines on a bike to run it once and kill the engines. The amount of time and money it takes to build a bike like that? I doubt they are burning through them so quickly.
 
The answer is BECAUSE HE CAN . From my conversation with him, he has the resources (MONEY)and this is his hobby. The salt flats races are for CASH. Large sums of it. If you don't believe me , call for yourself. Is it any different than a guy spending millions on a race car team or climbing some stupid mountain?
 
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