Wednesday, January 10, 2007 - Motoring South Africa - motoring.co.za
London, England - When it comes to heavy drinkers the love of 44-year-old engineer Nick Argyle's life should be checked into rehab. But then, he created the monster … quite literally.
The Rapom V8 is the most powerful motorcycle in Britain and it runs on pure alcohol.
With a wallet-busting fuel consumption of 70 (that's right - seventy) litres/100km, it's just as well the bike is only used on the roads for a 16km ride to a local drag strip.
At the heart of the road-legal machine is an 8.2-litre, supercharged V8 monster-truck engine that develops 750kW – the equivalent of five Mini Cooper engines and capable of arm-wrenching performance akin to 10 600cc sportbikes bolted together
At the heart of the bike is an 8.2-litre, supercharged V8 monster-truck engine
.
With that sort of power available with a twist of the wrist the monster bike tips the scales at more than 450kg and has a super-long wheelbase to prevent it flipping backwards under hard acceleration.
The unique bike was created in a home garage, spawned from the unusual marriage of convenience and naiveté, says its builder.
Argyle was searching for a much smaller project after selling the chassis of his monster-truck.
He said: "I didn't have the same workshop space I had when I built the truck. I only had the house garage so it had to be a bike.
"I was going to buy a new engine for the project but my wife told me to use the one that was still in the garage – the monster-truck engine! Despite its size, I thought 'Why not?'"
The Rapom V8 will make its public debut at the London motorcycle show on February 1, 2007.
Rapom V8 specifications
Engine: 8193cc Mopar big block, tuned by ICE Racing.
Supercharger: 8.71 Littlefield blower.
Power: 750-900kW depending on blower speed and fuel used.
Gearbox: Two-speed and reverse API gearbox.
Frame: 32mm-diameter steel tube using the motor as a stressed member, kept short by running the blower belt through forks.
Wheels: 15 x 5.5 Prostar with 180/70 Metzeler Marathon at front, 15 x 15 Prostar with 29x18.5 Micky Thompson Sportsman Pro at rear.
Brakes: Dual Harrison "Big" billet six-piston callipers at front, Harrison "Mini" billet six-piston calliper at rear.
Builder: Nick Argyle.