Did someone say a steam engine? Graham Sykes and his Force of Nature surpassed 260 km/h on the track in Elvington, UK. The next goal is to overcome the 300 km / h barrier.
While we still don’t know what the future of motorcycles will be, steam engines will likely never become the norm because they are too heavy, unstable, and don’t last long enough.
Still, it’s always fun to see engineers trying to adapt this rural technology to two-wheelers, whether through unusual inventions or trying to break records.
Read more:
Details of this steam engine
With this second goal in mind, to achieve incredible speeds, Graham Sykes spent nearly a decade developing the Force of Nature, a prototype steam-powered motorcycle.
An engineer associated with motorsport since 1979, Sykes embarked on this project from his garage 10 years ago, shortly before breaking the British record for the fastest three-wheeled motorcycle with his Syko V8.
And there are more
The 60-year-old, who has 9 grandchildren, aimed to break the world’s fastest steam engine record, set by Bill Barnes in 2014, with a speed of 129.57 km/h. The big difference compared to the title-winning machine is that the latter relied on rear wheel drive, while the Force of Nature relied on thrust.
At the Elvington track, where speed record attempts are regularly made, Graham Sykes’ machine managed 263.61 km/h (163.8 mph) in 1/8 of a mile in 3.878 seconds.
The record was made official for the UK and Europe, but the Force of Nature could have done better, reaching nearly 290 km/h after 200 meters of track.
So, the Force of Nature project still has a lot to offer, as the goal is now to reach 321 km/h over the same distance. Let’s see if those who are passionate about speed can achieve this feat.
And you, are you also a fan of fast motorcycles? Write your message in the comments!