Full steam ahead for land speed record attempt

No, the Suzuki Hayabusa in the picture hasn’t just thrown a piston out of its engine, it is in fact Manxman Chris Wedgwood’s steam-powered land speed record attempt bike in action. Yes, steam powered…

The current record of 80.4mph for a steam-powered motorcycle is held by American Bill Barnes and was set in 2014, something Wedgwood more than has in his sights.

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Last week his heavily modified Suzuki Hayabusa, which runs a contraflow monotube steam generator that uses kerosene as a fuel to produce 2000psi at 950-degrees Fahrenheit, hit a maximum speed of 72.97mph while testing at Elvington.

But just beating the current record isn’t enough for Wedgwood, he is targeting 120mph to put the record well out of the reach of anyone else that fancies giving it a shot. If anyone else is even considering such a feat…

Wedgwood will be making his record attempt at one of the Straightliners World Record Weekends at Elvington. If you fancy watching, or giving your own bike a run, information on Straightliners events can be found by clicking here.

 

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