That clears up a few questions I didn’t even know I had, and it makes sense. I’d love to see Honda take this thing racing, they seem to do quite well when they take on two-wheeled motorsports (well, did do well, but lately their track reputation hasn’t been the greatest).

Kind of depends on your experience level in general. If it’s a thumper, working on the carb shouldn’t be too terribly distressing. My first experience with carbs? The carburetor bank in a ‘96 VF750. Needless to say, I spend days poring over the Magna forums before removing the carb bank (THAT was a task) and putting…

Given that you could easily eclipse $1K on schooling for becoming a motorcycle mechanic, and that you came out of this with a working, running motorcycle, and a wealth of experience and knowledge, I’d say you saved quite a bit of money here.

Well, that’s certainly one way of getting the engine out of the frame.

No, no, no! Dammit, it’s an oscillation overthruster. Or was that turbo encabulator? I get them mixed up.

Only if I get to meet someone named Kuato.

That was QUITE enjoyable. I’d still love to get my hands on the ‘85 Toyota pickup Marty drove in the first one.

I’m probably among the few to say this, but I like the bike, and I think it looks fantastic. (Pardon me whilst I duck from helmets chucked my way...)

Kinda reminds me of this:

Absolutely! It ranks up there with choosing a GSX1000R, a YZF-R1, an H-D Sportster 1200, or a Yamaha VMAX 1700 for a first bike.

Porsche would tend to agree with you.

Interesting you mention Cummins, there was a 3.9L 4-cylinder Cummins that was employed a few years back. It was good for 265 lb-ft of torque at 1,600 RPM - and there’s another one on the way, a Cummins 2.8L inline-4, good for 385 lb-ft at 1,800 RPM. The engine only weighs 475 lbs (vs. the 3.9L which weighed 782 lbs).…

Damn, that idea sounds like it’d be ridiculously fun. Run primarily off of the rear-mounted 2.4L; kick in the front-mounted 2.0L for an extra 150 ponies via a button on the shifter (kinda like NOS, but not really).

Also true. The bike will react better to application of throttle (usually accompanied by either a massive grin, or in some instances, a need for new underwear).

I’m guessing there would be snickers all around, whether they got the hug or not. The thought of Marchionne masks makes me chuckle.

Precisely! Maneuvering in traffic, even on my heavy-ass Suzuki M50 (600 lbs!), is MUCH easier than any car I’ve driven. Aim for the gap and go, taking care not to scare the hell out of the motorists.

I agree with you, somewhat. Let’s take a run of the mill F-350 dually, compare it to a 2014 Honda Civic, a 2014 911 Turbo, a 2014 Z06, a 2014 GT-R, a 2014 ZX-6R, a 2014 Dyna Low, and a 2014 R1200GS, and compare force of impact at collision.

I love this absolutely bonkers concept!

I wonder if that’s how it would look after reentering Earth’s atmosphere, at night, once the car cooled down.

One of the most beautiful sights of this bird had to be in the evening as they took off out of Nellis AFB. All four tongues of flame, brightly visible behind the nozzles, as the aircraft gracefully departed on its flight.