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In June 1997 the first wheel-driven turbine motorcycle in the world rolled out of my shed. Everything worked as I expected but to ride it was something new, the gear lever is on the other side, it idles at 18,000 rpm and has no torque curve like a piston engine. Once I shut the engine down (still in first gear) and released the clutch lever (just like you do) I was launched due to the high energy in the still spinning turbine shaft.
In the years after the roll-out I learned to ride it better and modified the styling and machinery till (near) perfection. Teh bike made its first public appearance at a bike show organized by the KIxstart magazine and has since then appeared on various shows and circuits in the Netherlands, France, and England.
The "AiResearch GTP550" (as it is "officially" named) has been featured in the Kixstart, BigTwin, and streetfighters magazines; it will be in Kixstart again and in our very own Suzuki T/GT club magazine.
Since 1999 there exists a second wheel driven turbine bike. It has more power, but due to the bulky engine it has a 2 meter wheelbase and just one gear. A company who also builds turbines in boats has built it. I challenged them but they don't want (or dare) race it.
!!!)In 1996 I came across a turbine ground power unit (GPU) that belonged to a NF-5 jet fighter. (The same type is also used as an auxiliary power unit - APU - of a Fokker F-28) I bought it for 200 Guilders, not knowing what to do with it...
First I planned to put it in my Trabant P60 car, but that idea was abandoned in favor of a turbine motorcycle.
It all started on the drawing board, fitting the turbine and gearbox in a Suzuki GT-550 frame. First I intended to use a Guzzi, BMW, or English gearbox because they are separated from the engine, but it became a GT gearbox because I have loads of parts and experience with it. Due to the dimensions of the turbine, I had to place the box upside down (chain on the right). An intermediate gearbox was designed and milled from 40mm thick aluminum plate.
All miscellaneous parts (like wheel shafts, brackets, and fittings) were made from aerospace aluminum or titanium. Things I could make myself - like switches, brakes, electrical - and pipe connections - were adapted and "recycled" from the GPU box or motorcycles.
I couldn't use the original fuel tank (too short, too little capacity) so I chose a radical retro design using a replica Ducati tank (Ruig's glassfiber) and 750-J sidecovers. The colour of choice was flat black, simple and minimal. Most aluminum parts are black anodized to make the bike look "one complete". The instruments were also scavenged from the GPU box. Besides the percent RPM and temperature gauge in the dingle I amde a second instrument panel with a fuse box, key switch, and hour counter. In Winter 2000 I dissembled the bike to solve some problems and make it lighter.
Now the bike is ready to attack the European tarmac.
