Chris Wedgwood wants to set a record aboard a steam-powered Suzuki Hayabusa.

Chris was always fond of high speed. He grew up surrounded by bikes. He participated in the famous Isle of Man TT, and now Wedgwood performs in an unusual category – steam-powered motorcycles.

Now Wedgwood runs a construction firm and frequently utilizes low-loaders from Swedish manufacturer Scania. During his professional career, Chris began working with Keltruck, the largest independent Scania dealer in Europe. With the support of Keltruck, Wedgwood has organized a team to help him go after a new world-record for steam powered motorcycles. The current record is held by Bill Barnes, who accelerated to 80+ mph (112+ km / h) in 2014.

Chris Wedgwood plans a significant leap to 120 mph (190+ km / h). To achieve this goal, they developed a special bike based on Suzuki Hayabusa. But there is not much left of the donor aside from its bodywork, chassis and forks.

They installed a steam generator. A paraffin burner heats the area around the steam generator which houses inside a coil of copper tubing filled with water. Cold air is then pumped between the coil and the heat source in order to regulate and produce the ideal temperature (510 degrees Celsius), as well as a pressure of almost 138 atmospheres. The steam drives the Bower & Bell V-twin engine.

The system may seem primitive, but it's not entirely true. Several half-a-dozen onboard computers and electronics system help to monitor and regulate the old-school powertrain. The motorcycle achieved a speed of 100 km/h during first tests.

Chris Wedgwood is going to attend the nearest event at the abandoned airport of Elvington.

#Race #Motosport #Sportbike