Weirdest Motorcycles Ever Produced
Since the dawn of motorcycle creation, the creativity of motorcycle designers has seen nearly every nuance of motorized 2-wheeled cycles explored. Straying from traditional design concepts in hope of discovering new innovations can be a risky approach to motorcycle design, so it’s no surprise that occasionally manufacturers completely miss the mark and manufacture motorcycles that seem to defy all logic and reason.
From 2-wheel drive dune blasters to turbine-powered superbikes, you’d be surprised how many wild, unconventional ideas have made it from the drawing board to the production line, many rewriting the rules on what a motorcycle can and should be. And so, to celebrate the variety and originality from a fascinating history of motorcycles, here are some of the strangest production motorcycles to ever grace the streets.
Ner-a-car
Meet the Ner-a-Car, one of the most peculiar-looking inventions of the 1920’s. The odd name is a play on words, between the phrase, ‘nearly a car’, and the creator’s name, Carl Neracher. Adverts were quick to point out that the Ner-a-Car was not a motorcycle, rather a ‘motor-wheeler’, and claimed to possess more similarities to a car than a motorcycle – most notably in stability and handling. This low-slung cycle featured a steel perimeter chassis, feet-first seating position and hub-centered steering that resulted in a low center-of-gravity and impressive stability, the efficacy of which was courageously demonstrated by riders at the time, who could steadily ride the motorcycle whilst standing on the seat with both arms extended out to either side.
Back in the year 2000, BMW released one of the most controversial and perhaps ugliest motorcycles of all time – the C1. Never sold in the US, and probably for good reason, the C1 was dubbed ‘the motorbike with a roof’ in Europe, due to its peculiar design that featured a windscreen, wiper arm, upright seat from a car and even a seatbelt! The C1 tried to fill a gap in the market that never existed, and its 185kg curb weight and measly 18hp engine did little inspire motorcyclists. The poor weight distribution meant the C1 had troublesome and unpredictable handling that few riders enjoyed, and the C1 was pulled from production after less than 2 years.
In 1964, Fuji Heavy Industries (who’d later become Subaru) produced a portable mini-motorcycle that was designed to fold away and be carried by the owner just like a suitcase. Fuji named it the Go-Devil, and its party trick let the entire front end of the bike collapse and fold to neatly fit around the cuboidal frame that housed the engine, just like a generator frame. Powered by 50cc air-cooled single-cylinder 2-stroke engine that could be brought to life with the pull of a cord, the Go-Devil had a mildly terrifying top speed of 23mph!
Just after the end of WWI, former bicycle mechanic, Albin Hugo Liebisch, came up with designs for a tough, durable motorcycle with absolute practicality in mind. The motorcycle was around 3-metres long and featured a brightly-colored rigid, welded steel-tube frame with vertical and horizontal reinforcement that vaguely resembled a drag motorcycles’ chassis of today. Liebisch’s creations were available to the public in a range of configurations, from 2 and 3-seaters, to the popular optional torpedo-shaped sidecar that afforded the daring passenger a comfortable ride with leaf-spring suspension.
Fans of the cult-classic sci-fi movie, Tron, from the 1980’s will instantly recognize the smooth, organic lines of Evolve Motorcycles Xenon Light Bike. At first glance, riders might question if the Xenon Light Bike is actually rideable, or street legal, and it is in fact, both. For $55,00 you get a futuristic electric motorcycle with a feisty 40,000w motor (good for 100 miles), 32-inch hubless wheels and a drop-dead gorgeous handcrafted body complete with Tron-like LED accents.
What better way to create a lightning-fast motorcycle than to stuff a jet engine into the frame? Powered by a Rolls Royce-Allison turbine engine normally found in light aircraft, the Y2K Turbine Superbike is one of the strangest motorcycles you’ll ever see. With the ability to run on jet fuel, biofuel or ethanol, the Y2K let’s riders reach incredible speeds without taking off! The Y2K Turbine Superbike set Guinness World Records for the first turbine-powered production motorcycle and the fastest production motorcycle – with a top speed of 227mph.
An elegant art-deco masterpiece from the 1920’s, the Majestic was a streamlined motorcycle with an aesthetic like no other bike at the time. Flaunting dreamy curves and generous helpings of polished metal, the Majestic shared many mechanical similarities to the Ner-a-Car, including hub-centered steering that also housed the brake drum, and a square frame rail chassis, on top of which the stunning bodywork could be fitted, much like on an automobile. The bodywork was louvred and drilled to allow heat to escape, while keeping the rider clean of unwanted grease and filth from the engine below.
Final Thoughts
Reminiscing on our collection of the weirdest, most unorthodox motorcycles in history, it becomes apparent that strange, does not always mean bad. Despite some of these bikes failing to capture the hearts of would-be riders back in their heyday, many of these black sheep have since become rare collector’s items that tell tales from a time when motorcycle designers let their minds run wild and free to dream up some truly bizarre and magnificent motorcycles.