Yamaha Virago Waterbike
June 21st, 2007 by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider"
A lot of motorcycle riders like water sports along with motorcycling and warm weather can bring up a tough question, should I go riding or out on my boat? Well, James Garlitz had the same problem and decided to do something about it, he put together a waterbike. Starting with a 1985 Yamaha Virago, he built three aluminum floats filled with urethane foam. He mounted a 9.9hp Nissan outboard motor for power and added some hydrofoils for lift. At only around 5 mph the whole setup rises a bit for a smooth and quiet ride.
Popular Mechanics features this waterbike in their 2007 DIY Rally and you can see it in the July issue. There’s a video on their web site and it looks really, really neat. So if you’ve been wondering what to do with that old bike in the garage with a blown engine, you have your answer.
Link: Popular Mechanics
Posted in Alternative thinking, Motorcycle Builders, Workshop & Tools
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4 Responses to “Yamaha Virago Waterbike”
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June 21st, 2007 at 7:13 pm
Okay, kind of goofy, but puts a smile on my face. You gotta respect guys James Garlitz!
Trey
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:07 am
This would be way cooler if he’d powered it with the motorcycle’s engine.
–mark
July 15th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
Jim is my dad. Future waterbikes will try utilizing a motorcycle engine.
July 23rd, 2007 at 5:05 pm
The Waterbike actually reaches speeds around 35mph. It becomes foil-borne at around 5-7mph.