The Kneeslider

Doers Builders and Positive People

Allen Millyard Builds a Viper V10 Motorcycle

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Allen Millyard Viper V10 motorcycleThe fellows over at Motorcycle News have a short teaser of Allen Millyard’s new 500 horsepower Viper V10 motorcycle. The V10 really needs no special tuning to get that output so all you have to do is fit the engine into a frame, … yeah, that’s all. Unlike the Chrysler Tomahawk show bike from years ago, this one looks like it runs and rides pretty well. Compared to a Boss Hoss, the V10 almost appears agile, … relatively speaking. Millyard has built a lot of interesting customs over the years, like a V12 Kawasaki from two 1300cc straight sixes, among others, and he turns out all of this wizardry from his garage with fairly basic machine tools and a considerable amount of skill.

All they have is the video but they will have photos and a story this week. This should be interesting.

Video below:

Link: MCN

Comments

  2. “We’re gonna need bigger brakes!”

    The sound is amazing.

    The proportions are a bit long, but what do you expect when you put 10 cylinders in front of you. Actually makes the Tomahawk a bit more impressive that they were able to keep the dimensions in check. Millyard is definitely a speed freak!

  3. I love the way the bike tries to roll over sideways when first started up……. Torquey! And the sound is……stimulating! Wow!.

  4. Only thing i would have made different is the headers. I like it better when the pipes meet at the middle of the side of the engine with nicely welded bends on them, instead of all being straight and pointing backwards. It would make the bike a bit wider, but the riders legs are behind the engine anyway. It would also, if you ask me, make the headers look a bit more dynamic, and it would equal out the pipe length for each cylinder more. I don’t know how big an issue that is for such a huge engine with a relatively small mass to move, but it would shure look great. 🙂 Apart from that, I love it!
    Ps.: I’d love to see it dragrace against… well, any bike at all! 🙂

  5. it’s got a center stand. how the heck do you get a bike like that on the center stand. impressive feet doing what he did.

    sidenote: why has no company built a small displacement v6 or v8. those seem to be really nice configurations for good engine power and balance. i’ve seen the drysdale v8 bike and i think it is pretty nice but still on the large size. what about a 600cc v6 or v8. i would think that would be a nice workable size engine for a bike and man the sound would be amazing.

  7. I wonder what kind of gearing that thing is, and what its safe top speed is.

    Unlike the tomahawk, it doesnt need 25′ to turn around!

  9. “why has no company built a small displacement v6 or v8. those seem to be really nice configurations for good engine power and balance. i’ve seen the drysdale v8 bike and i think it is pretty nice but still on the large size. what about a 600cc v6 or v8. i would think that would be a nice workable size engine for a bike and man the sound would be amazing.”

    It’s all about cost. How much does a 600cc I4 cost to make relative to a 1000cc I4? bet there isn’t much difference.

    How much does a V8 cost relative to a I4?

    There are Haybusa based V8’s, not sure if any are in a bike but several in cars.

  11. There was the Morbidelli 850cc V8 but it proved to be way too expensive to ever be marketable.

    Regardless of shop tools and skill it also takes huge amounts of time and money…

    -todd

  12. I do like the tidiness of this build, far nicer than a Boss Hoss. Is there any transmission at all? First sounds very high as he clutches off.

    As a max performance rider a turbo ‘Busa would be far more “practical.” Chuckle.

    This one needs a bigger rider.

  13. After Boss Hoss came to the market, a few other companies have built V8 cruisers in styles that weren’t half as vulgar. Like ‘Honest Charlie’ using old flathead Fords and the Swedish company which uses aluminum block Rover V8s. The latter was mentioned here about 1/2 a year ago.

    Still, I’m waiting for the motorcycle powered by a 27 litre R-R Meteor V12 (a close relative of the Merlin, without the compressor). The engine weighs about 600 kg, the rest of bike will probably be another 400 kg, so it’ll need Ecomobil style side wheels for slow speeds and at standstill. Should be rideable, though.

  14. Millyard Viper V10…very well done.
    Ah, but then again ss todd mentioned, the Morbidelli V8 was THE best application of how to properly, and practically, set up a eliquent V8 in a motorbike. Just a tad more development for manufacturabilty needed.
    Resurect the Morbidelli V8!!!!!

  15. Laverda made a shaft driven V6 endurance racing bike in the 70s. It was very powerful but suffered a transmission fault in the driveline and didn’t win the race it was leading at the time as a result. I think there were three made and at least one still runs as I saw it at the Goodwood Festival of Speed a few years back – awesome sound.

    But as with V8, V6s are expensive to manufacture. A straight four to build and let’s face it, a Hayabusa has enough performance for most people and can be easily uprated with turbocharging and so on.

  16. Why bother?
    I actually saw the dodge tomahawk run at Goodwood Fos (7years ago?) anyhow it was fricking awesome although it did look barely controllable.

  17. I guess I don’t know what to say. Maybe nice work but I don’t want to ride it. They do say bigger is better,but

  19. Awesome! and stupid. But mostly awesome. Kinda like Gun Bus which I also have mixed feelings about.

    Obviously this guy is focused on the “Jay Leno” demographic.. which mostly consists of rich people named Jay Leno.

  20. Looks “custom” all right, but a sixteen year old riding a sixty year old Norton will beat this thing in the twisties anytime and every time, easy and safe.

  21. Check out a non-Jay Leno dempgraphic bike: Tatra aircooled V8 bike!
    What little information can be found is at http://www.dppb.com. It is under cool bikes/others. There is a video of this bike.

  23. “why has no company built a small displacement v6 or v8.”

    Hmmm, how about the Gold Wing, yes a flat 6, but a six none the less, plus Benelli and Honda again, though inline 6s. But in reality the reason no manufacturer does 6s or 8s is that any performance gain is far outweighed by the cost, complexity and weight. Besides today’s liter bikes already are producing enough power at the rear wheel that the manufacturers are finding it prudent to add traction control, even on the race bikes.

    A long standing BMW rumor is that if and when they ever replace the K1200 Light Truck, the new bike will have a 6. One rumor says an inline six based on the K1300 4cyl and the other a V6.

  24. AWESOME! And I doubt this guy had any intention of trying to take some kid on the twisties. More for a “Why the hell not” type riding.

  25. Can you imagine riding that thing? I can see alternating between thoughts of ‘oh crap, oh crap, oh crap’ and ‘why are my knees getting so hot?’

    Very interesting, though.

  26. hey Walt – I was wondering if it had a transmission as well because there is not much room. If he does have a transmission, that could be one of the most amazing parts of this build.

  27. All that motor…. and an itty, bitty, little chain drive. I’d like to see that 30 second full throttle burst Hawk mentioned earlier, and then I’d like to see the sprocket. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not discounting the amount of work that went into it, or how good it looks at all, I just expected to see a shaft drive, or at least a belt drive.

  28. I live near where the Boss Hoss bikes are built. Apparently they sell all they can build. Guess there is no accounting for taste…
    Abominations like this totally tasteless “thing” and bikes like the equally tasteless Gunbus and the like are made for fat, gray bearded old farts trying to recapture the 70’s. I’ll bet all these bikes play “Born to be Wild” when you turn on the ignition key… I’ll bet they also sell for a gazillion bucks…look for it at your local “Sturgis” style T&A rally, ridden by the above-mentioned old fart.
    The only one who could pull off riding something like this was EJ Potter…at least he was an original.
    V-twins suck…REAL motorcycles have either 1 cylinder or 4 in a row…

  30. This bike is the tits, the guy who made it has done his own v8 as well as the v12 and numerouse other bikes he rebuilt two old school honda replicas for his kids, he is a total legend,

  31. No discussion of V8 engines in bikes can end without the famed 1957 Moto Guzzi Grand Prox 500 cc V8 bike in an absolutely stream lined body..Produced anything between 78 and 85 bhp and was clocked at 301 km/h or 187 mph at MIRA test track in France..People rue that FIM banned front of the fron wheel spindle aerodynamics..But I believe it was done because those “aero-daros” from the fifties became too prone to sidewinds in the corners which led to a lot of accidents..I would like Kneeslider to open the discussion on downforce on motorcycles..The brilliant engineering author Tony Foale seems one of the very people who have done a bit of research on that subject..Anyways going back to V6s and V8s on bikes with proper bike engines (engines made by motorcycle manufacturers for motorcycle application), I have to say the Laverda SFC1000 V6 is my favourite Here is my list..Please include any if I have missed

    Moto Guzzi 500 cc V8
    Laverda V6 SFC1000
    Honda CBX1000
    Honda Gold Wing
    Honda NR750 /NR500(cheater V8)
    Benelli Sei
    Kawasaki Z1300
    Morbidelli 850cc V8
    Suzuki Stratosphere Concept

    I would like Suzuki to get back one of those 2.6 Litres Busa engined V8s from Radical (also perhaps the new turbo one cooking) and stick it inside the Stratosphere Chassis..Would be the coolest bike in the history of man

  32. If we’re talking V8 motorcycles we have to remember Glenn Curtiss and his 1907 record setter. 136+mph on 40hp. nice little air cooled V8.
    I’ll bet the Viper would be more comfortable and fun to ride if the bars had a lot more pullback, sort of like the Curtiss. At least he didn’t put apes on it.

  33. Seeing this monstrosity and having read articles on millyards homebrewed V8’s and 12’s makes me look outside at my little CBR250R and think of mounting two of MC14E engines onto a common bottom end and putting in a modern 600 or 1000 chassis. A tiny 500cc V8. Engine block is just over a foot wide. On their own they make 45bhp and rev up to 18,000rpm. Can’t see why 80bhp isn’t possible.
    By the way Kenny I like your name.

  34. tasty design except for the 3rd degree burns to you knees and legs from the exhaust pipe and valve covers……………

  35. Shaswata Panja, you may want to add the six cylinder 250 cc Honda race bikes to the list. And 297 cc versions that ran in the 350 cc class.

    If you expand the list to include 5-cyl. bikes, there’s the 125 cc Honda race bike, also from the 1960s, and the pre-war Megola with its radial engine in the front wheel.