Remember the hydrostatic drive diesel and the hydrostatic drive 2WD trail bike? Well, Brian Okeefe, from Hydraulic Innovations wanted me to know he just finished his hydrostatic drive turbo diesel chopper. I’m not a big fan of the really long look but the technology is definitely interesting.
Brian uses the same 3 cylinder Kubota diesel engine Jeff Parker used in his diesel bike but added a turbo. Another change from Jeff’s bike is no foot pedal to operate the pump, this chopper is entirely automatic, just twist and go. No shifting, nothing. Speed up or slow down, the pump adjusts the stroke to always be in the appropriate range or “gear”.
It’s currently set up for a top speed of about 75 mph and Brian says he won’t win any drag races but it’s fast enough. The rear swing arm completely encloses the hydraulic drive motor and hydraulic lines which is why it looks a little bulky and fabricating it was the most time consuming part of the project. (Also, a seat pan was added since these photos were taken.)
Now suppose you took this same technology and built a bike with the dimensions of a Triumph Rocket 3, for instance, you would have a pretty interesting custom. There’s no real reason to put it into a chopper, anything large enough to hold the diesel engine and associated drive mechanism would work, even a Gold Wing type motorcycle would serve the purpose.
What will they build next? Guess we’ll have to wait and see but these bikes already built should give a few other builders some ideas if they want to try something a little different. Interesting.
Link: Hydraulic Innovations
Phoebe says
Ok, I don’t really like choppers, but this is pretty rad!
justpete says
Needs a pair of “Stacks” on there! Easy Rider style!! That would be the icing on the cake there!
todd says
I’ve been told the Kubota fits in a Moto Guzzi frame. The suggestion to me was to fit one in a BMW (adapt to standard trans). The motors are really reliable and fairly light weight. We find them in the PowerTech generators we use for government/military applications.
-todd
Greybeard says
I hope the hydraulics are totally enclosed because over 50 years experience with things mechanical have shown me that hydraulics can be counted on to eventually and quite reliably leak!
No doubt a fun build though.
Alex says
This one is 1WD only? In that case it would be pretty meaningless…
B*A*M*F says
It’s not meaningless if used as a CVT to make the most of the engine’s power range.
Les says
Looks good, and am wondering if I can get details of the hydraulic pump, hydraulic motor and valves used. Any chanch of emaiing diectly to the owner/builder? Les
pghcyclist says
Hey Kneeslider!
check out the trike their building.
Brian Okeefe says
Greybeard,
You’re right hydraulics CAN eventually leak but name a machine or vehicle that WONT eventually develop a leak. It doesn’t matter if it’s engine oil, transmission oil, brake fluid, etc, etc, any fluid CAN leak. We used quality hose and fittings on this bike to reduce the possibility of leaks. Not to mention… It’s a mechanical machine, I’ve yet to see ANY mechanical machine that was 100% perfect. EVERYTHING eventually has a problem… Jeff has close to 9000 miles on his motorcycle and it hasn’t leaked a drop yet.
Thanks,
Brian.
Chris says
What would make this bike totally bad-ass, other than a seat, would be about a 36-inch front wheel to fill up that enormous empty space between the current wheel and the triple tree.
I mean, it’s already not going to handle well on account of that Lamborghini tire on the back, so they might as well make it look neat 😉
cl
Sean says
I would be curious to know what kind of fuel mileage it gets compared to a gasoline bike with standard transmission. The increased efficiency of the turbo diesel being offset by the inefficiency of the hydraulic drive mechanism and extra weight/complexity.
Brian Okeefe says
Sean,
I have not figured the fuel mileage yet but if it’s anything like Jeff’s diesel hydrostatic bike it should be fairly good. Jeff’s bike gets in the neighborhood of 80mpg to give you an idea.
I always hear people make claims about how inefficient hydraulics are. Sure, some hydraulic components are inefficient but not all of them… some are very efficient! If I had to guess, the system on my bike is probably in the mid 80% efficiency range. Not too bad considering efficiency was obviously not the main goal when building this bike. If it was, the bike would have a completely different look.
It’s no different than a hot rod car or modified motorcycle. Believe it or not some people actually build vehicles with performance, looks and/or functionality being the main goal…. efficiency takes a back seat!
As for the weight and complexity…. The bike weighs 760 pounds. How much does a loaded Harley weigh? Complexity? It’s actually very simple! One engine, one pump, one hydraulic wheel motor and a few hoses. A Harley would have one engine, one clutch, one transmission filled with gears, 2 sprockets and one chain. The hydrostatic system really isn’t that complex, it just sounds like it to a person who isn’t familiar with them.
Thanks for your comments,
Brian.
Irish Mike says
Looks unique and makes sense in an increasingly expensive world
Hans says
Being hydrostatic – any possibility to drive the front wheel as well? – a 2×2 bike??