About a year ago we wrote up a report on a work in progress, it was Kevin DeShazer’s 3 cylinder radial engine, designed from scratch and created in his own shop. Well, as much as works in progress are interesting, it’s always nice to see the project get to the finish line, or as much as projects like this are really ever finished, but the radial is on wheels.
Kevin tells me he already competed in a show but he didn’t take home any trophies, no points for innovation evidently, though the folks looking at the bikes, judging from the photos everyone kept taking, seemed to really like what he’s built.
This build focuses on the engine, if Kevin wants to grab those trophies some swoopy exhaust and fancy paint would do wonders, but like so many project bikes of this sort, if you need that to be impressed, you simply don’t understand. This engine came to life from an idea in Kevin’s mind, no engine kit, no plans ordered online, just an idea and some machine tools.
Kevin put a website together with lots of photos and a couple of videos. If you like seeing how something like this goes from idea to rolling down the road, make sure you check it out.
Kevin’s website that documents the build
Clive says
Oh my god.
That looks loud…in more than one way.
Clive says
Lookit the size of that downtube! Really cool engineering solutions there.
Paul Crowe says
Not loud, really, check the video on his site.
Clive says
I dunno… its not as loud as it looks but it still sounds pretty voicey! Not that its bad, that triple thump sounds really… really cool at high revs.
Paul Crowe says
Don’t get misled by that one video of a long ride, that’s a Guzzi. He has that as a sound reference of what he was trying to get from the radial, at least I think that’s why it’s there, but it’s easy to be confused. He probably should label it more clearly.
Rob Ueberfeldt says
Magnificent
Paulinator says
I get it and I like it…except for the segmented pipes. The build is eye-candy, but it’s draped with plumbing that looks about as offensive as a burka in an airport TSA security express line.