Image removed due to legal dispute in Australia Five years ago, the Drysdale V8 motorcycle shown in the photo above, was stolen from its owner in Melbourne, Australia. It was chained to another motorcycle, but the chain was cut and only the Drysdale was taken, the other bike was left behind. This wasn't random, it appears to be a classic "stolen to order" operation. We … [Read more...]
Search Results for: ian drysdale
Ian Drysdale’s Spectacular Drysdale 1000 V8
Images removed due to legal dispute in Australia Putting a V8 engine in a motorcycle is easy, just build a bike big enough, like a Boss Hoss, and you can wrap it around anything, though as one recent home build, the Simca V8 shows, with a bit more thought and finesse, the results are a lot more pleasing. On the other hand, Ian Drysdale, the Australian engineering wizard, … [Read more...]
Drysdale 1000 V8 Will be Rebuilt in New Form After Theft Recovery
After the article on the Sutton radial, I was contacted by Ian Drysdale. Ian has been a busy guy with a lot of amazing projects currently underway. Among the many things he mentioned, one really got my attention, the Drysdale 1000 V8 sportsbike that was stolen some years ago, was recovered and it's back in Ian's workshop, though, unfortunately, it's had a rather rough life … [Read more...]
Drysdale Dryvtech Hydraulic 2 Wheel Steer and 2 Wheel Drive Motorcycle
Here's an early (1990) build from the master builder down under. Ian Drysdale conjured up this interesting bike utilizing hydraulic drive on both wheels and, just for good measure, hydraulic steering on both wheels, as well. Powered by a 2 stroke engine, Ian named this the Drysdale Dryvtech 2x2x2. Ian explains the drive system: The pump pressurizes oil to around 4500psi … [Read more...]
Drysdale Godzilla V-Twin
Ian Drysdale keeps popping up whenever we talk about interesting engines, the Drysdale V8, the Carberry V-Twin, Russell Sutton's radial and a whole lot more, but as often happens, while digging around for information on another engine, I came across the Drysdale Godzilla V-Twin which I hadn't seen before. Ian must have some gene that prevents him from building anything ordinary … [Read more...]
What Happened to the Drysdale V8?
After mentioning the Morbidelli V12 and V8, I started thinking about one of the other compact V8 engines, the Drysdale V8. Ian Drysdale initially built the 90 degree engine with heads and cams from a Yamaha FZR400R for the 750cc version and from the Yamaha 600 Fazer for the 1000cc version. The engines and bikes were built but I haven't heard much since. Those were nice looking … [Read more...]