by Arun Prakash from https://www.rushlane.com
Custom Motorcycle With 3 Honda CB750 Engines made with the objective of participating in Land Speed Racing.
Once in a while we come across an engineering marvel that makes us wipe our eyes and maybe even scratch our heads. Now, branding the latest case as a marvel would be an outstretch but it surely does make us carry out the last two acts. If you think you have witnessed insane aftermarket modifications that can’t be matched, this one might force you to rethink.
When you see a single motorcycle is powered by three engines, yes you read that right – three engines in one motorcycle, probably can be called MotorsCycle. You can easily judge for yourself the number and kind of mod jobs that would have been carried out. Named ‘The Galaxy’, this behemoth is powered by three bored-out CB750 motors which essentially makes it a 12-cylinder 2,508cc glory.
Idea of Three Engine Motorcycle
This motorcycle is a creation of California-based custom motorcycle builder Mitsuhiro ‘Kiyo’ Kiyonaga who intends to take this monster to Land Speed Racing. Kiyonaga started his aftermarket workshop in Los Angeles in 2013 and his first project ‘Cherry Blossom’ was a custom-built stretched land speed racer that featured a turbocharged Honda CB750 engine housed in a frame built from scratch.
A few years later he followed it up with another 1970s top fuel-style bike but powered by twin motors this time and named it ‘Gekko’. Even though the Galaxy was Kiyo’s pet project which he has dreamt of since his childhood, it was seriously materialised only when his first two motorcycles were acquired by Haas Moto Museum. Work on the bike only started when owner of the museum, approved and officially commissioned the project.
Galaxy- Powertrain specs
Coming to its specification, Galaxy draws its energy from three four-pot motors sourced from F2 large port heads. Each of these engines has been bored-out to 836cc has been completely rebuilt with balanced and lightened crankshafts, performance cams, oversized stainless steel valves and heavy-duty connecting rods. Special care was taken to ensure that each internal configuration was in line with the original spec.
The motors are held by a three-piece chassis that constitute a tubular upper frame, and two huge engine mounting plates that also act as a rigid swingarm. Front half of Galaxy has been integrated into the frame which hides the pump, fuel tank, battery and all other functional components under its skin.
That tail section is a hand-built aluminium piece that can hold up to 9.5 litres of gasoline for the oil-sucking engines. A tiny port found at back is essentially an outlet for the engine breather hose.
The alloy wheels made out of aluminium are a piece of art with holes cut out on the front wheel in order to limit the effect of crosswinds at high speeds. With stretched-out ergonomics, ‘rider triangle’ was carefully calculated that offers impressive control and grip when racing across salt tracks.
The designer claims that every component on the bike has been modified and built by hand without aid of any designing software which deserves high applause. The Galaxy now finds shelter in the same museum as Kiyo’s previous two projects. However, Kiyo is yet to tick off all boxes and that would happen only when he takes to Land Speed Racing.
