A Russian modifier known as Lyokha Romantic made a very unique motorbike. The motor was driven by a steam engine.
So only with water capital, the motorbike made by Lyokha Romantic can run well. On his official website, Dzen.ru, Lyokha Romantic said that the initial idea to make a steam-engined motorcycle was not to replace the fuel and technology currently available.
Instead, he created a project called Steam Motorcycle to experience the uniqueness and excitement of past technology. The period or era where simple technology can actually amaze many people.
“I wanted to understand the real properties and qualities of a steam engine, as well as the technical nuances, subtleties and real possibilities of implementing old technologies. In other words, I wanted to build a steam engine, see what it is capable of and enjoy its work,” wrote Lyokha Romantic.
To realize his dream motorbike, Lyokha Romantic uses a motorbike made in Russia, namely Karpaty. The motor was then removed from the engine and replaced with a steam engine that he made himself.
“The chassis was not strong enough to support a steam engine. So I replaced the chassis with a new one first,” explained Lyokha Romantic.
According to Lyokha Romantic, the working system of the steam engine is not much different from the existing steam engines. He had to equip the motor with a boiler and burner. So the water used can boil and generate steam energy that can drive the motor.
So, for the motorbike to run, he installed a special wheel drive device to the rear wheel. The rear-wheel drive device is really similar to the drive on an old steam train.
The result was exactly what Lyokha Romantic had hoped for. The motor can run up to a maximum speed of 60 kilometers per hour. It’s just that the distance is less than ideal because it only reaches 15 kilometers.
This is because the water capacity of the Karpaty motorbike is very small. Of course it will be a big job if the place to hold water is large.
But that was not a problem for Lyokha Romantic. The reason is that he is just curious about how exciting it is to make a steam-engined motorbike.
“I started this project purely out of engineering interest. I wanted to build a steam engine, put everything in there, rebuild, customize and see how it works. But over time it became more and more interesting,” concluded Lyokha Romantic.
