At the end of the year 1999, the world was preparing for the apocalypse, Y2K was inching closer and closer. When the ball eventual dropped indicating the turn of the century it became evident that there wouldn't be an apocalypse and a unicorn emerged from the shadows. A motorcycle so frighteningly powerful it put most so-called superbikes to shame. The MTT Y2K Superbike is the first-ever turbine-powered street-legal motorcycle. It is developed by MTT which stands for Marine Turbine Technologies.
Once you turn the key and push the starter button you can feel all 320 horsepower coursing through your body, at that very moment you'll experience shivers running down your spine, unlike anything you have ever experienced before. The MTT Y2K Superbike is a freak of nature, a magnificent piece of design that will go down in history as one of the greatest motorcycles ever built.
"It is like the hand of God pushing you in the back," that is how Jay Leno described the Y2K Turbine Superbike. Jay Leno is famous for his collection of cars and superbikes, he was also one of the first people to own the MTT Y2K Turbine Superbike. Owning one these motorcycles was such a rarity at one point that there had been more people who had flown to space than there were people who had owned the Y2K Superbike.
Marine Turbine Technology
Although MTT developed the Y2K Turbine Superbike they are not your traditional motorcycle manufacturer. Marine Turbine Technologies specializes in creating gas turbine engines. The very thought of putting a jet engine in a 400-pound motorcycle may have seemed ludicrous to some, but not to MTT. Marine Turbine Technologies is infamous for sticking their gas turbine engines in just about anything and the MTT Y2K Turbine Superbike was their crowning moment. It propelled the company from Louisiana to international recognition.
Y2K First Generation - Engine
At the heart of the first generation MTT Y2K Turbine Superbike is a powerful Rolls Royce-Allison gas turbine engine. Allison Engine Company is a company that developed highly successful turboshaft engines in the 1960s up until 1995 when it was acquired by Rolls Royce. The company's famous engine the Allison Model 250 was changed to the Rolls Royce M250 after the acquisition.
The MTT Y2K Turbine Superbike is powered by Rolls Royce-Allison gas turbine engine. The Y2K Superbike produces an incredible 320 hp and 425 lb-ft of torque at 52000-rpm it also has a two-speed automatic transmission. The fastest recorded top speed for the MTT Y2K Superbike was 227 mph, however, theoretically, the bike could go even faster.
Guinness World Records
The MTT Y2K Turbine Superbike holds not one, but two Guinness World Records. The first world record it acquired was for being the most expensive production motorcycle to ever go on sale. In 2000 the MTT Y2K Turbine Superbike would have cost you $175,000 which is around $260,000 in today's market.
The second Guinness World Record held by the MTT Y2K Superbike is for being the most powerful production motorcycle on the road. The Y2K was in a league of its own, a true unicorn of its time. Although the Y2K was built almost twenty years ago there are still only a handful of motorcycles capable of going toe-to-toe with the turbine-powered superbike.
Jay Leno's Favorite Ride
Over the years Jay Leno has had a lot of things to say about the MTT Y2K Turbine Superbike. Jay Leno owns the first-ever production Y2K motorcycle, his superbike even has 002 as its serial number. He has described the Y2K Superbike as "smooth", "amazing", and "wicked fast". He has also said, "it really does scare you half to death, but it's great fun." Jay Leno has always been full of praise for the Y2K and the rest of the world agrees with him. The MTT Y2K Turbine Superbike was ranked as the fourth greatest motorcycle ever built by Greatest Ever: Motorcycles, a TV show on the Discovery Channel.
Next Generation MTT Y2K 420RR Superbike
The new generation MTT Y2K 420RR is a fitting successor to the MTT Y2K Turbine Superbike. The 420RR is powered by the Rolls Royce-Allison 250-C20 series gas turbine engine which is even more intimidating than the one on that powered its predecessor.
The engine produces 420 horsepower at 52000-rpm and 500 lb-ft of torque at 2000-rpm. The new Y2K has two gears, "fast" and "incredibly fast", both gears can be easily accessed with the push of a button.
How fast is this turbine-powered motorcycle? According to the official MTT website, the 420RR is "faster than you will ever dare to go!" and you have no reason to doubt them. Any company that has no qualms about putting an engine that is capable of running on jet fuel on a motorcycle is not to be taken lightly. If we were to put actual numbers on this behemoth of a bike the MTT Y2K 420RR can reach a top speed of 250 mph.