Logically, car and motorcycle engines are different beasts. They’re designed to work for entirely different frames of vehicles, and the output of even a regular car is often too much for a motorcycle. The real issue is the size as trying to put a V6 engine onto a small bike frame is a nightmare. Thanks to advances in automotive technology, some motorcycles can pull off the epic feat of running on a car engine and going great with it.
It’s remarkable how some bikes take car engines that should never work for a motorcycle and turn them into outstanding machines. It’s not just the speed but also handling the extra weight and being impressive in power. Here are ten motorcycles that amazingly utilize car engines to great effect to show one can marry the two effectively.
10 Boss Hoss
Living up to its name, the popular Boss Hoss line is capable of some astounding custom bikes. They are capable of taking V8 engines from scores of cars and place them in Harley-Davidson frames to some amazing power.
A “standard” model offers options of a 445-hp GM LS3, a 430-hp 383 Stroker, or a 454 small-block good for 563 horsepower, all with a two-speed transmission. That’s not to mention other additions that make these bikes some of the hottest customs on the market.
9 Millyard Viper V10
Putting a Viper V10 engine onto a bike is a challenge, but Alan Millyard met it. The British motorcycle builder expertly married the monster engine to a stylish frame that can put out 500 bhp.
It handles well for its size for a top speed of 207 mph and also has additions such as a DID racing chain and a lovely single-sided swing-arm. That it’s all street legal is the most remarkable feat of them all.
8 Aurora V8 Hellfire OZ26
Only an Aussie like Vincent Messina could put this together. The Aurora V8 Hellfire OZ26 is simply insane. The 2575cc V8 engine takes up half the bike to put out an astonishing 417bhp and 235ft lb of torque.
To put this in perspective, that’s twice as much horsepower as a Kawasaki H2, one of the most powerful production bikes on the market. Amazingly, it can handle corners despite its huge weight to be a stunningly powerful machine.
7 Alfa Romeo V6
How? How does someone even conceive, let along manage, to take a 2.5-liter, 156-hp Alfa V-6, marry it to a Harley-Davidson four-speed, and install it in an off-the-shelf frame? Somehow, someway, it works.
Granted, it’s hardly a practical bike as it guzzles gas like crazy, and the upkeep just to continue running is insane. Yet who wouldn’t want to ride a Harley powered like a sports car for one of the most unique bikes ever created.
6 Dodge Tomahawk Viper V10
Yes, the engine in the Dodge Tomahawk is indeed from a 2003 SRT Viper. This means an 8.3l V10 producing 510bhp and 535lb ft of torque. Dodge did go over the top, claiming it could make 420 mph, but that was lowered to “only” 300.
That can be debatable given a standard Dodge bike handles like a brick, and this one is even larger. Yet the speed is mind-blowing to prove a Viper is a fast engine in any vehicle and almost a shame this never got past the concept stage.
5 Munch Mammut
One has to admire someone taking “Massive impact” literally. When Munch unveiled the Mammut in the mid-1960s, no one could believe they were using a 996-cubic-centimeter NSU engine, derived from the Prinz 1000.
If that wasn’t enough, the bike also boasted a ten-inch drum and magnesium to offset the weight. At just 480 pounds, it could hit 55 hp and 115 mph, and while there was a brief revival circa 2000, the classic versions go for a good price at auction.
4 EVA Track T800-CDI
It’s not as extreme as some of the bikes on this list, but the EVA Track T800-CDI has an intriguing backstory. Built by a Dutch company, it uses the military-style that was dismantled in the 1990s.
It takes the engine of a SmartTwo and enhances it with additions like a diesel engine. It may have only 70 bhp, but it can also get 320 miles to a tank and 140 mpg. It can be a rough ride, but the Track shows the potential in a diesel-powered motorcycle.
3 Sabretooth Motorcycles
Sadly now defunct, Sabretooth Motorcycles was popular in the early 2010s for building cruisers with Ford V8 engines. The options ranged from a WildCat with a Ford Racing 302 to the TurboCat, featuring a twin-turbocharged Ford Modular 4.6 V-8 good for a claimed 600 horsepower through 330-mm-wide rear tires.
Maybe this was too good to last as the bike's costs were high yet still sought after by some collectors for a very powerful ride.
Related: 10 Coolest American Motorcycles That Aren't Harleys
2 Van Veen OCR 1000
Henk van Veen was a Dutch importer for motorcycles who decided to dabble in making one himself. He chose a 107 bhp Comotor 624 engine from the Citroen GS Birotor, a small engine that fits a bike quite well.
Van Veen built 38 of these bikes (which is about 800 less than Citroen sold of the Birotor), and with a respectable top speed of 135 mph, it handled much better than some of the poor press about it would say.
1 Brough Superior Austin Four
Considering this was built in the 1930s, its power is quite impressive. Brough Superior was a British brand putting together a 747cc four-cylinder production bike utilizing a 1930s Austin 7 engine.
They even had plans to put in a sidecar, so added some extra axles. Sadly, the cost was too high, so only ten were produced, but the ability to modify it to over 800 cc makes the Austin Four a popular item at classic bike auctions.
Sources: jalopnik.com, autotrend.com, automobilemag.com, odd-bikes.com