This ridiculous-looking 48-cylinder motorcycle known as Whitelock Tinker Toy holds the record for the functional vehicle with the greatest number of cylinders.
Simon Whitelock, an English motorbike enthusiast, is the maniac behind this astonishing yet unique mechanism. It is built on a Kawasaki 250 S1, a fairly small bike equipped with a 3-cylinder 250 cc engine capable of putting out 31 hp. However, it doesn’t look small because Kawasaki consists of six rows of eight S1 cylinders, taken off from 16 S1 motorbike engines. All cylinders are linked to a shared transmission, borrowed from a BMW motorbike, and need more than the basic electric starter motor to begin.
“The 48 cylinder lump is slightly harder to start than your conventional motorcycle engine, so instead of an electronic starter motor, we decided to use what we call a ‘donkey engine’- a little sub-50cc engine, which is started, and in turn that starts the 48 cylinder engine,” Simon Whitelock clarified while launching his design in 2003.
This insane looking Whitelock Tinker Toy has 16 in-line engines, and the 17th one is there to function as a starter. Talk about adding extra power to it!
However, this power-packed motorbike has no hint of practicality to it. The distance between the handlebars and the front edge of the seat shows how nobody thought about its functionality or efficiency. People might ride this outrageous Kawasaki motorbike in an exhibition for several minutes but not more than that.
Also, not to forget the high consumption of fuel and oil it would require to keep all the engines running smoothly. This gives an idea of what can be accomplished when motorbike maniacs put their mind and soul to create something extraordinary.
This beast was built for the 2004 Triples Rally. This 4,200 CC two-wheeled boss has garnered loyalist support. If you say this bike has a cult, there would be nothing wrong with that statement. A massive hit at bike shows and conventions to this date. Simon Whitelock’s 4,200cc two-wheeled monster is sure to etch itself in the biker’s legend.
