Pulsejet Drag Bike Is a Rocket on Two Wheels

By day, Bob Maddox is a carpenter in Medford, Oregon. But as soon as he gets off from work, the self-proclaimed “Rocketman” he goes to what he enjoys the most: jet bikes. He has built this particular machine for a racer in Illinois, and tested this thunder bike five times before finally handing it over.

The tests he conducted have been extremely satisfying, as the bike reportedly does 0-60mph (98 km/h) in just five seconds, automotto.com reports.

This unusual contraption is fitted with a single pulse jet engine with two tailpipes. According to the aforementioned source, it is capable of developing 250 lb.ft. (339 Nm) and runs on regular 87 octane gasoline.

However, Maddox says it is capable of running on virtually any type of fuel. Pulse jets ignite mixture of air and fuel in “pulses” that occur about 70 times a second.

Pulse jets are best known as the incredibly noisy engines that powered the German V1 ‘buzz bombs’ that were fired at London toward the end of the Second World War.

Aside from the tires, rims and brakes, Maddox fabricated the entire bike, including the jet engines, in his very own shop. The bike is intended for breaking the 200 mph (321 km/h) barrier, but its new owner is yet to test it, so we can just keep our fingers crossed for him and hope for a successful attempt.

Maddox first started with building custom-made rocket-powered toys, and further evolved on to creating jet-powered Schwinn bikes. Rocketman is currently working on a design for a quad-jet aircraft he hopes will carry him almost 5 miles into the sky.