Crazy Bikes From The Past MTT Y2K

 

 

With the lockdown showing no signs of ending anytime soon, we’re all stuck at home, and naturally our minds are wandering into the past. So here at ZigWheels, we’re going to take a look at some quirky, whacky and downright crazy motorcycles from the yesteryears.

We kick things off in this article with the MTT Y2K. Any bar-counter chat about the world’s craziest bikes is more than likely to feature this motorcycle, and why wouldn’t it? It’s powered by a turbine engine used in helicopters, for God’s sake.

If you thought the Ninja H2R is a monster, wait till you hear the specs on this baby. Built by Marine Turbine Technologies and rolled out in the year 2000 (hence the name), the bike is powered by a Rolls-Royce Allison 250 gas-turbine turboshaft engine. This unit also does duty in a bunch of Bell helicopters and a couple of small Cessnas, among other things.

In 2018, the H2R wowed us with its 326PS power figure. Nearly two decades earlier, the Y2K was already putting out 324PS. That’s not all, though. Because later generations of the bike use an even more powerful turbine - 426PS and 678Nm! Those would be respectable numbers for a sportscar today, let alone a motorcycle 15 years ago.

Now, we understand that in the real world or around a racetrack, the Ninja will probably be the quicker motorcycle. Heck, the Kawi will probably be crossing state lines by the time the Y2K is fired up and ready to go. But that’s missing the point. Throwing a turbine engine into a bike is about making a statement. And it makes this statement just fine with its 445kmph top speed.

You might think that running a bike with a turbine engine is quite a hassle, but you’ll be surprised to learn it isn’t all that bad. The Allison turbine runs on kerosene/jet fuel, but can also be configured to run on diesel, meaning that you can pop down to your local gas station and fill up the 34-litre fuel tank while deafening everyone in a half-mile radius. Just ask Jay Leno, he owns one of these bad boys.

It isn’t stuck in the past, though, because MTT will sell you a Y2K even today. The current generation includes carbon-fibre bodywork and wheels, Pirelli tyres and fully-digital instrumentation. And if you think 426PS is a bit much on two wheels, they’ll sell you a Y2K trike too!

While not quite as outlandish as a turbine-powered motorcycle, next up on this series we’ll be taking a look at a bike powered by a thumping great V8 from an American muscle car. . . . .

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