Lambky Liner

Lambky Liner
Manufacturer Max Lambky
Assembly c. 1990–2012 (12 redesigns)
Class Speed record streamliner motorcycle
Engine Two, c. 1,000 cc supercharged Vincent Motorcycles pushrod V-twin engines
Alcohol fuel
Top speed 250–275 mph (402–443 km/h)[1][2]
Brakes Parachute assist
Weight 1,600 pounds (730 kg) with rider and fuel (wet)

The Lambky Liner is a motorcycle land-speed record streamliner designed by Navy veteran and Vincent motorcycle restorer Max Lambky from Kansas, United States.[3] It reached a top recorded speed of 250 mph (400 km/h) at the 2007 International Motorcycle Speed Trials,[1] and an estimated 275 mph (443 km/h) in second gear before a supercharger spindle broke and spoiled a run in 2008.[2]

Design and construction

World record holder Don Vesco consulted with Lambky on several features of streamliner design that Lambky utilized, including hub-center steering.[4]

The streamliner is powered by dual alcohol-burning supercharged Vincent Motorcycles pushrod V-twin engines, built in 1949 and 1952.[5][6][7] The total displacement is almost 2,000 cc running on alcohol, developing c. 400 horsepower (300 kW).[5][6]

Total weight with rider and fuel is 1,600 pounds (730 kg).[6] Frontal area is 4 square feet (0.37 m2).[8]

As of 2012, nine iterations of the streamliner had been built by Lambky, including a sidecar configuration.[3] Development costs were reported as $100,000 in 1997,[5] and over $150,000 by 2008.[6]

Riders

Riders included Don Angel, the first, who was recorded going 150 mph (240 km/h) through the timing lights backwards in 2006,[2] and Hartmut Weidelich, a German who also rebuilt the engines.[2][9][10]

Records

The streamliner won an award at the 2005 Speed Trials by BUB at Bonneville Speedway in the antique division at 212.86 miles per hour (342.56 km/h).[9][11]

In September, 2010, it set a new Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) record of 191.303 miles per hour (307.872 km/h) in the SCS-PBF class; SCS stands for special construction (hub steering, two engine) streamliner; PBF stands for piston, blown, (alcohol/nitro) fuel.[12]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rocky Robinson (August 6, 2008), Salt Addiction: Lambkys Liner, Motorcycle USA
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Rocky Robinson (September 8, 2009), Salt Addiction: First, Best and Next, Motorcycle USA
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Rocky Robinson (June 21, 2012), Salt Addiction: Max Lambky, Motorcycle USA
  4. ↑ Lambky, Max (c. November 2007), 1990-1992 First Streamliner Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "A 400-MPH Vincent?", Cycle World 36 (9), September 1997: 26
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Motorcycle Lightning: Vincent Streamliners, How Stuff Works, c. December 2008 Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ↑ Johnson, Wayne (2010). Live to ride: the rumbling, roaring world of speed, escape, and adventure on two wheels. Atria Books. pp. 203–244, chapter 7, "At the Last, Fastest Place on Earth: Salt Fever". ISBN 1416550321. p. 222
  8. ↑ Aero-Horsepower & Drag Loss Calculator, Los Angeles: RB Racing
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Mark Rustigian (March–April 2007), "Sonny Angel Motorcycles", Motorcycle Classics
  10. ↑ ""GRIP – Das Motormagazin": "Der Ferrari F12 Berlinetta"" [GRIP – the motor magazine: the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta], Focus (in German), September 28, 2012
  11. ↑ Second annual international motorcycle speed trials—Cash Prize Award Recipients, BUB Racing Inc., September 12, 2005
  12. ↑ "Lambky Liner", SCTA records page (Southern California Timing Association)

Further reading

External links