Motorcycle With A Split Wheel: An Insanely Custom Concoction

Bikes and Beards, a content creator on the video-sharing platform YouTube, tested a unique bicycle that features a rear wheel that has been cut into several individual rotating parts. The YouTuber was curious to see if the concept would also work on a full-size motorcycle and shared the results of the experiment, which turned out to be amusing.

To create the unique motorcycle, the builders began with a Honda CBR250 bike, which they modified by adding an extended steel swingarm to accommodate an additional rear wheel taken from another CBR250. To connect and power the additional rear wheel, the builders used a chain to drive it from the first rear wheel.

During testing, the three-wheeled bike performed well, but the actual challenge came when they attempted to replace the rear wheel with two separate rotating pieces. To create two separate rotating pieces for the rear wheel, the builders used a sawzall to cut the wheels and tires. In their first attempts to make the tires work, they filled them with spray foam, similar to a run-flat tire.

However, they later used a large-diameter flexible poly pipe to support the tires, which were then attached to the half-rims using rivets. During initial testing, a significant issue was discovered with the motorcycle. The ride was extremely bumpy, and the back of the bike was unstable as the split wheels turned. To make the split-wheel concept work, both half-wheels must have been touching the ground at the same height in order to support the bike smoothly.

It appeared that the two half-wheels were not of the exact same height, resulting in the bike's rear jumping up and down. Despite the heavy vibration from the rear, the issue with the split-wheel concept did not stop the builders from putting the motorcycle through its paces, as one rider was able to ride the bike at speeds up to 30 mph.

The team attempted to solve the issue by strapping down the suspension, but this didn't work. They also tried filling the tubing inside the tires with rubber chips and sealing them with spray foam, but that also failed to fix the issue with the split-wheel motorcycle. Following the completion of the split-wheel concept's intended fix, the team plans to put the motorbike through a top-speed evaluation.