Man stranded in desert builds motorcycle out of his broken car.

Not sure if its true or not since nobody else was there in the deserts of Africa to validate his claim but a frenchman stuck in the Deserts of Africa built a motorcycle from his broken down Citroen. Pretty good set of skills and survival skill if true.

News_Link

How did he get the power to the drive wheel?



MacGyvers unite!!

Looks like something off Scrap heap challenge.

This guy is going to get himself killed.

nice bike, but i dont believe that story for a second.
would've been far easier to fix the origional problem than to make a madmax bike out of it.

reply to post by hp1229


I call shenanigans!

There's clearly some tools needed for that, it just doesn't look feasible to believe it'd be possible to make that in a desert by yourself. It would be an epic story, but I really don't think it's true.

Whether or not the story is true, the bike looks interesting enough…

Thanks for posting this, I haven't seen it before!

I am not sure I am buying this. The guy was stranded in the desert, in the heat and took the time to add a kickstand? Your facing the possibility of dying alone in the desert but you added a kickstand? The kickstand is only useful if you plan on stopping. If I were stranded in the desert I wouldn't be planning on stopping till I made it back to civilization. What he did was really cool there was no need to embellish it with a BS story about being stranded in the desert.

reply to post by Mapkar


I've got my broom.

reply to post by JacKatMtn


hi mod just read the whole link it says this


"The most surprising aspect of this bike is 2 CV transmission. She is inspired by that of Vélosolex. It is a drum which drives the rear wheel by friction, and which, by the laws of physics and mechanics, forced to drive with reverse. Disassemble the gearbox to reverse the differential would have been too risky in this world of sand "...

translate.google.com...

According to one commentator in the original article (from 2002/3 when this was first reported) the frame is shown cut with a torch. So unless he happened to break down in the desert with a cutting torch, this story is mostly bunk. I might buy he was stranded in some remote village when he C2V broke down, and without a ride back came up with this, but I don't buy he was stranded in the desert (ala "Flight of the Phoenix") and came up with this without tools or some help.

reply to post by davesmart


Is that principle the same as the centrifugal ? clutches found on the mini bikes of my youth? or chain saws for that matter?

Still confused on how they got the power to the wheel without a drive shaft or some sort of chain..

Help me to understand so I can make one if I get stranded in the desert..

Emile, wherever you are, we take our hats off to your real-life MacGyver skills, sir.

So ... not so much a news item, more an item referring to a 2003 mag article?

Ha. I'd love to think it's true. But the logistics of making it hold together without so much as a blow torch kinda throws my want stick into the silly stick.

Now I know had this been on Mythbusters they'd have used Gaffa tape. Then I'd believe it - they've made a plane fly with that stuff.

Maybe one to submit to the MB forums, see if they take it up!

reply to post by JacKatMtn

Well to me, many of the european cars are like toy cars. They are small in comparison to US cars. The engine looks like a boxer type 2 cylinder engine. I am only guessing that it might be hidden from the image on the other side on the rear wheel (sorta like a chain?) going directly to the outside of the rear wheel?

reply to post by JacKatMtn


hahaha

its basically the weight of the motor (the cv engine wasnt used)
forcing a drum shaped piece of metal to sit on top of the tyre
electric velsolex bikes work the same way
(im suprised the tyres held out lol)

reply to post by hp1229


hya

heres a good pic of the back so you can get the idea...

the long bar drops on top of the wheel when the side stand is raised

translate.google.com...

reply to post by davesmart


I think I get it now..

direct contact between the tire and the output of the tranny..

I guess if he tooled around at 5 mph or so, it would minimize the risk of a blowout..

Gotta give em props for engine - nuity






Love how he still used the license plate..

No way he did this while broken down in the desert. The tools needed would have weighed more than the car he was driving. Then you have the problem of a needed cutting torch and welding rods. I call complete BS.

Originally posted by DarthMuerte
No way he did this while broken down in the desert. The tools needed would have weighed more than the car he was driving. Then you have the problem of a needed cutting torch and welding rods. I call complete BS.

hya
i called bs at first
but after reading it all again it says
he used a hacksaw and a drill to disect the chasis
now looking at the chassis it is more than probable

cant do a bloomin pic)

Heard about this last year on some random news outlet, my friends and I discussed it for a little whiel. I'm under the assumption he wasn't in the middle of nowhere, but at kind of a nomad/trader village in "the middle of nowhere".

Also like how this is too farfteched for people on this site, but aliens, new world orders, and rogue planets are completely reasonable....haha. At least there's evidence this thing exists!

Originally posted by Ladysophiaofsandoz
I am not sure I am buying this. The guy was stranded in the desert, in the heat and took the time to add a kickstand? Your facing the possibility of dying alone in the desert but you added a kickstand? The kickstand is only useful if you plan on stopping. If I were stranded in the desert I wouldn't be planning on stopping till I made it back to civilization. What he did was really cool there was no need to embellish it with a BS story about being stranded in the desert.

My thoughts exactly... As soon as I saw that kickstand, that was it for me. Although, to someone more mechanically inclined I'm sire there are other tells. But if you're in survival mode, why not just lean it against a tree or rock, or if there is nothing like that, why not just prop it up with a stick or some metal piece you took from your car? It doesn't have to attached to the "bike". As soon as you could get it started and moving, you'd be outta there. You wouldn't stop and make a kickstand.

It's still pretty cool though if it actually runs... I wish I understood French, cause I wonder where the front is and where the back is? And where do you sit?