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

reply to post by JacKatMtn


Ah, thanks. That other picture cleared up some things

This would be a good mythbusters. If no one has added it, I will.

it kind of something that you would see in Mad Max. or Mad Max byond the thunderdome, with mel gibson. I am sure their are some people who remember that film.

Originally posted by hp1229
Pretty good set of skills and survival skill if true.

The article says he was a "few tens of kilometers from Tan-tan", and looking at the location on google maps, I estimate about 30 km ( 19 miles ).
Even shorter, about 20km ( 12 miles ) if, as he did, returned back to Tilemsem and face the wrath of the armed forces..

It took him (according to the article) 12 days to build the "bike", plus another day to ride it.

I'd say he would have been better off just walking.

Originally posted by 3n19m470

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?

hya

ok to clear this up again

the side stand is proping up the swinging arm and the whole weight of the chassis and 2.hp motor
as the bike is pushed forward the weight drops onto the rear tyre
the rear wheel is propelled via the cylindrical tube running across and pressing into it
so basicaaly friction propelled

dave

I seen that picture before, along time ago, something to do with a festival in the desert? like burning man?
I also read about a renault 5 that sheared a front wheel off and they made a like a skid out of a fence post and reversed it back to safety, the number of miles i cannot remember but 12 seems to ring a bell.

Originally posted by alfa1

Originally posted by hp1229
Pretty good set of skills and survival skill if true.

The article says he was a "few tens of kilometers from Tan-tan", and looking at the location on google maps, I estimate about 30 km ( 19 miles ).
Even shorter, about 20km ( 12 miles ) if, as he did, returned back to Tilemsem and face the wrath of the armed forces..
It took him (according to the article) 12 days to build the "bike", plus another day to ride it.I'd say he would have been better off just walking.

True. But I would assume in a state of panic or lost in the middle of nowhere and a foreign country, anything can takeover the human mind with first instinct being survival (not just from nature but animals and/or humans)

reply to post by davesmart
Thanks for the additional link. It is much clearer as per the drive train of this particular vehicle

I didn't believe it at first.... but then I read the article in the OPs link. It would answer a lot of the doubts and questions the members are posting in this thread if they would simply read the article and think a little.

I am surprised anyone would drive that car into the desert though! LoL... that is the most unbelievable part of the story!

Here is an amusing and interesting video that was also found in the OPs link....... what is interesting about it is..... isn't that this desert made motorcycle in the very beginning of this video? Metal camel in action.

Gotta Google this. thanks for posting about this OP. S&F

WARNING: viewer discretion is advised!!!

I bet dude can rip a phone book one-handed, too!

Clearly, their is no axle shaft connecting the hub to the out-put shaft of trans.

Plus, the angle of the dangle is missing.

Yep, he could have walked 12 to 19 miles in the course of a couple of evenings and mornings, and lost a lot less bodily fluids and expended a lot less energy. If he did this to survive, then he is an idiot. Now, if he drove out there as part of a challenge and had the tools he would need, then maybe he could have pulled it off, but as a survival technique it was a lot of wasted energy, sweat, calories, and resources to only travel a short distance at a speed similar to walking anyway.

A person can walk leisurely at 2.5 mph, and if he stuck to the low light conditions and found shelter for the heat of the day and dead of the night, then he could easily have covered 20 miles in 2 days without much risk of injury or exhaustion. Playing with powertools and lifting heavy objects is not the best use of resources.

If he was stranded on in the desert for months, and happened to find some fresh water, and he had 100s of miles to civilization, and food and resources to last him a month or two, then the bike project might have been worthwhile.

I have a hard time believing this.

When I work on my vehicle, I always seem to develop a need for another tool that I don't seem to have.

I can't imagine doing that kind of work stranded in a desert. Anyone here tried hacksawing through an automobile frame in numerous places? He must have had a good supply of blades with him.

reply to post by davesmart

so basicaaly friction propelled

Unless you have a hovercraft, I think they are all friction propelled.

This is the dude ,must be early stages of construction

Emile Leray ,But whats that in the background?

Originally posted by butcherguy
reply to post by davesmart

 

so basicaaly friction propelled

Unless you have a hovercraft, I think they are all friction propelled.

hi

yeh and if most here read all the bloody info
u will see that the site actually said that

im suprised at some of you, you dont even read the links before commenting

Originally posted by butcherguy
reply to post by davesmart

 

so basicaaly friction propelled

Unless you have a hovercraft, I think they are all friction propelled.

ok heres a link thats in english
for you lazy buggers that are just typo happy

www.dailymail.co.uk...

sorry butcherguy was not aiming at you

Originally posted by loveguy
I bet dude can rip a phone book one-handed, too!

Clearly, their is no axle shaft connecting the hub to the out-put shaft of trans.

The power is transmitted to the rear wheel in the famous Vélosolex way, the right-hand side brake drum (mounted on the side of the Citroën 2CV transmission as usual in Citroëns) rubs against the tire tread and the other brake drum is locked. This makes the free drum rotate twice as fast as normally. As the engine and transmission are not reversed, only the reverse gear can be used for forward riding. No chains or belts needed, but maybe a new rear tire every now and then...

Vélosolex mopeds were quite common in Europe in the 50s and 60s, and they were French. A small gasoline engine was mounted on top of the front wheel of a bicycle, and a roller on crankshaft touched the front tire tread while riding, so it was a front wheel drive bike. I think the Chinese manufacture similar mopeds nowadays.

I see many innovative things in this 2CV motorbike design. The right hand side control arms with wheel hubs have been reversed in their bearings so that the wheels are now turned under the chassis. The left-hand side control arms are missing but their roller bearings can still be seen in the images.

I see no reason how this couldn't be done using simple hand tools and maybe a drill. The Citroën 2CV sheetmetal is very, very thin and all parts, including the frame, are bolted together. Maybe it's the only car that has such versatility. I guess very few people in the US have ever even heard of that car and even fewer who have seen how well it gets torn into a pile of parts just by unscrewing all the bolts. I have.

No, I don't own a 2CV but someday I might. They are getting quite expensive these days...

Removed post.

reply to post by Hobbymat


hya
i had the pleasure of driving one yrs ago, the gears were a pull out twist push back in strange thing lol
and it was an open top, great driving through town standing up lol (bit like hanks in big except the roof came up to our knee caps haha)
there is a french guy that converts them to 4x4 and they go anywhere, cant remember his name

It's real,I tell ya!
He is selling t-shirts!

translate.google.com...

And he made a boat too.......

translate.google.com...