American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 218 September 2017 | Page 32

ZERO
EMISSION
MAX CO
ack in 2008, at the AMD World Championship in Sturgis, we had the pleasure
of hosting an experimental hydrogen powered bike (‘Mister M’) built in 18
days by Alan Lee for the ‘Chopper Challenge’ that had an S&S 113” engine
and an Arnie Boyle hydrogen generator. The patented device greatly increased
fuel economy in all types of combustion engines by cracking water into pure
hydrogen and oxygen and injecting these into the air intake stream where it
combines with the fuel/air mixture prior to combustion, resulting in a more
complete (and therefore cleaner) and efficient burn.
Fast forward to the 2016 AMD World Championship, and we had the pleasure of hosting
our first E-bike – ‘Strom’ – conceived, designed, engineered and built by the hands of
Irishman Noel Connolly (Flame-Art Designs/FAD, MorAthernry, County Galway).
The recent surge to prominence of the small but innovative custom bike scene in Ireland
has been remarkable, and Noel’s homage to the board track racers and early streamliners
of the past, in the guise of a forward facing zero emissions solution for the future, is just
exactly that – remarkable.
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Based on a ME 0909 permanent magnet DC motor made in Wisconsin b
an Alltrax direct drive controller (Grants Pass, Oregon) and Magura (Ger
throttle, along with the Surly bicycle rims (Bloomington, Minnesota) and
are pretty much the only items on the bike (oh, and a PH 4-pot at the re
cable brake at the front) that aren’t hand crafted by Noel, including the
hardtail frame and custom ‘Rocker’ style front end with a variable gas s
‘Strom’ has a 48 volt electrical system powered by 4 x 12 volt lithium io
some months after the event Noel told us: “It was great to hear the rea
builders and discuss both the advantages and disadvantages of electric
“I was surprised not to see more electric customs at the ‘AMD’ in Colog
will change. It was an honor to bring ‘Strom’ to the show, and to just m
place, although disappointing, was a fantastic achievement for the first
motorcycle to feature at the AMD World Championship.
“I still have ‘Strom’, and it is an ongoing project – I think electric is defi
and I am already looking forward to 2018.”
RMOT
TE
AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - SEPTEMBER 2017
www.AMDchampionship.com