That's a snaky bike, all right!

I was amused to come across the 'Anaconda' bike via a link on Dark Roasted Blend. It's a 10-passenger 'limo' adaptation of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, conceived and built by one Steve 'Smokey' McGill.

(Click the image above for a larger view)

Cycle Connections interviewed him about it. Here's an excerpt.

CC: Once you began, how long did the project take?

Smokey: It took roughly 640 hours over about six months.

CC: Were there any surprises during construction?

Smokey: Some things went surprisingly well. The shift rod is almost 12 feet long, and it had to have proper clearance as it routed through frame components and still align properly at both ends. With amazing luck, it lined up perfectly. I was lucky on a lot of stuff.

CC: What is the length and weight of the Anaconda?

Smokey: It’s 19 feet, 6 inches long and weighs 1,420 pounds.

CC: Tell me about the motors.

Smokey: The back one is a stock Harley Evo motor and provides the power. The front one is a dummy, for looks only. I found out about a company in Leavenworth that produces over 300 different fiberglass engine replicas. They’re normally used by custom builders to align motor mounts and such. Everything is in the right place, but it’s much lighter. I got a fiberglass Harley block from them and added real heads, primary cover, and other chrome stuff. It’s fun to watch people stare at that front engine and try to figure out how it works. It sometimes takes them a while to figure out that it doesn’t. Once, I even caught myself being very careful not to route wiring or gas lines too close to that motor. Then it came to me that it wasn’t going to get hot!

CC: The front engine does contribute to “the look.”

Smokey: There has to be a motor under that gas tank. It just wouldn’t look right without it.

There's more at the link. There's also a rather cheesy video clip of the Anaconda on Youtube, if you're into that sort of thing (complete with burnouts, a Country & Western soundtrack and nine pink-clad ladies riding the thing).

I'd never have thought that a 'limo motorcycle' could be stable enough to ride, but I guess it can be done if you're crazy enough! Still, I'd like to see that thing tackle the Tail of the Dragon . . . it might have to overhang a few valleys on its way round the tight curves!



Peter