Dodge's Four-Wheel Motorcycle! (The Tomahawk)

Popular Science ^ | April 2003 | by Dick Teresi

[vannrox]

500-300-200. That's horsepower, miles per hour and thousands of dollars: the oversize numbers for Dodge's 4-wheel Tomahawk "motorcycle" prototype (named for the cruise missile), which the company says it may bring to market.

Dodge's Four-Wheel Motorcycle! (The Tomahawk)

by Dick Teresi

The biggest news out of DaimlerChrysler this spring is not a sport-utility vehicle or a sports car. It's a motorcycle. A big, weird motorcycle.

The Dodge Tomahawk is auto erotica for the customizer and power freak. An enormous 500-horsepower V10 Viper engine sits on a billet aluminum body, each part a one-off custom design, machined to order. The exhaust note reminds us of a light aircraft's, with enough crackle to rattle windows.

A noticeable departure is the four wheels. OK, a four-wheeled motorcycle is an oxymoron, but in this case the wheels are closely paired, giving the vehicle a motorcycle appearance if you squint hard. Dodge sees the four wheels as an advantage, noting that the bike stands up on its own. (Customers willing to shell out $200,000 should be happy to learn that they won't need to buy a kickstand as well.)

So what happens to this 4-wheeler when you lean into a turn? Similar designs have rolled up on just two tires when banking, then dropped back onto all four when the bike straightens out, sometimes with uncomfortable results. Thanks to an inventive suspension, all four of the Tomahawk's tires remain in contact with the road even when the bike is cornering. Yet it's no car. You lean and counter-steer, just like on a bike.



The bike's name was inspired by the Tomahawk cruise missile, and it may be equally ridable. Dodge first announced a top speed of 420 mph, then dropped that to "300+." DaimlerChrysler spokespeople proved unable to illuminate us further. Can we ride the bike to check the speed? we asked. "No." Can we talk to one of your company riders? "No." Can you give us some riding impressions? "No." Can we use your bathroom? "No."

Desperate for expertise, I called my brother, Joe Teresi, whose Easyriders Streamliner bike holds the world speed record: 322 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats, set in 1990. Looking at photos of the Tomahawk, Joe was dubious. Dodge computed the Tomahawk's theoretical top speed only from horsepower and final drive ratio. Joe says this ignores other critical factors, such as frontal area and drag and the coefficient of tire friction to the ground. Joe offered Dodge the use of his Dyno-Drag, a motorcycle dynamometer/simulator, to ascertain the Tomahawk's top speed. When I relayed the offer to Dodge spokesman David Elshoff, he said, and I quote, "No." Elshoff did say Dodge would someday take the Tomahawk for a run at Bonneville.

Dave Campos, who was onboard the Easyriders Streamliner for the world record, predicted the Tomahawk wouldn't do well in the real world -- and that the rider would do worse. The Teresi/Campos bike was powered by two 91-cubic-inch Harley Shovelhead engines and enclosed in a fairing. The Tomahawk Viper engine is 505 cubic inches; the rider is exposed. Campos said he would be foiled by air resistance. At high speeds, "your back acts as a wing. It'll lift you right off the bike." Campos was also skeptical about the four-wheel steering, and said he doubted the bike would hit 200 mph. Still, he wishes the Tomahawk team luck at Bonneville. "Let nothing but fear stand in your way," he said.

Many bikes today are built for show, not go, and even if the Tomahawk never breaks 55, there are a lot of guys who'd like to trailer it to Sturgis or Daytona during Bike Week just to fire up that motor and drown out the Harley crowd. Or, as my brother says, "It's a nice engine stand for your Viper V10."

[vannrox]

Cool.

[DoughtyOne]

I suppose it's okay, but I always hate to see wasted space. LOL

[cactusSharp]

got the motorcyclist pics on it
way better pics too...stone cold awesome

I want one.....No, two !!

[Paul Atreides]

Looks like something from Blade Runner.

[martin_fierro]

	FReeper Motorcycle Hooligan
Send FReepmail if you want on/off FMH list

[TADSLOS]

Puts a whole new meaning on the term "Crotch Rocket"

[CheneyChick]

Cool - it's like a motorcycle with permanent training wheels. I like it.

[OOPisforLiberals]

As with the S&W .500 magnum revolver - I say you have to be slightly off kilter to actually fire this sucker up. I've always found the raw power of a 400cc dirtbike to be quite shocking. This....nutty.

[Brian Mosely]

It's been done. First, it was Hollywood that can't come out with anything original and now Detroit is ripping off classic anime....

[SENTINEL]

A teeny, tiny little word like "Awesome" doesn't seem to do it justice !

[al baby]

this is not your dads seugway

[Milwaukee_Guy]

Save yourself some money and just put a hand grenade in your pants! :-O

[steveyp]

More like Tron!

[Deb8]

So, the only function of the 4 wheels is that you don't need a kickstand? And that's worth $200,000? I'm reminded of the words of Frank Loyd Wright... "form follows function." This is gonna fail big time.

[sit-rep]

Let me on it for about two minutes...

...get it up to about 4000 RPM and then pop the clutch. Wonder how much rubber I'd leave on the road...

[cyborg]

They stole that idea from Tron and Shania Twain music video..shame on them! :-)

[tubebender]

I told my son I would make the down payment on one but he wants a KTM Dual Sport...

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[JoeSixPack1]

Ready for a run??

Fat chicks need wheelie bars.

[yankeedame]

....This is gonna fail big time

Naw. It wouldn't fail, because its never going to get beyond the "concept" stage. My husband is a Dodge salesman and pointed out why:

1) It is too expensive.

2) The target-market for it is way too small to justify the expense of production.

3) It is in essense a toy, and nothing more. You're not going to ride this thing to work, or take junior to soft ball practice.

4) Insurance for this thing-- esp. against theft-- will be impossible to find.

5) If you thought the SUV was a moving target, this thing is a lawyer's dream come true.