Cross the Strait of Messina with a motocross bike. This is the new challenge (which will be attempted in the next few days, weather permitting) for Luca Colombo who in 2017 crossed Lake Como and then in 2019 conquered the world record of speed on the water with an adapted motocross bike flying up to 104 km / h. But how does a “normal” motorcycle fly on water? The Honda CRF 450R is obviously modified, with nautical skates and a rear wheel with special paddles to provide the hydrodynamic thrust necessary to make the over 205 kg of fully loaded weight glide on the water. It seems easy, but it’s not: there is a minimum speed, under which the bike sinks like a stone. This critical speed is 30 knots (55.6 km / h) and must be maintained throughout the crossing of the strait.
The tech secrets of motorcycles that run on water
But that’s not the only difficulty. And without bringing up the mythology of the monsters that terrified sailors forced to choose whether to cross the Strait bordering the fearsome rocks of Scylla (the one who tears apart) or venturing towards the huge whirlpool of Charybdis (the one who sucks), the flying motorbike will have to overcome the strong currents directed towards the north and south which can take on an intensity of over 20 km / h while the winds, channeled into the Strait, alternate moments of tiredness with strong gusts of unpredictable direction that can create dangerous eddies. Furthermore, the constant passage of ferries crossing the Strait from East to West and vice versa is added to the always intense traffic of large commercial ships on the North / South axis. And then there is the fog and mist that especially in this season manifest themselves without warning …
Rogue technology: in the speed record with motorcycles on water the safety system explodes during the race
In short, a hell, which Luca Colombo hopes to overcome starting from Torre Faro (Messina) and arriving in Cannitello (Villa San Giovanni) for a distance of 3.2 km starting from Sicily towards Calabria. Since facing the enterprise with wind, sea and contrary current would be unnecessarily dangerous, Luca will choose a favorable weather window for the next few days. We’ll see.
Few tech changes and a motocross bike crossed Lake Como
But let’s go back to the bike and its modifications: the main one is linked to the rear tire blades which, immersed in the water for the lower part, generate the forward thrust necessary for the skates to develop sufficient lift to keep the bike on the surface of the water. . As for aircraft that need a minimum speed to take off, for Luca’s bike the minimum speed to develop lift and not sink as they said is 30 knots (55.6 km / h). It could be defined as a hybrid between a motorcycle, a hydrofoil and a paddle boat.
Of course it is also possible to travel on the road but the skates prevent tight folds and maneuverability is therefore reduced.
Since it is necessary that the water does not enter the engine, a PO37 water-proof filter produced by the Italian company Sprint Field was chosen. World patent, while the fluid dynamics of the engine in the combustion chambers have also been modified to increase efficiency.
Finally, for his safety, Luca has chosen to wear Kingii Wearable on his wrist, the smallest personal flotation device in the world while the possible recovery of the bike is entrusted to a self-inflating device that will be activated automatically in case of loss of power, thus avoiding the means of sinking. Two things, the latter, which hopefully will never be useful …
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