The worlds fastest gas turbine motorcycle is the MTT Y2K Superbike.

Ted McIntire of Marine Turbine Technologies has produced the Worlds first ultra high performance sports bike powered by a Turbine engine that was originally fitted into a 1½ ton Bell 206 Jet Ranger Helicopter.  The MTT Y2K Superbike is a street legal rocket that has been recognized as one of the most powerful production motorcycles in the World and also one of the most expensive.

The engine in the MTT Superbike is actually second hand, they are engines that have reached their Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) run time limit and would have to be rebuilt at a  cost of about 100 grand.  But as they are used on the ground, they can just be serviced and passed as road worthy and safe without the need for FAA approval.  Also the cost of buying a used engine is infinitely cheaper for Marine Turbine Technologies, so the bike wont cost over a million dollars to build.

Talking about expense and speed, the fastest and most expensive bike at present is the Dodge Tomahawk at half a million dollars and a speed of over 300 mph.

The MTT Superbike bike is powered by a Rolls-Royce Alison Dyno Jet Gas Turbine engine that delivers over 300BHP and 425 ft/lbs of pure torque at a clocked 227 MPH although an estimated 250mph can be achieved.

The acceleration, if you can hold on to the handle bars is 0-227 mph (0-365 km/h) in 15 seconds.  The downside is that the MTT Superbike sells for  over $185,000 which makes it one expensive bike, a bike solely for the rich, famous and daring.

The old adage does stipulate though " Speed is just a question of money, how fast you want to go depends on how much money you have got "

Maybe one of these bikes could be hired out at a race track or a drag strip for those who wish to have a go on one.

The Engines only weigh 130Lbs and they burn regular Jet aircraft fuel, but a transformation to make the engine run on diesel is done to make the bike street legal.  The Bike is not driven by turbine thrust, ( there is no afterburner, hehe )  its power is actually converted so the bike is driven by a chain or shaft.

The MTT Superbike has only got 2 gears, but with over 425ft/lbs of shear torque no more are needed as the bike will idle and pull away and ride in 1st up to and over 100MPH then 2nd can be used, with a redline of 6600 RPM.

With an 8½ gallon fuel tank the bike should go far, but alas at 5 miles per gallon the range is only 50 miles per tank.  So constant re-fills or part of owning this bike, but a standing quarter mile in 9 seconds should make up for it !

The rear exhaust pipes can emit a fair bit of heat and consequently a heat wave is created that blurs your vision of anything behind you, so to compensate a video camera and monitor system is installed with the video camera fitted into the rear brake light cluster.  Turning a cars fender into dripping molten plastic is not an option that would allow the bike to be street legal.

With a production run of about five bikes a year, there will not be many of them around.