5 Of The Fastest V8 Motorcycles Ever Made

Early motorcycles like the Daimler Reitwagen and the Harley-Davidson Model 1 were essentially bicycle frames with one-cylinder engines attached. In the more than a century since those two models were built, motorcycle design has evolved to the point where at least five modern-day bikes have engines that produce more than 200 horsepower. Many of these high-powered machines, like the Ducati Panigale V4 and Kawasaki Ninja H2R, use four-cylinder engines to get to speeds approaching 200 mph. 

While V8-powered motorcycles aren't as common as four-banger powered superbikes or the V-twin-fueled cruisers from the likes of Harley and its rival Indian Motorcycle, there have been plenty of motorcycles with V8 engines to reach face-rippling speeds. They span a timeline from the early 20th Century to today, and present a remarkable cross-section of how motorcycle engine technology has progressed over the years. Here are five motorcycles that used V8 engines to achieve incredible speeds for the era in which they were produced.

Glenn Curtiss condensed a tremendous amount of innovation into a period of a few years in the early 20th Century. He started in 1902 with a one-cylinder, three horsepower engines and developed an eight-horse V-twin the following year. His ability to produce light and powerful engines captured the interest of the nascent aeronautical industry, and interest from that sector prompted him to build his first V8 engine. 

By this point, he was an accomplished motorcycle racer, and he directed his team to build a two-wheeler that could support the V8. The machine they produced had some design anomalies that were necessary to accommodate the massive motor. The seat was placed well behind the engine to keep the rider's legs from getting burned by the exhaust heat; this required the use of long handlebars that landed handling somewhere on the spectrum between delicate and dangerous.

These quirks didn't stop Curtiss from setting a land speed record on the bike in January 1907. Florida Speed Carnival officials refused to sanction the bike in any official category, so Curtiss made his record-setting run as an exhibition. On the sands of Ormond Beach, Curtiss took 2 miles to get up to speed, another mile to set a new record at 136 mph, and 2 more miles to bring the bike to a stop. 

Ithaca-born E.J. Potter earned the name "Michigan Madman" for his penchant for going fast without regard for life or limb, and in 1960 he built the Bloody Mary 1, which had a 283 cubic inch Chevrolet V8 mounted in its frame. He built two more Bloody Mary's before changing the name of his drag bikes to the Widowmaker, but kept the sequential numbering system going uninterrupted. By the time he got to the Widowmaker 7 in 1971, Potter had switched to Chevy's 350-inch V8 as his powerplant of choice. 

For luck number seven, Potter upgraded the 350 with a gear-driven cam and rockers, aluminum heads, forged pistons, and fuel injection. These improvements boosted output to a rumored 500 horsepower and helped Potter set a Guinness World Record and three American Hot Rod Association records with its top speed of 172 mph. After Potter retired, the bike changed hands a couple of times before going up for public auction via Bonham's in 2017. It was expected to fetch between $65,000 and $85,000, but did not inspire any bidders to meet the reserve price. 

Giancarlo Morbidelli was born in 1934 into a farming family in Pesaro, Italy, on the Adriatic coast. As a teenager, he began an apprenticeship in a woodworking factory, and started his own woodworking enterprise in the late '50s. In his spare time, he modified motorcycles for racing, and was as successful in that endeavor as he was in making industrial machinery. He began making his own Grand Prix racers in 1968, and seven years later a Morbidelli won the first of the manufacturer's seven world titles.

He shut the racing division down in 1982 after a failed move from the 125 cubic centimeter class up to 250, but a decade later Morbidelli built a prototype street bike with a V8 inspired by the Cosworth Formula 1 engine. The body was from famed coachbuilder Pininfarina, and had a sleek, futuristic look. The Morbidelli's 850 cubic centimeter V8 produced 120 horsepower, and used a shaft drive to get up to 150 mph. The model went into production in 1994, but the price of $45,000 (about $95,000 today) kept demand low. Only four Morbidelli V8s were ever built, including the prototype. The one shown above is on display at the Barber Motorsports Museum in Birmingham, Alabama.

[Featured image by Brian Glass via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC-BY SA 2.0]

The Morbidelli V8 was ahead of its time three decades ago, but the PGM V8 represents the best of the modern era. This Australian-made monster has a 2-liter V8 with five valves and a Mikuni throttle body for each cylinder. Output is a ridiculous 334 horsepower and 158 pound-feet of torque, which goes to the road via a six-speed transmission and chain-driven rear wheel. 

There's weight-saving carbon fiber throughout the bodywork, and the digital instrument panel has a billet aluminum casing. The wheels are made of forged aluminum to shed a few more ounces, and are slowed by Brembo GP4 calipers grabbing on to 320 millimeter discs. We consulted PGM's website to find the model's official top speed, and were presented only with the question, "How brave are you?"

A better question might be, "How wealthy are you?" The PGM V8 costs 180,000 Australian dollars, which works out to about $115,000 American greenbacks. This bike's real-life top speed is probably limited to the 168 mph for which its Michelin Pilot Power 3 tires are rated, but that's likely faster than any of us need to go on two wheels.

One look at the Eisenberg V8 makes it clear that this bike is built for speed. The fully-faired version looks like something out of the "Tron" movie and video game world, and the unclad version shows off the massive radiator, fuel filters, and titanium exhaust pipes. The 3-liter V8 puts out 400 horsepower and 261 pound-feet of torque when it's allowed to breathe freely, and can go faster than 225 mph. When the aerodynamic bodywork is in place and the engine is fed race fuel or E85, Eisenberg claims 480 horsepower and a top speed of over 250 mph. 

That would have it ahead of the pace of the fastest open-wheel race cars on earth, and similarly smoking most World Superbike or MotoGP machines in a straight line. Like the PGM V8, Eisenbergs are made for the brave and the wealthy. The reservation fee of £25,000 (about $32,000 U.S.) is enough to buy a Ducati Panigale V4S outright, and the minimum purchase price of £135,000 exchanges to more than $172,000 in American money. You'll still have to set aside some extra cash for personalization, and you'll have to demonstrate to the manufacturer that you can handle 400-plus horsepower. Only 100 of the road versions will be made, and Eisenberg will fly it to a private airfield near you so you can put it through its paces immediately upon delivery.