Steam Motorcycle

[petri]

Here's yet another pic of the Field; this one is from Gerry Stoneman's website:

http://www.stonemansteam.co.uk/

Hard to say whether the bystanders are moving in closer to get a better look or.......................are backing off.

These are fascinating machines. I think I "need" one.

Howard

[c.o.]

They do certainly seem to be keeping their distance don't they?

Ya got a good point there Inline on the wrinkle-free pants theory!!

I'm glad you brought the subject up Howard. I think there may be others of us that "need" a similar machine as well....ha....ha..... It does certainly look like fun!!!!

[Smarty]

Originally posted by petri
Thanks Smarty for the Haleson pics. Do you have any information on the operating parameters of this machine? When was it built? England seems to be a "hotbed" of steam engine interest.

Howard

I'm hunting out the article from the UK VMCC magazine they did on the Haleson a few years ago for the info, failing that the bike usually goes to the VMCC Founders Day Rally in the UK in July so I can ask the owner then.

Regards,

Martin

[AdminGuy]

Here's a picture of Pete with the Roper. I was personally at this get together and it really is a great show watching Pete fire up the Roper.

Simply --WOW! Steam is really neat.

[petri]

Thanks Admin Guy; we now have pics of three different steam motorcycles. Pete your Roper replica looks very well done indeed.

Does anybody have a picture of the Steam Flyer at the Cliff House? Is there a pic in the Gilligan article Pete? I wonder how many more of these bikes are out there? Any in the Land Down Under Baytown?

Howard

[dal aymond]

Out of curiosity, a steam motorcycle / bi-cycle would probably out pace a person walking or would it. If it would, would it out pace a casual bicycle ride or perhaps an average horse walking ??

[c.o.]

Pete would know for sure, but I think the steam bike would leave them in the dust, or would that be a shower of mist?

[Pete Gagan]

To answer your question, Dal, I've had the Roper doing 40 mph with lots of throttle left. Im reasonably certain that it would do about 60 with a braver rider. The Copeland and Geneva, with smaller engines are no faster than a conventional bicycle. The 1884 Copeland really looks the part, though! Its a long way to the ground.
Pete

[INLINE4NUT]

Pete,
One question????? Can you stream hotdogs with that MC ???Ha!HA! Bet its alot of fun when I was younger we would see a few old Stanley steams around my parents summer home at the ocean here always around the 4th of July,boy it sure was fun to see those cars!
I think the interesting thing about the Stanleys is that they really made their markin photography and not steam! Being from Maine they and their inventions have always been of interest to me !

[petri]

Well I've found yet another steam motorcycle, a 1940 Barr, named after the builder, John Barr. It's in an old steam publication republished by Floyd Clymer and now republished by Lindsey Books. Here's the caption under the picture.

.................................................. ...............................................

John Barr of Middletown, Ohio is the inventor and owner of a steam motorcycle which attracts a great ammount of attention. Mr. Barr, long interested in steam vehicles, is an "old timer" in the field of steam propelled vehicles, having started his experience with an early Mobile, which he still owns.

His steam motorcycle is mounted in a Henderson motorcycle frame. His object in building the steam motorcycle was to try out a new water feed for flash generators.

The water is pumped into a small receiver at the top of the boiler casing and held at 50 lbs. above boiler pressure by a relief valve.

He uses a hand pump and crosshead pump on the engine. The boiler consists of 75 feet of 1/4 inch pipe and has six square feet of heating surface.

The burner is 10" by 10" square. Kerosene is used for fuel. 12 pints of water are evaporated per hour for each square foot of heating surface. The machine holds steam at 250 lbs. at 45 miles per hour, but drops back on a hill.

The fuel tanks hold 2 gallons and the water tank has a 4 gallon capacity. The machine is geared 3 to 1. It is quiet and smooth and has a fine "getaway". Mr. Barr plans to make some improvements in the future that he thinks will further improve the machine, and is doing additional experimental work.--Clymer

.................................................. ..................................................

I wonder if a Mobile is another steam motorcycle or a steam car? And what ever happened to this bike? Maybe it's squirreled away in some barn in Ohio.

Using the numbers above and doing the arithmetic I get water consumption to be 72 pints/hr over the 6 sq ft surface.

He carries 4 gallons of water or 32 pints. Thus he can run for 37/72 hr or 27 min.

At 45 mph that will get him 20 miles before having to stop for water. Not a great range it would seem.

It's too bad the picture isn't clearer as it looks like a pretty clean package.

Howard

[petri]

Looking through other books in my librarry here I find the Mobile was a steam car made in Kingsland Point, Tarrytown-on-the-Hudson, NY. Built from around 1899-1903, it was a competitor of Locomobile.

Howard