The blazingly fast grandpa: 59-year-old Yorkshireman inventor breaks the land speed record by hitting 263km/h on a steam-powered rocket engine built in his shed
- Graham Sykes from Bedale has set a new 1/8 mile record on his motorcycle
- It uses “steam-based science” to achieve incredible speeds with zero emissions
- Watch the blazingly fast engine accelerate to 163.5 mph at a UK airport
Graham Sykes is about to turn 60. That means he will soon be eligible for a senior bus pass.
But this nine-year-old grandpa isn’t planning on traveling on the bus lane – instead, he’s set his sights on breaking records on the fast track.
The self-proclaimed ‘mad inventor’ from Bedale, Yorkshire, entered the record books last month by setting a mind-boggling world land speed record on two wheels.
He did this by reaching a top speed of 263 km/h on a steam-powered rocket motorcycle… he built in his backyard!
The faster grandpa: Graham Sykes from Yorkshire recently set a new land speed record on his steam-powered rocket engine, reaching over 160 mph
Sykes, who turns 60 this week, is a precision engineer by trade.
But in his spare time, he has created the ‘Force of Nature’ motorcycle – a two-wheeled beast that uses ‘steam-based science’ to achieve amazing accelerations.
The two-wheeled rocket ship uses the latent energy of superheated pressurized water which is then released through nozzles.
The water itself is heated by hydrogenated vegetable oil, further enhancing its green reputation.
The bike then turns this water into steam that propels it forward.
The shed-built vehicle is said to be “environmentally friendly” and “uses nature, science and innovation to reach incredible speeds.”
At the UK&ITA World Records Speed Week held at Elvington Airfield last month, Graham shattered the previous record for a steam-powered motorcycle.
On May 21, he clocked a top speed of 263.8 mph and completed the 1/8-mile drag run in just 3.878 seconds.
In fact, the top speed peaked around 180 mph after the 1/8 mile radius, although that doesn’t count towards the record.
Before Graham’s pioneering creation, the fastest steam motorcycle on record, reached a speed of 80,509 mph in 2014, the wheel-driven bicycle was created by American inventor Bill Barnes – unlike the Force of Nature, which is thrust-driven.
Graham Sykes, who turns 60 this week, has nine grandchildren. He says his steam-powered rocket engine is like riding ‘a big bomb’
When asked to describe The Force of Nature bike, the grandpa, who turns 60 later this week, said, “It’s really just a big bomb, and it all started in my shed.”
He added, “I took the principles of chemistry and combined them with precision engineering to create something I am passionate about: fast cycling.
“I wanted to do this in a way that is sustainable for the planet – after all, I have nine grandchildren – and show that you don’t have to compromise on speed, you just have to be creative.”
The Triumph is Graham’s latest record.
He previously shattered the UK national record for the fastest three-wheeled vehicle in 2015 with his self-built V8 three-wheeler ‘SYKO’.
On that custom vehicle, he managed to reach a top speed of 180.3 mph (171.4 mph averaged over the flying 1/4 mile).
Graham clocked a top speed of 263.8 mph last month and completed a 1/8 mile drag run in just 3.878 seconds
But Graham does not intend to stop here and believes he can go even faster.
He plans to break his own record and become the fastest steam vehicle ever.
In fact, he hopes the Force of Nature Steam Rocket Bike can cross the 200 mph threshold in the standing 1/8 mile sprint.
“We are now officially the fastest and fastest steam-powered motorcycle in the world,” added Graham.
There’s a lot more power to come and I’m sure we’ll be riding faster in the coming months.”
The motorcycle was designed and built in a barn at Graham’s Yorkshire home using state-of-the-art CAD modeling and CNC machining.
He says it ’embodies the indomitable spirit of British engineering’.