In 1965, William “Wild Bill” Gelbke designed a giant motorcycle called the Roadog. This design has become one of the most unique motorcycles. Nearly 60 years later, the car still stands the test of time.
Currently, Roadog has found a new home in the US with renowned car enthusiast, Shawn Kerr, owner of motorcycle dealerships SRK Cycles and Bikes & Beards.
In fact, two Roadogs were built. Shawn Kerr has one that hasn’t been used for 30 years. So, when he had this car the first thing he did was to repair it
With extremely huge dimensions, up to 5.18 meters long, weighing almost 1.5 tonnes, this motorcycle weighs the same as a Toyota Camry, Corolla or Honda Accord.
In terms of operating specifications, the Roadog features a 152 cc 4-cylinder Chevy II engine, Powerglide transmission, modified Chevrolet differential, and disc brakes taken from the Chevrolet Corvette.
The reason why Gelbke created a “super heavy” motorcycle is also quite interesting. He wanted a car that would be comfortable for long trips, but also as durable as possible. And that motorcycle can challenge Harley-Davidson. To prove his point, he drove this car more than 32,000 km in the first year. Gelbke died suddenly in 1979. His demise remains a mystery. There were rumors that he had cancer, and there were also rumors that he was shot by someone else due to a conflict between two parties.
Regardless of the truth, Wild Bill’s legacy lives on decades later, now that the Roadhog, after passing through several different owners, has come to Kerr. Kerr has a YouTube channel with 1.9 million subscribers. This means that the image of a car speeding down the road will be recorded and shared with millions of people
Initially, when he drove the Roaddog for the first time, Kerr felt a little unbalanced and had difficulty turning. Once he gets used to the car, he can drive easily and comfortably at a speed of 145 km/h even on long trips.
Answer: Bikes and Beards/Youtube
(TagstoTranslate)motorcycle
