The thunder from Down Under.
V8 motorcycles are the definition of excess. There’s something patently American about cramming an engine that belongs in a mid-size pickup into the frame of a bike. Most applications of V8s in motorcycles come in the form of cruisers, where straight-line speed is valued and weight is seen as irrelevant. Not to be upstaged by the Yanks, PGMV8 of Australia aimed to rewrite the recipe for V8 motorcycles by creating a monster 1,996cc sport bike.
Designed by Paul G. Maloney, the PGMV8’s 90-degree,
eight-cylinder engine was a labor of love. Instead of shoehorning a car
motor into a motorcycle chassis, he meticulously developed a V8 by
mating two Yamaha
R1 inline fours. The 2.0-liter engine produces 334 horsepower and 158
foot-pounds of torque. With figures like that, you may want to learn how to change your own tires because you’re going to blow through rears like a kid that just learned how to skid on a bicycle.
Big
displacement typically equates to big weight and at 533 pounds wet, the
PGMV8 is by no means petite. To help the motorcycle keep its figure,
Maloney employed a chromoly trellis frame, machined aluminum subframe,
and carbon fiber bodywork. The pair of Akraopovic custom-built titanium 4-into-2-into-1 exhausts provide additional weight-savings and bend their way around a Yamaha R1 swingarm.
To put it in perspective, the Kawasaki Ninja H2 weighs in at 524 pounds, but the H2
produces 106 less horsepower than the PGMV8. If that doesn’t accurately
illustrate the excess of Maloney’s creation, I don’t know what will.
With
reports of the bike retailing for $180,000 AUD (around $120,000 USD),
the PGMV8 isn’t for the frugal-minded. To buttress the price, Maloney
outfits the bike with top-shelf components like Ohlins FGRT301 forks, Ohlins TTX Mk2 monoshock, and forged aluminum wheels from Marchesini. Brembo GP4 calipers up front and a Brembo P4 clamper in the rear yields appropriate stopping power for the 2-liter beast.
If
you have an appetite for excessive power and excessive funds to match,
the V8 from Oz may be for you. If you only possess the former and lack
the latter, enjoy the impressive imagery of the PGMV8 above.
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