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Meet Sam Turner's Wicked Diesel-Powered Motorcycle

By Tim Charlet on September 19, 2018

A true fabricator appreciates the concept of taking components from multiple vehicles and crafting them into something unique. But – then there is Sam Turner’s wicked diesel-powered motorcycle. Crafted from an original frame, and powered by a tiny Chinese diesel engine, this hybrid freak of nature is part Boss Hoss – with a touch of Boss Hogg opulence that makes this bike a true one-off original.

Sam Turner’s amazing diesel motorcycle is truly a work of art. This life-time diesel mechanic who has worked for the US Postal service as a mechanic for years began riding motorcycles when he was eight and learned the craft of welding at 12. To say that coming up with the concept of an all-wheel drive, diesel motorcycle lit a creative spark would be an under-statement of titanic proportions.

This bike is flat out wicked awesome!

At the heart of beast is an 840-cc direct injected diesel V-twin engine that was taken from an old cement mixer. A pair of RHB-31 turbo-chargers drive fuel and air into the engine and are kept cool via an intercooler system from a Suzuki Swift. Turner’s original concept was to take an electric generator to drive the wheels, but this idea was cut due to the extreme cost of custom fabrication and parts. As any true fabricator would do, Turner switched to plan-B, a hydrostatic setup where the wheels (which by the way are steel wheels from a Toyota Camry) would be turned by hydraulic hub motors – receiving power from a hydraulic gear pump (from a salt spreader – and a displacement gear pump from a log splitter).

To use this truly-customized hydraulic system additional fabrication was completed – via a pair of 2,500-pound Airmaxx air bags, controlled by a custom-leveling system that gives the suspension about a foot of wiggle-room. The bike measures 11-feet and is steered via a cable-operated type of setup. It utilizes cables connected to the front and rear suspension (serious – we can’t make up this type of creativity). Essentially, it works like an old big-wheel.

This bike is the purest example of ingenuity in action. It was finished in OD green paint, uses an ammo can as a battery box, includes a jerry can fuel cell – and pretty much anything he could find around the shop or a yard-sale as accessories.

Tags: Motorcycles