Allen Millyard

Last updated

Allen Millyard from Thatcham, Berkshire, England, [1] [ failed verification ] [2] is a mechanical engineer and a custom bike builder.

Contents

For over 25 years, he has designed and created numerous ingenious motorcycle specials. Most of these are derived from factory-built machines, and include a Honda SS50-based V-twin, [3] (and thereby winning best in show for "the world's smallest V-twin at Salon Privée), a 700cc V-twin Velocette [4] and the "Flying Millyard", which uses an engine derived from an air-cooled radial aviation motor. [5] [6] [ full citation needed ] Another large capacity bike he hand-made is the Millyard Viper, built around an eight-litre V10 engine from a Dodge Viper. [7] He has built several Kawasaki specials (both two and four strokes) including a 2,400cc V12. Some of these bikes are on display at the Barber Museum, in Birmingham, Alabama, US. [8] [ full citation needed ]

Millyard has made numerous videos about his motorcycle specials, and has posted them on YouTube. A 2024 project involves the dismantling, cleaning, refining, and rebuilding the ill-fated Norton Nemesis, a concept motorcycle fitted with a V8 engine. [9] As yet incomplete, as of September 2024, the series runs to 14 episodes. [10]

In recent years Millyard has become more widely known via his TV appearances with Henry Cole. Together they claimed a world speed-record, ratified by Guinness World Records at 183.50 mph (295.31 km/h), achieved with the pair riding "tandem" on the road-legal Viper, beating by two mph the previous record held by an American couple for over 10 years. The record was set using the 9,800 ft (3,000 m) long runway at Elvington Airfield, North Yorkshire, England, on 25 May 2023. [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norton Motorcycle Company</span> British motorcycle manufacturer

The Norton Motorcycle Company is a brand of motorcycles headquartered in Solihull, West Midlands,, England. For some years around 1990, the rights to use the name on motorcycles were owned by North American financiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda Magna</span> Type of motorcycle

The Honda Magna is a cruiser motorcycle made from 1982 to 1988 and 1994 to 2003 and was the second Honda to use their new V4 engine shared with the VF750S Sabre and a few years later a related engine was fitted to the VF750F 'Interceptor', the later models used a retuned engine from the VFR750F with fins added to the outside of the engine. The engine technology and layout was a descendant of Honda's racing V4 machines, such as the NS750 and NR750. The introduction of this engine on the Magna and the Sabre in 1982, was a milestone in the evolution of motorcycles that would culminate in 1983 with the introduction of the Interceptor V4. The V45's performance is comparable to that of Valkyries and Honda's 1800 cc V-twin cruisers. However, its mix of performance, reliability, and refinement was overshadowed by the more powerful 1,098 cc "V65" Magna in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Elvington</span> Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire, England

Royal Air Force Elvington or more simply RAF Elvington is a former Royal Air Force station which operated from the beginning of the Second World War until 1992 located at Elvington, Yorkshire, England. It is now the location of the Yorkshire Air Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Custom motorcycle</span>

A custom motorcycle is a motorcycle with stylistic and/or structural changes to the 'standard' mass-produced machine offered by major manufacturers. Custom motorcycles might be unique, or built in limited quantities. While individual motorcyclists have altered the appearance of their machines since the first days of motorcycling, the first individualized motorcycles specifically labeled 'Custom' appeared in the late 1950s, around the same time as the term was applied to custom cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multi-valve</span> Type of car engine

A multi-valve or multivalve engine is one where each cylinder has more than two valves. A multi-valve engine has better breathing, and with more smaller valves may be able to operate at higher revolutions per minute (RPM) than a two-valve engine, delivering more power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzuki Hayabusa</span> Sports motorcycle

The Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa is a sports motorcycle made by Suzuki since 1999. It immediately won acclaim as the world's fastest production motorcycle, with a top speed of 303 to 312 km/h.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorcycle engine</span> Engine that powers a motorcycle

A motorcycle engine is an engine that powers a motorcycle. Motorcycle engines are typically two-stroke or four-stroke internal combustion engines, but other engine types, such as Wankels and electric motors, have been used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda CB450</span> Type of motorcycle

The Honda CB450 is a standard motorcycle made by Honda from 1965 to 1974 with a 444 cc (27.1 cu in) 180° DOHC straight-twin engine. Producing 45 bhp, it was Honda's first "big" motorcycle, though it did not succeed in its goal of competing directly against the larger Triumphs, Nortons, and Harley-Davidsons in the North American market at the time. As a result, Honda tried again, leading to the development of the four cylinder Honda CB750 that marked a turning point for Honda and beginning of the "superbike" era of motorcycles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judd (engine)</span> British company

Judd is a brand of racing car engines built by Engine Developments Ltd., a company founded in 1971 by John Judd and Jack Brabham in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Engine Developments was intended to build engines for Brabham's racing efforts, and became one of the first firms authorised by Cosworth to maintain and rebuild its DFV engines, but has since expanded into various areas of motorsport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorcycle land-speed record</span>

The motorcycle land-speed record is the fastest speed achieved by a motorcycle on land. It is standardized as the speed over a course of fixed length, averaged over two runs in opposite directions. AMA National Land Speed Records requires two passes the same calendar day in opposite directions over a timed mile/kilometre while FIM Land Speed World Records require two passes in opposite directions to be over a timed mile/kilometre completed within two hours. These are special or modified motorcycles, distinct from the fastest production motorcycles. The first official FIM record was set in 1920, when Gene Walker rode an Indian on Daytona Beach at 104.12 mph (167.56 km/h). Since late 2010, the Ack Attack team has held the motorcycle land speed record at 376.36 mph (605.69 km/h).

Alwyn "Al" Melling is a British automobile engineer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Featherbed frame</span> Motorcycle frame

The featherbed frame was a motorcycle frame invented by the McCandless brothers and offered to the British Norton motorcycle company to improve the performance of their racing motorcycles in 1950. It was considered revolutionary at the time, and the best handling frame that a racer could have. Later adopted for Norton production motorcycles, it was also widely used by builders of custom hybrids such as the Triton, becoming legendary and remaining influential to this day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Britten V1000</span> Handbuilt race motorcycle

The Britten V1000 is a handbuilt race motorcycle designed and built by John Britten and a group of friends in Christchurch, New Zealand during the early 1990s. The bike went on to win the Battle of the Twins in Daytona International Speedway's Daytona Bike Week festivities in the United States and set several world speed records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millyard Viper V10</span> Custom motorcycle with a ten-cylinder engine

The Millyard Viper V10 is a one-off motorcycle capable of over 200 mph (320 km/h) that was built by British engineer Allen Millyard. The motorcycle weighs 1,200 lb (540 kg), of which 700 lb (320 kg) is the 8-litre engine, sourced from ebay, originally intended for a Dodge Viper, with the V10 cylinder configuration producing 500 bhp (370 kW) at 4,800rpm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Hyde</span> British motorcycle development engineer

Norman Hyde is a British motorcycle development engineer, racer, and world record holder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda SS50</span> Type of motorcycle

The Honda SS50 is a 50 cc (3.1 cu in) motorcycle manufactured by the Honda Motor Company.

Forced induction in motorcycles is the application of forced induction to a motorcycle engine. Special automotive engineering and human factor considerations exist for the application of forced induction with motorcycles compared to other forms of motorized transportation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dodge Tomahawk</span> Concept vehicle

The Dodge Tomahawk is a non-street legal vehicle introduced in 2003 by Dodge at the North American International Auto Show, initially as a one-off concept, and then later that year as a limited production vehicle when DaimlerChrysler announced they would sell hand-built reproductions on order. The Tomahawk attracted significant press and industry attention for its striking design, its outsize-displacement, 10-cylinder car engine, and its four close-coupled wheels, which give it a motorcycle-like appearance. Experts disagreed on whether it is a true motorcycle. The retro-Art Deco design's central visual element is the 500-horsepower (370 kW), 8.3-litre (510 cu in) V10 SRT10 engine from the Dodge Viper sports car. The Tomahawk's two front and two rear wheels are sprung independently, which would allow it to lean into corners and countersteer like a motorcycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Cole (presenter)</span> British TV presenter and producer

Henry Cole is an English TV presenter, producer and director. On television he is best known for World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides, The Motorbike Show, Shed and Buried, and Find It, Fix It, Flog It. Many of these feature Allen Millyard and in the main are produced by his own production company, HCA Entertainment. Cole is also the founder and CEO of bespoke motorcycle manufacturer Gladstone Motorcycles, named after his great uncle Dick "Red Beard" Gladstone.

References

  1. "Guest of Honour October". staffordclassicbikeshows.com. 14 August 2017.
  2. "At Home with the Genius Engineer Allen Millyard". morebikes.co.uk. 25 November 2020.
  3. Teenage dreams: We ride Allen Millyard's Honda SS50 specials Motorcycle News , 3 June 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2022
  4. Video report from MCN, via YouTube
  5. "Brooklands Museum :: The Motorcycle Show report".
  6. The Flying Millyard: Five litres of eccentric joy | MCN (motorcyclenews.com)
  7. "Millyard Viper V10 Wins 2012 Coles Miller Dream Machines Bike of the Year". coles-miller.co.uk.
  8. Flying Millyard | Bike Rider Magazine (brm.co.nz)
  9. "The "Norton Nemesis": Comedy or Tragedy?" (PDF). Andover Norton. November 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  10. Allen Millyard. Norton Nemesis V8 Rebuild. You Tube. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  11. 'It's got to be done': Millyard and Cole set sights on 200mph pillion record after previous run recognised by Guinness Motorcycle News , 24 August 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024
  12. Cole & Millyard set new speed record 2-up henrycole.tv, 24 August 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024

Further reading