Every once in a while, are you the kind of person who grumbles about why we don't have flying cars yet? Whether that's you or someone you know, you'll probably want to see what metal-obsessed builder Meanwhile in the Garage has been cooking up to finish off 2023 with a bang.
It's a custom build that starts with a Honda VFR800, but it's unlike pretty much any other custom build you've seen. You see, it's not just a custom bike that he's building.
Instead, it's a custom hoverbike, complete with an intricately designed and fully enclosed chain drive system that has the bike powering four rotors to lift it off the ground. Oh, and also, the guy makes the blades for the rotors himself, from scratch.
Now, if you're unfamiliar with MWiG, it's also crucial to point out here that this is a guy with a solid mechanical engineering background. That's part of what makes his work so fun to watch, and also part of why his builds frequently tend to turn out so well. There's a whole lot of expertise at work, which makes both his builds and his YouTube channel stand out.
In fact, as you gather with your family for the holidays, and everyone's sitting around trying to find something to watch, this could potentially be a fun video to share (though obviously, that depends on your family). MWiG has his young son in the garage with him, helping at certain points during this build. Encouraging kids to pursue curiosity and creativity is rarely a bad thing, whether it's in the workshop or watching a YouTube video and wondering what kinds of things they can build later.
It starts, as many projects do, with taking parts off the donor bike. You have to remove what you don't need before you can start modifying things, after all. That part is fairly simple and straightforward, and he neatly sets the parts aside that he no longer requires.
Soon, he's doing things like bending box aluminum to make the big X frame, welding it into place, and cutting metal pieces out using the cardboard templates that he's painstakingly drawn. Even if you don't automatically see how it's going to go together at first, it will soon become clear as you watch.
Using a system of sprockets, D.I.D. motorcycle chains, helper sprockets, and various tensioners, he successfully constructs and tests a system that converts the power from the bike to the rotors. How well it will work once the propeller blades are installed remains to be seen, but the first hurdle is getting the power where it needs to go. Driving wheels is a much different thing from driving four rotors, after all.
You'll also get to see him construct a safety cage platform that separates the riding portion of the bike from the rotors, as well as carefully crafting (and painting) all of the blades by hand. It's honestly kind of astonishing to watch, and probably an absolute joy to share with any budding engineers in your family. Keep it in your queue, sit down and watch together, and dream.
