A Baffling 4,200cc Motorcycle With 24x Cylinders Than A Harley-Davidson

Summary

• The Whitelock Tinker Toy motorcycle harbors a groundbreaking 48-cylinder engine–a true engineering marvel.
• Built by Simon Whitelock, known for his multi-cylinder creations, this beast sits on Honda Gold Wing underpinnings to support its massive engine.
• The Tinker Toy has an unmatched blend of exclusivity, engineering prowess, and impracticality.

When Sylvester Howard Roper first plonked a steam engine in a cycle chassis, all he wanted was to make life easier for him. Little did he know, the idea would birth an entire category of automobiles we all adore: motorcycles. Today, motorcycles are the most innovative they’ve ever been. We see all kinds of engine layouts–triples, V-twins, inline-fours, inline-sixes–in mass production, alongside some insane, bespoke creations from private parties.

Since we love focusing on the latter now and then, we’ve brought you a motorcycle that redefines crazy. It holds the Guinness world record for the functional vehicle with the most cylinders, not just in the two-wheeler world but in automobiles overall. And to give you a brief idea, the number of cylinders is 24 times your favorite Harley-Davidson!

Meet The Whitelock Tinker Toy With 4,200cc, 48-Cylinders

The motorcycle in context is called the Whitlock Tinker Toy–named after its creator Simon Whitelock (more on that in a bit). The talking point here is the mind-bending 48-cylinder powerhouse. It comprises 16 Kawasaki KH250 three-cylinder two-stroke engines, joined together into six banks of eight. This results in a total displacement of a whopping 4,200 cubic centimeters–1,700cc more than the world’s largest production motorcycle engine by Triumph. Such a large engine is no easy feat. So its maker has custom fabricated most parts, whether it’s the engine internals or the six-way throttle splitter.

Each 250cc mill was good for 32 horsepower. So, theoretically, it should result in a combined peak power of 512 HP for the Tinker Toy. That doesn’t seem like the case, though, as no one’s actually put this on a dyno (where do you find such a big one anyway?). Whatever the output may be, all of it reaches the wheel via a BMW K100-derived transmission. Simon says:

It’s not made for speed, it’s not really made for power, it was made to get in the Guinness Book of Records

To kick it to life (no fuel injection here), the motorcycle employs a separate 125cc engine from a scooter. Originally, a 50cc mill was planned, but it couldn’t supply proper fuel to the large carbs. Our favorite element, though, is the manic 24-into-1 exhaust system on each side. The headers are giant and hand-welded in sections because it’s so long, a single piece would simply warp during construction. All this while, the fuel tank lies deep between the engine at the bottom. The enlarged tank cover you see at the top is just a dummy to keep the ignition and electronics covered.

Whitelock Tinker Toy Engine Specifications

The Underpinnings Come From A Honda Gold Wing

With such a massive engine, the underpinnings need to be special too. And that’s precisely the case here. Up top, there’s a set of Honda Gold Wing-derived telescopic forks, reinforced with extra springs to tackle the heft. Similarly, the dual shocks, trio of disc brakes, and calipers all come from Honda’s heavyweight as well. All this ties up with a custom-fabricated chassis and swingarm.

As for ergonomics, they’re unlike anything out there. Because the tank is enormously stretched, the saddle is quite far from the handlebar, and it will give your spine a good ‘ol stretch. Clearly, the riding dynamics weren’t a key focus here, since we’re not sure how anyone would turn this behemoth. If you somehow do adjust to the reach, you’ll also have to work extra hard to wrestle the 1,300-pound heft. That’s equivalent to the combined heft of two Harley-Davidson Sportster S bikes, plus a Honda CB300R.

Whitelock Tinker Toy Underpinnings

The Tinker Toy Is Made By Simon Whitelock

Now that we’ve talked about the motorcycle, allow us to tell you about the man who made it. Simon Whitelock is an impeccable engineer known for building unusual multi-cylinder motorcycles for years. He started out with a Kawasaki inline-three and changed it into an inline-four. Then came a nine-cylinder motorcycle which had three connected Kawasaki triples, closely followed by an inline-seven offering. Since his know-how mainly revolved around Team Green bikes, this became his obvious pick for the Tinker Toy project in the early 2000s. The 48-cylinder behemoth came to life in 2003.

Today, the Tinker Toy currently sits at Bonhams Auctions, looking for a new home. The auction will take place on April 21, 2024, at The International Classic MotorCycle Show, in Stafford, England. It’s estimated to go for anywhere between $50,000 and $75,000, and we’re not sure whether this is the only example out there. You should also know the motorcycle is legal to run in Britain. Not sure that’d be the case in America, though.

What are you thoughts on this mammoth? Thumbs up for exclusivity and engineering skills, or thumbs down for impracticality?

Source: YouTube