Around two years ago we showed you an amazing steampunk motorcycle concept created by Colby Higgins. The Train Wreck, for this is the name of that concept, proved to be a very good source of inspiration for Ducth custom bike builder Rene van Tuil of Revatu Customs. After eight long months of work, Rene was able to showcase and ride his own steam-powered machine, the Black Pearl.
While Higgins' design was a digital creation, the Black Pearl is an actual motorcycle that could cause wet dreams to diehard steampunk fans. However, despite having the same name as Captain Jack Sparrow's fast ship, the Black Pearl is a machine designed for slow pleasurable rides.
Enjoying the countryside beauty at 8 km/h
The Black Pearl can only do about 8 km/h (5 mph), but apparently this is just the right speed. That is, the right speed for being able to enjoy fully sightseeing in the Dutch countryside and allowing passers-by to get a good glimpse of the bike.
Van Tuil does not say anything about the range of the Black Pearl and how often it needs to replenish its water and fuel reserves, but we'd rather say these are secondary issues, given how cool this thing looks.
If anything, the suspension looks a bit overkill, as life at 8 km/h is not that demanding as far as shock absorbers go. The front leading axle linkage DOES look awesome, however.
And maybe riding the Revatu Black Pearl in the winter is a much better idea than choo-chooing in the searing sun, as its "stove factor" might turn longer summer rides into open-air sauna sessions.
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