THE MONSTER: The world's largest "ride-able" motorcycle weighs in at 6,500 pounds and measures a monstrous 11-ft 3-inches high, 20-ft 4-inches long and 10-ft 6-inches wide, the monster machine, aptly named Dream Big, is powered by a 502 cubic inch V8 engine with 500 horsepower and a top speed of 65 mph.
It took bike builder Gregory Dunham and his team at Monster Cycles, Stockton, California three years to build and cost $300,000 (€228,500) but he made it to the 2007 Guinness World Records Book.
"Building the bike was a dream of mine, I could see it," says Dunham, who wanted to construct a machine so big that it could rise up and seek revenge on lethal cars and bikes on the roads, after suffering the loss of his father, sister and two cousins in road traffic accidents.
"When I was about 11 years old, my two cousins were riding a motorcycle and a drunk driver side-swiped them and ripped their legs off. They barely survived and put our family through hell especially since my Dad and my sister were killed by drunk drivers," he says. He had his epiphany while watching a monster truck show: "I was watching the monster trucks and got thinking, why wouldn't a monster motorcycle work and be great for people to see running over cars rather than the usual car running over the motorcyclist. I almost called it sweet revenge for all the maimed motorcyclists who were not seen by the car drivers."
Obviously you can't straddle this monster and ride it like a standard-size motorcycle. The rider sits eight feet off the ground behind the huge handlebars. A separate electric powered hydraulic system powers the rear wheelie bar/ kickstand for its raising and lowering capabilities. A high performance rock-crawling steering gearbox powered by a heavy-duty chrome pump powered by the engine provides power steering. The Dream Big has become a spectacle and workhorse for charity. "The bike puts a smile on everyone's face," claims Dunham. "My next step is to work up a plan to use Dream Big as a fundraiser for schools, encouraging the kids to follow their dreams which they can't achieve if on drugs or in prison," he adds. For more information visit monster-cycles.com
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