Cult bike of the day- MTT Y2K Turbine Motorcycle

Built by American manufacturer, Marine Turbine Technologies, the MTT Y2K Turbine is a hyperbike powered by a turboshaft engine. The first Y2K was launched in 2000 and used a Rolls-Royce Allison 250-C18 gas turbine. This engine was used by…helicopters.

If that did not shake you, this will. The gas turbine produces a claimed 320bhp at 52,000rpm with torque more than a Lamborghini Huracan! The hyperbike’s turboshaft engine is mated to the rear wheel via a two-speed gearbox and chain final drive.To adapt the engine to run on roads rather than fly, MTT turned it upside down so the exhaust can exit downwards. It runs on kerosene, but it is tuned to run on diesel or jet fuel as well. The turbines on the ¬¬Y2K are second hand ones. They are rebuilt after it reaches the original manufacturer’s running time. The motorcycles are not mass-produced and are made to order according to the buyer’s specifications.

The Y2K is considered the fastest and most expensive production motorcycle by the Guinness World Records. It had a top speed of 402kmph and did 302kmph in 5.4 seconds! We wonder how the rider hung on to the bike. All that power in a 250kg bike, the Y2K is an actual jet with carbon-fibre wheels, although without wings.

However, it seems that even the 320bhp version was not enough for everybody. So recently, MTT has introduced a 420bhp version called the Y2K Streetfighter. This one had a larger swingarm, a wider 240-section rear tyre, bigger fuel tank and better cooling system and a staggering 440kmph was claimed to be the top speed. 

MTT had displayed the Y2K here in India in 2013 during the India Bike Week in Goa. The bike retails for close to Rs 1 crore in the USA, so we can expect it to cost twice that if it comes to India. Also, if you happen to be standing behind one in traffic, be careful as the bike is known to melt bumpers of trailing cars.