Tiny Kei Van Powered By Motorcycle Heart Is A Neat Piece Of Frankenstein Engineering
Screenshot: Larry Chen on YouTube
If you have a spare Daihatsu Hijet van and a Yamaha FZR600 motorcycle laying around, there’s really no reason not to mush the two together and create something totally new and rad in the process. That’s exactly what the bonkers car folks at Nightride in Poland decided to do. This little red monster has been tearing up the internet for a few months now, and it’s just an incredible piece of hot rod innovation. The little van has enough room in the back for a whole motorcycle, so why not take advantage of that and just power the little van with a 90-horsepower motorcycle mated to the rear axle?
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Screenshot: Larry Chen on YouTube
This Hijet, a sixth-generation micro van, would have had no more than 40 or 50 horsepower when it was new, so the bike engine is definitely making more. One downside of using an entire bike in the back is that the van now doesn’t have any room in its cargo area. But who needs cargo when you can make car go? The van’s original purpose was hauling the carcasses of dead animals the previous owner hunted, but now it only hauls ass.
Motorcycle-Powered Kei Van, Dubbed Kevin, by Nightride
The original plan for the car was to swap in an early Miata engine and transmission, but it would have been way too long for this tiny van. And the builders say that the impetus behind this project was just laziness. “Why would we pull the motor out of the motorbike?”
As cool as it is, this van definitely doesn’t look very comfortable. With unpadded metal seats and no rear suspension at all, this is going to be a rough ride, for sure. But looking cool always has a price, and this is one well worth paying.
