This is not the first time we have talked to you about the Millyard Viper V10, nor probably the last. However, we had never before focused on the history of this incredible mount, nor had we compared it to the motorcycle that in a way became the trigger to give life to this iconic project. We are referring, of course, to the Dodge Tomahawk, which we talked to you about at length yesterday in this article.
In any case, let no one make a mistake; Millyard already had extensive experience in this type of projects with other unique creations such as the Kawasaki 850/5 2T from 1976, the Kawasaki V8 1600 cc from 1974 and the Kawasaki Zed 2300 cc V12, as pointed out by Bike Bound. All of them equipped with unusual engines, although in appearance they were very similar to the standard series models.
In his day, Allen Millyard explained to his colleagues at MCN: “While I don’t consider myself a custom bike builder like the guys at Bike Shed and the people who build Harleys, I definitely love what they do and completely understand why they do it. I have always tried to make my bikes look factory-made, as if they were made by the original manufacturer, although this often involves a lot of extra work.”
Millyard Viper V10: A demonstration of pure talent
As the story goes, after the presentation of the Dodge Tomahawk at the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed, Allen’s son, Stephen, commented to his father: “You could do better than that, Dad.”. Immediately afterwards he looked for a Viper engine on Ebay just a few minutes later he shouted: “Dad, you have the engine!”
It was not until the summer of 2007 when Allen began the Millyard Viper V10 project, initially focusing on the frame and subframes, as well as a single-sided swingarm anchored directly to the gearbox. The space between all these elements was necessary to be able to install the V10 engine, which was also a structural part as a central element of tension between the different parts.
Subsequently, he focused on the suspensions with a handmade inverted fork composed of two 75 mm JCB cylinders, with Vauxhall damping bars and Hagon shock absorbers. On the rear axle, shock absorbers from Yamaha R1 were chosen. Likewise, Allen had to manufacture countless small components with which to make up the details of the Millyard Viper V10.
The result was a beast with 500 HP of power and a curb weight of 630 kilograms. In addition, and unlike the Tomahawk, Allen’s Millyard Viper V10 was approved to be able to circulate on public roads. Since then, its creator has traveled nearly 20,000 km with it, since construction was completed in 2009. But not only that, since he has broken several records riding this Millyard Viper V10.
For example, the land speed record, on a motorcycle with its two occupants in a tandem position. Allen Millyard and Henry Cole managed to reach a maximum speed of 295.31 km/h along the three kilometers of the runway located within the Elvington airfield located in the town of North Yorkshire. On the other hand, test driver Bruce Dunn reached 333 km/h at the Bruntingthrope test track.
But this is not all, since Millyard assures that one could go much faster if it were not for the difficulty of holding the handlebars at those speeds in a contraption of such dimensions and weight.
To finish off, and in relation to the construction of his Millyard Viper V10, Allen explains: “Actually, I did it to beat the Americans at what they do best. “They’ve tried twice to build a Viper-powered bike (the Tomahawk and a one-off Boss Hoss version) and this one is better than both.” And boy has he achieved it.
