While electrification may be the future of mobility, some choose to go back in time. Meet Graham Sykes, a 62-year-old engineer from England, and the operator of ‘Force of Nature,’ a steam-powered motorcycle which he also built.
Yes, you read that right—steam power. A report from MCN explains that the bike uses a burner fueled by either vegetable oil or kerosene to create heat. The heat then travels through burner tubes and eventually through a pressure vessel containing 120 liters of deionized and demineralized water.
When Sykes is ready, the pressure from the vessel is released through a pair of de Laval rocket nozzles, launching the Force of Nature to 309kph in just over 4.5sec. A separate story from Carscoops further revealed that Sykes has even hit the 100kph sprint in about 0.4sec.
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These are truly astounding numbers, and you can check out his latest exhibition below. It took place earlier this year, in April, at the Santa Pod Raceway in Bedfordshire, England. The sound from the pressure being released is (naturally) unlike any combustion-engined symphony you have heard before. The rider-engineer calls his steam-powered bike the “fastest-accelerating vehicle in the world,” and that is probably not an exaggeration.
Sykes has been working on the Force of Nature since 2020, aiming to consistently improve its performance. Moving forward, he’s looking to take 0.6sec off his quarter-mile time. For reference, it currently sits at 5.5039sec—a real blink-and-you’ll-miss-it type of record.
