56.3 mph might not sound too impressive, but John Petsche hit that speed while riding on a motorcycle powered by vegetable oil.
Petsche added a diesel engine to an old Kawasaki and then converted the engine so that it could run on bio-fuel.
"Alternate fuel vehicles do not have to be overly complicated and expensive," Petsche told Wired.com. "There should be more emphasis on cheap, simple, and reliable vehicles built with proven components that have been optimized for fuel efficiency."
Petsche, who raced his motorcycle in the 350cc unstreamlined alt-fuel class at Maine's Loring Timing Association, built his bike with the help of an online network of like-minded builders. Petsche may have only hit 56 mph, but for a bio-diesel bike, that's pretty impressive.
The fastest diesel bike on record was more than twice the size of Petsche bike. A modified BMW R 1150 RT known as Die Moto hit113 mph.
"For the average person looking to build a homemade project, a biofuel-powered diesel motorcycle is the best bet," Petsche said. "Heavy batteries and limited range are not an issue, donor parts are cheap and widely available, and there is a huge support network of people who have already completed projects of their own."
