Emile Leray built a working motorbike from a broken down car to escape the African desert

Postpocelipse said:

Is that a steampunk inspired puta ?

Cymek said:

Postpocelipse said:

!https://scontent-syd1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13244765_460371277490073_2175409268534811563_n.jpg?oh=0984ad0514be7715e91cf931bf99485b&oe=57DE98A5

Is that a steampunk inspired puta ?

Either that or a computer inspired Titanic……..

Kind of surface-bound version of Flight of the Phoenix.

Still, seems weird.

“The nearest village was 20 miles away”
http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/photos-man-escapes-african-desert-doom-turns-wrecked-car-diy-motorcycle-article-1.1107099

I walked more than 20 miles in a day several times over the last few years and I’m not a young man in peak physical condition.

The area he was stuck in was barren, but not dune-ridden, so walking across it should not have been extraordinarily difficult.

He had brought water for 10 days. It took him 12 days to make this conversion of the vehicle. He was down to his last half litre when he finished the work.

If he was worried about dehydrating by walking in the desert sun, he could walk in the morning twilight and the relative cool of the early morning.

Basically … nothing about this seems like it would have been better to completely drain his survival resources while converting a car to a motorcycle with no guarantee that the project would work, rather than just take a day or two to walk 20 miles.

dv said:

Kind of surface-bound version of Flight of the Phoenix.

Still, seems weird.

“The nearest village was 20 miles away”
http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/photos-man-escapes-african-desert-doom-turns-wrecked-car-diy-motorcycle-article-1.1107099

I walked more than 20 miles in a day several times over the last few years and I’m not a young man in peak physical condition.

The area he was stuck in was barren, but not dune-ridden, so walking across it should not have been extraordinarily difficult.

He had brought water for 10 days. It took him 12 days to make this conversion of the vehicle. He was down to his last half litre when he finished the work.

If he was worried about dehydrating by walking in the desert sun, he could walk in the morning twilight and the relative cool of the early morning.

Basically … nothing about this seems like it would have been better to completely drain his survival resources while converting a car to a motorcycle with no guarantee that the project would work, rather than just take a day or two to walk 20 miles.

Yeah I got that as well. Walk at night, rest up in the day.

dv said:

Basically … nothing about this seems like it would have been better to completely drain his survival resources while converting a car to a motorcycle with no guarantee that the project would work, rather than just take a day or two to walk 20 miles.

He did originally estimate the conversion to take 3 days.

Water is heavy so maybe that was a consideration, he may have been better served making a wheelbarrow if he had a couple of jerries, but otherwise distance and water requirements don’t really match up.

Postpocelipse said:

Did you know she is related to Florence Nightingale?

AwesomeO said:

Postpocelipse said:

Did you know she is related to Florence Nightingale?

No but it makes sense she has an excess of cool chick genes……..

Then again people do silly things sometimes. Maybe he just got it in his head to do it, thinking it would be easy, and then couldn’t shake himself of the notion.

You’d have to be loco in the coco to drive that version Citroen with it’s 0.5mm clearance anywhere too far from the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
I think he made the whole thing up and should say two Our Fathers and three Hail Mary’s and promise not to sin again.

dv said:

Then again people do silly things sometimes. Maybe he just got it in his head to do it, thinking it would be easy, and then couldn’t shake himself of the notion.

I’d say once he worked out it was taking more than 3 days he’d passed the point of no return.

Postpocelipse said:

AwesomeO said:

Postpocelipse said:

Did you know she is related to Florence Nightingale?

No but it makes sense she has an excess of cool chick genes……..

She is a bit of a character herself in a nice way

Peak Warming Man said:

You’d have to be loco in the coco to drive that version Citroen with it’s 0.5mm clearance anywhere too far from the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
I think he made the whole thing up and should say two Our Fathers and three Hail Mary’s and promise not to sin again.

You are making the assumption a Frenchman would not make such a ridiculous decision. You are familiar with the history of their decision making aren’t you?

CrazyNeutrino said:

Postpocelipse said:

AwesomeO said:

Did you know she is related to Florence Nightingale?

No but it makes sense she has an excess of cool chick genes……..

She is a bit of a character herself in a nice way

She’s a bloody global treasure in a nice way!

After faffing about till he only had a half litre of water left he would have been fucked if a hundred meters up the track he got a flat tyre.

Postpocelipse said:

dv said:

Then again people do silly things sometimes. Maybe he just got it in his head to do it, thinking it would be easy, and then couldn’t shake himself of the notion.

I’d say once he worked out it was taking more than 3 days he’d passed the point of no return.

In the outback, he could also have added a sidecar with a bit of fencing wire.

I mean what do we know?

We have photos of some dude in his undies next to a hulled out Citroen, and a makeshift motorcycle, in an arid area.

25 years later he shows these photographs to a paper and tells them some spiel, but in none of the articles do I see any evidence to back up the story. No contemporary news articles or interviews with other people involved.

So it may not have quite happened as he is reporting.

Here is his website (in French).

http://chameaudacier.free.fr/

dv said:

I mean what do we know?

We have photos of some dude in his undies next to a hulled out Citroen, and a makeshift motorcycle, in an arid area.

25 years later he shows these photographs to a paper and tells them some spiel, but in none of the articles do I see any evidence to back up the story. No contemporary news articles or interviews with other people involved.

So it may not have quite happened as he is reporting.

Here is his website (in French).

http://chameaudacier.free.fr/

You will notice from the article that the French media did note it at the time………

shopped

Postpocelipse said:

dv said:

I mean what do we know?

We have photos of some dude in his undies next to a hulled out Citroen, and a makeshift motorcycle, in an arid area.

25 years later he shows these photographs to a paper and tells them some spiel, but in none of the articles do I see any evidence to back up the story. No contemporary news articles or interviews with other people involved.

So it may not have quite happened as he is reporting.

Here is his website (in French).

http://chameaudacier.free.fr/

You will notice from the article that the French media did note it at the time………

I noticed the article says that, without providing evidence.

Actually his homepage story is a bit weird. He says he didn’t want to abandon the car because (if I am translating right) it would attract avarice.

dv said:

Actually his homepage story is a bit weird. He says he didn’t want to abandon the car because (if I am translating right) it would attract avarice.

Tusken Raiders.

dv said:

Actually his homepage story is a bit weird. He says he didn’t want to abandon the car because (if I am translating right) it would attract avarice.

What sort of crash would need to happen to right-off the car, yet the engine etc was still working? I would think you would be able to get the car moving again with some modification, rather than dismantling it and making something completely new.

PermeateFree said:

dv said:

Actually his homepage story is a bit weird. He says he didn’t want to abandon the car because (if I am translating right) it would attract avarice.

What sort of crash would need to happen to right-off the car, yet the engine etc was still working? I would think you would be able to get the car moving again with some modification, rather than dismantling it and making something completely new.

at a guess, one that ruined the suspension/steering

His own account makes him sound like a bit of a cunt, to be honest.

http://chameaudacier.free.fr/moto2.html

Having arrived, the royal police strongly advises him to go away, because the area beyond Tilemsem is off limits, following new developments in the conflict between years Morocco and Western Sahara.
Emile must turn back, and soldiers ask him politely to take on board a soldier who is on leave, to take him back to Tan-Tan.

Analyzing the situation and seeing has raid thwarted, Emile evoked an insurance issue that does not allow him to carry passengers, arguing that the 2 CV is already very occupied. He knows it is frowned upon in Africa not to take traveler to his car in these circumstances. He feigns naivety and misunderstanding by adopting the attitude of a tourist unaware of local customs.

Émile therefore returns to Tan-tan under the disapproving eye of the military. He leaves at a good pace, because he fears that they will follow him and he wants to stay out of reach of the eyes of those he just left. His plan is to get around the area off-track, and get back on the original direction. After a few kilometers, he left the track on the right and flies over uneven and rocky ground.  After a moment of stronger bumps, the car jumped and brutally hits a rock. He must stop because the 2CV does not respond very well, and for good reason: a bent wheel arm and broken spar.

—-

So the police tell him he can’t proceed into a restricted area because of an incipient military conflict, and ask him to take a soldier on leave back to town.

He makes up some bullshit story to get out of taking a decent action to help out the soldier, then like a prat pisses off and drives into the restricted area and fucks his car up like a wingnut.

Émile organizes his camp around the 2 CV rugged and reflects on the situation. It is a few dozen kilometers from Tan-tan, he could walk to, but it runs the risk of abandoning a car certainly in bad point but can still attract lust. Not to mention equipment.
In the desert, nothing is definitely lost, especially for one who knows how to find …

It has enough food and water to take a seat, and he makes a decision to say the least surprising: from its wreckage, it will build a machine with two wheels! He carefully considered one by one all the technical obstacles that entails and what doctor African mechanics has all the tools and elements for successful operation.

The next morning, he began to dismantle the 2CV, first removing the shell it will use as a shelter against the cool nights and sandstorms. Against sun burn, with no long-sleeve shirts, it manufactures sleeves with a pair of socks.

PermeateFree said:

dv said:

Actually his homepage story is a bit weird. He says he didn’t want to abandon the car because (if I am translating right) it would attract avarice.

What sort of crash would need to happen to right-off the car, yet the engine etc was still working? I would think you would be able to get the car moving again with some modification, rather than dismantling it and making something completely new.

They are rear engined, small 500 or maybe 750 cc motor.

Let me try that again:

His own account makes him sound like a bit of a cunt, to be honest.

http://chameaudacier.free.fr/moto2.html

Having arrived, the royal police strongly advises him to go away, because the area beyond Tilemsem is off limits, following new developments in the conflict between years Morocco and Western Sahara.
Emile must turn back, and soldiers ask him politely to take on board a soldier who is on leave, to take him back to Tan-Tan.

Analyzing the situation and seeing has raid thwarted, Emile evoked an insurance issue that does not allow him to carry passengers, arguing that the 2 CV is already very occupied. He knows it is frowned upon in Africa not to take traveler to his car in these circumstances. He feigns naivety and misunderstanding by adopting the attitude of a tourist unaware of local customs.

Émile therefore returns to Tan-tan under the disapproving eye of the military. He leaves at a good pace, because he fears that they will follow him and he wants to stay out of reach of the eyes of those he just left. His plan is to get around the area off-track, and get back on the original direction. After a few kilometers, he left the track on the right and flies over uneven and rocky ground.  After a moment of stronger bumps, the car jumped and brutally hits a rock. He must stop because the 2CV does not respond very well, and for good reason: a bent wheel arm and broken spar.

—-

So the police tell him he can’t proceed into a restricted area because of an incipient military conflict, and ask him to take a soldier on leave back to town.

He makes up some bullshit story to get out of taking a decent action to help out the soldier, then like a prat pisses off and drives into the restricted area and fucks his car up like a wingnut.

Émile organizes his camp around the 2 CV and reflects on the situation. He is a few dozen kilometers from Tan-tan, he could walk to, but it runs the risk of abandoning a car that is certainly in bad way, but can still attract avarice. Not to mention his equipment.

In the desert, nothing is definitely lost, especially for one who knows how to find …

He has enough food and water to rest a while, and he makes a decision to say the least surprising: from its wreckage, he will build a machine with two wheels!

So … he’s worried about the vehicle attracting avarice, so he wrecks it?

dv said:

Let me try that again:

His own account makes him sound like a bit of a cunt, to be honest.

So the police tell him he can’t proceed into a restricted area because of an incipient military conflict, and ask him to take a soldier on leave back to town.

He makes up some bullshit story to get out of taking a decent action to help out the soldier, then like a prat pisses off and drives into the restricted area and fucks his car up like a wingnut.

So … he’s worried about the vehicle attracting avarice, so he wrecks it?

Since when weren’t the French convinced they are the envy of the world? If he had taken a Cowapult with him he never would have need to bullshit the police and soldiers………

I mean fair dos. I couldn’t make a motorbike out of a Citroen CV2 without a welder or drill if you gave me the rest of my life to do it, so I’ll give him credit for that.

dv said:

I mean fair dos. I couldn’t make a motorbike out of a Citroen CV2 without a welder or drill if you gave me the rest of my life to do it, so I’ll give him credit for that.

A Frenchman is tenacious on their own. They don’t do group activities exceptionally well. Not ones that don’t involve anarchic public violence anyway…….

Postpocelipse said:

dv said:

I mean fair dos. I couldn’t make a motorbike out of a Citroen CV2 without a welder or drill if you gave me the rest of my life to do it, so I’ll give him credit for that.

A Frenchman is tenacious on their own. They don’t do group activities exceptionally well. Not ones that don’t involve anarchic public violence anyway…….

Probably something the Muslim should remember before they go disturbing that hornets too much.

hornet’s nest

dv said:

I mean fair dos. I couldn’t make a motorbike out of a Citroen CV2 without a welder or drill if you gave me the rest of my life to do it, so I’ll give him credit for that.

It was designed to be simple with a limited tool set. Which is not to say it wasn’t an accomplishment. My old PE 175 enduro had a rationalised set of nuts bolts and screws, so much so, one tool could do all of the normal jobs required.

AwesomeO said:

dv said:

I mean fair dos. I couldn’t make a motorbike out of a Citroen CV2 without a welder or drill if you gave me the rest of my life to do it, so I’ll give him credit for that.

It was designed to be simple with a limited tool set. Which is not to say it wasn’t an accomplishment. My old PE 175 enduro had a rationalised set of nuts bolts and screws, so much so, one tool could do all of the normal jobs required.

I remember those PE’s. Solid bikes.

dv said:

I mean fair dos. I couldn’t make a motorbike out of a Citroen CV2 without a welder or drill if you gave me the rest of my life to do it, so I’ll give him credit for that.

maybe he had a portable generator, angle grinder and stuff.

AwesomeO said:

dv said:

I mean fair dos. I couldn’t make a motorbike out of a Citroen CV2 without a welder or drill if you gave me the rest of my life to do it, so I’ll give him credit for that.

It was designed to be simple with a limited tool set. Which is not to say it wasn’t an accomplishment. My old PE 175 enduro had a rationalised set of nuts bolts and screws, so much so, one tool could do all of the normal jobs required.

interesting idea about the drum powering the rear wheel, but I reckon if you could build a motorbike out of a citroen, surely you’d be able to fashion something to be able to run it in the forward gears, not just reverse…

dv said:

I mean fair dos. I couldn’t make a motorbike out of a Citroen CV2 without a welder or drill if you gave me the rest of my life to do it, so I’ll give him credit for that.

He built nothing, he’s a liar and a fraud like thousands of others exploiting the internet to make advertising money from click volumes.
Half the online world is a shadowy cesspit of deception, bullshit and jabbawock the other half is the suckers who think it’s genuine.

Matter of fact, I’m not sure the Citroen is even a real car. I mean who would build a car looking like that?

dv said:

Matter of fact, I’m not sure the Citroen is even a real car. I mean who would build a car looking like that?

The French walked into a paddock full of mud in full armour to be cut down by English Longbowman for the simply sake of the poetic product and you ask that question?

Postpocelipse said:

dv said:

Matter of fact, I’m not sure the Citroen is even a real car. I mean who would build a car looking like that?

The French walked into a paddock full of mud in full armour to be cut down by English Longbowman simply for the sake of the poetic product and you ask that question?

The French and the Spanish have mostly spread germs. When the English were better at invading the world than them they sulked about it artistically enough they’ve been forgiven for the germs thing……

dv said:

Matter of fact, I’m not sure the Citroen is even a real car. I mean who would build a car looking like that?

Only Citroen would.

Mythbusters tested the converting the car to a motorbike and couldn’t get it to drive more than a few metres without tipping over.

Adam and Jamie found a 1967 Citroën 2CV, the car at the center of the story, and drove it to a landfill in Kirby Canyon, California. Within 60 minutes, they had stripped it down to its wheels and undercarriage with little effort. They removed the wheels, mounted one directly to the engine’s output shaft, and attached the other one to the center of the rear end. Since this arrangement would cause the engine wheel to rotate backwards, the rear end became the motorcycle’s front end.

They added steering and suspension systems and fitted the engine with controls, including a hand-operated throttle. In preliminary tests, Jamie drove while Adam jogged alongside to shift gears and apply the brakes. They were unable to travel any significant distance, leading them to decide that their design was not suited for traveling long distances due to difficult steering and poor weight distribution.

At the shop, they studied a set of photographs that purported to show the actual design used by the man in the story and set out to replicate it. This second design incorporated a tiller for steering and turned the engine around, placing it between the front and rear wheels; however, this configuration only allowed the use of reverse gear to move forward. Using power tools to speed up the work, they completed the vehicle and took it to a runway for testing. Both Adam and Jamie found that the reverse gear ran so slowly that the vehicle could barely stay upright, and they could not drive more than 150 feet (46 m) before tipping over. They deemed the myth busted, commenting that a loss of balance or a snagged body part or article of clothing could lead to severe injury.

Postpocelipse said:

Peak Warming Man said:

You’d have to be loco in the coco to drive that version Citroen with it’s 0.5mm clearance anywhere too far from the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
I think he made the whole thing up and should say two Our Fathers and three Hail Mary’s and promise not to sin again.

You are making the assumption a Frenchman would not make such a ridiculous decision. You are familiar with the history of flag making aren’t you?

something for all occasions……..

Massive Highside Crash

Postpocelipse said:

Massive Highside Crash

… bump……

Postpocelipse said:

Postpocelipse said:

Massive Highside Crash

… bump……

I’ll look in a few days when I’m back at Rainbow. Have proper internet on there now. I’m on the expensive and very slow dongle here.

Thanks.

Michael V said:

Postpocelipse said:

Postpocelipse said:

Massive Highside Crash

… bump……

I’ll look in a few days when I’m back at Rainbow. Have proper internet on there now. I’m on the expensive and very slow dongle here.

Thanks.

He get’s RIGHT up there!!! ‘cary as bliimin ‘eck!

Michael V said:

Postpocelipse said:

Postpocelipse said:

Massive Highside Crash

… bump……

I’ll look in a few days when I’m back at Rainbow. Have proper internet on there now. I’m on the expensive and very slow dongle here.

Thanks.

April 21 Superstock 1000 Rider Josh Day Suffers Massive Highside Crash at Road Atlanta

Seems they have restricted that last crash so here is the crash he had in april.

Try Again

1948 Norman Tibbs Special

bump…..

1946 Tucker Torpedo prototype II