BUB Seven Streamliner is an American-built streamliner motorcycle that held the motorcycle land-speed record from 2006 to 2008 and again from 2009 to 2010.[6] BUB Seven and two other streamliners traded the title of "world's fastest motorcycle" during official speed runs at Bonneville Speedway in the summer of 2006.[7][8] The other two competitors were Ack Attack and the EZ-Hook streamliner.[9] In 2017, Valerie Thompson rode BUB Seven for more record attempts at Bonneville.[10]
Design for the streamliner is attributed to Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee Denis Manning,[11] who is also the owner, although it was listed for sale in 2010.[12][13] Additional design work for the purpose-built V-4 engine was provided by Joe Harralson of Sierra Design Engineering.[5] According to Harralson, the only off the shelf component in the engine is the oil filter.[14] Manning has stated that the aerodynamic shape was inspired by the Coho salmon, who he observed swimming 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) in the Columbia River.[3][15]
Manning had previously built Cal Rayborn's 1970 world speed record motorcycle, using a similar streamlined fairing built from a surplus jet drop tank.[15][16]
^ abStuart Barker (3 June 2010), Big Ugly: The Story Behind the Landspeed Record, Visordown, In September 2009, Chris Carr set a new motorcycle land speed record of 367.382mph in the BUB Seven streamliner. And the shape of the fastest bike ever built was inspired by, erm... a fish. Here's how it all happened
