Details of a new Australian motorcycle land speed record contender have come to light on social media. The product of a collaboration between three Australian engineering and motorcycle firms, it will use a radical new radial three-cylinder engine. The team hopes to achieve 200mph at the Speed Week at Lake Gairdner in 2022.

Radial Motion Three Cylinder Engine to Power Australian LSR Bike

Scrolling through Facebook this morning was unusually rewarding as I came across this render of an interesting motorcycle being built in Australia. It's a collaboration between three engineering firms, Sheppard Motorcycles, Bespoke Engineering and Kennedy Motorcycles and the really interesting bit is the engine they are using.

It's a 2.0 litre three-cylinder radial engine, designed and built by Radial Motion, also based in Australia. Promising up to 100bhp/litre in normally aspirated form and costing $25,000 USD, it's an interesting design concept for use in aviation or automotive/motorcycling applications. You can watch more videos here

Despite the layout, Radial Motion claim it has a low centre of gravity, which is apparent when looked at from the side. It will also have a narrow frontal aspect.

The bike looks to have components sourced from an MV Agusta Dragster - the trellis frame, front end and swing arm. Because the engine is just that - an engine - the team has to work out how to mount a motorcycle gearbox. From this, it is clear that there will have to be a lot of complicated fabrication

Matt Sheppard and Mat Kennedy are the driving force behind the project and are aiming for 200mph at the annual Speed Week at Lake Gairdner in Central South Australia in 2022. You can follow all the partners in the project on their respective Facebook pages and we'll have updates as they happen on topspeed.com