American firm XCOR Aerospace has incorporated a Triumph Street Triple into its mega-buck R&D program, using the motorcycle as a test bed for the bearings and other selected components that will be used in the rocket engine of its Lynx sub-orbital space-plane.
When the project is completed, XCOR says the Lynx will be able to take a fare-paying passenger on a flight to an altitude of 100km -- approximately 20km past what is commonly regarded as the start of space. In 2008 the firm estimated a ticket would cost around US$95,000. Back then XCOR was looking at the Lynx being ready by the end of 2010, but this was later revised to the end of 2012.
A recent press release from XCOR details how the firm is using a Triumph Street Triple to test various Lynx engine components, such as bearings and rods. The Street Triple apparently shares a very similar engine format and output as the 'piston pump' rocket engines used in the Lynx, and so with some minor modifications the Lynx parts were inserted into the Triumph, replacing the original components.
Two XCOR engineers then rode the Triumph for 20 hours, from Roswell, New Mexico, to Mojave, Arizona -- a test that represented the equivalent of around 400 Lynx flights.
Why test what are essentially spaceship engine parts in a motorcycle? It all comes down to cost. "This test would have cost us over US$500 per minute had we operated it on a traditional pump test stand," said XCOR Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Nelson. "The entire trip represented about half a million dollars in net savings in both time and money for the company. More importantly, it validated that our critical pump sub-assemblies will have the ultra-long life needed to meet the safety needs of our customers in a vehicle that is designed to fly thousands of times over many years," he added.
In fact, it saved enough bucks to make a slick little YouTube clip of the test ride, which you can watch below...
We're not sure if Triumph Street Triple owners should be flushed with pride at the thought that their model is doing its bit for commercial aerospace research, or that prospective Lynx passengers should be nervous in the knowledge the craft's engine components were tested on a $12,490 motorcycle ridden on a jolly through the American southwest deserts. Either way, in this instance the proof of the pudding is in the flying -- and the Lynx's ability to safety return to earth. Watch this space...
