Car News

Monster trucks are cool. They're automotive overkill of highest order: insanely powerful, ridiculously oversized 4WDs that both adults and kids alike dream about driving.

Mainly because they can crush cars.

But a monster bike?

Nope, it's not Christmas yet, but ex-stuntman Ray Baumann has dropped a huge gift onto the Melbourne Motor Show with the Monster Motorbike from hell.

And yes, it can crush cars - such as lurid yellow Holden Camiras.

The mind-bogglingly huge Monster Motorbike will be displayed at the 2008 Melbourne International Motor Show (MIMS), and is powered b a Detroit Diesel truck engine that outputs an ungodly amount of torque.

Ray Baumann's creation weighs about 10 times that of a normal family car at 13.6 tonnes, and measures close to 9 metres long and over 3 metres tall.

It's big, bad, and very loud.

The super-heavy 10-foot high motorbike can crush cars in first gear, though it has a 6-speed Allison automatic borrowed from a prime mover, just in case you need to clock up some highway kilometers.

It also uses a 2-speed Eaton differential from a road train to drive a massive chains on both sides of the spectacular rear wheel.

"We did stunt driving for quite a few years," says Baumann, "broke a few records and broke my back a few times, so this is a way of taking a bit more care.

"Now we crush things, which is definitely less risky than jumping them - we still do jump things, but not at the Melbourne Motor Show," added Baumann.

We're not sure if the Monster Motorbike is capable of popping wheelies and monos, but crushing Commodores is an impressive party trick.

Like the huge body and girder-like front swing-arms, the wheels on the Monster Motorbike are also larger than life.

Baumann got the huge wheels which tower over mere humans from Caterpillar. They normally cost around $30,000 each, but they appear to be second hand which would reduce the cost.

Normally used on Caterpillar's mining trucks prevalent in Western Australia, where they can cart around 300 tonnes of rubble, the wheels on the Monster Motorbike have custom rims finished in white, which adds greatly to the bike's aesthetic. As do the dripping blood decals.

The car crushing bike was built in Perth, and Ray Baumann has spent three years developing the vehicle which according to reports has already stunned spectators during its early demonstrations out west.

If you do plan on heading to the Melbourne Motor Show, be careful where you park your car...