This 334-Horsepower V8 Motorcycle Claims It's The World's Most Powerful. There's A Catch

Australia's outrageous V8 superbike has enough horsepower to embarrass supercars, but its biggest claim deserves a closer look.

Photo by: Maltec

By: Enrico Punsalang

Nov 2, at 8:11am ET

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Some motorcycles exist because there's a genuine need for them. Others exist because an engineer looked at the laws of physics, decided they were more like suggestions, and got to work. The Australian-built PGM V8 belongs firmly in the latter category. It's a 334-horsepower, eight-cylinder superbike that looks like someone stuffed an entire racing engine into a motorcycle. And apparently, that's exactly the sort of mechanical insanity we need more of.

The PGM V8 is the brainchild of Australian engineer Paul Maloney, who unveiled his creation over a decade ago. It's powered by a purpose-built, naturally aspirated 1,996cc V8 incorporating components derived from Yamaha's R1 superbike engines. It pumps out a claimed 334 horsepower at 12,800 rpm and 158 pound-feet of torque at 9,500 rpm. That's enough firepower to make most modern literbikes look rather sensible, which is saying something.

And the rest of the package is equally ridiculous. There's Öhlins suspension, Brembo brakes, Marchesini wheels, and a chassis designed to handle all that mechanical violence. At a claimed 534 pounds wet, it isn't exactly featherweight, but it's remarkably compact considering there's an entire V8 stuffed between your knees. Interestingly, its power output is measured at the countershaft sprocket rather than the crankshaft, making the number particularly interesting.

But here's where things get a little complicated.

Photo by: Maltec

The PGM V8's website describes it as "the world's most powerful production motorcycle," which is a pretty bold statement considering the sort of machinery that's emerged over the past decade. Take the MTT 420RR, for example. That turbine-powered monstrosity claims 420 horsepower courtesy of a Rolls-Royce helicopter engine. Sure, it's hardly a conventional motorcycle, but neither is a V8-powered superbike.

Then there's the Kawasaki Ninja H2R, which produces a claimed 322 horsepower in US specification. Granted, it's a track-only machine, so it doesn't directly challenge the PGM's road-going credentials. But it does demonstrate just how absurd motorcycle performance has become. Of course, manufacturers don't always measure horsepower at the same location, so comparing these figures isn't quite as straightforward as throwing numbers into a spreadsheet.

Photos by: MTT

There's also the rather awkward question of what actually qualifies as a production motorcycle. Back in 2016, Australian Motorcycle News reported that just one PGM V8 existed as a registered, working prototype. The motorcycle was subsequently offered to customers, but publicly documented production numbers remain elusive. Being available to order and having an established history of customer deliveries aren't necessarily the same thing.

What do you think?

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Comments

None of this makes the PGM V8 any less spectacular. Building a high-revving, naturally aspirated V8 motorcycle that resembles an actual sportbike rather than a rolling industrial accident is a tremendous engineering achievement. But until there's clearer evidence about production numbers and a more carefully defined horsepower comparison, that world-record claim deserves an asterisk.

And frankly, 334 horsepower from a motorcycle with eight cylinders is already ridiculous enough without needing a trophy.