This is a mockup to give an idea of the
bikes appearance when finished.

More pictures are on other pages,
but read the story anyway!

Bad Bros. Racing is proud to introduce our newest project in the stables, the Mini Jet-Bike! This bike is based on the no longer produced YSR-50 from Yamaha. These little bikes are actually the precursors to today's imported pocket bikes. They are actually closer to the size of a full size sportbike however, and are definitely more rugged. There are many classes of racing for these bikes, ranging from amateur, and stock, all the way to modified and run-what-you-brung categories.

YSR-50's are generally powered by a 50cc 2 stroke engine made by Yamaha. They are rock solid, and quite fast. They have one definite advantage over imported pocket bikes however. They are STREET LEGAL! Yes, you heard right, they register as a moped in most states. With a few modifications from stock, they are capable of highway speeds, and can be registered as a full motorcycle. Just a warning, if you do ever ride one of these on the highway, be prepared not only for a lot of stares from passers by, but also from the police. Since many officers are not aware of these bikes, they will think they are a pocket bike, and probably pull you over.

For many years now, I have tinkered with all kinds of interesting projects, and have found a lot of fun in the realm of DIY gas turbine engines. These engines are based around turbochargers, but are in every sense real jets. They produce considerable thrust, and can even be used with afterburners. While I have been tinkering with one of these with a friend of mine, we debated on what kind of vehicle to put it on for testing. He suggested a small boat or a go cart. My theory was that if you really wanted to test out the speed of one of these, you would need a good long stretch of road. That being the case I thought it best to put the engine into a street legal frame.

This is where the YSR came into my head. Firstly, a motorcycle would be perfect, as it is street legal, easily registered, and also has very little friction from the tires and wind drag. I figured as long as I was doing something ridiculous to begin with, why not make it more so. The thought hit me to put the engine into a small motorcycle. Imagine the looks on the faces of drivers around you when you passed them on a jet powered motorcycle, and it was very small. Yes the roar of a jet engine from a pocket bike would definitely be a funny experience.

Well, there were many factors to consider in building this bike, most notably that YSR-50's are hard to come by. Try bidding on one off of Ebay, and see if somebody doesn't snatch it away at the last minute! If you find one someone wants to sell flat out, they are usually pretty expensive. Originally you could buy one from the dealer in 1986 for $1000.00, but now they sell for far more. 20 years later, these bikes go from anywhere in $1200.00 range all the way up to $5000.00. Now that's appreciation on a vehicle that is 20 years old!

I have started rebuilding an entire YSR-50 so that I can get it registered first. I will then add the jet engine to the bike. This in effect turns this project into two separate projects which must both be undertaken individually. Fortunately for you, the reader, the YSR restoration project is completed to the point that I can now work on the jet engine. The jet engine will be of the turbine type, not the simpler pressure or pulse jet types. This means that yes, it will roar like a jet plane, and have an afterburner like a military jet. It should prove to be an interesting journey for me and the crew here at Bad Bros. We hope you enjoy the ride along with us for this interesting journey.

NOTE: Since the original creation of these pages, it has been decided to use a new frame and build from the ground up, so there will be another YSR build inside.

To give due credit to those who truly inspired the project, I must mention Chris Krug and Mark Nye, whom I first saw on the jet trike episode of Junkyard Wars. Junkyard Wars is a television show in which two teams are given 10 hours, and pile of junk in a junkyard, and an outlandish task to build a functional vehicle, or machine of some sort. On the jet trike episode, Chris and Mark brilliantly constructed two separate vehicles which then competed in a drag race for top bragging rights and the ability of the winning team to move on. I am still amazed to this day that, not only did they manage to pull it off, but they did it in only 10 hours! I stand on the shoulders of giants today to achieve my work with the jet bike. Thanks guys!

To make reading updates easier, I will be separating the pages into different sections. I will try to update as much as possible, so keep checking back. Thanks again for reading this far.

Go to Section 1

Russ W. Moore
Owner - Bad Bros. Racing