Drag racing legend Larry “Spiderman” McBride is used to being the quickest.
The 10-time world champion has held the Top Fuel Motorcycle elapsed time record for over a decade.
Recently Spiderman, along with Paul Teutul Sr. and his Orange County Chopper crew, reset the world record for the quickest electric drag bike. This unique accomplishment will be highlighted on TLC’s popular show American Chopper this season, beginning with the Thursday, September 30th episode, at 9 pm eastern time.
“I’m very excited to see the show,” McBride said. “It has been such an incredible experience working with Paul Teutul. He’s a great guy. The entire OCC crew is very talented. Jim Quinn (OCC Engineer) has done an amazing job. He continues to improve the bike.”
The innovative, battery-powered motorcycle has picked up over a full second of performance since the team debuted the creation earlier this summer at Lebanon Valley Raceway in East Nassau, NY. In all, McBride has ridden the Lawless electric dragbike on five different occasions, accumulating over 40 runs, culminating with the electric world record of 7.46 at 177 mph at Virginia Motorsports park in Petersburg, Va.
“We noticed a lot of improvement when they made changes to the electrical Zilla boxes. It’s a very elaborate set-up,” McBride said. “The electrical boxes alone are worth 20 thousand dollars.”
The record-holding machine uses a total of 1,980 batteries, the same type of batteries commonly used in cordless drills. The battery pack alone weighs 400 pounds. The weight of the bike and rider comes in at 1400 pounds, 300 pounds heavier than McBride’s Top Fuel bike.
“They have boxes that are 160 pounds lighter that we will use in the future,” McBride said. “There’s room for improvement.”
Despite the extra weight the Lawless electric dragbike still boasts impressive short numbers; 1.17 60-foot and 148 mph at half-track.
“It’s the type of motorcycle that gets your respect in a hurry,” McBride said.
You guys Rock!!!