Dirt bikes are accustomed to being beaten like old rugs. They're thrown off mountains, sent off jumps and whoops, plow through streams and rivers, and generally put through the wringer because, well, that's what they're designed to do.
And to do all that and walk away without breaking, the engineers at dirt bike companies spend an inordinate amount of time designing and engineering these off-road motorcycles so that when you do "Send it!", the whole thing doesn't collapse in on itself or fold like a paper crane. I mean, you wouldn't want to be sitting on one if and when the front wheel tried to meet the back wheel, right?
That's also why engineers tend to use materials like aluminum, steel, or carbon fiber for a dirt bike's frame, as these metals are less likely to cause serious structural integrity issues when you go off and dirt bike to your heart's content along the Trans Continental Trail or any number of Backcountry Discovery Routes areas.
But what if you throw away all that material science bullshit and decide you want to make a dirt bike out of wood? What happens then? Well, you snap it squarely in half, as seen with the Cboys and their wooden GasGas dirt bike.
The donor dirt bike in question is a GasGas MC 85 19/16 85cc motorcycle, which retails for $6,650.
More than that, according to the brand's site, GasGas wants you to know that it spent a lot of time focused on the dirt bike's frame engineering, saying, "Knowing how good the frames are on the full-size GASGAS motocross bikes, our clever engineers set about transferring all the good stuff over to the new steel frame on the MC 85. We're talking straight-line stability, agility in the corners, and just the right amount of flex for maximum comfort. And it's safe to say that the end result is a huge step forward from the outgoing bike. Even the red frame protectors are new. Instead of a smooth finish, they now have a textured surface to help kids grip the bike better with their legs, which in turn helps to reduce fatigue."
That's absolutely not the case for the Cboys' wood conversion, as it's basically a Home Depot parts grab, as their medium of choice is oak, "Because, apparently, Oak is the strongest wood," according to the crew. However, most of the folks within the Cboys' shop aren't too hyped on the idea, or whether or not it'll even work. Had I been there, I'd also be one of those voices expressing my concerns.
They, however, have some confidence given their past creations, as they mention the world's tallest pit bike, the longest pit bike, and others. Those use steel frames, though, so it's not exactly apples to apples. As for goals, all they were really looking for was that it would run, do wheelies, and hit a jump or two. I'm more confident in the first two compared to the last, as we've seen wooden motorcycles before.
Jumping them is another animal altogether and involves far greater destructive forces. As the Cboys are about to find out. But enough yammering, just watch the video above and enjoy.
