The original steampunk: Ray Clift's steam-powered motorcycle

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ray clift steam motorcycle.jpg
Ray Clift was born in August 1912 in Bellingham, Washington. Like many youths of the time, Ray had to create his own toys and entertainment. As an adult, Ray took the hands-on skills he learned during those early years and became skilled in photography, mechanical engineering and drafting. In 1947 Ray created his steam motorcycle out of various unused bits around his home. It was his only venture into steam power.

>ray clif steam motorcycle detail.jpgThe photo above shows the two-cylinder steam power plant prior to the installation of the boiler. It was later determined by Ray that his homemade tube boiler was too small and only allowed the bike to travel a very short distance. In 1949 Ray was thought to have sold or given the motorcycle away sometime before his move to Seattle. Many years after Ray’s move, there were rumors of his steam motorcycle seen lying abandoned and rusting in a field.


Via Make magazine

  • http://BlueFlameKeepers.com Hap DeSimone

    Hello Wes and Grant,

    I like your spirit. I live on the West Coast where martini-sipping rich women dictate how life is supposed to be. Can’t be much different where you live. Mark and I got wind of a MPH/cc contest at Bonneville and built a model airplane engine powered rat bike. 11.401 MPH. We were lucky to get third out of three entries. My son Peter then blew up his DOHC Yamaha 500 and we bought a $75 golf cart and used it’s motor with 4 car batteries. It went 20.256 MPH for a National title! The next two years we put together an eight battery Honda 600F from an LA junkyard that did over 73, even when it was on fire. (7 fires in four runs, you do the math). We’re not sure what we will wind up with this year, but the race is in a few weeks. We will start with a fully solar bike (1 MPH, maybe) and convert it to steam if it doesn’t go. That should be a lively thing to sit on! We’ll send you a photograph if it ever gets going.
    Hap
    Assistant Night Janitor (trainee)
    Keepers Of The Blue Flame Racing

  • http://hellforleathermagazine.com Grant

    Wow. That sounds like our kind of party. Would that be a flaming butt electric motorcycle you have for a logo? Cause that would be righteous according to my inner 7th grader.

  • Chris Bonk

    WOW Where did you get these photos? Do you know this guy Ray?
    This steam cycle still exists. I owned it up until about eight years ago when I sold it to a guy up in Auburn Ca . I found it behind an auto repair shop on 3rd St. in San Francisco. I have some photos of it from when I owned it and it looks exactly the same as it does in your photos except rustier. There was the makings of the boiler with the bike but didn’t look like it was ever finished. There were two large double acting cylinders, one on each side, that acted on crank arms that were attached directly to the rear axle. It would have required a good sized boiler. Please contact me I would love to tell you all I know about it and would be very interested to know it’s history

  • Brian McGee

    Chris, sorry to bother you but is there more pics of your XS1100 bobber anywhere?