As a former electrical engineer, I’m pretty dubious about steam power for personal transportation…just doesn’t seem efficient enough. I did have a steam-powered computer once, but I had to give it up once Vista came on the scene.

A number of Brass Goggles aficionados (Jake von Slatt, Rob Lang and Matt White: who says that great minds don’t think alike) let us in on Tom Sepe’s Whirlygig Emoto. It’s meant to be an electric-steam hybrid motorbike. Taking a 60’s bike frame, Tom has converted the bike to electric drive.

Just as I was going to put my propeller beanie and try my hand at steam power, I realized that the unit is driven by batteries and the trailing clouds of vapour are just for show!

Still, Tom has been very clever in his punkization of the bike. Read the full article by Meredith Scheff at steampunkworkshop.com.