This Henry Hoover Vacuum-Based Motorbike Can Hit 28MPH but Corners Predictably

Someone suggested they fit a powertrain into one of those cute Hoover vacuums, and the rest is history, as one saying goes.

Henry Hoofer actually uses parts from about eight Hoover vacuums, which the team already had in the workshop. This was probably the first step toward the inception of the idea, one without which it would have never happened.

Gallop did the designing part and served as a team leader. He says in the same interview that "work began in earnest" after they laid out a few ideas on paper and started to strip down the Henry to its outer shell so they'd make room inside for the powertrain and the small fuel container.

"I knew it would be a tight fit but on paper, it all worked out, so I began creating a frame from steel angle to mount the engine, steering and drivetrain," Gallop explains.

The mini-motorbike uses a two-stroke 50cc engine to move around, which should theoretically get it moving at an incredible speed of 28 mph (45 kph) – way faster than you'd want to go on a contraption of this size.

Gallop makes sure to stress the "theoretical" part. Apparently, no one from the team is feeling lucky enough to see if that number lives up in real-life tests. This might be a motorbike, but it's still a vacuum cleaner under that disguise.

Almost every part on the new machine is either reclaimed or recycled. Both charitable organizations work with salvaged materials to craft new projects they later sell or send out to people in needs, so members know a lot about working with what the rest of us might perceive as "junk."

The only exceptions on Henry Hoofer is the brake system and the tires, which are new. The biggest challenge with the project was trying to make the rear axle fit the small body of the donor, but the team was able to carry it out successfully in the end.

Gallop has been testing the machine on his own, which is why he can vouch that no one has yet tried to see if that estimated maximum speed can be reached. While he declares himself happy with the result, he says that Henry Hoofer "unfortunately still handles corners as poorly as he did as a hoover." That makes all manners of rough riding a dream, but the mini-motorbike is still a hoot on straight, smooth tracks.

As the videos available online show, from the outside, you could almost be tricked into believing the motorbike still retains its vacuum cleaner innards – until you go round the back and you notice a segment of the steel frame poking out and the bigger wheels in the rear.

The hose that stands for the nose of the Numatic-produced vacuum cleaner has been obviously chopped off, and is now more of the "button" variety. The team opted to keep the distinctive Henry the Hoover decals like the smiling mouth and the googly eyes, and added A Gentleman's Ride decal on the side.

The shell no longer holds the old components and now accommodates the drivetrain and a fuel canister. Gallop says that parts that weren't recycled were entirely fabricated "with a high level of precision" in the workshop by the team, like hubs and custom flanges. Assuming someone was to build a Henry Hoofer mini-motorbike with new parts and components, it would cost about £400 (approximately $511 at the current exchange rate), Gallop estimates.

With the prototype now completed and awaiting the inventors gathering where it will be making its public debut, Henry Hoofer is already winning fans online, after its story was picked up by the mainstream media. "I'm ecstatic at the popularity Henry has gathered because it brings some joy into the world, and that's what is really important," Gallop says.

Spoken like a wise man. The boost of attention to the charity group is a most welcome extra.