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Amphibious ‘BikeBoat’ Catches Fire, Creators Ask For Funding: Video

There are a lot of worthy causes to which you can contribute your hard-earned cash these days, so every once in a while, we like to take the opportunity to share with you some of the more noble ones.

Like this: an amphibious “BikeBoat,” based on the KTM 690 motorcycle, which is only a little bit completely engulfed in flames in the image above.

We offer a grateful nod to Autoblog for sharing this news. Apparently, the KTM 690-powered BikeBoat is the brainchild of one Francis Lamotte, who invented a compact, easily-deployable raft and propulsion system which fits easily onto the back of the motorcycle. When one is adventuring and reaches the end of whatever land mass, one can inflate the raft and affix the motorcycle to it, powering the raft’s propeller with the bike’s chain drive.

That all sounds quite imaginative, but the real test of success is in the execution. In the video below, Francis’ partner-in-crime, Patrick Coleman, tells the story of the team’s attempt to cross the English Channel in the BikeBoat – a test in preparation for an eventual planned journey across the Bering Strait. Unfortunately, somewhere around the halfway point, the fuel tank on the BikeBoat melts, initiating a gas leak which sends the entire creation up in smoke.

Oh, the humanity.

Now, Patrick and Francis are asking for money through an IndieGoGo campaign to pay for a diver to retrieve the sunken wreck, and to fund the creation of two more BikeBoats. If that sounds to you like one of the most gutsy sales pitches in human history, that’s probably because it is.

Donor beware.

Aaron Birch is an automotive enthusiast and writer/filmmaker from Detroit, MI. As a rule, he only buys cars older than himself.

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