Biking vicar sets World Record
Added on Wednesday, May 11th, 2011 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments
Biking vicar sets World Record
A motorcycling vicar has set a new world speed record for a motorcycle hearse carrying a coffin.
The Reverend Ray Biddiss, got his custom-made motorcycle hearse to a top speed of 114.1mph at Elvington Airfield, near York, yesterday to set to a new world record for a vehicle of this type.
The customised hearse, built around a Triumph Rocket III, was built by Rev Biddiss following his own motorcycle accident. The hearse is capable of carrying a coffin of more than six feet in length.
Rev Biddiss, a biker of more than 40 years, recorded a top speed of 114.1mph at Elvington, although he only needed to reach a comparatively sedate 80mph to be considered for entry into the Guinness Book of Records.
It will now take three days for the Guinness World Records to confirm the record with the evidence, which includes video footage and time stamped professional speed gun recordings.
“I was thinking I could maybe do 105mph, but even on the practice run, it was 107mph and I was just feeling it out. The Triumph Rocket engine is capable of 135 to 140 mph in a motorbike, but we have adapted it to carry a coffin,” he told the York Press.
“I have never taken it to that sort of speed. It was very stable. The only problem was the side wind, which was making it interesting at that speed.”
Mr Biddiss has a full-time ministry holding life celebration funerals for religious and non-religious people. He developed the bespoke motorcycle hearse in partnership with DTB Panther Trikes in Liversedge, to provide an alternative at funerals for bikers or non-bikers who just want something different.
He said although bikers won’t be able to take their final journey at 114mph, he could do little bursts of speed if required.
“It can accelerate very quickly from a standstill to a legal limit, which is exciting in itself,” he said.
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