Faux Soda Can "Motorcycle" Engine
 

I saw this video on youtube (is this product a real ad or a joke?)

...and it reminded me of something I used to do as a kid. One day I was riding along on my kids BMX bike, I ran across a coke can with my knobby little front wheel and when the can crushed down both lids grabbed the wheel. The can clung onto the tire until it hit the front fork of my bicycle, when it started buzzing wildly. I swear it sounded exactly like a motorcycle engine. The harder and faster I pedaled, the higher the pitch of my fake motorcycle engine and the louder the buzz it generated. I didn't even care that it added massive drag to the bicycle or that the sharp aluminum could potentially damage my tire when I could ride around the neighborhood and pretend I was cruising on a Harley! :ride:

Sometimes a single can could even stay on the entire duration of my ride. I parked my bike like I always did in the back yard, and to my dismay, when I went to ride it again, I noticed the can was missing. So I immediately went out and scoured the neighborhood and saw a shiny red/white/blue can of Budwieser. I was such a rebel, riding around on my Harley with a *beer* can, not some wimpy soda can for the engine! I'd like to think over the next couple years my dad faithfully removed dozens of those cans off my front tire when I wasn't looking, without saying a word to me about it or inquiring as to why I liked to run over cans and stick them to my wheel. I just remember the noise they made was epic...

When I was a teenager and completely outgrew the BMX, I got my first adult-sized bike, a rigid steel framed royal blue 18-speed Raleigh mountain bike. 12 ounce cans were too small to grip the knobby 2 inch tire and the 16 ounce cans were too loose and simply knocked off when they hit the front fork. Oh well. I figure by then I was too big for faux beer can engines.

Did anybody else ever ride with a soda can "engine" as a kid?

Much cheaper and possibly more durable DIY solution:
http://makezine.com/2010/12/08/make-...-bike-exhaust/

I can't believe I never heard of the Baseball car in the spokes trick...
I gotta try this build on my "beater" Kona HT for kicks!

Yeah, remember "loud pipes saves lives" works for bicycles too. :) :p

I remember getting yelled at as a kid for the - baseball / playing card in the spokes held on with a clothes pin - trick, I can't picture some kid (or worse yet ADULT) having one of these with an amplified horn.

We used to use an inflated balloon wrapped around a stay so it rubbed on the spokes. Made a cool sound but didn't last long.

I saw these a little while ago at a trade show. They're for real. They're distributed to shops.

I think they'd be really fun for those with kids and such. It also helps with alerting, say, pedestrians on a MUP if you're riding with your young kids.

When I was a kid,they had these twist grips with a box attached that would make 'vrooming' sounds.