Chris Rivas Aims for History: The 400mph Motorcycle Barrier at Bonneville
There’s fast. Then there’s Bonneville fast. And if Chris Rivas has his way, we’re about to witness something no one has ever seen before: a motorcycle breaking the 400mph barrier on the salt flats of Utah.
The 57-year-old American drag racing veteran isn’t just chasing speed—he’s gunning for immortality. At this year’s Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials (BMST), Rivas will climb aboard one of the most extreme machines ever built: the BUB Seven Streamliner, a land-speed missile powered by a fire-breathing, turbocharged 2997cc V-four engine. That’s right—nearly 3 litres of forced-induction fury, wrapped in wind-slicing bodywork and engineered for one job only: to go faster than any motorcycle has gone before.
Chasing Down a Legend
To grasp the scale of this effort, you have to understand the target. The current motorcycle land speed record stands at a blistering 376.156mph, set in 2010 by Rocky Robinson aboard a Suzuki-powered streamliner. That run, FIM-accredited and officially sanctioned, remains the number to beat. But if Rivas and his team succeed, they'll not just beat it—they’ll annihilate it.
He’s not going it alone. Guiding the build is Denis Manning, a true titan of land speed racing. Manning’s name is synonymous with Bonneville, having designed record-setting bikes that snatched the title in both 2006 and 2009. On the second occasion, his BUB Seven hit 367.382mph—a mark that held for just over a year before Robinson reclaimed the crown.
Now, the same machine is back, updated and fine-tuned for one last charge at greatness. And this time, the goal isn’t just to take the record back—it’s to shatter the mythical 400mph ceiling.
A Different Kind of Riding
What makes Bonneville such a unique challenge? Rivas, who has spent years in the high-intensity world of drag racing, knows all too well.
“Everybody’s looking for four-hundred miles per hour,” he said. “It’s about the accomplishment of doing something no-one else has done.”
But while drag racers thrive on full-throttle, brute-force acceleration, Bonneville demands finesse. “In drag racing, you pin the throttle and hold on. At Bonneville, you’re constantly adjusting—playing with the throttle to manage traction. It was a huge shift in mindset.”
It’s a technical chess match at nearly 400mph—balancing insane horsepower, unpredictable salt conditions, and aerodynamics that could make or break a run.
Why It Matters
In an age where technology seems to automate everything, there’s something beautifully raw and human about land speed racing. It’s about pushing limits—not just mechanical, but personal. It’s the closest thing motorcycling has to space travel.
Rivas’s attempt is more than just a headline-grabbing speed run. It’s a celebration of engineering brilliance, rider courage, and the indomitable human spirit. If he pulls it off, it won’t just be a record—it’ll be a revolution.
So buckle up, folks. Bonneville’s winds are about to carry the sound of history in the making.