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Bikes and Bacon?! What Could be Better?

The Hormel Company, best known as the maker of Spam, has a bacon-grease powered motorcycle, which is being ridden from company headquarters in Austin, Minnesota to the International Bacon Film Festival in San Diego, California. The concept was developed by Hormal and BBD&O advertising in Minneapolis to promote Hormel’s Black Ribbon Bacon.

The bike, based on a 2011 Track T-800CDI, was custom designed to run on refined bacon grease by Charlie Smithson of CSE Engineering and his work-partner Taylor Bamber.

Smithson and Bamber will accompany the motorcycle to San Diego to troubleshoot any problems. Also along for the ride is a film crew who will shoot the journey. The resulting film, Driven by Bacon, will be shown at the festival. Then, Hormel will use the film and motorcycle, which will be at home in the Spam Museum in Austin, to promote its bacon.

A bacon-powered diesel bike seems like a winner in the world of alternative fuels. Some have pointed out that if a tanker loaded with refined bacon grease were to have a leak, the resulting spill would be great fish food.

But I’m thinking about being able to ride around the country and, when I’m low on fuel, asking a restaurant if I can have that bucket of grease they’re about to throw away. I wonder—how many miles per bucket?

You can see pictures and follow the progress of the Driven by Bacon motorcycle at www.DrivenByBacon.com. You’ll find pictures, videos, and stories about the bike, the crew accompanying it to San Diego, folks they met on the way, and more.