If the smell of coffee can’t wake you up in the morning, there is one more thing you can try: engine oil. Okay, it may be a stretch, but Italian YouTube creator Rulof Maker has taken these two strong scents and mixed them together.
How?
By making an espresso machine out of an old piston and cylinder he took from a motorcycle.
First things first: he brushes out the oil, dirt, and grime from the parts using a specialized solution.
Once the parts are free of all oil and grime, Rulof connects a classic espresso arm to the bottom of the cylinder. He then creates a new hole where hot water can pour out.
He also increases the cylinder hole to fit the espresso arm and adds a bit of non-toxic silicone so the water won’t flow out. To secure these two parts together, he drills three 1cm screw holes to fit three screws onto the cylinder and espresso arm.
To funnel water into the contraption, Rulof creates a simple curved copper tube which fits into a hole he carves onto the side of the cylinder. The longer end of the tube is connected to a metal funnel where water is initially poured in, and both parts are coated with a healthy amount of epoxy to prevent leaks from occurring.
Moving to the base of the espresso machine, he then carves a square hole into an ordinary food board and fits a stainless steel component into the middle to serve as a drainage vessel.
Rulof creates a vertical stand for the coffee cylinder using a piece of wood drilled onto the wooden base. Using two drill holes, two long screws, and two aluminum tubes (which act as spacers), he attaches the cylinder’s preexisting holes to the wooden stand. Three screws drilled to the bottom of the wooden base make this espresso machine look like it’s meant for making coffee rather than running a vehicle.
The last modification he makes to the engine espresso machine is a lever attached to the piston to compress the grounds. He wraps a U-shaped bolt in springs and connects it to a lever to give it more torque. To finish the machine off, he drills a hole through the lever and piston to finalize what is ultimately the ultimate espresso machine for motorheads.
There’s really something mesmerizing about seeing a piston press something other than gasoline through an engine (doubly so if that something is coffee). Not only does it make coffee in an awesome way, but it gives deeper insight into the goings-on inside a motorcycle’s engine.
Be sure to check out Rulof’s YouTube channel, Rulof Maker to see more of his unique projects.
