T1B

Sudden Sam wrote: Their design met with success.

Is that why they're so popular today?

That is a fukking horrible design. Imagine trying to get that much rotational mass to turn at anything over 10-15 mph. It would be a death cycle at normal highway speeds.

Not sure about this, but I don't think the engine spins with the wheel. Probably a "cam" engine mounted on the hub, like an axial aircraft engine.

I saw a radial engine and my first thought was the WWI era radials that spun with the prop. This was done for added air cooling. Even if the engine does not spin, it is a lot of unsprung weight and there is still a good deal more rotational mass than there would be otherwise.

This was simply a bored engineer having fun. There is no way in hell it could be a practical bike. Does look kinda cool though.