Seems the way back in 1935, a few ambitious engineers and one crazed motorcyclists thought it'd be a good idea to custom build a motorcycle for one reason: attain a speed of 300mph.

300mph. In 1935.

My favorite part?
Two steel plates, one on each side in front of the rear wheel, serve as brakes by actual contact with the ground or track. They can be raised or lowered by a lever.

Found at Modern Mechanix - an amazing compendium of all sorts of cool stuff; like this.