Articles tagged with "Motorcycle"
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First images Maxtra 125 motor and tests
June 22, 2008 The Chinese Maxtra Racing team completed its first series of tests on the all-new 125 GP development machine in the UK this week. The photography session for the tests has revealed the first images of the radical new motor’s innovative engine architecture. You’ll see from the accompanying image that the single cylinder points downwards at about 45 degrees. This previously untried layout offers improvements to both intake and exhaust. There is more space for an airbox, enhancing the effectiveness of the ram-air intake system and the exhaust clearly has a free run to the rear of the machine.The remarkable full story of the team and its plans can be found here. (read more...)
Honda announces 'brake by wire' supersport motorcycle
June 11, 2008 Motorcycle 'driver aid' technology is becoming more and more prevalent; the 2008 Kawasaki ZX-10R, for example, features a primitive traction/stability control system, and the latest Yamaha R1 and R6 engines feature 'fly by wire' throttles, in which an ECU interprets and moderates throttle inputs before they reach the engine. Anti-lock braking is beginning to feature on almost all touring-style motorcycles, and Honda's Combined Braking system, or CBS, is fitted to several of the company's less sports-focused models, where it distributes braking force between front and rear wheels even if only one brake lever is pressed. Honda's latest advancement in rider aid technology is to combine ABS and CBS into one electronically-managed system that prevents braking lock-ups and also manages weight transfer under heavy braking to help stop the rear wheel from lifting in an emergency stop. (read more...)
Can-Am Spyder Roadster review
It combines the open air exhilaration of two-wheeled transport with the stability of four, but it's not a motorbike and it's not a convertible sportscar. In fact, direct comparisons with anything else on the highway are largely useless because there's simply nothing out there like the Can-Am Spyder Roadster. More than a decade since BRP first began to explore the idea for totally a new breed of three-wheeled road going conveyance and four years since the styling was finalized, the world wide roll-out of the Spyder is now in full swing. Noel McKeegan climbs aboard for a closer look. (read more...)
UnoMoto: the electric transport balancing act
May 27, 2008 A design that is best described as a two-wheeled unicycle, the UnoMoto takes a Yamaha R1 frame, side-by-side wheels and Segway-like gyroscopic technology and wraps it in a custom made body to create a very different kind of electric commuter vehicle. Though perhaps not as slick in the design stakes, the UnoMoto prototype is reminiscent of the radical Bombadier EMBRIO Concept but with even simpler controls. Except for an on/off switch all control is achieved through simply leaning: forward to accelerate, back to brake, and sideways to make a turn. Young Canadian design engineer Ben Gulak deserves our applause on at least three counts: it's compact, its green and it's thoroughly unconventional. (read more...)
Dreamfit: the motorcycle for paraplegics
May 15, 2008 A chance encounter with a paraplegic ex-motorcross champion in a hospital carpark inspired Darren Lomman to put together an audacious project: a motorcycle for paraplegic riders - and his working prototype, a heavily modified Honda CBR250RR, is now road licensed and operational. (read more...)
Three-wheeled, GSXR-engined Stealth Tryke
May 8, 2008 The line between car and motorcycle has become increasingly blurred in recent times with the appearance of scintillating 3-wheeled conveyances like Campagna's T-Rex and BRP's Can-Am Spyder roadster. In that vein, the custom made Stealth Tryke from Lehigh Valley Choppers employs a GSXR 1000 engine and wide, flat profile tires to take advantage of the stable "Y" configuration and deliver what looks to be one ripping ride. (read more...)
Gearing up for Goodwood
April 17, 2008 The wheels are in motion for this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed which will be held between 11-13 July under the theme ‘Hawthorn to Hamilton – Britain’s Love Affair with World Motor Sport’. (read more...)
Seat Shield Reduces addresses potential health risk for motorcyclists
April 11, 2008 Are motorcyclists increasing the risk of prostate and colon cancer by exposing themselves to low frequency electromagnetic field (ELF EMF) radiation? The answer is yes according to Canadian inventor and author Randall Dale Chipkar, who has created a specially shielded motorcycle seat to minimize this potential danger. (read more...)
KTM's RC8 superbike targets Ducati's 1098S
March 20, 2008 World Superbike racing is about to get a serious shake-up in 2009, as new heavyweight contenders step into the ring from BMW, Aprilia and 675 triple. In WSBK 2008, it seems the Ducati 1098S, the fastest Ducati ever with Australia's Troy Bayliss on board, is already standing out the bike to beat - and that's exactly the way KTM have approached the development of their 1148cc v-twin RC8 superbike, which weighs in, on both the scales and the dyno, as an absolute equal to the slippery Ducati. (read more...)
Sidam's tilting Xnovo three-wheeler: scooter or micro-minivan?
February 26, 2008 Riding the wave of interest started by the Piaggio MP3 and Gilera Fuoco three-wheelers, French scooter importer Sidam is planning to try its luck with a new bike that turns the concept backwards. The Xnovo gives the tilting triangle wheelbase concept a much less fun, more utilitarian application than its Italian forebears, acting like a mini-minivan with huge carrying capacity, a hard roof, windscreen and twin driven rear wheels each on its own swingarm. And while it probably handles like a barge, the Xnovo may well find a niche as a traffic-busting courier/delivery vehicle. (read more...)
Aprilia RSV4 racebike unveiled
February 26, 2008 Aprilia has taken the wraps off the 1000cc, V-4 engined superbike it plans to race in the World Superbike Championship in the 2009 season in front of an audience of more than 1,200 dealers attending the International Piaggio Group Convention in Milan. The race version of Aprilia's first ever 4-cylinder engine is already making a claimed 207 horsepower - with more room yet for development potential - and the new bike is due to make its road debut by the end of 2008. The unique, compact four-cylinder 65 degree V engine configuration achieves peak power at 13,500rpm and uses a computer controlled fly-by-wire system similar to that found in the recent R1 and R6 Yamahas for controlling power output and traction. (read more...)
Adiva release 250cc convertible scooter
February 18, 2008 Gizmag road-tested the head-turning Adiva convertible scooter in when released in its 150cc guise, now news that a 250cc version of the rain-beating getabout has been announced. (read more...)
Phillippe Starck designed Voxan Cafe Racer Super Naked
February 13, 2008 French designer Phillippe Starck has created this striking minimalist Cafe Racer Super Naked around Voxan's 1200cc engine. Weighing in at 180kg and putting out 140hp, the Cafe Racer Super Naked prototype is just that at the moment - here's hoping it makes the showroom floor. (read more...)
Aprilia’s FV2 concept bike
Providing a futuristic showcase platform for the company's upcoming technical and styling directions, Aprilia’s FV2 concept bike incorporates a fly-by-wire injection system, traction control, ABS, electronically adjustable suspension and carbon fiber construction with a 1200cc, 90-degree v-twin engine that we are likely to see in the RSV and Tuono in the next couple of years. (read more...)
Acabion GTBO: faster than a Bugatti Veyron at only 20% throttle
Bugatti Veyron owners, and indeed car owners as a group, have been looking very smug since the amazing supercar posted its awesome 250mph top speed and 1000 horsepower acceleration that not even the fastest motorcycles could match. But it seems Acabion has taken the crown back for the bike brigade, with its release of a road-ready streamliner that's capable of beating they Veyron's top speed using only 20% throttle. The Acabion GTBO is said to top out at around 340mph (close to 550kmh) if you're game enough to hold on to 50% throttle, and with engines varying from 350 to 750 horsepower, it's a very serious piece of kit... Even if it does have training wheels. (read more...)
Monster Motorbike: the 13 tonne car crushing colossus
Almost thirty feet (9 meters) long, ten feet (3 meters) high and weighing as much as a school bus, the name emblazoned along the side of this menacing two-wheeled beast says it all - it's the "Monster Motorbike from Hell". Designed and built in Perth, Australia, by stunt driver Ray Baumann where it's been wowing fans with its car and caravan crushing capabilities, the Monster Motorbike is powered by a Detroit Diesel truck engine and six-speed Allison automatic and uses a two-speed Eaton differential from a road train to drive a huge chain on each side of the one-meter wide rear wheel, itself taken from a Caterpillar 80 tonne front end loader. (read more...)
Dainese tests electronically operated airbag system for motorcycle racing
More than 10 years in the making, the Dainese D-Air Racing system is a new type of rider protection technology that uses a series of accelerometers and electronically operated rate gyros to deploy an airbag mounted in the aerodynamic hump of a leather racing suit when things go wrong on the racetrack. Taking only 40 milliseconds to trigger, the system provides protection for the neck, shoulder and collarbone, cushioning the falling rider before they hit the ground. Airbags have recently appeared into the world of motorcycles with examples like Honda’s airbag-equipped Goldwing and ripcord-operated inflating jackets from Motoair and Hit-Air. The difference with the Dainese system - which is currently aimed specifically at the racing environment - is that it does not require any connection to the motorcycle, kicking-in during front low-side, back lowside or high-side falls. (read more...)
Suzuki Bandit 1250 goes touring
January 16, 2008 Suzuki’s big bad bandit 1250 has been reincarnated as a sensible mile muncher. Suzuki has announced the final specification and pricing for the new Bandit 1250 Grand Touring which sports a roomy top-box and pannier system, additional fairing lowers and Suzuki's bespoke Garmin Zumo Sat Nav system. (read more...)
Husaberg redesigns the four-stroke single
January 14, 2008 The development of the four-stroke single cylinder motor is exactly as old as the internal combustion engine, but the needs of the motorcycle are still being understood. Accordingly, Husaberg’s radical new design just might be a significant breakthrough. The engine has been reconfigured to put the crankshaft near the off-roader’s center-of-mass and the KTM-owned company claims a significant improvement in handling because of it. (read more...)
Dakar Rally canceled due to terrorist threats
January 5, 2008 For the first time in its 30-year history, the Dakar Rally has been canceled, the day before it was due to start, due to direct threats launched against the race by terrorist organizations based in the area. It appears the event may be moved to sub-Saharan Africa from 2009 onwards. We commiserate with race fans, organizers and the 550-odd competitors for many of whom this "Everest of off-road" event is a lifelong dream. (read more...)
TriRod launches F3 Adrenaline 3-wheel motorcycle
We've encountered a raft of exciting three-wheeled motorcycle designs in recent years including the Can-Am Spyder, Brudeli's Three-Wheel Leanster, the VentureOne plug-in hybrid and the T-REX from Campagna. More recently, scooter manufacturers have embraced the wide-track stability, braking power and cornering prowess of the two at the front/one at the rear configuration with the release of models like the Piaggio MP3. While many designs are still in prototype phase, it seems certain that the three-wheeled footprint will become an increasingly familiar site on the road with the latest example to cross our desk - the striking tandem seat F3 Adrenaline from San Diego based TriRod Motorcycles - now accepting reservations ahead of a Q2 2008 release. (read more...)
Hillbilly’s 150kg, 150 horsepower Buell XBRR Chronos
January 11, 2008 Built as a tribute to Buell’s 25 years of innovation, the XBRR Chronos from Scandinavia’s Hillbilly motors is a 150kg, 150 horsepower custom racebike that matches the power to weight ratio of the latest japanese litre bikes and features some stunning innovations along the way. (read more...)
The world's most expensive motorcycle?
December 11, 2007 If you’re the kinda person that drives a Reventon, won’t tap on a laptop unless it’s a Luvaglio, and only sails Mangusta, then boy have we got the motorcycle for you! It’s called the Ecosse Titanium Series - so called because it sports the world’s first all-titanium frame. And from the 200-horsepower, 2150cc polished billet aluminum v-twin engine, to the MotoGP-spec Ohlins suspension, to the radially-mounted 6-piston billet ISR front brake calipers - with an individual brake pad for each of the 12 pistons - every detail screams "you can't afford me!" At USD$275,000 it's not cheap - but it does come with a free watch. (read more...)
Two wheels versus four in Project Gotham Racing 4
December 11, 2007 The Project Gotham Racing (PGR) franchise has always put gamers behind the wheel of some of the world’s most powerful and desirable cars, but with PGR4 gamers now also have the chance to throw a virtual leg over of some of the world’s best two wheeled vehicles including BMW's K 1200 R. (read more...)
Cargobike: proper storage capacity on two wheels
December 10, 2007 While they offer huge advantages in getting through traffic, fuel economy, convenience and pure smiles-per-mile, it's no secret that onboard storage on motorcycles is generally absolute rubbish. You might fit a wallet, phone and a spare pair of gloves under the seat, but anything bigger than a helmet, and even a maxi-scooter's stumped. Which is why we were fascinated to discover Cargobike, a two-wheeled conveyance designed with one goal in mind: proper carrying capacity. And that it delivers - 150 whole liters of waterproof, lockable storage capacity, and a maximum load of a whopping 80 kilos in the cargo compartment which is nicely balanced where the tank and engine would be on a normal motorcycle. (read more...)
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