Yamaha has unveiled Motobot, a motorcycle-riding robot at the Tokyo Motor Show. Yahama claims that the robot will eventually be able to ride an unmodified motorbike at over 200 kilometers per hour (124 miles per hour). (Video)
Continue reading… “Yamaha unveils Motobot, a motorcycle-riding robot”
Elio
Ninety-three percent of Americans drive to work alone. So why use a car that’s big enough for four? A new vehicle that’s half-motorcycle and half-car is designed to replace sedans and SUVs on morning commutes and help save money and emissions in the process: The Elio costs $6,800 and gets 84 miles to the gallon. It’s possible to drive 672 miles on a single tank of gas. That’s the distance from New York City to Detroit.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwFnnQ8pfy4[/youtube]
Canadian inventor Rejean Neron’s Safety Sphere concept has to be the most, well, all-encompassing airbag for motorcyclists. Described as an “inflatable crash garment for non-enclosed vehicle riders”, Safety Sphere isn’t so much built into the rider’s suit as it is the rider’s suit. In the event of an accident, the intended results are nothing if not dramatic, as the CG video promo ably illustrates. (Pics)
Continue reading… “Safety Sphere – inflatable crash suit for motorcyclists”
Featured invention at the DaVinci Inventor Showcase 2011
A BowerBag is a messenger bag that transforms into a backpack if you need more space, and then into a saddle bag if you don’t want to carry anything at all. You can just strap it to your bike or motorcycle.
Continue reading… “BowerBags – transforming modular courier bag”
Toilet Bike Neo
Japan’s top commode manufacturer, TOTO, has just unveiled a crazy poop-powered motorcycle topped with a toilet. The motorcycle, dubbed the Toilet Bike Neo, will travel across Japan to promote the company’s “Green Challenge” of reducing emissions 50% over the next five years. The vehicle runs on biogas that is produced by an on-bike toilet, communicates in Japanese using LED lights, plays music, and talks. A poop and ride motorcycle!
Continue reading… “Toilet Bike Neo – a poop-powered motorcycle”
Hoverbike
Motorcyclists who like the adventure and thrill of getting airborne at the top of a rise get ready for the Hoverbike. The Hoverbike will take catching some air to a whole new level. (Pics and video)
Continue reading… “Australian Man Builds Hoverbike Capable of Flying to 10,000 Feet”
Dainese is trying to bring airbag technology to the slopes.
Almost anything that you can use to get around quickly comes with an airbag these days, even flying cars. So it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that airbags could be the newest accessory you see skiers wearing the next time you hit the slopes.
Continue reading… “Skier Airbags – Motorcyclist-protection Technology Coming to the Ski Slopes”
Motorcycle fatalities decline because of economy
After a decade of steady increases, motorcyclist deaths nose-dived last year, possibly due to bikers watching their budgets in a sour economy. The study, set for release Thursday, indicates a 16 percent drop in U.S. motorcycle fatalities through the first nine months of 2009 compared to the same period in the previous year. It projects at least a 10 percent decline in fatalities over the entire year, or about 530 fewer deaths.
Continue reading… “Decline in U.S. Motorcycle Fatalities Due to Economy”
Finally a Motorcycle for the rest of us!
Now That’s Nifty has a gallery of thirty unusual motorcycles, including those converted into campers, limos, and tracked vehicles. Among them is the massive Leonhardt Gunbus, which is powered by a massive 410 cubic inch engine:
When it comes to custom motorcycle builders, there’s crazy and there’s really crazy. Falling into the latter category is one Mr. Clemens F. Leonhardt, who has just finished building what he refers to as “the world’s biggest motorcycle.” Excluding some other crazy creations, such as the Monster Bike, the guy’s got a point. Unlike other two-wheeled behemoths, the Leonhardt Gunbus is actually ready to ride on normal roads and will soon go into series production… (Pics)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30Ow92F78fY&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
These dirt bikers are riding a trail atop a cliff that’s no more than a foot wide. The video is appropriately titled “Big Balls Trail Ride.”
Continue reading… “Amazing Video – ‘Big Balls Trail Ride’”
An extraordinary new ‘brain-cooling’ motorcycle helmet could save thousands of lives each year.
Called the ThermaHelm, the incredible piece of equipment comes with an inbuilt device that acts like an instant ice pack after a sudden impact.
By cooling the brain it is thought the carbon fibre helmet can reduce the risk of long-term brain damage and save lives.
