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Saturday, August 17, 2013

NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Motorcycles

The Maxx Speed 01, a low-cost concept bike modeled on a racing bike platform
It comes as a bit of a surprise when you gaze at the sleek lines of the Maxx Speed 01 (MS 01), to discover that it was built by a 24 year-old designer for a total cost of US$3,000. Modeled on a racing motorcycle platform, Anoop Nishanth's concept bike is inspired by the contours of a jumping lion, The Transformers and Ironman. The bike can reach a top speed of 87 mph (140 km/h) without a pillion rider and 68 mph (110 km/h) with one. Marrying the classy looks of an elegant race bike with above-average performance compared to normal motorcycles, the MS 01 is in a group all by itself – a race bike look-alike that almost anyone can afford to buy.  
The TerraCraft tilting 3-wheel concept
The Terracraft is a sharp-looking 3-wheeler concept that aims to offer a unique hybrid of the motorcycle riding and car driving experiences. Its retractable roof and doors can offer weather protection and aerodynamics, its tandem double seat replicates the motorcycle pillion experience, and its unique steering system means the driver can manually dial in a tilt angle to replicate the sensation of leaning a motorcycle into a corner. Gizmag spoke with inventor James 'Wes' Abbott.  
Reevu's proposed motorcycle helmet Heads-Up Display (HUD)
Motorcycle helmet innovator Reevu has come up with what it claims is the world's first commercially available intelligent helmet with a built-in heads-up display, or HUD. While that's a bit misleading – it won't actually be available for another 18-24 months – a HUD for bikers is clearly an exciting prospect, and Reevu with its experience in building in rear-vision capabilities is probably in an excellent position to get it to market. 
The Suprine Exodus recumbent motorcycle
The Exodus recumbent motorcycle, by US company Suprine, is a 130-horsepower lay-back motorbike with a roll cage and a perspex windscreen. It's a radical design with a street-legal prototype already in action, and its remarkable form factor allows it to make a fantastic 80-plus miles per gallon on the highway, while looking like something out of a Japanese anime movie.  
The Be.e electric scooter (Photo: Waarmakers)
Flax is undoubtedly one very useful plant. The seeds are both tasty and nutritious, its fibers have been used to protect our delicate skins for thousands of years, and it's helped us express ourselves through art and music. Now it's about to play a supporting role in quickly zipping us through busy city streets. The Be.e electric scooter designed by Dutch firm Waarmakers has a monocoque body made from NPSP's natural fiber-reinforced composites, a modern take on glass-fiber composites where the glass has been replaced by Flax and then mixed with bio-resin. Project partner Van.Eko launched the first models on June 27, and is now readying the funky-looking two-wheeler for full commercial production.  
Carlin Dunne takes his Lightning Electric Superbike up Pikes Peak (Photo: Lightning Motorc...
A production version of Lightning Motorcycle Corp's Electric Superbike has won this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb among two wheelers (both gas and electric) with a time of 10 minutes and 0.964 seconds. The nearest competitor, racing a Ducati Multistrada, finished with a time nearly 20 seconds slower. 
Jason Learmonth tells us about his bike, his gear, and the role of a motorcycle paramedic.
Jason Learmonth is a paramedic with a difference. Instead of an ambulance, he gets around town on a motorcycle that's kitted out with almost every piece of clinical equipment an ambulance carries. It's part of a trial that's putting two of these machines on the road in Melbourne, Australia, for three years to discover whether the bike's ability to get into hard-to-reach places and move through congested traffic is useful enough to make it a permanent part of the Ambulance service. I followed Jason around for an afternoon to capture some of his extraordinary working day in pictures.  
In 2009, electric bikes averaged the same speeds as 1936. In 2013, their speed had increas...
MotoCzysz today won its fourth TT ZERO race in a row, demonstrating just how far the electric motorcycle has come in a short time. The first five runnings of the TT ZERO event at the 105 year-old Isle of Man motorcycle racing festival suggest electric bikes will catch up to the fastest gas-powered bikes in about five years. Every practice session has seen lap speeds increase. The inaugural 2009 electric lap record was run at the same speed as the circuit record in 1936 on the first Manx Norton. This week, electric motorcycles have surpassed the laps times of Hailwood's RC181 Honda 500, Duke's Gilera, Agostini's MV Agusta fire engines, and they're about to better the Kawasaki KR750, Suzuki RG500 and Yamaha TZ750 two-strokes of the mid-seventies. Four decades of progress in 48 months. Read on 
The Mission RS electric motorcycle
San Francisco-based Mission Motorcycles has unveiled two brand-new electric bikes which it bills as the most advanced on the market: the Mission RS and Mission R. The track- and road-ready RS is produced in an ultra-limited edition of 40, but the R will be manufactured in larger quantities at a cheaper price, while still retaining the key specs of its edgier sibling. However, if the name Mission R seems familiar, well that's because it is ...  
The new RC213V production machine under testing in Japan on May 24, 2013. The bike's runni...
Yes, that seems like a whole lot of money for a motorcycle, but Honda will unveil a whole new production model by the end of 2013. It's an over-the-counter MotoGP racer with a target price of €1 million, and a level of power that will make it competitive in the CRT class of MotoGP in 2014. Oh, and the bike is designed to save money.

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