Motorcycle Air Bag Jacket: a must have item

This has got to be a must have item if you have a motorbike.

If you have a fear of crashing on your motor bike then this air bag jacket could fix that fear.

It is called Hit Air jacket and attaches to your motorbike with a tether.

If you happen to fly off your bike the jacket will inflate to protect your neck, chest, back, ribs and hips from getting any serious injury.

It costs $410 and remember it could save your life should the worst happen.

Trying out the Vectrix electric motorcycle

ABG friend and NextGear host Matt Kelly headed up to San Francisco to check out the west coast launch of the Vectrix electric motorcycle. Marketing Director for Vectrix gives all the details on the nickel metal hydride powered two wheeler. The battery is expected to have a ten year lifespan and the bike gets a two year warranty. The bike isn't cheap at $11,000 but it doesn't use any gas, is clean and quiet and has a 40-60 mile range depending on your riding style. The video is after the break.

[Source: NextGear]

KillaCycle takes off, crashes into parked minivan; Bill Dube OK

Since we have brought you past news on Bill Dube's KillaCycle, we thought that you might like to know that the owner/builder of the machine (and not the normal rider!) is all right after a crash. The accident happened while Dube was giving a demonstration of the electric bike, which is capable of covering the quarter mile in around 8 seconds at over 150 miles per hour. With power like that, it is not surprising that the bike shot out from under Dube while he was putting on a show by doing burnouts. After crashing into a minivan, paramedics took Dube to the hospital for X-Rays.

There is a video at this link of an interview with Bill Dube who explains that the bike uses A123 lithium ion batteries which can propel the bike to sixty miles per hour in less than one second. Right after the interview, you can watch the crash! The accident took place on the 13th in Los Angeles at the Wired NextFest conference. We wish Bill a speedy recovery!

On last thing: please consider this a reminder to be safe while operating any vehicle. Especially consider safety on a motorcycle, where a helmet at the very least should always be worn. Oh yeah, maybe it's time to change the bike's name.

The Kneeslider: Are motorcycles the future of performance?

We feel like we're ahead of the curve on this one, but Paul Crowe over at The Kneeslider has posted an editorial questioning whether or not performance cars are an endangered species. Considering that CAFE rules are becoming ever more stringent, cars like the Corvette are likely to move to smaller, more efficient motors and correspondingly lightweight chassis architecture. Heck, even the Camaro could get a hybrid option in the near future.

The question posed by Crowe is whether or not motorcycles will make up for the lack of high-performance cars. We think the answer is a resounding maybe. A few speed-addicts might make a move towards two wheels, but the market for fast cars is not going to go anywhere. Remember the muscle car? That era ended a long time ago, but the desire for the vehicles has not gone anywhere, in fact they are more desirable now than ever before. What's more, technology is already in place which will allow high performance and high economy. So, just as some people are switching to two wheels for economy, some might switch to two wheels for performance. With motorcycles, though, a few will have their cake and eat it too.

[Source: The Kneeslider

Electric motorbikes all the rage in Vietnam

As the price of oil goes through the roof, people the world 'round are responding. Here in America many have reduced their driving or traded in their SUV for a hybrid. Others, horror of horrors, have even started taking the bus. In Vietnam, where many folks have been riding 50cc "motorbikes" for years, the reaction has been to switch to electric versions. According to state-owned e-newspaper VietNamNet, "they are selling like hotcakes." One retailer (name not given) interviewed for the story, whose shop is on Vo Thi Sau Street in HCM city, claims to be moving 500 units a month. That's a lot of scooters, excuse me, motorbikes. Typically the parts for these machines are originating in Taiwan and China with assembly taking place in Vietnam. Prices are between VND 6-7 million (US$377-$442).

How goes the electric scooter in America? Most of our faithful ABG readers are quite familiar with the situation with Vectrix sales. The only other scooter manufacturer importer of any note, is Zap, who sell the Zapino. I actually read a very positive initial review of the newest batch of Zapinos (only the ones with ABS) by very knowledgeable electric scooter guy, usatracy, on my favorite EV forum. Strangely, no press release was issued by ZAP to inform us of the improvement in their product.

[Source: VietNamNet]

Triciclo Pompéo - ethanol powered three-wheeler made for Brazil

There are plenty of people who would love to have the fuel mileage of a 250cc motorcycle, but choose not to ride one because of the inherent safety problems and the lack of weather protection. Brazilian company Triciclo thinks that they have the answer to this issue, and it's called the Pompéo. Using a small motorcycle engine which is capable of running on either gasoline or ethanol (important for the Brazilian market), the Pompéo is said to have decent performance due to its low weight. Also important is the fact that the machine - which looks kind of like the front half of a car - is fully enclosed, meaning that the occupants will stay dry no matter what the weather outside. Seat belts provide a measure of safety lacking from the typical motorcycle, although in some countries it will be classed as such regardless. Finally, the cost is said to be in-line with a 400cc motorcycle, meaning the Pompéo should be quite affordable.

We love the idea of the Pompéo and hope it reaches success in Brazil. Currently, there are plans to export the vehicle, but nothing is said of the European or North American market as of yet. Be sure to watch the short video after the break.

Gallery: Triciclo Pompeo

[Source: World Car Fans / Triciclo]

Venture Vehicles to design and build 100 mpg three-wheeled road-going jetfighter

Venture Vehicles has announced that they will develop a two passenger, three-wheeled vehicle powered by either a pure plug-in electric or plug-in hybrid petrol-electric powertrain. Under the working name of VentureOne, the new vehicle is to be designed and built in California based on the existing Carver three-wheeler already available in Europe.

Even with its single front wheel and its narrow form, the VentureOne arguably has more in common with a conventional car than a motorcycle due to the fully enclosed cabin, upright seating position, steering wheel, foot pedals and gear stick. The vehicle is actually the same height and length as a MINI Cooper but the driver sits as high off the road as they would in a BMW 3-Seriers.

Despite the VentureOne's height and narrow body, it will be very stable while rounding bends due to its most astounding feature, the ability to tilt the driver and passenger over as it corners. Like a motorcycle, this means that there is no 'overturning torque' on the wheels and the resultant forces always pass through the centre-line of the vehicle. The Carver three-wheeler pioneered the unique tilting design which allows the front wheel and both in-line passengers tilt up to 45 degrees while cornering even as the rear two wheels, anchored by the motor, remain firmly on the ground.

Carver describes the corner tilting sensation as "You steer it like a car, but when cornering it banks like a motorcycle while you feel like you are flying a jetfighter. The thrill of this tilting capability combined with the handling of a sports car makes for an exhilarating driving experience unlike any other."

Intelligent Energy teams up with Suzuki to develop fuel-cell motorcycles

Intelligent Energy (IE), known on ABG's pages as the company behind the ENV fuel-cell motorcycle, has announced that they will partner up with Suzuki Motor Corporation on the development of prototype hydrogen fuel-cell motorcycles. Future bikes produced by the partnership will run on Intelligent Energy's proprietary Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel-cells that are billed by IE as having class-leading performance in automotive applications. The PEM design utilises thin metallic bipolar plates, allowing the resultant fuel-cell to be extremely compact and easy to mass manufacture.

Intelligent Energy's Chief Executive Dr Henri Winand was quoted as saying, "As a company, we have a range of leading clean technologies based on proprietary fuel cell and fuel processing systems. We work with key partner companies to integrate our systems into their products. It is well known that Japanese companies are particularly sophisticated and knowledgeable when it comes to fuel cell-based products. We are therefore delighted to announce our new partnership with the Suzuki Motor Corporation."

Analysis: The ENV has clearly proved the viability of fuel-cell powered motorcycles but Intelligent Energy was always going to have to partner up with an existing manufacturer to bring their PEM technology to the market in a meaningful way. This partnership paves the way for a whole new class of zero-emission vehicles on our roads.

[Source: Intelligent Energy press release]

Is the scooter scene in need of freshening?

We mention scooters more and more often in these days of expensive gasoline, because for the right person, they can save some money when it comes time to fill up (We've also created a new "On Two Wheels" category for these type of posts). But, I have heard from numerous people that they just hate the way that most scooters look. Some people like the racy looks of modern sportbikes, some people like the retro designs from Italy, such as the Vespa. Of course, some people just don't care, as long as it's cheap and reliable.

For those of you who do care what your automatic transmission'ed four-stroke scooting machine looks like, why not take a moment to check on the sketches drawn up by an Italian man named Oberdan Bezzi at his scooter design blog, which is aptly named "Scooter Design". If your tastes lean more towards motorcycles and shifting for yourself, you can also check out his other site: "Motosketches", which we mentioned at Autoblog. I don't read Italian, so I just like to look at the pretty pictures. You?

[Source: Scooter Design via Motorcycle News]

Can't decide between your motorcycle or your jet ski? Build two-in-one

Here is another one of those oddities that we sometimes show you here at AutoblogGreen. We often write about motorcycles here, so this one seems to fit... sort of. Anyway, what we have here is a mid-eighties Yamaha Virago, one of the first of the Japanese Harley-copies that hit the scene. These are the motorcycles that initiated the term "cruiser" as opposed to just Harley... but enough history.

The builder of this machine apparently couldn't decide between his two hobbies, so he combined them into one mode of transportation. I can't help but think that it is not an easy conversion between the two of them, though.

For a moment, let's focus on the practical efficiency gains contained here. First, we have a motorcycle, which uses far less petroleum than an automobile. The light weight of the vehicle contributes to this, as the engine can be much smaller while still allowing high performance. Also, having two contact patches on the ground increases the efficiency of the vehicle. Next, we have the fishing platform. Read the article, you will find that at 5 mph, roughly walking speed, the vehicle lifts out of the water, greatly reducing contact with the water, increasing vehicle efficiency. There, now we all feel better, don't we?

[Source: Popular Mechanics, via The Kneeslider]

The nUCLEUS is one crazy-looking alternative motorcycle concept

We've run across some pretty crazy-looking contraptions in our time, but few of them break with tradition with quite the verve of the nUCLEUS. Looking very interesting from every angle but the side profile, the nUCLEUS revels in its slab-sidedness, or something like that. All the necessary controls appear to be accounted for, and the video on their site shows a bit, but certainly not much, of front wheel lock for making tight turns. This is nothing more than a concept, and as such, no details are given regarding what would power this unique machine, but the designer does not have the internal combustion engine in mind. The side panels, which appear so un-aerodynamic at first glance, are actually just blades when viewed from the front and would be made from some sort of composite. We certainly don't expect to see anything quite like this for sale any time soon, but at least it's a different take on a familiar concept.

Gallery: NONOBJECT nUCLEUS