The Kneeslider — Motorcycle News for Positive People

Motorcycle Anti Lock Brakes May Become Mandatory

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 7/2/2009

in Motorcycle Laws and Regulations, Motorcycle Safety

A report from the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) discussing upcoming safety features for cars, also says the agency will decide by next year whether or not to make ABS a required feature on new motorcycles. According to the Detroit News:

An insurance institute study showed that the rate of fatal crashes was 28 percent lower for motorcycles equipped with optional anti-lock brakes than for those same motorcycles without them.

Motorcycle deaths have more than doubled since 1997, from 2,116 to 5,154 in 2007. The motorcycle fatality rate has also nearly doubled from 21 per million miles traveled in 1997 to 39 in 2007. Injuries also have doubled.

Some riders will welcome the proposal while others will say it’s just one more system that can fail. ABS is a fairly well proven technology so it may be more an issue of cost than anything else. Currently, some models give buyers a choice between ABS and non-ABS equipped bikes, but, this indicates the choice may soon be going away.

Will this apply to all models or will it just mean those offering ABS as an option must now have it on all units? Which models would be included in this requirement was not stated and may not have been decided at this point. No specific timeline was specified.

Link: Detroit News

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Peraves Ecomobile, Monotracer, E-Tracer and X-Tracer Cabin Motorcycles

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 7/1/2009

in Alternative thinking, Electric motorcycles, Motorcycle Builders, Motorcycle Business

Peraves Ecomobile cabin motorcycle

Cabin motorcycles, the nomenclature for fully enclosed 2 wheelers, are an interesting vehicle concept that, no matter their function or rationale, have to overcome a lot of resistance from both drivers and motorcyclists. Peraves, makers of the Ecomobile, Monotracer and the soon to be unveiled E-Tracer electric and X-Tracer X-Prize competitor, are well aware of the mental leap necessary for drivers to be comfortable with less than 4 wheels or for motorcyclists to accept a vehicle that confines their feet inside.

After the article on the Peraves SuperBallMotor, one of our regular commenters, Gordon Swanson, decided to follow up a bit more with the company. They responded with a short update on the SuperBallMotor but also included more information about the continuing evolution of their cabin motorcycles which Gordon forwarded on to me and it’s the first time I really sorted through the various versions. The more I looked through the information, the more interesting and appealing they become.

Peraves Ecomobile

The Ecomobile, the first of their cabin motorcycles, has already been around for 20 years, it has proved to be functional, fun and reliable and owners think they’re a hoot. The Swiss company had 10 of them over here in the US in 1996 and traveled from Atlanta to Montana to Arizona and back with no problems at all in the 3 week trip, but most of us have never seen one up close nor had one out on the road and it’s hard to build an appreciation for an alternative vehicle like this without a bit of seat time. [click to continue…]

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Royal Enfield Bullet Sport Concept

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 6/30/2009

in Concept Motorcycles, Motorcycle Design

Royal Enfield Bullet Sport Concept

Now that Royal Enfield has a new engine for their new Bullet, Oberdan Bezzi thought, why not work up a sport version? Although Royal Enfield has long had a cafe racer kit to spiff up their old Bullet, the 500cc thumper was never what most of us would call a sporty engine, simple and reliable, perhaps, but sporty?

The new engine is quite an improvement but this design might still be a bit of wishful thinking. It looks good, no doubt about that, and if you had a race series with only these bikes allowed, it could be a lot of fun. So, if you think about it that way, why not? Interesting.

Link: Oberdan Bezzi

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Peraves SuperBallMotor - Rotating Sphere 4 Stroke Engine

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 6/29/2009

in Alternative Fuels, Alternative thinking, Diesel Engines, Engines

Here’s a 4 stroke engine concept you have to see to understand, the Peraves Superballmotor uses a multipart sphere to replace the usual crankshaft, rods and pistons of a normal internal combustion engine.

The moving parts of the sphere have ceramic balls on their exterior which travel in grooves in the case surrounding the sphere. The rotating motion of the sphere causes the moving parts, which serve as pistons, to go through the 4 stroke cycle in 2 working chambers, which would be comparable to a 2 cylinder engine. Air and fuel are introduced at the sides near the rotating axis, are supercharged through the use of prechambers, flow into the gaps in the sphere created by the motion of the sphere, followed by compression, power and exhaust as you would expect. You have to watch the animation on their site to see the whole process because a description doesn’t work very well.

Peraves builds the Monotracer and the Ecomobile, fully enclosed 2 wheel motorcycles, which have been out there for some time, but I never saw this engine before, I don’t know if it’s new, but it’s new to me. They have it set up in a Yamaha YP-400 scooter and they say it can be built as a gasoline, diesel, CNG or hydrogen engine. As with any internal combustion engine, it can be used in various applications besides motor vehicles.

If you’re a reasonably experienced motorhead, you can understand how working on one machine can lead you to play with the parts in various ways and come up with variations that do something else entirely. But, after looking at the animation and understanding how it works, it’s seems like quite a stretch from any other engine or machine to this design, I’d be curious to know how that mental leap occured. What similar device would lead someone, by extension, to put pieces together this way.

It’s a very cool idea. Is it workable or better than other engines? Hard to say. Their website says it has many advantages in power to weight, lower cost and more power at lower rpm but their charts are small and hard to read so we’ll have to take their word for it. I’d like to hear it run and see some power numbers to form any conclusions, but, I think it’s neat, just from the concept itself, if it works really well, that’s even better.

Thanks for the tip, Petr!

Link: Peraves

Video below: [click to continue…]

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Snaefell Laverda Sidecar Project

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 6/29/2009

in Motorcycle Builders, Motorcycle Design

Snaefell sidecar project

François Knorreck, a French motorcyclist with a passion for building things to suit his own vision, bought a Laverda in 1976 and turned it into a nicely modified sportbike. He rode the bike perfectly satisfied until 1993 when he began to conceive the idea of a new project and got the urge to build again, ideas turned to design and led to lots and lots of labor, the result, more than 10 years later, is the Snaefell, a Laverda based sidecar outfit that demonstrates some phenomenal skills in both design and building.

Snaefell sidecar project

The Snaefell is a completely hand crafted vehicle, the frame, the wiring harness and, of course, the amazing body, which itself used 63 molds for the parts made of polyester or carbon fiber. Some parts were sourced from Renault, Citroen, BMW, VW and Audi. The entire 10,000 hour project comes in around 15,000 Euros, which, at today’s rates, is about $21,000.

Power is from the original 1000cc Laverda triple which gets a matching triple exhaust out the back of the bodywork. The interior, complete with seatbelts, looks like a factory build. The door opens up Lamborghini style. Just stunning work.

Complex projects like these, where the builder does so many things so well, in his spare time, just continue to amaze me every time I see them. Superb work all around.

Thanks for the tip, Marcus!

Link: Snaefell

Snaefell sidecar interior

Snaefell sidecar project

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2009 Royal Enfield Bullet Recall

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 6/27/2009

in Motorcycle Recalls, Motorcycle Safety

Classic Motorworks, USA has issued a recall for a number of unit construction 2009 Royal Enfield Bullets for a problem with galling on the clutch shaft. Please read below for further details.

Manufacturer: Classic Motorworks Limited, USA
Models affected:
2009 Royal Enfield Bullet Electra E-5 EFI
2009 Royal Enfield Bullet G5 Classic EFI
2009 Royal Enfield Bullet G5 Deluxe EFI
2009 Royal Enfield Bullet G5 Military EFI
NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V235000
Potential Units Affected: 196
Problem: Classic Motorworks is recalling 196 model year 2009 Bullet Electra E-5, Bullet G5 Classic, Bullet G5 Military, and Bullet G5 Deluxe motorcycles equipped with the unit construction, EFI engine. These motorcycles can experience third gear galling on the clutch shaft due to lack of lubrication. This condition can allow the gear to seize to the shaft, causing rear wheel lock up. This could result in a crash that could cause injury or death to the rider.

Corrective Action: Dealers will inspect and replace the third gear and clutch shaft with increased clearance free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or before June 29, 2009. Owners may contact Classic Motorworks at 1-800-201-7472.

{ 5 readers have commented so far, ... your thoughts? }

Carver Europe Goes Bankrupt - Manufacturer of Tilting Three Wheeler

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 6/26/2009

in Motorcycle Business, Three Wheel Motor Vehicles

Carver Europe Goes Bankrupt

Carver Europe, makers of the really cool tilting three wheel car, the Carver One, has gone bankrupt. It seems, though, Advanced Technology Licensing Company, which was formed to sell the tilting technology, is still in business, so the technology itself may live on and be used by other manufacturers in their own vehicles.

If you remember this video, (no longer available) the Carver got a big thumbs up from the guys at Top Gear for the really fun ride, but commercialization of the car was a problem. A major deal was evidently supposed to take place in May and fell through, which put the company into bankruptcy.

Got the tip from our comments. Thanks!

Link: AD Economie
Link: Yahoo

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Moto Guzzi Makeovers

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 6/25/2009

in Motorcycle Builders, Motorcycle Business, Motorcycle Design

Moto Guzzi Marrano 1160 by Das Mototec

Italian motorcycles are often recognized for their beautiful styling, but one brand (Ducati) tends to overshadow all of the other smaller marques. When you step outside of the Ducati world and look at the other bikes, there’s much to appreciate. Recently, I’ve been noticing more and more really nice examples of the Moto Guzzi lineup, both current and classic, so I thought I would take a closer look at a few.

Bill Johnson, over at DucCutters, was pointing out another bike on his site, a Ducati of course, but while I was there I spotted this Moto Guzzi, the Marrano 1160 and it just struck me as a beautiful piece of work. It’s the blue bike shown above and built by Das Mototec of Germany. It’s a really clean makeover.

Moto Guzzi’s longitudinal crank V-Twin engine has a unique look. If the styling focuses your attention on the drivetrain, like the one shown above, the bikes look great. [click to continue…]

{ 19 readers have commented so far, ... your thoughts? }

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