Derbi DH 2.0 - Motorcycle Mountain Bike Concept
May 8th, 2008 by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider"
If you remember Project M85 Freeride, you’ll see the same idea in this new concept bike from Derbi, the Derbi DH 2.0, a mountain bike sized motorcycle with a small engine and very light weight. It has fuel in frame like a Buell, an automatic transmission, a 100cc air cooled 4 stroke engine, underseat exhaust, inverted fork, air monoshock out back and a dry weight of 88 pounds! That’s a lot closer to mountain bike weight than motorcycle. The DH in the name refers to downhill mountain biking. (They explain even the brand name Derbi originates from DERived from BIcycle. I didn’t know that!) And if I read things correctly, the engine can even be quickly dismounted for a fast downhill with less weight.
This is a pretty high tech little machine which also shows the guys who built Project M85 Freeride might be on to something. Cool.
Link: Derbi via Motoblog.it
Related: Project M85 Freeride
Posted in Concept Motorcycles, Motorcycle Business, Motorcycle Design
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24 Responses to “Derbi DH 2.0 - Motorcycle Mountain Bike Concept”
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May 8th, 2008 at 9:29 am
That’d be about the sweetest pitbike too!
May 8th, 2008 at 9:45 am
This seems very similar, although lighter than the Sachs MadAss. I believe that even though Sachs is gone, the MadAss is still made in China
May 8th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Dang, they beat me !
I want one …
May 8th, 2008 at 10:13 am
they have some very nice bikes on there site. i really like the ones in the scrambler section. i like how they focus on smaller engine sizes.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Wow! I would *love* to have one of those!
May 8th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Add led lights and shave the knobbies and this could make a very cool eco commuter if made street legal. Who needs a scooter?
May 8th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
With a removable engine, offer the 100cc engine for the speed crazies (for a mountain bike) and also a 50cc so it can be used as beautiful moped (if the price is not sky high, I would buy the bike and both motors).
Also agree with Steve
May 8th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Man I really like that style of bike and I hope it catches on. With a really quiet pipe it could open up new riding areas.
I don’t think taking the engine out for a downhill run is realistic though. You will eventually need power on most decents. And I hope you have someone to watch the engine for you while you are gone.
Maybe I don’t understand the true target market. Regardless, it will make for quick and easy maintenance and cleaning.
May 8th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
I want to ride one!
May 8th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
I love this super-light dirtbike idea, probably comes from digging my XR200 out of the bog one time too many. The only complaint i would have about the Derbi is the lack of a clutch. Otherwise it looks great.
Also on the M85 freeride there are two videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqLlDns1S5k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NaZxt0mZ8M&feature=related
May 8th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Since this has no pedals and is less than 150cc California would consider it a motorized scooter. A motorized scooter in California does not require a motorcycle license or registration (think “GO-PED”).
In order for it to be considered a motorcycle it would need to be at least 150cc. In order for it to be considered a moped it would need to have pedals and less than two HP. Of course there is the fuzzyness between motor driven scooter and “motorized cycle” (no pedals). No distinction is given except that you need an M2 license for a motorized cycle and that the seat on a motor driven scooter should not interfere with the operators ability to stand on the foot boards (pegs).
Who wants to be the first to spend the money and explain it to the CHP officer that pulls them over for not having a license plate?
-todd
May 8th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
just as a comparison factoid,
in Michigan you need a motorcycle endorsement for anything over 49cc’s. so this would have to be plated as a motorcycle in Michigan if it were to be made street legal. I’m not against the idea, a lot of coworkers have started to ride there motorcycles or scooters in to work to save on gas. gas prices here today are $3.90/gallon right now and the scooter dealer down the road from us is selling 100mpg 49cc scooters left and right for $1,300 each. my only worry is will he service and fix those foreign scoots when or if they break.
i went out and spent a little bit more money and got the honda crf 230L i can ride it to work and save gas if i choose, or i can take it for some light trail riding.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Regarding the Derbi…way awesome! Not sure the woodland mt bike people will take to you rocking up hills in your 100cc mt bike motorcycle thing.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Todd,
Actually, in California sub-150cc machines are classified as “Motor-Driven Cycles”. They’re treated exactly the same as regular motorcycles but they’re not allowed on the freeways. This machine would need pedals to qualify as a moped in CA, which is the category you’re thinking of that doesn’t require a license.
May 8th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
I can’t imagine anyone would be fool enough to take the engine out for a downhill run. The first question when you get to the buttom would be, “Where’s your engine?” “Oh, I left it at the top…of the mountain…crud.”
I was considering buying an old Honda CT90, but if there’s any way I can buy one of these, I want the Derbi instead! I bet with the right gearing and some road tires (and some road-legal lights, etc.) this thing could get up to 60 mph.
May 8th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
the problem with this is the people who will buy it.
I am a keen mountainbiker, and we have a lot of problems with idiots on pitbikes completely ruining the tracks (even though they are on park land and not allowed to be there). This is a motorcycle, and the muppets who will own them will ride them in bike areas. Its very dangerous, not to mention bad for the image of mountainbikers in general (and DH has enough of an image problem already!). A BAD IDEA!
also, its not THAT light. A heavy DH rig is 42-45 pounds, this is nearly double that.
It is neither fish nor fowl. Its the four-assed monkey from Southpark.
May 8th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
holy !@#$%*!!! that is the sweetest “motorcycle” i have ever seen!!! i want 5!
May 8th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
At 88lb, it’s one of the lightest motorcycles I’ve ever seen. It’s also one of the heaviest bicycles I’ve ever seen. Still, I want one. I’m a definite scooter fiend, but this speaks to me. I love the Lotus philosophy of adding lightness. This bike does that.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
If Derbi would like to give me one to test to destruction, at 345 lbs, i would love to help them out! But by the same token, like a lot of folks, I think this is the wave of the future.I think it’s cool as hell.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
So, how much?
The best part is I could put it on my car’s bike rack to get it to school and back if I threw the motor in the trunk.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Out of curiosity, do any of you have a MadAss? I’ve been interested in them for a while, but I can’t really justify the cost of one right now.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
I got to sit on a Madass at one point, and my impression was that the seat is rather high for something so small. Reviews I’ve heard have been mixed.
May 10th, 2008 at 11:55 am
The local bike dealer here in Korea has let me use the 125cc MadAss as a loaner a couple times. A hoot to ride, really peppy engine especially when the ram air kicks in, strong breaks, good handling, great for negotiating city traffic, and a real looker..but a bit uncomfortable, a really crappy seat and bad ergonomics for my 6′ frame. Still, hitting 120 km/hr on it felt a lot like hitting 120 mph back home
It wasn’t nearly so much fun when a guy in a huge hyundai SUV took a sudden u-turn right in front of me and I found myself under his tires…the brakes weren’t good enough! (I was riding rather recklessly at the time, hurrying to catch sunset with a girl…) I guess I should thank the cheap chinese parts that the bent forks and twisted handlebars and whatnot only set me back 400 bucks :-/
That being said, I like this bike, the design is superb, but dang, it seems too close to a bicycle not to have pedals! They should be removable like the engine is…
May 10th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I would definitely buy a street-legal version of this bike. However Piaggio Corp does not import Derbi to the USA. I think Aprilia (also owned by Piaggio) should get rid of their scooters and offer this bike as a 49cc and 100cc. Simply restrict the one-hundred down to forty-nine so people can buy it without a MC-endorsement and then mod it back up to one-hundred. They could even make money selling the mod kit.