The Kneeslider — Motorcycle News for Positive People

Brammo Enertia Electric Motorcycle $7995

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 11/11/2009

in Electric motorcycles, Motorcycle Business

Enertia electric motorcycle by Brammo Motorsports

Computers, digital cameras and cellphones keep going down in price, we've come to expect it with anything electronic, could it be electric motorcycles will follow suit? Maybe. Brammo announced they are lowering the price of the Enertia to $7995. Combined with a 10% tax credit, your final price is $7195. Compared to the initial $11,995, that's quite a deal.

Walk into a Best Buy store stocking the bike, or go to the Brammo website, and put down $2000, add a 24 month zero interest loan with payments of $249 per month and you're set. It's an electric motorcycle that has become affordable and with a top speed of 60 mph and an average range of 42 miles, for some folks, it might now be practical, too.

This could be a perfect commuter ride for a lot of people, if you have less than 40 miles one way, you ride to work, plug in to a wall outlet and recharge for the ride home. If you work close to home, it might just be an overnight charge for the next day's commute.

This is one of those moments when we will see if all of the verbal support from electric motorcycle enthusiasts translates into real world sales. If it does, big things could start to happen. This will be worth watching.

Link: Brammo

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Moto Guzzi V12 Concept

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 11/10/2009

in Concept Motorcycles, Motorcycle Design

Moto Guzzi V12 concept

Now this is nice, the Moto Guzzi V12 Concept. I'm partial to Guzzis to begin with but this really looks good. A Pierre Terblanche design, it has some interesting ideas, I'm not sure about that flip down setup below the engine, and the body flips up. An 8 valve 1200cc V Twin provides power. It looks like there are a couple of different variations to the body style, even a super motard version below.

If there is one thing I'm not crazy about it's the exhaust routing. Newer Guzzis wrap the pipes to one side, I think they look better in a symmetrical arrangement, but opinions vary.

Moto Guzzi V12 concept

The boys over at Motoblog.it have a load of photos of these beauties, you might want to check them out.

Link: motoblog.it

More photos below: [click to continue…]

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BMW Concept 6 – 1600cc Inline 6 Cylinder Engine

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 11/10/2009

in Concept Motorcycles, Engines, Motorcycle Design

BMW Concept 6

BMW joins the ranks of companies that have offered an inline 6 by installing one in the Concept 6, a design exercise unveiled at EICMA. Though BMW has a long history of inline sixes in their cars, dropping one in a bike is a bit more work if you're interested in keeping the weight and size down to manageable levels.

Hollow-bore camshafts and very light connecting rods plus not needing a balancing shaft, shaves pounds from the engine. Electrical auxiliary units and their drive gear are positioned behind the crankshaft in the free space above the gearbox to reduce width. A dry sump system works with an integrated oil tank in the rear of the engine. E-Gas (ride by wire), gives several selectable ride modes for fuel economy and power. The 55 degree forward tilt helps keep the center of gravity low.

Power is said to be similar to what you would get from a 1300, perhaps 170 hp, but torque is 96 foot pounds at 2000 rpm plus it has a redline of 9000 rpm. BMW says initial intentions for the engine are in a touring platform of some sort, but its capabilities mean it can easily be used in a wide variety of bikes.

It isn't clear how much, if any of the design cues from the bike shown here will make it to production, but the engine seems to be headed for highway use. It should make for a very impressive touring rig, not to mention whatever else BMW decides to use it for. Interesting.

Thanks for the tip, Marcus.

Link: BMW via mo-web.de

BMW Concept 6 engine

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Motorcycles Are Not Politics

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 11/9/2009

in Economics and Politics

Motorcycles represent many things to their owners, but often, the comments some of you leave on a wide variety of posts continually try to inject politics into what should be primarily a technical discussion. No one needs to be reminded that the country is divided, politics today has become more vicious and mean than at any time in my lifetime and I've been around for a little while. Political views translate into anger when anyone disagrees and things spiral off topic, but, motorcycles are not politics.

Electric motorcycles often trigger comments stating they're necessary to save the planet or they're unnecessary because the planet is doing just fine. The builders might be thinking along those lines, but suppose for a moment, some builders see the technology advancing to the point where they believe it might be practical and want to give it a try. Is it possible to look at electric motorcycles or any similar technology without immediately assessing the political motivations of the builders, supporters or critics? We can discuss whether they are practical without getting political.
[click to continue…]

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

Mavizen TTX02 – An Electric Race Bike You Can Buy

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 11/8/2009

in Electric motorcycles

Mavizen TTX02 electric racer

The Mavizen TTX02 has been introduced, based on the technology of the racer that won the first TTXGP. For £25,000 ($41,500), you can buy an electric racer, ready to run. Top speed, depending on gearing, is as much as 130 mph. A grid filled with similar bikes could make for a very interesting race.

When you begin to read the technical specs it's hard not to quickly notice the cited range, the bike delivered at the $41K price goes 25 miles at track speeds or 38 to 60 miles under hard to gentle road use. A more expensive battery pack extends that to 40 miles on the track or 75 to 130 miles on the road.

Performance looks good, range is still limited, but we'll likely be seeing more of these very soon.

Press release and video below: [click to continue…]

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Harley Davidson says Kentucky Only Option if York Operations Close

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 11/5/2009

in American Motorcycles, Motorcycle Business

Harley Davidson narrows York options to Kentucky Harley Davidson is in the final stages of deciding whether to restructure the York, PA production facility for greater efficiency or move those operations to another location in the United States. The decision is now down to just two options, stay in York or move to Shelbyville, Kentucky. The company had previously announced 4 potential alternatives to York, but yesterday announced only Shelbyville remained on the list.

Company representatives met this week with Kentucky officials to further explore plans and options. At the same time, Harley-Davidson management said that a joint union-management task force has developed a plan to restructure the York operations that provides a “viable path to competitiveness,” pending the ratification of a new contract that aligns with restructured operations.

A decision is expected by the end of the year.

Link: Business Journal

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

Boeing T-50 Jet Turbine Powered Honda Magna

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 11/4/2009

in Alternative thinking, Motorcycle Builders

Boeing T-50 jet turbine powered Honda Magna

Maybe you aren't Jay Leno and you can't afford a Y2K Turbine motorcycle, but you have this crazy desire to listen to the whine and smell the burning Jet A or diesel fuel while you're cruising down the road, ... well, here's your answer. This is a Boeing T-50 jet turbine powered Honda Magna. It's for sale on eBay and he's asking $7000.

The T-50 has 300 pounds of thrust, 400 with the afterburner. The motorcycle is thrust driven but can be converted to wheel driven. The builder seems to be the real deal, he previously built a turbine powered Porsche 928, I'm guessing he spends a lot of quality time out in the garage.

This Honda is a lot cheaper than the Y2K and probably a lot faster than the pulsejet bicycle. Just be careful what's behind you when you spin it up.

Thanks for the tip, Nicolas!

Link: Jet powered Honda

Related: Y2K turbine motorcycle

Boeing T-50 Jet Turbine Powered Honda Magna

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Uno Transforms from Parallel to Inline Wheels

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 11/4/2009

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

Uno electric motorcycle - in single track mode

Uno in single track mode Remember the Uno? That's the parallel wheel unicycle (dicycle?) built by Canadian, Ben J. Poss Gulak. The young student, now an MIT sophomore, found riding the original a little scary once he began to pick up speed. Like a Segway, the Uno moved forward when he leaned forward, but, though it worked, he knew he would have to do something different if he was going to get others interested in riding on the potholed city streets where it was intended to be used.

The original garnered a lot of attention, and as the video below shows, he was able to round up $1 million in investments and found BPG Motors. Hiring some engineers and renting space to work, the team came up with a radical idea, when the Uno accelerates past 20 mph, electric motors transform the frame from the parallel configuration to inline mode with the wheels on a single track. No more worries about taking a dive if you hit a bump in the road.

The video below is his bid for financing on what appears to be a TV program called the Dragon's Den where entrepreneurs pitch their idea in return for investment capital.

No matter what you think about how practical the Uno is or will be, Ben designed it, built it and went on to create a company and then this new transforming variation of the original. Ben is definitely a "doer." Very cool!

Link: BPG Motors via Popular Science
Related: The Uno - Parallel Wheel Electric Motorcycle

Photo and video below: [click to continue…]

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