The Kneeslider

Doers Builders and Positive People

BMW Concept 6 – 1600cc Inline 6 Cylinder Engine

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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 … [Read more...]

Uno Transforms from Parallel to Inline Wheels

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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 … [Read more...]

Kickboxer – Subaru WRX Powered Motorcycle Concept

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Suppose you had an engine from a Subaru WRX and suppose further, you wanted to build a motorcycle, what would it look like? Ian McElroy was thinking about just that and started putting his ideas into Solidworks to see what he could do. One minor problem, though, Ian didn't know how to use Solidworks, so he set about the task of learning the software as he went, taking his ideas … [Read more...]

Triumph Millenium 900 by Vicente Design

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Most of you are familiar with the Triumph Hurricane X75 designed by Craig Vetter. It's a classic with 3 upswept pipes and red orange bodywork. Jean François Vicente, who we saw before when we highlighted some of his classic cafe work, did a custom he calls the Millenium 900. A customer wanted him to build a modern version of the Hurricane using a Triumph 900 Adventurer as the … [Read more...]

Harley-Davidson and the 25 – 40 Year Old Buyer

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All motorcycle manufacturers must contend with changes in tastes & demographics (age, gender, location, etc.). For several years there has been a lot of talk about the increase in the average age of the Harley-Davidson buyer. The investment in the 2010 Street Glide Trike model seems to be in-line with that statistic, while another investment in the Nightster has been … [Read more...]

Iconic Design on Two Wheels – What is the Motorcycle Equivalent to the AC Cobra?

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Is there a motorcycle equivalent to the AC Cobra? Is there a motorcycle that has that unique combination of appearance and performance that it appeals to almost any enthusiast? It's hard to think of one. In the automotive world, no matter the enthusiast's particular interest, many car guys, if not all, will find an attraction to the AC Cobra as one of those rare occurrences … [Read more...]