Archive for Bikes

The 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge is a 130 mile desert course - while this might seem mild compared to the Baja 1000 or other similiar off-road courses, what makes the DARPA Grand Challenge special is that the racers have to complete the course entirely without human control. That’s right - robots.

There’s a whole load of videos over at The Great Robot Race’s website, but there is one participant that stands out from the rest. Out of 12 participants which consisted of all-wheel drive machines, there was only one two-wheeler - the Ghostrider from Blue Team, which is a computer controlled motorcycle.

Using an array of sensors, high speed high resolution 3D-capable cameras and a gyro to help maintain balance, the Ghostrider navigated the DARPA Grand Challenge course using GPS. Watch a video of the Ghostrider after the jump, and the rest of the participants over at The Great Robot Race.

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Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has announced that bikes are not allowed to use the new KL-Putrajaya Highway because there are no special motorcycle lanes on the highway. According to the minister, the new KL-Putrajaya Highway does not have motorcycle lanes because of “lack of space”, as it ran through residential and industrial areas like Bukit Jalil.

“We have to take all aspects into consideration especially safety as we cannot have motorcycles weaving in and out when there is limited space and when there is a bridge there,” said Samy Vellu.

Toll rates for the new KL-Putrajaya highway varies according to different classes of cars. Rates for the Salak Selatan toll place are RM1.50 for cars, RM3 for small lorries, RM4.50 for big lorries, 80sen for taxis and RM1.50 for buses, while the rates for the Putrajaya toll plaza are RM2.50 for cars, RM5 for small lorries, RM7.50 for big lorries, RM1.30 for taxis and RM2.50 for buses.

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With fuel prices expected to go up in the next election, many will be looking at ways to reduce fuel expenditure. While Ratan Tata wants to convert motorcyclists into car drivers with the Tata Nano, there is no such thing here yet and for those who are already driving cars with small engines, the only way is to go down and replace the transportation method of certain short commutes with a bike instead of a car. I myself have purchased an old 2nd hand Kawasaki Victor for this purpose.

One of the latest “hot” yet relatively affordable sports bikes in the Malaysian market is the Honda CBR150R, brought in officially by Boon Siew Honda Malaysia and it costs RM10,363.17 on the road including insurance. The Honda CBR150R is powered by a 150cc (149.4cc) 4-stroke carburetted single cylinder 4 valve DOHC engine with 11.0:1 compression and CDI ignition, mated to a 6-speed wet clutch manual transmission. It produces 18.98 PS at 10,500rpm and 13.5Nm of torque at 8.500rpm.

The engine is water cooled with an electric fan that turns on automatically when needed. The bike has a 10 liter fuel tank which will cost RM19.20 to fill up at current RON97 fuel prices. Front suspension uses telescopic shocks while the rear is a monoshock. The meter panel has a speedometer, an RPM meter, a fuel gauge and a temperature meter. Brakes are discs at both the front and rear, sized 276mm and 220mm respectively.

Check out more photos after the jump.

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The Ecosse Titanium Series is the most expensive motorcycle in the world. It costs a hefty US$275,000 and there are only 10 units available, but here’s what you get in return for a little over a quarter million US dollars.

It features the world’s first all-titanium frame, hence the Titanium Series moniker. Powering it is a 200 horsepower 2,150cc polished billet aluminium supercharged and intercooled V-Twin engine that makes 285Nm of torque, rather insane for a naked bike that weighs about 200kg.

The front suspension system use fully adjustable Ohlins FG700 Superbike Gas with a titanium front axle, while the rear suspension is a fully adjustable Ohlins Racing Shock setup. The bodywork is clear-coated carbon fiber, which includes the fuel tank.

Madness? You bet… click here for full specifications.

Our government should take a leaf out of this book - a new bill has been filed in Miami for new laws to be applied to motorcyclists - crazy antics will result in a 10 year license revocation and a mandatory stay in prison.

“This guy did a wheelie. It’s unbelievable. These motorcycles passed us like we were standing still. They’re just blatantly riding in excessive speeds, putting themselves and other motorists in danger. It’s just too much,” said Miami state representative Carlos Lopez-Cantera when he witnessed the Miami rempits for himself.

Once the bill is passed, it should be in effect next year.

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In 1995, passionate motorcycle enthusiast Walter Roehrich set out to build his dream motorcycle. His criteria was simple - light weight, powerful powerplant and GP-like handling. His first effort, the Rv500 was based on a 500cc two-stroke V-twin from a Yamaha YZ250 motocross bike. This was presented to the media in 2000. In 2004, Roehrich unveiled his Rv1000, a 120hp 936cc 60-degree 4-stroke V-twin.

Harley-Davidson’s V-Rod, unveiled in 2002 captured Walter Roehrich’s imagination and he set about building his latest dream machine, the V-Roehr. The V-Roehr is powered by a 180hp, 1250cc Harley-Davidson Revolution engine. A supercharger is fitted to increase the Revolutions power output. The price for this limited bike (only 50 units are estimated to be produced in 2008), is US$44,995.

Roehrich went for a unique chassis. The main structure is what appears to be a chromoly steel ‘deltabox’, with an aluminium subframe connecting the swingarm and foot controls. Roehrich describes his innovative setup as a ‘BiMetal’ composite beam frame. Lots of tasty components fill out the rest of the bike. Marchesini 10-spoke forged aluminium wheels, Ohlins suspension, Brembo radial 4-piston calipers up front, all wrapped in carbon-fibre bodywork which looks as if it was styled in Italy.

Story by Ben Corley, more photos after the jump.

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Did you read NST yesterday? Saw the weird Proton motorcycle? It’s a chopper-style bike done up in orange and features a 1.5 liter Megavalve engine from the old Proton Wira or Iswara 1.5. This engine is connected to the rear wheel via a single driveshaft with a 90 degree joint coming out of the Wira 5-speed manual gearbox.

According to NST, The rear wheel is a 17″ Proton car wheel wrapped with 210/50 motorcycle rubber, while the front uses a 21″ motorcycle wheel with 80/90 motorcycle rubber. Even the brakes and calipers are from Proton cars.

It’s quite a Frankenstein-like piece of madness really, and Proton is planning another prototype with a 1.6 liter Campro engine soon.

Read the full story here!

The second product from BMW Motorrad’s ‘High Performance line has hit the showrooms this month in the UK - the BMW HP2 Megamoto. It is designed a street-legal twin-cylinder Supermoto, powered by a tuned version of BMWs iconic Boxer-twin engine, pumping out an impressive 113hp with 115Nm of torque.

The use of lightweight materials such as carbon fibre gives the BMW HP2 Megamoto a weight of just 179kg, giving the bike an impressive power to weight ratio. A fully adjustable, top of the range Öhlins shock absorber ensures consistently stable rear-end feedback, whilst accurate steering is achieved with sturdy, upside-down 45mm Marzocchi front forks, and what holds it all together is a hand-built trellis frame chassis.

Tony Jakeman, BMW Motorrads Marketing Manager said, “The Megamoto has been designed and built for those riders who strive to be different and want a top-end, high-quality motorcycle that has class leading performance, that is fast, fun and innovative. The bike typifies BMW Motorrads brand shift to producing an ever more diverse range of premium performance motorcycles that appeal to connoisseur riders.”

More shots after the jump.

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This is an interesting video for those who love track videos. Two brothers take on the Nurburgring - Michael Neeves rides a Yamaha R1 superbike while his brother Ben follows him in a Porsche 911 GT3. Video after jump.

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Remember the Smartuki? A Smart Fortwo with a Suzuki engine. Here’s a similiar engine in a chassis that looks alot less likely to topple over any moment - the Mk1 Volkswagen Golf! In a chassis that’s been stripped down to weigh 650kgs, the 1.3 liter Hayabusa engine has now been turbocharged to make over 350 horsepower. Not sure if these videos were recorded before or after the forced induction modification. Nevertheless, the engine sounds damn sweet. Three videos after the jump.

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