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We've seen this crazy motorcycle exoskeleton before, but its inventor Jake Loniak has just mocked up a video showing what it would be like in motion. Yeah, we're pretty damn impressed, but the guy gets cocky:
Stash it under the belly of the plane for an Indiana-Jones-style getaway once you hit the landing strip, of course. The good folks at MotoPod will mod your light aircraft with one of their aerodynamic moto-carriers, and give you a customised folding motorcycle to cram inside of it for around US$10k. Sure it'll shave a few knots off of your cruising speed, but when you mount up with a hot blonde (or tiny Asian sidekick) and ride off on your foldable mini-Hog, you'll know you made the right choice. And judging from the demo video, the MotoPOD looks like it could also serve as an effective canoe, nicely rounding out the land-sea-air transportation trifecta for which every adventuring anthropologist strives.
There are plenty of RC cars and motorcycles out there today, so what Silverlit did with this 1:12 scale red racer is throw on a working driver and let him have some say in where the sportbike is going. Thanks to an on board gyro, the rider actually leans from side-to-side, just like those crazy guys I see whipping around European courses on Speedvision. The US$96 racer also has an active throttle control and spring suspension, which you'll see in the video, just in case you like to name your RC motorcycle racers Evel Knievel.
The Magic Tricycle (horrible name) concept is designed around a reasonable idea. On the highway, you may want to drive a car. So the Magic Tricycle (horrible name) road rages through traffic with three wheels. But when you just want to cruise around town, it transforms into motorcycle mode:
For DIYers with a lot more technical know-how than cash, an Instructables user has put up a really interesting tutorial on building an electric motorcycle using just US$3000. The vehicle has a 110kph top speed, but can only go about 16km before it needs to be recharged. It's great for a quick trip to the store, if you don't make any unexpected stops along the way. With gas prices being what they are, you should probably try to make it so everything you would normally need to get to is less than 16km away anyhow. [Instructables via Uberreview]
We're doing our best to shield ourselves from whatever surprises are left in The Dark Knight before we stay up too late to see it, but that doesn't mean you should miss out on this story from Popular Mechanics on the new Batpod. We only skimmed the intro, but it looks to have interesting real-life background on the design and construction of Batman's fictional new ride. That's right. Batman isn't real. Because if he were, Santa Claus would have long since been busted for B&E, and that thieving bitch Tooth Fairy would be missing a few teeth of her own. [Pop Mech]
While most of us are adolescently psyched to see the Batman bike in the Dark Knight, we're aware of the crude reality that even trained stuntmen couldn't ride the thing without falling off. But it's OK, because we've found a suitable superhero replacement. Inspired by the lightcycles from TRON, France-based Enzyme Design has created the Icare concept. Two wheels powered by a 6-cylinder 1.8L Honda engine, it's the stuff of pure future fantasy.
If laws about driving and using mobile phones in American cities are cramping your style, move to scenic India where anything goes! Watch in horror as this lunatic barrels down the highways of New Delhi sending text messages. Hey, why stop there? Yeah, go on and take that nap. Your fellow motorists will love it and the police...haha what police? [Geekologie]
After one look at the Indian-branded "Speed Racer" motorcycle concept bike by Dan Bailey, it is easy to see how he incorporated the main characters in the Aliens movie franchise into the aesthetics. Using the specs on the Kawasaki Ninja as his framework, Bailey sought to design a bike that was rugged but maintained a sleek look--a mission he has certainly accomplished. I don't know if the Speed Racer will ever go into production, but for a design with the balls to take elements from three iconic franchises (maybe four if you count TRON), the bike holds up well. But how do you sit on it? [Daniel Bailey via Tuvie]
In the big book of ideas that sound better than they probably are, you will find the Rocketshield canopy for sportbikes. Obviously, the device is intended for people who are looking to turn their sportbike into a viable daily commuter, but the whole damn thing just seems a bit unnatural and dangerous if you ask me. On the plus side, it does attach using stock mounting points, so no modifications to the bike are necessary to install it. At this point, Rocketshields can be custom designed to fit your needs, but a deal is currently in the works to mass produce the canopy (most likely for Kawasaki bikes). [Rocketshields via the Kneeslider via Hell for Leather]
