After reading about how an Iranian student invented the tricycle that transforms into a motorcycle, here’s a video in which students from the St. Thomas Academy Experimental Vehicle Team built an electric commuter motorcycle from scratch.
Their hard work has paid off as they took the bike to MIT this summer and won a $10,000 grand from the Leleson-Mit InvenTeams to help fund the project.
Nice way to start earning money, don’t you think? We’ll surely be seeing more and more such projects in the future, which is even greater.
Seyyed Javad Ghaffarian lives in Iran and its wonderful ideas could one day bring you the safety of driving a tricycle on the highway and the versatility of riding a motorcycle in future city congestions.
A student, Javad has created the “Magic Tricycle”, a machine designed to role down the highway on all its three wheels and then face the urban jungle as a motorcycle. How is that possible, you will wonder? Its left wheel can rotate around a longitudinal axis and be sustained on top of the cabin. This brings all the benefits of a motorcycle after keeping the thing steady as a car at high speeds.
After being lifted up, the third wheel opens up its helicopter tail propeller style blades which increase stability. Another unique feature consists in the seats which rotate in order to keep occupants in an upright riding position.
What is both unique and attractive at this bike and tricycle is how easy and simple it can take one form or the other and still look great no matter what. This was the main goal of the Iranian designer and it has successfully achieved it.
I don’t know what to say about the name though…Magic Tricycle? Couldn’t it come up with something better? What do you think?
Yamaha has always been good on the trails, but never as good as the 2009 model range that was recently introduced. A benchmark for that lineup and for its class is the new WR450F. Both reliable and awesome performing, the bike stands out immediately as the solution to your off and on road riding needs. So check up on it! >> read
The fact that motorcycles and scooters are getting more popular thanks to enormous hikes in fuel prices is no surprise to anyone, least to gasoline companies. French oil company, Total, has taken note and has started looking towards these motorcycles as a real “market”.
Total have recently opened a gas pump designed for motorcycles in the Paris suburbs (L’Isle Adam) . Cars aren’t welcome (and will not fit), and the pump has all sorts of stuff designed for bikers.
First of all, the pump itself has all the controls at mid height, meaning you can remain seated on your motorcycle while controlling the pump: selecting the fuel, paying by credit card, getting your receipt, etc. There’s even place for your helmet in case you want to take it off. The pump instructions are in French, English and German.
Secondly, the nozzle is shorter than the car variant. This means that you can place the nozzle and actually see if the tank is filling up, not find out when the precious fuel runs over.
The floor has been treated with a special anti-slip paint, meaning that you do not need to be afraid that your foot is going to slip on the floor when you put them down.
The only downside is that currently this station only has 95 unleaded fuel not 98 which some motorcycle use. A second station is about to open, and that one will have 98.
Another nice motorcycle-friendly part of this gas station is the motorcycle specific cleaning area. The pressure cleaning station uses wax and not-that-high-pressure water. They also have rotating narrow brushes that can be used to clean in between the spokes of your tires. The final cleaning phase includes blow drying your bike.
There’s a waterproof compartment for your helmets and other stuff you carry. The same place also has an air compressor for your tires.
Nice touch, and it would be great to see more of the motorcycle friendly gas stations opening around the world.
Anyone in the motorcycle world knows or has heard of, the 24 hours of Le Mans, both cars and motorcycles versions. The race was made even more legendary after Steve McQueen starred in the 1971 movie “Le Mans”.
The motorcycle version of this race is as impressive as its car counter part. But did you know there’s another, equally impressive, 24 hours motorcycle race in France. Organized since 1922, the “Bol D’Or” (translated means “Gold Bowl”) used to be a combined motorcycles and cars race, lasting 24 hours, but now it’s “only”a motorcycle endurance race.
Part of the Endurance World Championship, the race is always held in the 2nd week of September. For a quarter of a century, the race was held at the Paul Ricard race circuit in the South of France, but since 2000, the race is held on the Formula One circuit of Magny-Cours, closer to Paris.
Big names have participated in the race, many of them winning the epic race. Carl Fogarty, Dominique Sarron, David Checa to name a few. Suzuki GSX-R1000 used to dominate for many years until last year, when David Checa, Sebastien Gimbert and Olivier Four brought their Yamaha R1 over the finish line.
The race starts the way they used to with Le Mans; the racers need to run to their bikes. It’s always a fascinating start, since even if you qualify as first, if you can’t run fast, you’ll end at the end of the pack.
Each team fields 3 riders and there usually are some 60 teams present. The circuit often shows “ SOLD OUT” signs at the cash registers. The circuit itself seats 100,000 spectators plus another 50,000 around the circuit.
It’s a major event for spectators, not only the race, but all the activity, especially at night. Camping is free, and the motorcycle parkings are well guarded and the rock concerts mythical. For the weekend there is a fair/carnival and a motorcycle village with all major motorcycle and accessory manufacturers present.
This year the race is held 13-14 September. Entrance fees will be approximately €50 for the whole weekend. If you’re an endurance fan, this is a race not to be missed.
Usually ski jets are designed to travel on the waves of our planet’s sees and oceans. So imagine the immense possibilities we are offered by Mother Nature and still this guy is ski jetting in his hot tub.
But I don’t know why a small hunch tells me that is a vacation house and they did the thing just for fun and to broadcast it on Youtube. Pretty lame!
After crashing its skull for six times, French designer Jérôme Coste took matters in its own hands. He submitted himself at creating the most interesting motorcycle helmets. Why interesting? The safety factor was a must (you wouldn’t want our designer to crash and have yet another cranial fracture) and the shape propel them back in the 1970s, when these kind of helmets used to be made.
Kind of funny as Jérôme Coste claims to have inspired by sci-fi movies, Japanese anime and a dash of Steve McQueen. So…they also seem to indicate future tendencies. One particular model lets displays the carbon fiber (clearly futuristic) while the other is worthy of the “Captain America” series back in the 1970s. Now everybody’s happy!
See how high-speed crashes can influence your creative work in a positive way? Even so, I suggest trying the helmets, not this method of creating them!
Take a look at what policeman on motorcycles were capable of doing almost 60 years ago. At that time, bikes weren’t that powerful or maneuverable so a one-man show was pretty hard to sustain. No problem, the Italians said and they trained entire motorcycle police divisions with incredible result.
What is so great about this video is the perfect timing and the void of hesitation and if you’re more of a “hit the throttle kind of guy” you’ll be touched a lesson about patience.
This guy has got it all wrong! Seeing stunts on the internet isn’t supposed to determine you buy a Kawasaki ZZR600 and try doing the same. In the happiest situation (which is also the one displayed below) you’ll simply fail and make a foul out of yourself.
And the guy filming is a total disaster. He first goes to his friend, next to the bike and back to its friend. “Damn and shit” are apparently his favorite words.
Exposed at an international exhibition in Seattle, this gold plated chopper has raised more than a few eyebrows and the gold has nothing to do with that. The amazing part is the $500,000 price tag for which it can be yours. I sure know I can’t have it (it’s a the Naomi Campbell of motorcycles), but if you’re an eccentric millionaire and plan on buying it, be sure to leave a comment to this post or even send us a few pics from the first ride on it. Good luck with that! Make sure you don’t scratch the “paint”! >> read
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