2015 Honda CB 750

Lines. Lines and Lines and lines. With the front face looking like a Lego, or a mega-blok. It’s the “2015 Honda CB 750″ by Igor Chak. The engine is powered by a four-cylinder liquid hydrogen engine. POW! A six-speed dual-clutch transmission with electronic lurch and traction control. Electronic tuning by the onboard computer. I’ve decided to call it “Frank”. Hello David, Frank, aka CB750, is here to take you over the canyon top.

This 2015 Honda CB 750 is a predecessor to the 1970s-80s CB (pictured below.) It’s basically exactly the same, as you can see, except it has some computers on it.

Computers! Controlling the tuning. Is that madness? What else we got here… frame and body is a unibody contstruction combining carbon fiber, aluminum, and titanium. Seat cowling is part of the frame, allowing it to carry heavy boys and gals: up to 300lbs.

Front and rear electro-magnetic suspension adjusted, you guessed it; electronically. Sensors show readouts updating every 1/10 a second and can adjust everything on-the-fly. ABS, airbag, and steering damper. Rims designed to be sleek and aerodynamic. Radar technology to “sense an upcoming head-on collision and will automatically slow the bike.” – most of these features can be manually disabled to suit the driver.

Now, the on board computer, which can be controlled through a 5” OLED multi-touch display positioned right on the fuel tank. This is the brains of the bike. There are 3 menus: GPS, Drive modes, diagnostics mode.

GPS mode is like your standard GPS that will give you directions and etc, but it will be connected to the internet through Wi-Fi and 3G. This will enable you to find information on the go and implement it to your rout.

Drive mode: economy, race and standard. All can be electronically tuned.

Diagnostic mode: lap times, gas consumption, top speed and etc.

Me bikey.

Designer: Igor Chak

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Will The Bombardier Trailtrike Make Trikes Cool?

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While Bombardier’s Trailtrike still has two wheels in front and one in back, he tells Popular Science the difference is that the Trailtrike can be ridden both on- and off-road. The design sketches show what appear to be tires with paddles, like that seen on sand buggies, which, obviously, wouldn’t work well on asphalt. Meanwhile, the riding position, with the bars low and rearset footpegs emulates that of a sportbike.Charles Bombardier, creator of the highly controversial Can-Am Spyder and grandson of the man who invented the snowmobile, thinks he has an idea to make trikes cool. It’s a tall order, considering most motorcycling circles banish three-wheelers as some kind of second class device, not worthy of mingling with true two wheelers.

Continuing this theme, the “carving seat,” design which uses an electric motor to pivot the seat with the rider as they lean into turns, will add a dynamic element nobody else has, though we question how well it will work with the various different riding styles.

Bombardier says the Trailtrike would incorporate ride modes, not too dissimilar to what’s already seen on many of today’s motorcycles, though the system on the Trailtrike would adjust according to ground surface — asphalt, snow, sand or trail and adjust power, braking and traction control accordingly.

Speaking of power, the Trailtrike would use a two-stroke, direct-injection engine producing a claimed 165 hp, with power being delivered to all three wheels. Suspension configuration isn’t clear, so we wonder whether the Trailtrike leans into turns like a Piaggio MP3, of if it stays stationary like the Can-Am Spyder.

As it is, the Trailtrike is still in the design stages. We’ll follow up if this story develops. In the meantime, tell us what you think of the Trailtrike in the comments section below.

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                Rumor: Ducati Scrambler Cometh

While I was lounging at the pool this holiday weekend, getting my bronze on, the A&R Bothan Spy network was hard at work dumpster diving, hacking emails, and subscribing to the NSA’s live PRISM feed.

The fruits of that labor was the alarming realization of how many kitten videos the motorcycle industry collectively watches in a single day, and the fact that Ducati is working on scrambler-style motorcycle.

The project itself dates way back when Pierre Terblanche was still toiling away in Bologna, dodging equal portions of labor strikes and carbonara, and at the time was based around the now defunct Ducati Sport Classic.

Shelved, and thought never to see the light of day, we can only imagine this whole Hipstacyclist™ movement has helped Ducati rethink its position regarding a scrambler.

What we expect to be either a 2014 or 2015 model year machine, there are couple differing rumors on the Ducati Scrambler project, and knowing Ducati, the two stories we have heard may not be mutually exclusive, and likely indicate that the Italian company itself hasn’t come to a hard conclusion on this machine.

One version of the rumor pegs the new Scrambler as being an air-cooled single-cylinder machine, 600cc or so in displacement. A stepping stone for Ducati to enter the smaller bike market, the Ducati Scrambler would be the gateway from big bikes to little bikes in the Italian brand.

While Audi has been fairly laissez-faire with its tampering on the product side of Ducati Motor Holding, one has to imagine that there are marching orders to develop machines that would be better suited to emerging markets.

We have a hard time thinking that Ducati is building a new air-cooled motor, as the industry is being pushed further and further towards water-cooled lumps that have friendlier CO2 emissions, but the idea isn’t the craziest thing we have heard today (Patrick, she’s 19!).

Other sources say the Ducati Scrambler will be based off the Ducati Hypermotard, which was designed with a modular chassis, for this very undertaking. In that case, the Scrambler would have the same peppy 821cc water-cooled v-twin motor found on the Hypermotard. A more “Ducati” approach to building a new bike, but perhaps less enthralling.

What we do know for certain is that the new Ducati Scrambler will be very similar in design to Terblanche’s work, with some reworking and updating.

Will it fill the void left behind from the Ducati Sport Classic? Probably not, but it could be a sign of future more-niche machines to come from Borgo Panigale.

 

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RED BULL ROMANIACS PROLOGUE (VIDEO)

RED BULL ROMANIACS PROLOGUE (VIDEO)Superb onboard action with Jonny Walker at the extreme enduro.

“Brutal” is the only way to describe the Red Bull Romaniacs enduro rallye in Sibiu, Romania. The event consists of four days of hard enduro riding preceded by an Enduro-Cross style prologue. Check out this awesome onboard video of KTM factory rider Jonny Walker blazing through the prologue course, which was set up in downtown Sibiu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LEECE2PRTnI 

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TAYLORMADE CARBON2 – FIRST LOOK

Will this prototype Moto2 chassis manufactured entirely from carbon fiber find success on the racetrack?

Taylormade, the Van Nuys, California, designer/builder of racing motorcycles such as the Saxon Triumph, has addressed the notable lack of innovation in Moto2 with this carbon-fiber monocoque chassis, which combines the gas tank and bodywork into a single fabrication to reduce weight and increase strength.

Identical-spec Honda CBR600RR engines currently power Moto2 bikes. At its inception, the class was touted as “unleashing chassis innovation” by deliberately making expensive engine development unnecessary. Yet there has been almost no innovation, as all the successful chassis in the class are of the Cobas twin-aluminum-beam type.

My thoughts on the Taylormade Carbon2 chassis:

I like:

1. Carbon fiber is structurally efficient, having greater stiffness-to-weight than any metal. The potential for light weight is real, which is why Boeing chose carbon for its new 787.
2. The front-to-back air tunnel to the underseat-mounted radiator is more efficient than a conventionally sited radiator, which is poorly cooled in the turbulence behind the front wheel.
3. Placement of the fuel tank behind the engine and extending below the swingarm closer to the machine/rider center of mass may keep handling more constant as fuel load burns off.
4. BMW-like wishbone-and-telefork front suspension retains traditional feel but can be stiffer than a conventional fork.
5. This chassis’ claimed “exceptional tunability,” which presumably refers to changeable steering geometry, wheelbase and swingarm pivot height, is a necessity in adapting handling to rider style and venue.

I wonder:

1. MotoGP teams have retained metal chassis because they are quick and relatively cheap to make and alter. If a carbon chassis/swingarm turns out to need more or less flexibility, it must be completely redesigned. Carbon had better be right!
2. What do you do about crash damage? It’s going to take more than a $4.99 NAPA fiberglass repair kit to restore any lost structural strength.
3. Was a goal of this two-year chassis project to achieve the lateral flex and “feel” of successful chassis? Or was its goal just stiffness? In 1993, describing Yamaha’s super-stiff YZR500 chassis, a desperate Wayne Rainey said, “We have chatter, we have hop and we have skating.”

Developed in the U.S. by former Buell test rider/racer Shawn Higbee, the Carbon2 bike will debut at England’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, July 11-14.

 

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MISSION MOTORCYCLES ELECTRIC SUPERBIKES

Word came in over the transom today that two new electric superbikes, both from Mission Motorcycles, are now being made available to the public. These good-looking, very high-tech bikes, designed and built in the U.S. (in the San Francisco area), are far from inexpensive, but they’re based on the proven architecture of the Mission Motors racebike that Steve Rapp rode to victory in the FIM/TTXGP race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in 2011.

MISSION R

The Mission R (shown above), which starts at $29,999 (factoring in a federal tax credit of $2500), has a chassis designed by James Parker that uses billet aluminum and chrome-moly steel, with an electric powertrain and battery box serving as stressed members. Three lithium-ion battery packages are available: 12 kWh, 15 kWh or 17 kWh, offering respective “real world” ranges of 105, 120 and 140 miles.

Claimed horsepower for the liquid-cooled, three-phase AC induction motor is 163.2, and 133.4 ft.-lb. of peak torque is on tap from 0 to 6400 rpm. Fitted with a single-speed, gear-driven primary reduction transmission, the Mission R, in base 12-kWh form, has a claimed top speed of 140 mph, and its “InfiniteDrive” controller allows the rider to adjust the mapping of the “throttle” and regenerative braking, while also allowing for fine traction-control adjustments and a remote data acquisition system.

An Öhlins 43mm inverted fork is on duty in front, complemented by a shock absorber of the same make in back, working with a single-sided swingarm made of billet aluminum. Preload, ride height, and high- and low-speed compression damping are adjustable front and rear. Braking is by Brembo, with twin 320mm floating steel discs and M430 Monoblock radial calipers in front and a two-piston rear with a stainless, 245mm rotor. Forged, 10-spoke Marchesini wheels are fitted with Dunlop tires, size 120/70ZR-17 in front, 190/0ZR-17 rear. The futuristic rider/machine interface, called MissionOS, is cellular data-enabled and based on a high-resolution touch-screen instrument cluster that supports both GPS and Bluetooth.

As stated, the Mission R, with the 12-kWh package, hits 60 mph in a claimed 3 seconds and has a top speed of 140 mph. This bike, says Mission, also has a “real world” range of 105 miles, but the San Francisco-based company says it also has a “city range” of 170 miles, the increased mileage at least partially related to regenerative braking. Sweetening the pot is a $2750 Tech Package that includes an integrated HD camera with a telemetry overlay, turn-by-turn GPS navigation, a wireless helmet with a head-up display and an ultra-fast twin charger. Mission says the 12-kWh battery pack can be topped off (from empty) in about two hours using the industry standard J1772 level two charging station. With the twin charger, charge time is reduced to only an hour. A 17-kWh pack, says Mission, can be fully charged in less than two hours with the twin charger.

When fitted with the 15-kWh battery pack, the R ($33,999) has a top speed of 150 mph but still hits 60 mph in a claimed 3 seconds. More important: Mission says the “real world” range of this bike grows to 120 miles and the “city range” to an impressive 200 miles. When fitted with the top-of-the-line 17-kWh pack, what Mission calls the “UltraPack,” the R’s claimed top speed and acceleration stay the same, but the “real world” range of this $39,999 bike bumps up to 140 miles while the “city range” soars to 230 miles. If that’s true indicator of what buyers will actually get with this bike, the Mission R with 17-kWh pack will be a game-changer for electric motorcycles.

 

MISSION RS

RS stands for “Race Special,” which should tell you a lot about this bike, basically a street-legal version of Rapp’s bike that comes out in the summer of 2014 and is limited to 40 models (one for each second in Steve’s margin of victory at Laguna). At $56,499 (after a $2500 federal tax credit), the Mission RS ain’t cheap.

Although the RS has same electric powertrain as the S model, it’s available only with the 17-kWh battery pack. As such, it’s quick, able to hit 60 mph in “under 3 seconds” and able to reach a claimed top speed of 150 mph. What’s more, it has the same ranges as the R with the 17-kWh pack: 140 miles in “real world” riding and 240 in city riding.

But that’s not what makes the RS special. Rather, it’s the bike’s suspension and other hardware, which includes what Mission calls “the most advanced electronics and traction control package ever seen on two wheels.” In front, the RS has an Öhlins FGRT200 inverted fork with NIX30 cartridge internals, TiN surface treatment and billet-aluminum radial caliper mountings. It’s the same front suspension seen in MotoGP. And in back, where the single-sided billet-aluminum swingarm resides, an Öhlins TTX36 shock and linkage system are on duty. Preload, ride height, and high and low speed compression and rebound damping are adjustable front and rear.

The RS’s wheels are also a significant upgrade, seven-spoke carbon-fiber units from BST that Mission says are the lightest in production. They measure 17 x 3.5 inches in front and 17 x 6.5 in back, shod with 120/70 and 190/60 Dunlops, respectively. Stout Brembo GP-4RX CNC radial calipers are used in front, clamping a pair of T-Drive fully floating 320mm front rotors. Brembo’s SuperSport P2 CNC Billet caliper handles rear braking, teaming with a 245mm stainless rotor.

If you order the Mission RS with the GP Package ($72,499), you get even better hardware, essentially the best available. This includes an Öhlins FGR200 gas-pressurized front fork, an inverted unit that has TTX25 cartridge internals, a piggyback reservoir and billet-aluminum radial caliper mountings. It complemented in back by an Öhlins TTX36MkII twin-tube shock absorber with a piggyback reservoir.

The brakes are also improved, upgraded to four-piston, Brembo Moto GP units. Besides CNC-machined billet construction, these calipers have a hard anodized coating and 32/34mm pistons, and the rotors themselves are Brembo WSBK/AMA units that are 6mm thick and said to offer WSBK stopping power and heat dissipation. Forged magnesium wheels, Marchesini M7R Genesi models, complete the package.

Here’s the rub. The Mission RS makes its debut in the summer of 2014, and if you want to be one of the 40 exclusive owners, reservation deposits of $10,000 are now being taken at www.mission-motorcycles.com, where you can learn lots more about the bike. You can also more about the standard Mission R there, but the R models will be sold only after the limited run of RSs is sold out. A deposit of $5000 is required for the R model.

Mission Motorcycles says its mission is to make electric motorcycles that outperform traditional motorcycles in performance, riding experience, user experience, range and price. Laudable goals, for sure, although at this stage, we’ll hold off on any judgment until we ride the bikes, which we hope happens soon.

In the meantime, we’ll give Mission Motorcycles president, Mark Seeger, the last word: “The motorcycle industry seems to have stagnated, where the biggest headlines are filled with the smallest of improvements. Only by combining the cleanest expression of raw power, provided by an electric powertrain, with the connectivity we’ve come to expect, can anyone truly evolve the motorcycle into the 21st century. And this is precisely our goal.”

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2014 YAMAHA YZ450F

Let’s face it, Yamaha’s YZ450F has gotten a bad rap. Blame James Stewart’s less-than-stellar results on the bike in 2012 prior to his leap to Suzuki, combined with slanderous comments on Internet forums. But guess what? The “backward” design is back, and Yamaha’s engineers, led by Mr. Hiroshi Ito (WR450Fproject leader, too) still believe in the rearward-leaning cylinder with intake at the front and exhaust at the rear.

Highlights of the all-new engine include reshaped intake and exhaust ports with larger-diameter valves. The piston now has two rings instead of three. Wet-sump lubrication is now used, and the smaller engine is placed farther forward in the frame.

A good indication that the ’14 YZ is significantly more powerful is the 20-percent-stronger clutch. The five-speed transmission features new ratios; the gap between second and third is closer while the jump from third to fourth is wider. A new gear-position sensor tells the ECU to select individually optimized maps for first through third gears.

Chassis updates include an all-new frame, subframe, shock, fork settings, fuel tank with hidden filler, revised and easier air-filter access and fresh bodywork. Next step? Get it on the track with the current class leaders (Suzuki, KTM and Honda) and see if these changes add up to success.

Front 3/4 right-side view

Engine close-up

Slim body profile

 

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