Motorcycle sidecars are usually just additions to a bike that allow you to bring someone else along for the ride without having them hold on to you and stare at the back of your helmet all day.
François Knorreck saw things differently however, as his right-hand chain driven Laverda 3CL inspired a sidecar that turns his ride into something that more closely resembles a car than a motorcycle.
In all, it took him 10 years, more than 10,000 hours, and $21,000 to convert the bike into what you see here (he calls it the Snaefell) but for the two passengers that get to sit in an enclosed capsule of speed, the time, energy and money were most definitely worth it.
[Snaefell]
[Via: Jalopnik]
The Zero S is “a high performance supermoto motorcycle that is revolutionary because it is fully electric”.
With a Z-Force power pack and a handmade aircraft grade aluminum alloy frame, the power-to-weight ratio of the Zero S is as equally at home in an urban environment as it is in the occasional off-road detour, and will take you as far as 60 miles at up to 60 miles per hour. Plus, with an electric motor providing instant acceleration, there is plenty of torque available to make the bike as fun as it is green.
If the fastest, cleanest and lightest bike around sounds like a good deal to you, then check out the Zero S. The world will thank you.
[Zero S]
[Via: Acquire]
When three of the guys behind the Tesla Roadster set out to build a motorcycle, you know it’s not going to be your run of the mill bike.
And you’d be right. The Mission One from Mission Motors wants to redefine the way we think of two-wheeled transportation by creating an all-electric motorcycle that performs as good (if not better) than it looks while creating zero emissions along the way. Using a combination of lithium ion batteries, a high performance electric motor, and an onboard computer system, the Mission One is designed to go 150 miles on a single charge and top out at 150 miles per hour.
Batteries have long been the limiting factor for electric vehicles, since they’re seen as heavy, large and expensive, but with Mission One’s lithium ion batteries, the bike can be lighter, cheaper, and carry more energy, and it’ll only take 2 hours to charge between fun runs. The bike also uses a regenerative braking system to gain back some of the energy typically lost during a ride.
On the performance side of things, the electric motor means you can tap all 100 foot-pounds of torque at any time from 0-60 mph, giving you a limitless torque curve that can pull you out of any tricky turn. Ohlins forks, Ohlins shocks, Brembo brakes and Marchesini wheels round out the physical components, while a real time wireless data acquisition system ensures that the rider knows at all times exactly what’s going on at the track and on the street.
The body itself was designed by Yves Behar of Fuse Project, the man behind the Jawbone headset, so it also looks as good as it performs. With angular lines, modern materials and a sleek, futuristic silhouette, it’s like a combination of a Ducati and a KTM that work well in all the right places.
If the bike of the future is calling your name, then give Mission Motors a call, because at just $69,000 the Mission One will be going fast in more ways than one.
[Mission Motors - Mission One]
[Via: Acquire]
Apparently Vespa has finally figured out that with a little bit of black paint, some subtle accents, and their most powerful engine to date, they can probably sell the thing to guys just as well as they can sell it to girls.
The Vespa GTS 300 Super features a 22hp, 278cc, four-stroke, single cylinder, liquid-cooled, electronic injected engine that propels the man-mobile to a top speed of around 80 mph (Though I hope to god no one tries to top speed one of these things!) while getting a rather thrifty 70 mpg.
Additional features include 12-inch alloy rims, double-disc brakes, red springs, a new grill, and plenty of cargo room to hold your man pur… man bag.
[Via: Uncrate]
The Ducati 999S is already a rare breed, but if you want to take the rarity of your bike to the limit, then give BeFaster a call and tell them you want the full treatment.
What you’ll end up with is the carbon fiber and titanium beauty you see before you. Weighing in at just 143 kg (315 lbs), the entire body, frame, and even the wheels have been replaced with carbon fiber versions of their former selves, and anything that couldn’t be carbon-ized has been made of titanium.
In addition to the reduction of weight, the bike’s power has also been given a bump, and now sits at 170 hp, giving the bike a 0-100 km time of less than 3 seconds, a 0-200 km time of less than 7 seconds, and a top speed in excess of 300 km/h.
All this power and lightness doesn’t come cheap however, as you’ll need to be willing to fork over $165,000 for the privilege, but if you’re looking for the ultimate motorcycle experience, then look no further than the BeFaster Ducati 999S.
[BeFaster]
[Via: Born Rich]
Blue Blood, the “new luxury denim & fashion house” and Husqvarna, the “market-leading producers of extreme ‘Supermoto’ motorcycles” have teamed up to create a “flammable mix of superiour style, power and performance” in the form of a pair of customized, limited edition, co-branded motorcycles “set to hit the streets near you at around 100 mph”.
With a combination of motocross set-up, speed tires and Blue Blood style, these bikes are destined to become the stylish speedster’s choice for cross-town traffic.
[Via: Baxter Finley]
The Retriever is designed to go where most tow trucks can only dream: In between lanes of traffic!
When a car breaks down, it usually blocks at least one lane of traffic, slowing everyone down, including the recovery vehicle that is trying to get to the scene so that it can clear traffic again.
However, The Retriever, a (heavily) modified 1800cc Honda Goldwing motorcycle, is designed to go through and around that traffic, and get to the scene faster than any other recovery vehicle.
Once there, a winch assisted trailer deploys from the rear, and the three-wheel design isolates the bike form the weight of the car, allowing The Retriever to handle like a normal bike. Hydraulic aids help lift the car and get it ready for transport, and a separate brake system for the trailer ensure that The Retriever can come to a stop when needed.
[Via: The Red Ferret Journal]
The ECOSSE Moto Works’ Robb Report Limited Edition Titanium Series Motorcycle and Timepiece is perhaps the finest piece of two wheeled transportation you can buy today.
Featuring a combination of old-world craftsmanship, computer-controlled accuracy, American muscle, exquisite lines, race-bred components, a supercharged, intercooled, fuel injected, billet motor, and the first-ever all-titanium chassis, the lightweight, carbon-fiber beauty is a sight to behold.
Additional features include hand-painted pinstripes, carbon fiber wheels, a handcrafted titanium race exhaust, Öhlins MotoGP-grade suspension, a six-speed overdrive transmission, billet ISR brakes with 12 individual brake pads up front, adjustable ergonomics, and 200+ horsepower on tap at the twist of a wrist.
Along with the bike, the 10 proud new owners will also receive a BRM watch with an automatic chronograph, brushed-titanium bezel, a two-sided band, and a serial number that matches the one engraved on the bike.
Want one of your own?
Just cut them a check for $275,000, and I’m sure the Robb Report will be happy to deliver.
[Robb Report - ECOSSE Moto Works’ Robb Report Limited Edition Titanium Series]
Confederate Motorcycles have always been a cut above.
After nearly being wiped out by Katrina, Confederate is back and better than ever with the release of their new Fighter bike.
Featuring tons of carbon fiber and titanium, including the front “blade” style suspension, aggressive lines and enough speed to scare just about anyone (top speed is north of 190 mph), the Fighter is just plain sexy.
Confederate bikes have always been known for their fusing of raw power and crisp simplicity, and in words straight from the company’s mouth,
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It’s an evolution of the machine, at once taken back down to its core elements while being reinvented and re-engineered for optimal performance. It’s our street-legal sci-fi dream come to life, in the form of the limited-edition Fighter Motorcycle.
If you’re looking to score one of the 45 being made, then you better have your checkbook ready, because the first one off the lot carries a price tag of $110,000, along with special Neiman Marcus edition features, and is sure to go quick. (In more ways than one!)
[Confederate Motorcycles - Fighter]
[Via: NOTCOT]
Apparently the new trend in Japan is customized scooters that have been lowered, chromed, painted and tuned.
Since Japan brought us the rice rocket, could this be the next trend in vehicle modification?
[Pink Tentacle - Japanese Custom Scooters]
The Uno is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.
By using gyroscope technology similar to the Segway, it balances on two wheels that sit right next to each other. The Uno goes forward when you push your body weight forward, and backwards when you push your body weight backward. The further you lean, the more the Uno tilts, and the faster it accelerates.
Apparently it’s so simple to operate that there are no controls except for an on-off switch. The gyro tells the ECU how much to accelerate automatically, and the proper amount of power is delivered to the wheels through electric motors, one for each wheel.
The body and frame are both custom designed, with a Yamaha R1 serving as the starting point. After prepping the frame, the molding took just six weeks to complete.
And if that’s not enough for you, then keep in mind that the entire thing was designed by Ben J. Poss Gulak, an 18-year-old who taught himself CAD on a home computer using Google’s free SketchUp tool to create the initial idea.
Could this be the future of motorcycle design?
[The Uno]
[Via: Motorcycle Mojo Magazine]
Clemens F. Leonhardt is working on a wild project. By taking two cylinders form an old radial airplane engine, fusing them to a custom crank and then adding them to a custom frame, he has created a 410 cubic inch V-Twin monster that makes 350 horsepower and is called the GUNBUS.
It’s hard to tell from the pic, but everything on this bike is twice the normal size to compensate for the extremely large engine pieces and parts, so I can only imagine what it’s like to ride.
Bigger is better though, right?
[Via: Autoblog]
Note to companies looking to advertise by building a custom chopper: There are other bike builders besides Orange County Choppers. They might not be on TV, but I’ll bet they can still crank out a bitchin’ bike without the cameras rolling.
That being said, this Iowa Farm Bureau Renewable Energy Chopper is one bad bike. It runs off of E85 fuel (85 percent ethanol-blended gas) for a more environmentally friendly exhaust output, and with farming details littered throughout, it’s the perfect ride for the bio biker.
Like what you see?
Then pick up a raffle ticket for just $10, and you might be the lucky winner of this corn mobile.
Kinda makes you rething the whole bio stereotype, doesn’t it?
[Via: Trend Hunter]
Jim Garlitz loves motorcycles.
He loves them so much, in fact, that he built one that can ride on water.
By combining a 1985 Yamaha Virago motorcycle frame with a 1990 9.9-horsepower Nissan outboard motor and his own homebuilt hydrofoils made out of “readily available materials”, his ‘Water Chopper’ can cruise around at 37 mph, riding on top of the water with a noiseless, smooth ride.
He says it’s great for fly fishing, and that “it’s stable. It doesn’t tilt, tip or anything”.
Grand total for this engineered toy?
Two months of work and $1,000.
Kinda makes you wish you had one of these instead of those last 200 Big Macs now, doesn’t it?
[Washington Post - Water Chopper]
[Via: Book Of Joe]
This wild hog is actually a mobile motorcycle barbecue pit, built by Orange County Choppers of American Chopper fame for RUB BBQ, and features a wood-burning oven riding sidecar to the custom bike.
This baby’s not just for show though. They’ve cooked ribs, brisket, and pork butt on it, and then ridden off into the sunset on their sweet set of wheels.
It might not be good for speed, but for a nice piece of steak, this can’t be beat.
[Via: NY Mag]
[Via: Book Of Joe]
Thunder Struck Customs makes some sleek and sexy bikes, but the one that really caught my eye was this one, called the Hammer. Featuring a 147 cubic inch motor, six speed transmission, and style that borrows from Ferraris, AC Cobras, concept cars and drag bikes, it definitely put Thuder Struck’s Medford, Oregon shop on the map.
[Street Chopper - Thunder Struck]
[Via: Luxist]
The Dolmette bike uses 24 chainsaw engines for power. ‘Nuff said.
[Dolmar]
[Via: Neatorama]
The Dodge Tomahawk is one angry looking machine, and one that I would gladly sacrifice a left arm to own (as long as I can still use my right arm to steer this thing, I think I’ll be ok). Formed by fusing the 500-horsepower, 505 cubic inch (8.3 liter) aluminum Viper V-10 engine with a motorcycle type body, this monster tops out at a potential of nearly 400 miles per hour, though no one has been brave enough to even coming close to testing that figure out. It needs four wheels to put the power to the ground, and each wheel has it’s own suspension, moving independently from the other three. You basically sit on top of one of the largest production engines on the market today and hold on while it blasts you to 60 MPH in just 2.5 seconds. If anyone asks “Why?”, no better answer has been crafter than “Why not?”. Apparently, if Dodge goes insane and puts this into production, a select few adrenaline junkies will be $250,000 poorer but 400 MPH richer. Sounds like a deal to me, now where do I go to sell my soul?
[Via: BornRich]
[Via: High T3ch Magazine]
