Thanks - Wrecked
Monday 3 December 2007
Electrobike Pi
Unique design electric bike...Sourced from 60% post-industrial recycled aluminum, the extruded tube houses the NiMH batteries, electronics and control cables giving the exterior its sharp, uncluttered appearance.
The gel seat can be adjusted forwards and backwards as well as up and down, giving you a fair range of seating position options, and the forks have 85mm of suspension travel.
Rather than standard gears, Electrobike have opted for the excellent NuVinci infinitely variable planetary transmission – which means that gearing can be smoothly increased or decreased either while pedaling, coasting or stopped by turning a switchgrip. Simple, intuitive and effective.
Pictured below is the recumbent version
BMW drivers...
First off, I couldn't believe that the volume of traffic DIDN'T slow down for me AT ALL as I came off the slip road! I had to squeeze into a barely big enough gap between two cars in order to get onto my motorway! The driver of the car behind me did realise his mistake though and honked an apology to me with a long blast of his horn! Unbelievably, I had to do the same again before I could get to the BMW lane. (Why do underlings use this lane? Surely everyone knows it is for BMW drivers only?). Anyway, once I was in the BMW lane and posing along at 110mph enjoying the adulation that the inferior car drivers were giving me, I noticed an inferior car ahead of me which was not only in the BMW lane of my motorway, but was driving at a ridiculous 70 mph! Naturally, I got to within a foot or so of his rear bumper and flashed my headlights to remind him he shouldn't be in the BMW lane of my motorway and to get out of my way. Of course, once he realised it was a BMW behind him, he did just that, but I could hardly believe it when he pulled straight back out behind me! He also tried to keep up with me and when he realised I would out-run him, he put on some blue lights in his front grill and urged me to get onto the hard shoulder so that he could congratulate me on my excellent car. Continue...
Thanks Easypeasy
Thanks Easypeasy
Congestion Charge or Other Factors?
What has put people on bikes in London? Livingstone would have you believe its the CC, but is it other factors...?
"London has witnessed a 43% rise in cycling since the introduction of the congestion charge and an 83% increase overall since 2000," it said.
Now, while I'm a fan of any measure that gets more cars off the roads, I think it's a bit rich for Livingstone to claim that his congestion charge is the reason why more of us are cycling. Although I was cycling to work before 2000, people I know who have taken it up in the last few years cite a number of factors, non of which feature the congestion charge.
"It's much quicker to get around", is the most popular reason, followed by "It's good exercise", while the astronomical price of tube travel has forced many people onto a bike.
Thanks - Guardian
"London has witnessed a 43% rise in cycling since the introduction of the congestion charge and an 83% increase overall since 2000," it said.
Now, while I'm a fan of any measure that gets more cars off the roads, I think it's a bit rich for Livingstone to claim that his congestion charge is the reason why more of us are cycling. Although I was cycling to work before 2000, people I know who have taken it up in the last few years cite a number of factors, non of which feature the congestion charge.
"It's much quicker to get around", is the most popular reason, followed by "It's good exercise", while the astronomical price of tube travel has forced many people onto a bike.
Thanks - Guardian
Suzuki’s hydrogen-powered Crosscage motorcycle
Suzuki’s Crosscage concept is a fuel-cell powered electric bike with single-sided suspension front AND rear. The brushless electric motor’s mounted inline with the rear wheel, and looks-wise it’s so far out there that it’s on its way back again. Seems like Bridgestone’s even developed a special futuristic-looking tyre to match the bike’s oddly tesselated discs.
It’s got monoshocks at both ends – which looks absolutely fantastic – and a unique cross-cage frame that highlights the fact that as new engine technologies evolve, we’re going to see the shape of the motorcycle change significantly.
thansk to http://www.gizmag.com/go/8243/
Low tech anti-theft
"These rust and scratch stickers are designed to make your beautiful bike/car look rusted and scratched so that passing thieves assume it's not worth stealing due to its apparent shabbyness"http://www.dominicwilcox.com/stickers.html
Go buy some and rusterize your car!
Vectrix Electric Superbike
the Vectrix Electric Superbike has a top speed of around 125mph, a range of around 70 miles and it’ll eat up the quarter mile in around 12 seconds. That gives you about 35 minutes of driving time on a full charge? keep working, boys....
Vectrix say they’ll run the Electric Superbike into production if they receive 500 deposits
thanks to http://www.gizmag.com/vectrix-electric-superbike/8395/
Biodiesel motorbike - 100+ mpg
The 2007 Panasonic World Solar Challenge is a 3000 km race from Darwin to Adelaide in Australia. Among the competitors in the Greenfleet Technology Class - a category for internal combustion vehicles promoting an enhanced environmental profile - is the BioBike, a biodiesel-powered motorcycle, constructed by a group of students in Adelaide, Australia.
Biobike happily does 96kmh and returns a staggering fuel economy of only 2.2 litres per 100 kilometres.
In the leisure motorcycling world, where power-to-weight ratios are everything and horsepower rules over torque, diesel simply doesn’t make sense on the sales floor.
But, as BioBike project leader Heidi McNamara points out, in areas where motorcycles are used as essential transport rather than high-speed toys, these machines start to look far more practical - particularly on farms and in military applications where diesel is used to run pretty much every other vehicle and engine.
from http://www.gizmag.com/go/8209/Knight Rider
The new KITT looks so freaking cool...
Seriously...*DROOL*
The one time in his life that David Hasselhoff was upstaged, it was when working with Knight Industries Two Thousand, or KITT, his super intelligent car featured in the series Knight Rider. For those unaware, Knight Rider is making its triumphant return to television more than a decade after the original series was canned.
KITT was originally a Pontiac Trans Am, but for this modern day remake, the car is officially a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR, first reported by the sleuths at Jalopnik that spotted the car being developed in an LA facility. There is no word on what awesome gadgets and features the next generation 550HP KITT will feature, but we would assume it will be one-upping its Pontiac predecessor that was loaded to the guns with everything from thermal resistant coating, a parachute, tear gas, a "telephone comlink" (I can't help but laugh at that), microwave jammer and more.
Thanks - Dvice
Formotion motorcycle timepieces
Formotion have created bolt-on clocks and thermometers for motorcycles
safer than blu tack and gaffer tape!!
thanks to http://www.gizmag.com/motorcycles/
KTM's 690 Stunt
KTM have created a motorbike designed specifically for stunt riders. It features:
- “12 o’clock bars” to stop their tail-lights dragging on the ground
- crash cages to protect bodywork and frame from frequent topples
- hand-actuated secondary rear brakes for controlling wheelies where the rider’s feet are away from the brake pedal
now all we need is a bike dedicated to freestyle motocross riders!!
thanks to http://www.gizmag.com/go/8115/
Honda TV
Honda have launched Honda TV, a new Internet TV portal that will deliver on-demand viewing of the company's films, video clips and adverts including a closer look at Honda's cars, driving tips and racing coverage.
there is a link to Honda TV from the UK website: http://www.honda.co.uk/
there is a link to Honda TV from the UK website: http://www.honda.co.uk/
Coolest Truck Ever
How much fun can you have around a product as un-fun as a radiator? Lots, apparently. Just check the Jaga Radiator Factory website. From the amazing chocolate sculptures at Zona Tortona Design 07 in Milan to massive desert art at Burning Man to the latest Jaga Experience: The Jaga Experience Truck, Jaga is really taking the concept of product promotion to another world.
Pimp my pushbiker
What happens when you cross a BMX bandit with Star Trek? You get Hokey Spokes. Gone are the days of shoving a playing card in your spokes for visual andaudio cheap thrills. Hokey spokes are lighting up bikes around town in a big and almost psychedelic way. These high tech spokes allow riders to display computer generated images and text inside their spoke cages. It's fun, futuristic and most importantly safe in the way that it allows for side visibility whilst on the road. The spokes can display messages and even promotional advertising and run on 3 AAA batteries. orderonline for $30
www.hokeyspokes.com
Thanks - The Cool Hunter
New Toyota driving simulator: the world's biggest arcade game?
December 1, 2007 Toyota has unveiled a huge driving simulator designed to recreate realistic driving environments and further the analysis of driving habits and reactions for the development of active safety technology.
The simulator consists of a real car positioned on a mechanical platform inside a 7.1 meter (23.2 foot) dome. A tilt mechanism, vibration apparatus and other devices manipulate the dome as the driver operates the vehicle.
The dome itself, which acts as a giant 360-degree video screen, can be moved via precision computer control around an area the equivalent of four tennis courts, simulating a real driving experience that includes a sense of speed, acceleration and riding comfort with sound effects thrown in to complete the virtual driving experience.
Although it would be a great platform for testing the latest version of Gran Turismo, Toyota plans to use the driving simulator to analyze driving characteristics under such conditions as falling asleep at the wheel and drowsiness, glancing from side to side and not checking that the road is safe, fatigue or illness, as well as developing active safety technology for effectively reducing the number of accidents. The long term goal is to make cars that never crash.
Gaylord 1956
Yes, back in 1956 someone actually made a car and named it Gaylord!!
It was a retractable hardtop coupé
L.A. Auto Show Suggests Automakers Finally Going Green
Took their time, but any change is good change
The Los Angeles Auto Show is the first big industry event of the season, and it's offering the strongest evidence yet that automakers are serious about going green. But many critics say it's just good PR.
The overall emphasis of the annual event is squarely on your typical SUVs and sedans, and there's the usual assortment of high-end exotics and luxury cars. But nearly everyone is also showcasing hybrid, electric or fuel-cell vehicles and vowing to increase the fuel efficiency of their fleets. Some automakers say they'll have alternative fuel vehicles on the road within months, and one or two say they want to lead the industry beyond oil.
"The automakers know it's reached a level of concern where if they don't do something, they'll lose market share," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal. "We'd like to think they're doing this for the right reasons, to help the environment, but it's a business decision. They realize they have to do it."
Thanks - Wired
The Los Angeles Auto Show is the first big industry event of the season, and it's offering the strongest evidence yet that automakers are serious about going green. But many critics say it's just good PR.
The overall emphasis of the annual event is squarely on your typical SUVs and sedans, and there's the usual assortment of high-end exotics and luxury cars. But nearly everyone is also showcasing hybrid, electric or fuel-cell vehicles and vowing to increase the fuel efficiency of their fleets. Some automakers say they'll have alternative fuel vehicles on the road within months, and one or two say they want to lead the industry beyond oil.
"The automakers know it's reached a level of concern where if they don't do something, they'll lose market share," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal. "We'd like to think they're doing this for the right reasons, to help the environment, but it's a business decision. They realize they have to do it."
Thanks - Wired
Phantom Corsair 1938
Phantom Corsair 1938
(from Wikipedia:)
Phantom Corsair is an automobile prototype from 1938. It is a six-passenger coupe that was designed by Rust Heinz, a member of the H. J. Heinz (57 Varieties) family, and Maurice Schwartz of the Pasadena, California based Bohman & Schwartz coachbuilding company. The design was quite a departure from contemporary car design and it did away with many stylistic features that were also eventually abandoned by mainstream designers.
Heinz planned to put the Phantom Corsair (which cost approximately $24,000 to produce in 1938 - approximately $300,000 in 2005 dollars) into limited production at an estimated selling price of $12,500. His death, however, shortly after the car was completed, ended those plans. The automobile was featured as the Flying Wombat in the 1938 film, "The Young In Heart."
more info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_Corsair
MV Agusta's Limited-Edition Superbike Is One Sexy Beast
Rust? Pah...I've got Dutch Elm Disease...!
This guy in Ukraine removed all the exterior metal parts from the car and replaced them with wooden panels which are used for the floor parquet. He modified the car itself too, now it looks like a semi-cabrio - one part of it is without roof and another side is covered with a hard wooden roof. Thanks - EnglishRussia
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