Just read about this bad boy in the AMCN (March ed). Amazing bike, it has two swing arms. One for the rear wheel, and one for the front. The steering is done using hub-centre steering with dual WP shocks taking the bumps for the parallel swingarms. Apparently it is absolutely magic under brakes coming into corner apexes, and has a whopping 55/45 front end weight bias. The wheels are carbon fibre, and even though the front is controlled through the swingarm, it still has 27 degree steering lock without too much of a curve in the swingarms themselves. Powered by an Aprilia RSV1000R, it's exhaust also uses twin Arrow cans. Aprilia are helping develop the beast with the designer, Roel van der Heide.
Important stats: 128 ps @ 9,500 rpm, 178 kg semi-wet.
shit, I should be a bloody bike mag reporter... -385-
XOCET
ressac they got any pic to gork at Black & Blue Busa's Rule
yes they do. it is a bit agricultural at the moment. apparently the aprilia lads will hook into the styling a little later on.
(i can't post pics, and the article was in a mag, not on the web) -385-
XOCET
Done before and this guy is on his third try too.
The public won't buy it because it looks wierd, but apparently it is technically superior. It's good that Aprillia are on board, but read in between the lines. They are committing peanuts, no real investment. If this guy (not an engineer) solves the gliches in previous hub centred machines then they'll exercise their first refusal clause for giving him an abundance of Aprillia parts for free.
Yamaha got rid of theirs quickly due to poor sales. The only way to get the public buying this thing, is to prove it's technically superiority. That means doing well in races.
Remember the guy who said he reinvented the wheel, (more like the axle, it had no centre). Looked great, but couldn't prove it's superiority over conventional design. It couldn't even prove it was just as good.
If these things are better, then there'd be on the space shuttle, or F1 cars etc...
That said, I hope he does it. Makes sense on paper and he's clearly a bike fan. Reason enough why a big manufacturer SHOULD have done what he is doing. Money grabbers.
Thanks Richard..........dosen't look all that bad realy. Black & Blue Busa's Rule
May be. Here's another one from the 37th Tokyo motor show. Some may have seen this before, the Suzuki G-Strider...\
pub.tokyo-motorshow.com/c...d001e.html -385-
XOCET
uurrgghh That is one fugly bike...