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Electric Motorcycle Inventor Crashes at Wired Conference
not5150 writes "The inventor of the electric 'KillaCycle" motorcycle was taken to the hospital for x-rays after demonstrating the vehicle to reporters. Bill Dube, a government scientist during the day and bike builder at night, attempted a burnout in front of the Los Angeles Convention Center during the Wired NextFest fair. Fueled by the "most powerful" lithium-ion batteries in the world, the bike accelerated uncontrollably into another car. There's a video interview (thankfully before the crash) and footage of Dube crashing."
As a professional stuntman, I can't stress enough how dangerous it is to perform these kinds of antics without appropriate training, preparation, and room.
The fact that he hit a parked minivan tells me quite a bit about the kinds of stupid risks he was taking. He's lucky that he's the only one that got hurt.
As a scientist, he should have known better than to not wear a helmet....
You are confusing me with someone who cares.
Remember aerodynamics too, 60-120 won't be as fast as 0-60 even with the same torque being applied. It does sounds awesome though, even if the inventor can't ride it
which is totally what she said
This is actually very good free press for them, hope he recovers quick. Media loves accidents.
It doesn't matter if it'a KillaCycle, motorcycle, bicycle, or even a small car, because none of them are safe as long as they share the road with vehicles that are relatively so much more massive. If we want to realistically promote more efficient modes of transportation, then we should work to make the current hostile enviroments into safer ones.
Before you flame, I'm aware he wasn't wearing a helmet, was showing off with a burn out, was riding an prototype vehicle, and that the minivan was a parked. But instead of addressing the rare occurance this incident was, I wanted to address a common occurance, and provide a solution that we could actually take steps toward achieving.
Best wishes, I hope you get better soon.
But come on buddy, a little common sense, and remember you're a role model. *You* might have known what you're doing but lots of idiot teenagers would have been watching the footage of you doing this gig and other ones similar to it. They might take home the message that it's ok not to wear helmet and body armour. The fact that something did go wrong showed that you weren't completely in control.
Please, even if you're happy taking those risks, wear a helmet and body protection. You wouldn't use DIY power tools at home without safety gear so why take risks with your superbike? You seem like a nice guy, stick around for a bit longer so you can pick up your Darwin award and don't encourage idiot teenagers (or adults) to think its ok to do burns on stationary bikes without protection. You've just proved that it's not safe...
Nothing else should be said. I loved this thing, but I wouldn't get _near_ a bike that makes 0-60 in less then a second without a reinforced helmet and heavily padded/armored clothes.
It's better to be the foot on the boot than the face on the pavement. ~~ tkx Kadin2048
You can't both claim there was no one in the possible trajectory as a safety measure and wear no helmet. You either considered the bike could move or not.
Cool bike, man!
"If God created us in his own image we have more than reciprocated." - Voltaire
if its a 3 phase short circuit engine, which is likely, the torque goes down quick as rpm goes up. When rpm=0 its basically a short circuit condition, it will pull whatever power it can get (and handle for a short period of time).
same slut, different name.
What if Tetris was invented by Nazis?
Dear Richard Hammond,
If those wacky producers and Clarkson ask you to test ride a motorbike, JUST SAY NO.
Regards,
A Friend
That's what he said. The bit about serious amounts of back-emf still apply, too.
Seriously, this guy is smart enough to design and build this bike in his spare time, but not to buy a fucking helmet??
Taking that in mind when I read this...I thought "Ok, I could maybe get by with a fairly silent car, but, NO WAY would this make a motorcycle fun"!!
I mean, that IS a huge part of the fun of a big cruiser bike. I'm not talking about straight pipes here...I know those annoy some people. I like loud things, but, I do try to respect my neighbors. But, really, first thing I think of when I get a new bike...is what aftermarket pipes I'm gonna get...to give me that rumble as I drive it.
I think an electric bike would be kinda boring in that respect. Sure, I guess you could sync some mp3's of good engine/exhaust notes with the motor...but, still.....something would be missing.
Hell..many people buy the Harley JUST for the "potato...potato...potato.." engine note and rumble. Didn't they even try to patent that?
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
And you probably would have ridiculed Benjamin Franklin had he received an enormous electric shock while experimenting with electricity.
Most real innovations in the course of this (U.S.A.) country's history have been made by amateurs and hobbyists. Such "citizen scientists" have had a tremendous impact on most areas of science and industry and have only been supplanted (in their rate of discovery) in the past few decades by corporations and research labs associated with educational institutions. Instead of deriding the man for his lack of skill as a motorcyclist, why not laud his achievement in mechanical and electrical engineering?
Had the Wright brothers and other pioneers of early flight listened to the detractors who called them foolish or unwise, modern flight may yet be a pipe dream. Had Dean Kamen left innovation to the "experts" when his uncle struggled to manage his insulin intake, he would not have invented the automatic insulin infusion pump while he (Kamen) was yet a teen.
Since you're ridiculing this inventor, what are you doing to advance the science he promotes? What are you doing to extend battery life, create a more powerful electric motor, or develop more energy-efficient vehicles? There's an old saying that fits here [imo--and it goes for all the naysayers out there on all the threads]:
PUT UP, OR SHUT UP!
I use irony whenever I can, but my shirts are still wrinkled...
Don't try to play this off as an inventor nobly accepting risk and forging onwards in the name of progress. This is about someone trying to show off and nearly killing himself because he was too stupid to factor in all sorts of safety concerns. Yes, this man has proven himself to be an excellent engineer, but that does not absolve him from acting like a total moron while riding his invention. Riding any bike without a helmet is plain stupid. Attempting to do a burnout on a powerful drag bike without a full-face helmet, leathers, and room for runoff is completely retarded. (Squid!) Besides, what the hell does doing a burnout prove? I could do a burnout on bikes that can barely do the 1/4 mile in twice the time of that electric bike. The power required is actually pretty minimal.
When talking about his riding, this guy is no better than some asshole doing a stand-up wheelie in the middle of traffic on the freeway. Praise him for his engineering skills, but at the same time condemn him for his utter lack of riding skills and common sense.
exactly. As a motorcyclist for nearly 20 years, and someone who has to put up with all of the misinformation and idiocy of the uninformed "cager" crowd, this is not somthing that most in this community will appreciate at all. I'm pretty sure that were it someone doing something similar to prove the power of the latest "ninja" bike, and they had the same result, the tone taken by the media would be quite different. The ability to build and engineer this prototype vehicle is very impressive. The inability to act in a professional manner while displaying said vehicle to a crowd and ensure that any possible accidents could not result in damage to anything other than said vehicle is moronic at best, and criminal at worst.
I have to disagree for the most part. I can't count the number of times motorcycles have been able to come up behind my car on the highway without me hearing them. These were not quiet bikes either: they were modded Harleys with big engines and straight pipes.
With the direction of the exhaust pipes on bikes going straight behind them, nearly all their noise is projected back and to the sides, especially at highway speeds. Plus, when they're cruising or decelerating they put out much less noise than at wide-open throttle.
Ergo, I still get the "Holy shit, where did he come from?" effect when they go by me, unless I first saw them in my mirrors. So I think the "safety" reasoning for the noise is erroneous.