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Electric Tron Lightcycle Hits the Streets

Posted by samzenpus on from the master-control's-new-wheels dept.

cylonlover writes "Practicality tends to take a back seat when you combine sci-fi cult status with custom chopper building — and there's no room for a pillion passenger on the Lightcycle. We first spied Parker Brothers Choppers Lightcycle project last year when it surfaced in gas-powered form, now the company has released video of a fully-electric version of the neon-packing two-wheeler in action. The electric motor may be quieter, but this one's still guaranteed to turn heads."

113 comments

  1. First post! by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

    Dodge my wall!

    --
    "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    1. Re:First post! by LinuxGrrl · · Score: 0

      what's that, the old Grab my tail!? ;-)

  2. Shiny by dlingman · · Score: 1

    Shiny. Want one. Sigh. Wife says "never gonna happen". Oh well.

    1. Re:Shiny by lexsird · · Score: 1

      Get one for your wife. It sounds like a good trade.

      --
      Take the Red Pill.
    2. Re:Shiny by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      I'd like to test drive her before I make the deal.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:Shiny by mcgrew · · Score: 2

      Dunno... it looks cool, but that's all it has going for it. It doesn't look so cool for the driver, who seems to be having trouble controlling it, or for his back (and balls!) because of how the footrests are positioned.

      If you're comfortable driving a chopper with monkey bars it would be ok maybe, but I prefer a more traditional bike -- say, a hog or a sportster with the fairings and saddlebags and other garbage stripped. And no chopping or monkey hangers!

      --
      Free Martian Whores!
    4. Re:Shiny by c0lo · · Score: 1

      Shiny. Want one.

      I don't... not until it doesn't emerge from a stick while the driver takes a fwd plunge.

      --
      Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
  3. Ugh... by ak_hepcat · · Score: 2

    Looks horribly uncomfortable and dangerously unwieldy to ride.

    I think i'll pass.

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    1. Re:Ugh... by GameboyRMH · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Yeah, looks awesome, but it's even more of a bling-toy than the average chopper.

      Horrific riding position, little to no suspension travel, and if it has a decent-performing electric powertrain, it'll cost a fortune.

      Here's how I would have done it:

      1. Make it more practical. Try to massage the seating position into a more regular sportbike style. Yes it won't be 100% accurate but who needs that. You can put surprisingly wide wheels on a sportbike before the handling starts to really suffer.

      2. Put a 600cc engine on it with a noisy-ass supercharger. Maybe make it gear-driven for more gear whine. It will sound sufficiently alien that people who hear it will think "WTF is that?" and it will have WAY more than enough power to haul around any extra weight.

      3. At the rear, have a vertical stack of powerful LEDs, and add a sprinkler system in the back that releases a heavy, vertical line-shaped mist. This way you can hit a button to lay down a "light trail" :D A laser projection system like those fancy bike safety things could be used to lay down a line on the ground behind the bike too.

      4. Get appropriately lit riding gear B-)

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    2. Re:Ugh... by rufty_tufty · · Score: 2

      WRT 3, Better still get it spraying a cloud of tritium so that the glowing effect stays there for a while after it has passed.

      What could possibly go wrong?

      --
      "The weirdest thing about a mind, is that every answer that you find, is the basis of a brand new cliche" -
    3. Re:Ugh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Like your mom.

    4. Re:Ugh... by Xiterion · · Score: 1

      Tritium itself doesn't glow - the shiny tritium powered light sources all have a phosphor coating to give the glow. Which is really unfortunate, because I really wish there was a handy glow in the dark gas.

    5. Re:Ugh... by SleazyRidr · · Score: 1

      So basically you want a CBR600RR that leaves a trail.

      --
      Is 1563649 a prime number?
    6. Re:Ugh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      TL;DR

    7. Re:Ugh... by polar+red · · Score: 1

      ecent-performing electric powertrain, it'll cost a fortune.

      electric engines are up to 10 times smaller than ICE with the same horsepower, and they don't even need a transmission. if there is a problem with electric engines, it's the batteries.

      --
      Yes, I'm left. You have a problem with that?
    8. Re:Ugh... by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      Yeah that's where all the costs come in. Sure you could have decent performance for cheap, if you just want to sprint down your street a few times :-P

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    9. Re:Ugh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It looks cooler in person I live in melbourne fl and was on my way to work when i drove by and they were doing the playboy photoshoot with the bike.
      Was funny because it almost caused a car accident when one of the people too old to drive nearly rearended someone slowing down to see what was going on.

      either way its still cool that someone made a working model.

    10. Re:Ugh... by arielCo · · Score: 1

      That's what she said :-(

      --
      This post contains no rudeness or derision of any kind. All arguments are friendly. Terms and exclusions may apply.
    11. Re:Ugh... by Matt_Bennett · · Score: 1

      electric engines are up to 10 times smaller than ICE with the same horsepower, and they don't even need a transmission. if there is a problem with electric engines, it's the batteries.

      10 times? Are you talking about engines in the power range of a motorcycle engine (50-100 bhp)? At the very rough conversion of 1KW to 1hp, Where do you get a 50KW motor you could put on a motorcycle? I'll take leaving out the battery/fuel tank comparison, but if you include everything else (including cooling and control circuitry) does the 10x size difference still hold?

    12. Re:Ugh... by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      They did that within sight of a road!? That's the most dangerous thing I've ever heard of being done with a bike.

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    13. Re:Ugh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      electric engines are up to 10 times smaller than ICE with the same horsepower, and they don't even need a transmission. if there is a problem with electric engines, it's the batteries.

      10 times? Are you talking about engines in the power range of a motorcycle engine (50-100 bhp)? At the very rough conversion of 1KW to 1hp, Where do you get a 50KW motor you could put on a motorcycle? I'll take leaving out the battery/fuel tank comparison, but if you include everything else (including cooling and control circuitry) does the 10x size difference still hold?

      Well, compared to a 50hp 4-stroke motorcycleengine, then yes. 27kw 5min peak and only 15KG excluding coolant. Besides, the power is instant with 0 rpm on an electric motor, not after the engine reaches 3-4000rpm like on ICE's.

      http://www.greenmotorsport.com/green_motorsport/products_and_services/3,1,388,17,12958.html

      Regards
      Mats

    14. Re:Ugh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Fmy4tWvr8c

      How about that for powerful electric motors?

    15. Re:Ugh... by geekoid · · Score: 1

      "Yes it won't be 100% accurate but who needs that. "
      fail.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    16. Re:Ugh... by geekoid · · Score: 3, Informative

      it's 35K, so not really the expensive for a custom bike.
      it will go 100 miles, and travel at 100MPH.
      It recharges in 35 minute.

      Considering this is pretty much a 'ride around town' bike, all of that is a fine trade off.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    17. Re:Ugh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I love this sprinkler at the back thing. Never ridden a chopper but now I have to have one.

    18. Re:Ugh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Perhaps worse, it doesn't look like it can turn more than about 5deg at 10mph before you're skating on wheel fairing.

      Bring the pegs forward, down and in so you're not entirely in "flying" position and can get your feet down without dumping the bike. Also, anyone that's ever laid their chest on the tank and put their feet on the rear pegs knows how hard it is to ride that way. Pull the bars back a bit to accommodate. And of course, trim the wheel fairings back a bit so you don't die when you turn.

      Otherwise it's a movie prop that rolls.

    19. Re:Ugh... by iamhassi · · Score: 1

      Agreed. Looks like it would be a bit easier if it wasn't so wide. I looked at the original scene from the movie and they don't look that wide.... or maybe the guy in the ParkerBrosChoppers video is really short and small.

      --
      my karma will be here long after I'm gone
    20. Re:Ugh... by Belial6 · · Score: 1

      It's not intended to be practical. It is like buying a Batmobile. You don't buy it for practicality. You buy it because it looks exactly like the Batmobile. Once you change the look, you might as well get a standard vehicle.

  4. Needs Stabilization by Digital+Vomit · · Score: 1

    A bike like this would definitely need some sort of gyro-stabilization similar to the segway (remember those?). That is, it should be able to remain upright on its own. The bike looks a little precarious at slower, city-driving speeds.

    --
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    1. Re:Needs Stabilization by geekoid · · Score: 2

      remember them? I see them everyday. Security people riding them, tours, rentals, warehouse people. And that's just my walk through downtown.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    2. Re:Needs Stabilization by gearsmithy · · Score: 1

      The bike already has at least 4 gyroscopes: 2 wheels, the crankshaft, and the transmission mainshaft. You could make a case for the counter shaft also being a gyroscope but that depends on the type of transmission used. I doubt you'd be able to realistically get a machine that size to stand on it's own thought it would be something I've never seen before. I'm not convinced that this handles poorly. The "stability" of a motorcycle is almost entirely dependent on the trail calculation (relationship between steering axis to front axle). With all that bodywork on the thing I couldn't even guess what the trail would be and I've been building bikes my entire adult life. Generally, if the bike is "squirrelly" at low speeds it would tend to be more stable at high speeds (excessive trail, think a modern chopper) and vice versa.

    3. Re:Needs Stabilization by RenderSeven · · Score: 1

      You cant gyro stabilize a motorcycle... it needs to lean to turn to generate the camber thrust necessary to turn. Thats also why motorcycles cant have flat wheels, and why the front tire is smaller than the rear. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camber_thrust). The problem with this bike is that the wheel cowls and lights dont seem to have enough road clearance to lean the bike over to steer effectively. As soon as a cowling touches pavement the wheel will lose traction, and bye bye Louise. If you watch the video, it doesnt look like he's having trouble controlling it as much as he's trying really hard not to let the bike lean when he turns. Also, probably why the video doesnt show the bike doing anything at even moderate speeds.

    4. Re:Needs Stabilization by gearsmithy · · Score: 1

      You cant gyro stabilize a motorcycle... it needs to lean to turn to generate the camber thrust necessary to turn.

      That's not entirely correct. Gyroscopic forces are what keep the bike from falling over at speed. In fact you control the bike by manipulating the front gyroscope (wheel) in relation to the rear through a process known as counter-steering (to turn the bike left you turn the handlebars to the right, causing the bike to lean to the left; the gyroscopic forces of the wheels, crankshaft and mainshaft keep the bike from falling over completely while you're leaning into the turn).

    5. Re:Needs Stabilization by gearsmithy · · Score: 1

      Here's the obligatory wikipedia article on my point. Note the "gyroscopic effects" section: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countersteering

    6. Re:Needs Stabilization by RenderSeven · · Score: 1

      Yes I over-simplified a bit. There are lots of forces that come into play as you say. There was a great article in Motorcycle Week a bunch of years ago (wish I could find the link) that went into it in detail, and their conclusion was that if you started to think about how you're steering you'll end up not being able to do it. Also while some of the gyroscope precession effects are somewhat stabilizing others aren't. I've read (again sorry no link) that precession effects from shaft drive systems degrade traction in turns, although the increase in unsprung weight from the shaft is also a significant factor. Both reasons why shaft drive hasn't been adopted more despite the huge improvement in maintainability.

      Anyway, the recent study by Cornell where they built a bike with counter rotating wheels to negate any gyro effect was interesting, the result being that gyroscopic effect "is neither sufficient or necessary" to stabilize a bike. (http://bicycle.tudelft.nl/stablebicycle/StableBicyclev34Revised.pdf). So I guess I disagree with you that gyroscopic forces keep the bike from falling over. Gyroscope precession in countersteering provides 12% of the roll moment which helps a lot in initiating a turn but it is neither the primary force resulting from counter-steer nor is it a contributing factor in stabilization. (Obligatory WP link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countersteering#Gyroscopic_effects)

    7. Re:Needs Stabilization by RenderSeven · · Score: 1

      ...and to my original point to the OP, adding gyros will not stabilize the bike. All the wikipedia articles and cited references back this up pretty definitively. The OP is also incorrect that trail is the predominant factor in stability. PP's are incorrect that the Segway uses gyros for stability. The lightcycle thing isnt unstable, its just unrideable because the bike cant lean because of insufficient road clearance between the ground and the wheel cowls.

  5. it looks cool on a photo but, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    maybe a little bit faster it would look cooler.... but then it would need a combustion engine :(

    1. Re:it looks cool on a photo but, by j00r0m4nc3r · · Score: 2

      Why would it need a combustion engine to go faster? Electric motorcycles are pretty much the fastest thing around.

    2. Re:it looks cool on a photo but, by trum4n · · Score: 1

      They used garbage parts to build this thing. The batteries would be at home in a mid grade UPS for a server. As an EV builder/owner, this thing won't go 50mph. It could go 200, but not with the current gear.

    3. Re:it looks cool on a photo but, by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      Fast electric bikes aren't cheap...the price would easily go into the 6-digit zone.

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    4. Re:it looks cool on a photo but, by Alioth · · Score: 1

      Not really. I live in the Isle of Man, we have a rather famous road race here called the Isle of Man TT. The last 2 or 3 years there's also been an electric bike race added to the schedule.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Man_TT

      Each lap of the circuit is 37.75 miles long (it's probably the world's longest motorcycle race circuit). The current lap record is an average speed of 131 mph on a Yamaha R6. The electric bikes still fall very, very, very far short of this, their lap record, they are averaging in the mid 80s if I remember correctly, 50 mph slower than the machines with internal combustion engines.

      While it's probably true you can make a faster electric drag strip bike that doesn't have to go around corners nor travel more than a quarter mile, a practical electric bike is still a long way of getting even near the performance of a standard sportsbike.

      --
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  6. shaky video by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    i've seen steadier zapruder films. shame, that's a nice bike.

  7. umm.. by tscheez · · Score: 1

    that looks really uncomfortable

    --
    Supplies!
  8. Why so slow? by Gotung · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why is he riding so slow in all the videos? I'll tell you why, because taking your foot position all the way back to that ridiculous angle has that guy riding squarely on his junk. The slightest bump probably feels like huge kick to the nut sack. Most custom bikes give up comfort for fashion, but that takes thing to a whole new level.

    1. Re:Why so slow? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This and maybe the bike isn't capable of going faster than 5mph. =P

    2. Re:Why so slow? by CityZen · · Score: 1

      Hopefully, the seat would be contoured or otherwise designed appropriately, with firm padding for the pelvic bones and lots of give for what's in between.

      However, it seems that there can be little suspension travel, if any, so even without the above issue, this thing looks dangerous on imperfect roads.

      Still, it's pretty impressive to take something designed without any engineering in mind and produce something even a bit functional.

    3. Re:Why so slow? by Device666 · · Score: 1

      Well I'll don't mind having a bit pain in the nutsack if I would own such bike. Tron is part of my childhood, it was extremely cool then and still is. I am just plain jealous I don't have one. Let's be fair.

    4. Re:Why so slow? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      More likely because the shrouds around the wheels keeps the rider from leaning the bike to make higher speed turns. Like, greater than 15 mph higher.

    5. Re:Why so slow? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Looks unlikely to be able to take a corner at more than 10 mph.

    6. Re:Why so slow? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yea, they can make a bike like this... but they are NOT smart enough to purchase a cup. >_>

    7. Re:Why so slow? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Okay, I'll bite. To be fair, if you are so interested in such a bike and Tron in general, you very probably don't even need a nutsack. Come on, this is Slashdot.

    8. Re:Why so slow? by LS · · Score: 1

      Darwin at work. Sacrificing your nuts for a childhood sci-fi fantasy.

      --
      There is a fine line between being a cultivated citizen and being someone else's crop. - A. J. Patrick Liszkie
    9. Re:Why so slow? by geekoid · · Score: 1

      Since it won't destroy you nuts... well, not most people, I suppose you might keep your son you stomach.

      haha, I kid, yours are obviously in your wife's purse~

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    10. Re:Why so slow? by Tacvek · · Score: 1

      That's hardly a problem, since the video makes it look like the bike might just max out at 10 mph anyway.

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  9. I'm all for energy efficiency, the environment,etc by ickleberry · · Score: 2

    But I'd still much prefer the Dodge Tomahawk over this. Neither are terribly practical or every day use vehicles so the amount of energy saved by having an electric version is negligible

  10. Really? by trum4n · · Score: 1

    Kelly controller, 2 etek types, and a pack of SLA's? This thing wont do 50mph...

  11. This will pass safety inspections? by whitroth · · Score: 1

    Lying at that angle to ride it, I can just see every single accident, and every single time, the rider will go flying forward, headfirst.

    At least the long fork bikes have them leaning backwards, with feet first..

                      mark

    1. Re:This will pass safety inspections? by SomePgmr · · Score: 1

      You can be laying as far back as you want (my bike has forward controls) but you're still probably going torso-first over the handlebars in a collision.

      Riding while laying forward like that is horrible though. I've done it at higher speeds using the passenger pegs when you don't need to shift and the rear brake is useless, just to stretch. You wouldn't want to do it for long. It's like an exaggerated version of the posture on a sport bike, which already aren't designed to be comfortable.

    2. Re:This will pass safety inspections? by ikkonoishi · · Score: 1

      Notice that the first section where he looks like he is zooming down the road is actually sped up. You can tell by the pixels, and also the water rippling in the background.

      He drives in the bike lane because it can't reach road speed. That thing has 12 car batteries in it, and a steel frame with only one electric motor it doesn't have enough juice.

    3. Re:This will pass safety inspections? by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      Lying at that angle to ride it, I can just see every single accident, and every single time, the rider will go flying forward, headfirst.

      At least the long fork bikes have them leaning backwards, with feet first..

      mark

      Er, on sports and race bikes you're leaning forwards too, If you hit something head on you're going to get thrown forwards regardless.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    4. Re:This will pass safety inspections? by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      Riding while laying forward like that is horrible though. I've done it at higher speeds using the passenger pegs when you don't need to shift and the rear brake is useless, just to stretch. You wouldn't want to do it for long. It's like an exaggerated version of the posture on a sport bike, which already aren't designed to be comfortable.

      I'vve often ridden a hundred and fifty odd miles at a time on a sports bike (before having to refuel) they're not that bad as long as you remember to unfold/shake your legs a bit every now and then to avoid cramp. Plus it's a lot more fun going fast crouched behind a fairing than acting as a human sail and being battered to buggery at anything over 80mph.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  12. Where's my wall? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    C'mon, THAT is the one feature everyone wants, to have that idiot blinding you with his lights crash into your wall when you do a 90 degrees turn.

    But even with a wall it would be rather hard to convince me to ride a bike sitting on my NUTS. Especially a bike with near-zero suspension.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  13. No jet walls? by kaoshin · · Score: 1

    OK, at least let Tron Guy do the promo!

  14. New tron bike game on iPhone iPad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Awesome new lightcycle game came out the other day, it's pretty sweet
    http://flashbikearena.com/

    They call them "flashbike"s though LOL

  15. "Testing the Bike and Lights" by jomegat · · Score: 1

    I think the "Testing the Bike and Lights" segment was testing whether or not it got attention from the chicks. They both turned their heads, so I guess it passed.

    --

    In theory, practice and theory are the same. In practice, they're not.

  16. this IS slashdot... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Shiny. Want one. Sigh. Wife says "never gonna happen". Oh well.

    This is slashdot. You expect us to believe you managed to convinced a woman to mate with you? What are you trying to pull here?

    1. Re:this IS slashdot... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I would forbid my boyfriend solely because I think it'd get him killed. And there are female nerds.

      I think it looks awesome. I just like life and those things weren't exactly safe in the movies.

    2. Re:this IS slashdot... by cayenne8 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      I would forbid my boyfriend ...

      Forbid?...geez, what kinda pussy is this guy that lets a woman tell him what he can or cannot buy and ride?

      What are you doing to do to force this? Withold sex? No big deal...there's plenty more of them out there for us to lay....

      This guy isn't even married to you, I sincerely hope he has more backbone than to be 'told' what his behavior can or cannot be....

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    3. Re:this IS slashdot... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah cos you know just how to open a girl's legs you pathetic little virgin.

      Why is this loser not modded to -1 already?

    4. Re:this IS slashdot... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      -1 for the personal attacking troll. Just remember equality goes both ways when you're forbidding a person from doing something they have every right to do. What's that word to describe deciding what someone else may do... oh yeah, slavery?

  17. Not as cool as the Monotracer by jamrock · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The Tron bike is pretty cool, but impractical. The Peraves Monotracer is a Swiss-built cabin motorcycle which is not only practical, it has to be one of the coolest vehicles ever produced (video in German). The electric version, the E-Tracer, which boasts a top speed of 200 mph, an average equivalent fuel consumption of 203 mpg, won the Progressive Automotive X Prize for electric vehicles. Now if only I could afford one...

    1. Re:Not as cool as the Monotracer by Pax681 · · Score: 1

      and the monotracer got it's inspiration from?????????
      The Quasar Bikes

    2. Re:Not as cool as the Monotracer by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      Now that reminds me of the game Cyberbykes. '80s-tastic!

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    3. Re:Not as cool as the Monotracer by Whorhay · · Score: 1

      That's so frustrating to see such cool vehicle limited to such a small production run. Maybe it has something to do with it's $77,000 pricetag, but I'd think mass production could reduce that to maybe as low as 50k.

    4. Re:Not as cool as the Monotracer by jamrock · · Score: 1

      You're correct, the price is so high because of the limited production and the fact that they're all hand-built (apparently only about 400 or so have been produced). Cabin motorcycles were originally envisioned as low-cost "two-wheeled cars", and if they were produced in large enough numbers I certainly think the cost could be a lot lower than $50,000. The $77,000 you quoted is a big step down from the $92,000 I heard last year, so that's already extremely encouraging. And that's the gasoline-powered Monotracer. The E-Tracer costs about $108,000. Incredibly cool vehicles though; I'd love to have one.

    5. Re:Not as cool as the Monotracer by c6gunner · · Score: 1

      The Peraves Monotracer is a Swiss-built cabin motorcycle which is not only practical, it has to be one of the coolest vehicles ever produced (video in German).

      Yeah. I dunno about you, but I'm not driving anything that looks like Humpty-Dumpty.

    6. Re:Not as cool as the Monotracer by geekoid · · Score: 1

      The Tron bike is pretty cool, but impractical"
      thank you mister 'I don't get it.'

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    7. Re:Not as cool as the Monotracer by jamrock · · Score: 1

      And what is it exactly that I don't get? Please, give us the benefit of your considered opinion, O Fount of All Wisdom, so that I may tell my grandchildren that I listened to geekoid and changed my life for the better.

    8. Re:Not as cool as the Monotracer by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      Well said that man. I think the Quasars are much better looking, in that they look more like a motorbike than a car.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  18. Turning by need4mospd · · Score: 1

    If it can't make a 90 degree turn at 200mph I don't want it.

  19. Not content.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not content with making cars that cant go round corners, the Americans step up their game and now have managed to make a motorbike that cant corner either !

    gotta give 'em props for that

    1. Re:Not content.. by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      Not content with making cars that cant go round corners, the Americans step up their game and now have managed to make a motorbike that cant corner either !

      gotta give 'em props for that

      They've been doing that with choppers since the 60s.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  20. I want one... by HSonger · · Score: 1

    ...as soon as Parker Brothers makes a little pewter one I can use for my marker in Monopoly.

  21. Yippie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yea I'll be the coolest guy in the Dick's parking lot.

    I wonder why all the ladies in the video didn't hop on ??

  22. Burning Man by Dthief · · Score: 1

    I've seen better at Burning Man

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  23. Tron Games are fun! ..Flashbike by Itoen · · Score: 1

    There is a brand new tron clone out for iphone/ipad, its really fun. It adds a few things to the classic mix, all in 3d using the Unreal Engine. You guys should check it out: http://flashbikearena.com/

  24. Artificial illumination by Bromskloss · · Score: 1

    it surfaced in gas-powered form, now the company has released video of a fully-electric version

    First there was gas light, now we have electric light.

    --
    Swedish plasma phys. PhD student; MSc EE; knows maths, programming, electronics; finance interest; seeks opportunities
  25. +1 "I feel your pain" by Quila · · Score: 1

    Even if I had the cash, wife veto in 23 milliseconds.

    1. Re:+1 "I feel your pain" by linuxwolf69 · · Score: 1

      LOL! Showed my wife the gas version, she says "and it's only 55k"...

    2. Re:+1 "I feel your pain" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      LOL!

      The idea that either of you have a wife.

      I just can't stop laughing!

    3. Re:+1 "I feel your pain" by geekoid · · Score: 1

      Serves you right for asking.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    4. Re:+1 "I feel your pain" by Macgrrl · · Score: 1

      I see you subscribe to the "it's better to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission" school.

      For my part, the permission comes in if they have shared assets - you are asking for permission to spend a fairly large amount of cash on a luxery item - do you really have that much disposable cash lying around? If yes, go for it. If no, well you might want to consider whether it is really worth it.

      Sorry, I forgot this thread had nothing to do with living in the real world with real responsibilities.

      --
      Sara
      Designer, Gamer, Macgrrl in an XP World
    5. Re:+1 "I feel your pain" by bronney · · Score: 1

      are you really a girl?!?? :D

    6. Re:+1 "I feel your pain" by garaged · · Score: 0

      Out of laughs?

      I have a wife too, and mine is a real human girl !

      --
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  26. Re:I'm all for energy efficiency, the environment, by GameboyRMH · · Score: 2

    That thing always makes me think someone at Dodge was a Final Fantasy fan...

    --
    "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
  27. Actually, no. The Quasar wasn't the first. by jamrock · · Score: 1

    The Quasar is semi-enclosed. The Monotracer, and it's predecessor, the Ecomobile, are fully enclosed cabin motorcycles. Cabin motorcycles can trace their origins back to the 1920's, 50 years before the Quasar.

    1. Re:Actually, no. The Quasar wasn't the first. by Pax681 · · Score: 1

      what part if "inspiration" do you fail to comprehend?

    2. Re:Actually, no. The Quasar wasn't the first. by jamrock · · Score: 1

      What part of "not the first" did you fail to comprehend? You're assuming that the Monotracer was inspired by the Quasar. Care to back that up? The cabin motorcycle concept had been around for half century before the Quasar, which is considered a "feet forward" motorcycle, not a cabin motorcycle. There were many other cabin motorcycles before the Monotracer; the Quasar is not one of them, so it's a reach to state that the Quasar was the inspiration for the Monotracer. The Quasar certainly brought attention to the entire enclosed motorcycle concept, but only sold about 20 units total.

    3. Re:Actually, no. The Quasar wasn't the first. by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      The Quasar is a lot more recent than 1920s cabin motorcycles. I'm clearly not as much of an expert in motorbike history as you, but I'd never heard of cabin motorcycles before, whereas I do remember actual articles about the Quasar in my youth. Ahem.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    4. Re:Actually, no. The Quasar wasn't the first. by jamrock · · Score: 1

      I remember seeing pictures of the Quasar in Popular Mechanics in the mid 70's myself. The Quasar may possibly have inspired the Ecomobile, which evolved into the Monotracer, but I seriously doubt it, unlike Pax681, who avers definitively that it was. The Ecomobile bears much greater resemblance to the little enclosed cab trike delivery vehicles popular all over Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean in th 50's and 60's.

  28. already been done by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Already been done, and in Iraq too.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0E-Pj3XN3U

  29. When was that EVER a good thing? by atari2600a · · Score: 1

    Head turning due to noise pollution doesn't prove people think you're cool, it proves you're a giant asshole likely with a micropenis. On an unrelated note, my Honda Cub does in fact turn heads & even gets me the occasional cheering chicks & that shit's 72cc, so the article's argument does at least seem to be valid.

    1. Re:When was that EVER a good thing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Cute, now go back to the kiddie table, adults are talking.

    2. Re:When was that EVER a good thing? by atari2600a · · Score: 1

      Have fun being a statistic for the sake of showing off.

  30. Re:I'm all for energy efficiency, the environment, by geekoid · · Score: 1

    except the tron one is 35K, and the tomahawk is 550K

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    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  31. Horrible yet wonderful by markdavis · · Score: 1

    That would be very unsafe and uncomfortable. Not to mention it has almost no ability to lean, so I won't be able to corner hardly at all. The driver in the video is improperly dressed (no boots, no gloves, no jacket). It is also illegal just about everywhere in the USA to have a private vehicle with ANY type of blue lights on it.

    Aside from all that, it is wicked kewl :)

    1. Re:Horrible yet wonderful by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      the driver in the video is improperly dressed (no boots, no gloves, no jacket).

      I thought that, but in his defence he only seems to be going walking speed.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  32. Tron + Matrix by whereiswaldo · · Score: 0

    What would that mean if Neo (from The Matrix) were to ride a Tron Lightcycle.

    Organic world -> Matrix Simulation -> Electronic Tron world inside a simulation -> Build a Matrix Simulation -> Pick up a phone

    Anyway, cool looking bike...

  33. OOoh... by Jay+Maynard · · Score: 1

    WANT.

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  34. Display...maybe by dasherjan · · Score: 1

    Meh. It may be good for a display model but that's about it.

  35. Poor handling by ancienthart · · Score: 1

    By the look of it, the "wheels" are just custom hoods over the real wheels. I'd imagine this would make it VERY difficult to corner!

  36. give me kaneda's bike any day by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    number on on my wish list *when* I win the lottery is get Kenadea's bike from Akria built
    http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=akira+kaneda+bike

    and now I am humming the Automan theme tune
    http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=automan%20theme%20tune

  37. Does impress the chicks though... by ayjay29 · · Score: 1

    After all that effort imagine his dissapointment when he rides it past a couple of hot chicks and they don't even notice (0:30).

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