motorcycle

Harley riders might have a hard time getting used to the first street-legal electric motorcycle to hit stores. It sounds more like a Prius than an exhaust-spewing hog—that is, silent. But the Brammo Enertia is meant for commuters, not Hell’s Angels. The same electronics that make it whisper-quiet also make it simpler for beginners to ride.

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Let me introduce you to Flossie, the creepy motorcycle-driving robot. She will drive through scorching heat and freezing cold without a complaint. She will shift perfectly every time. She will haunt your dreams.

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New motorcyclists are taught early not to out-drive their headlamps. Now, night riders (of the non-Hasselhoff variety) may soon owe Kawasaki a debt of gratitude for improving their safety after dark. The Japanese bike builder is reportedly fast-tracking new infrared night-vision technology to use on production motorcycles.

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Gas is cheap now, but everyone who remembers when it was $4 a gallon knows it won't be affordable forever - especially when world demand exceeds supply. (In 2007, the usually staid International Energy Agency predicted the world supply of oil could peak before the average consumer has ditched their current vehicle.) Meanwhile, the same economic crisis that sent oil futures into a tailspin has made belt-tightening more important than ever.

The MP3 500 hybrid is Piaggio's answer to all that.

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Earlier this month, Japanese media reported Honda and Yamaha were each planning a line of electric motorcycles by 2010. The new bikes, which reports say can travel up to 60 miles on a charge, will use lithium-ion batteries for power. Now, word from Japan's Mainichi news service is Honda is also planning new gas-electric hybrid motorcycles.

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The tripod is a fine and stable construct for photography and navigation, but how well will it work for motorcycles? We're not sure,
but one student at California's Art Center Pasadena is challenging singletrack motorcycles and typical three-wheelers with an anthropomorphic, Yamaha-branded three wheeler concept called the Deus Ex Machina.

The forward-looking personal conveyance is a mobile exoskeleton propelled by in-wheel electric motors—or, more succinctly, a trike you can wear.

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Engineers have tried and failed for decades to build motorcycles with automatic transmissions. Honda finally gets it right with the new DN-01 "sports cruiser" bike. Conventional automatic transmissions, like those in cars, lag when you hit the throttle and can throw a bike off balance during turns. Honda's HFT (for Human Friendly Transmission) responds to the throttle instantly by using hydraulic pumps instead of standard gears.

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For a video lap around Laguna Seca, scroll to the bottom of the page (and turn up your volume).

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American motorcycles have a reputation for being low-tech machines stripped down for speed. But there´s only so much a bike can do without. So Confederate Motor Company (confederate.com) replaced every metal piece possible with a lightweight carbon-fiber one. The company hired industrial design firm Foraxis to help fabricate the new parts and produced a bike that weighs a mere 375 pounds: the B91 Wraith.

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