MOTOR-CAR SPORT

Like Facebook                     Is this hovercraft the future of motorcycling?   Never underestimate the power of fantasy! Before Englishman Christopher Cockerell could build that first hovercraft in his Norfolk shed, he had to imagine it. And once the Ministry of Defense took it off their “secret” list in 1959, it wasn’t long before giant hovercraft were carrying 400 passengers and 50 cars at a time back and forth across the English Channel. Cockerell was knighted for his creation. The basis of the invention was a flexible skirt, which maintained the smallest-possible leakage path for the air that supported the vehicle. All that was needed for support was modest air pressure, acting over the entire underside of the machine. At one time, it was predicted that “hover-cars” might take to the roads, but the difficulties of starting, stopping and turning led Cockerell to say, “Driving a hovercraft is like driving a car wi...

It is a relief when a new motorcycle project is announced whose claims a) are arguably new but do not exist outside physical possibility, and b) are not founded upon T-shirt sales and nostalgia. A group of English Formula One engineers, together with an American couple, have shown plans for a new sportbike to be called ES1 Spirit. Its design can actually be termed “radical.” When I asked Ecosse’s Don Atchison (the American), “Who’s paying?” he replied, “Friends. For now.” Engineers Richard Glover, Andy le Fleming and Richard Tyrrell represent a range of motorsports skills. They saw two major areas—weight and frontal area—in which significant advances could be made. Here is a short bill of particulars: 265 pounds, 200-plus horsepower, 50 percent of the drag of modern Superbikes. The plan is to build 10 track-day examples and test public response. As of now, the bike exists only virtually in SolidWorks, a 3D CAD software system, though extensive FEA and CFD computer analyses ha...

One of Suzuki’s concepts at the Tokyo Motor Show is the Crosscage. It’s an example of Suzuki using green concepts in a high-performance, high-style way. Suzuki enlisted the help of the British company Intelligent Energy for the power unit, a compact and lightweight fuel cell combined with a lithium-ion battery and an electric motor. You may remember Intelligent Energy as the makers of the ENV bike, (say “en-vee”) a fuel-cell and electric hybrid bike. The Crosscage concept uses Intelligent Energy’s thin-membrane-construction fuel cells and a lithium-ion battery (unlike the ENV, which uses lead-acid batteries), to “combine safety with a low environmental burden,” according to the Suzuki press release. Despite the eco-friendly copy, the bike looks performance-oriented, and the chassis is as unique as the drive system. The “crosscage” design uses large-diameter tubing and a unique center brace on each side. The front and rear wheels use single-sided swingarms, and overall there i...

Most concept bikes at the Tokyo Motor Show are definitely just that: concepts that are probably years from production, if ever. However, we might have said the same about the B-King in 2001; now that bike is a reality, Transformers-inspired styling and all. This is the Suzuki Biplane, penned at Suzuki’s recently re-opened U.S. design center. Suzuki’s goal was to give the rider the sensation of flying in a vintage biplane with no canopy, a distilled, in-the-wind riding experience. It (conceptually) uses a V-Four motor, with cylinder heads and exhaust headers visible on the sides, just like the fabric-skinned twin-wingers of the last century. The front end gets a girder fork (kinda like the Confederate Wraith) and rim-mounted brake discs (a la Buell XB). The exhaust is tucked in underneath the cowling, and the link-type rear suspension can be seen under the tractor-style seat. Will we see a V-Four motor in a stylish roadster from Big S anytime soon? We’ll keep you posted. ...

YAMAHA TESSERACT CONCEPT – FIRST LOOK In the last few years, we’ve seen more interest in using motorcycles as a platform to test new technology like hybrid power units, alternative suspension and multi-wheel systems. Yamaha, not one to be left behind, took a stab at putting all this stuff together in the wild-looking Tesseract. It’s not technically a motorcycle, and “Tesseract” sounds like something Scooby-Doo would say, but who cares? It looks incredible and has enough techno-jewelry to make the most jaded gearhead drool. Mounted in that spidery chassis is a V-Twin motor that’s the basis for a hybrid propulsion unit. Front suspension is something Yamaha calls “dual scythe,” and like the Piaggio MP3, the wheels lean with the chassis into the turns to impart that authentic motorcycle-riding feel. Like the Piaggio, the frontal profile is almost as narrow as a motorcycle, which would make this a fun and interesting street ride. The extra wheel will add stability, for sure, but als...

Wakan’s next chapter in the blending of American V-Twin power with a French-designed chassis is the Track Racer. Built as one of 50 bikes to commemorate S&S Cycle’s 50th Anniversary, this machine isn’t so much a one-off design as it is a prototype. While similar to the Roadster, the Racer features a 100-cubic-inch S&S SB100 engine (good for more than 115 hp and 115 ft.-lb. of torque), with high-compression (11.0:1) pistons, a reworked oil pump and larger pushrod tubes for better oil scavenging. Chassis highlights include a 46mm Ceriani fork (set at 22 degrees with 3.15 inches of trail), Marchesini wheels and a single AJP six-piston caliper squeezing a 340mm disc at the front. Unlike the Roadster, the Racer features a swoopy half-fairing with ram-air intake.Wakan principal Joel Domergue is currently seeking a U.S.-based partner to build a limited annual run of S&S-powered motorcycles. If he succeeds, expect the bike to carry a price tag of around $35,000. ...