High performance cars (like the Ferrari with auto clutch) made the shift some time ago from standard gearboxes to electronically controlled clutches and paddle shifters (sans clutch pedal). Is this the future of motorcycles also? What’s interesting about the video is that (at the end) it shows the performance implications for the dual clutch gearbox: more constant power delivery that doesn’t upset the suspension. This isn’t an “automatic” the way a Ford Taurus is an automatic.  There’s no torque converter and resultant loss of power.  Instead it’s a miniature version of what Formula 1 car designers have known for over a decade: that a computer can change gears faster and more smoothly than the best of drivers. So what would happen if semi-automatic dual clutch gearboxes found their way to an AMA race?

More importantly, to us, could you live with a high tech high performance gearbox for your street ride or would you miss shifting the old way?

Related posts:

1. Time Waster: The Electric R1 Future?
2. Automatic Motorcycles?
3. The Future of NY?

Well it COULD be… Jesse was good enough to post this under comments but it deserves more visibility:  There’s a city council hearing Thursday 11AM regarding “Intro 980,” a bill to compel the DOT to devise a plan for motorcycle & scooter parking. Here are some details.  And Jesse says:

FYI: I’ll be there, and will speak. My intent will be to say that 980 is a good start, but needs to go further. Specifically, that motorcycles and scooters need street parking separate from automobiles, due to their small weight and size (and resultant susceptibility to damage and theft). I will be pushing for a San Francisco style plan.

To give you an idea of what parking in NY COULD be like, here’s the link Jesse gave to some pics from San Francisco, one of which I stole and put up top.  So if you can get out there, go represent and give Jesse some thanks!  Cheers!

Related posts:

1. The Future of Motorcycles…as Cars.
2. The Future of Gearboxes?
3. Parking your motorcycle in Manhattan

Up till now, electric motorcycles have been “interesting” the way sixth grade science projects are “interesting.”  If I had to ride one every day I’d feel like I was in detention…  But what the Tesla did for electric cars (somewhat), this company is trying to do for motorcycles…  I just wish we could see the thing in motion…

Here’s what we know: It has a top speed of 150mph, and can go 150 miles on a charge. It recharges in under 2 hours and has a 100lf/lbs of torque. It’s being billed as the world’s fastest production electric motorcycle (which I’m sure it is).

It’s being unveiled at TED at Long Beach sometime today, so check back for a video of that…  Until then, what do you think?  The future of motorcycles?  Or marketing hype?

Want a closer look?  Click to the Mission Motors website.

Related posts:

1. Time Waster: The Electric R1 Future?
2. They’re almost here… (electric motorcycles)
3. Electric land speed record…(zzzz)

Yesterday was a good day for this country.  And hopefully it might encourage you to believe in our system of government.  I hope so.  I wrote about Proposition 416A a while back. Well it turns out that many people in law enforcement think this is a done-deal.  They think this law will surely pass sometime this summer.  Motorcycles and scooters without “DOT approved” exhausts can be ticketed (first offense $1000) and towed. 

This law unfairly targets the minority of the NY population that rides motorcycles and scooters.  Although it claims to enforce local noise ordinances it does not stop those who like loud pipes from drilling holes in their baffles, or removing the packing of their stock exhausts. Instead of targeting vehicles that exceed the noise limit, it targets any anyone who no longer has a stock “DOT approved” exhaust. Proposition 416A has been embraced by City Council members who do not ride motorcycles or scooter, and who resent those who do. It is an example of how people often misunderstand and oppress those who are in the minority.

Now some of you CityBikers started writing City Council members, and have started to get responses.  What I want to do is compile a list of our “friends.”  People in City Council who are willing to listen to our concerns and oppose 416.

Friends of CityBikers (City Council Members who oppose 416A):

• Tony Avella - representing North Eastern parts of Queens, such as Bayside, College Point, Whitestone, and parts of Flushing – initially sent out a letter saying he was willing to listen to the concerns of motorcyclists (January 6).  But recently decided, after hearing our concerns, to oppose Prop 416A.  He is also open to ideas and suggestions to help with motorcycle parking.  Thank you Mr Avella!!
• Help us get this list going… Contact your City Council people, let them know what you think, and let us know where they stand.

Related posts:

1. Anti-Motorcycle Legislation in NYC
2. Save Motorcycle Parking
3. How Many Miles Per Gallon?

You can also read about a couple of motorcycle bloggers who interviewed Sue Carpenter: Motorcycle Misadventures, and a pre-axe interview with Mid-Life Rider…and let’s not forget Helmet Hair (from whom I lifted the photo…sorry HH I’m feeling lazy).

Sue Carpenter will still be writing, and riding motorcycles, just not writing about riding motorcycles…for the LA Times anyway. So farewell (for now) and thanks for all the great reviews and tips!

Related posts:

1. In the News: A User-Friendly Superbike?
2. Working on throttle control…
3. How To: Adjust Your Throttle

Everyone’s probably heard about the recent spill Hollywood cool guy, George Clooney, took while riding a rented Harley in Jersey. It’s unfortunate, but accidents happen, and luckily both riders were (pretty much) okay, although breaking anything is no fun! But this gives us an opportunity to raise a hypothetical question: Let’s say you’re you’re travelling 40-50 mph down a single lane road. A car ahead of you slows while approaching an intersection and appears to be turning left. You move to the right to pass him when he suddenly turns right into your path. Now what most of us would probably do in that situation is endeavor to crash as gracefully as possible. But since this is a hypothetical situation, we can get a little more creative and consider our options… What could you do?

Option 1 – BrakeHard!!!

This may sometimes be your best option. Especially if you’re in the habit of practicing emergency braking. You might even be smart to make the most of the rear brakes, especially if you have a passenger…

The main problem with this, however, is that braking is where motorcycles are weakest compared to cars; you can’t swerve while braking, and it’s very easy to lock up the wheels in a surprise situation. In real world driving cars can brake faster with fewer consequences than motorbikes. As a result option 1 is very likely to bring you to a crash – but you may be able to scrub off enough speed so that the crash is not too severe.

Main Difficulty – It’s easy to lock the brakes (especially the rear) in an emergency – a locked wheel doesn’t brake as efficiently…

Option 2 – Swerve Right!

If you’re a quick turn guru on a supersport, this would be your best bet. Most sport bikes can out corner cars going half their speed. The only problem is this is easier said than done! Your body has to be in the right position for a sharp turn -(i.e., low to the tank, or hanging off to the right) not to mention your passenger! This also depends a lot upon the type of bike you’re riding; good luck trying quick-turn an 800 lb Harley.

Main Difficulty – Emergency situations cause target fixation – it’s hard to tear your gaze away from the car.  You need to quickly look in the direction you want to go and counter-steer aggressively to move in that direction…

Option 3 – Brake then swerve!

Scrub off some speed, THEN go for the quick turn. Unless you can get off the brake and get on the gas, there’s a good chance you’ll low side – but scrubbing off some speed may make the turn more manageable. But a note of warning for arm chair throttle jockeys, switching from hard braking to a sharp turn requires a great deal of skill.

Main Difficulty – You have to get off the brakes and on the throttle before turning.  Not doing this will lead to a low-side (which might sometimes be a reasonable alternative to a head on crash).  Once you’re off the brakes you need to look in the direction you want to go and aggressively counter steer in that direction…

So which is best?

Any landing that you can walk/limp away from is a good landing, but strictly from a theoretical perspective, the best option is #2, then #3, then #1… Why?

Even though motorcycle tires have less traction when leaned over, turning helps take that perpendicular momentum and redirect it. So instead of asking your tires to bring you from 50 to 0 in 20 feet (which is pretty much impossible), by turning the bike instead, in the same distance, the tires only need a fraction of the grip to bring the perpendicular speed (from point A to Point B) down to 0.

Now this is theoretical, in real life you have leaves and gravel and pedestrians – but it pays to consider your emergency options… Even if you are unable to clear the offending automobile with a combination of turning and braking, a collision at less than 45 degrees can greatly reduce the amount of impact of a straight collision. (I had a surprise run-in with a cab changing lanes, once, and managed to stay upright at around 35 degrees – my foot pegs gave the cab some nice scars too…)

Of course there’s one more option we haven’t mentioned: Option #4 - steer clear of these situations by being wary of drivers. Cars frequently turn left before turning right (seems to be a strange psychological tic people get from pendulums) or signal in one direction before changing their minds – these are precisely the moments when people aren’t aware of their surroundings… So option 4, the best option by far is to be aware and avoid these situations.

There are a million variables that could go into a real world situation – I only addressed a theoretical one.  What would you do?  Ever have this happen to you? Share the wealth and let us know…

[Good luck and a quick recovery to George and Sarah - hope we see you on the road soon!]

Related posts:

1. Riding Skills: Hard Braking
2. Riding Tips: braking “backwards”
3. Riding Skills: Keep Your Head Up

You’ve probably heard of the Tesla sport-electric by now. Instead of making street-going golf carts, they developed on the performance advantages of electric motors. Performance advantages?!?! An idea previously unheard of in the world of electric cars – the main performance advantage of an electric motor is torque. All torque, all the time, no power band to worry about because all the power is right there at the flip of a switch. Granted this idea hasn’t fully materialized into a daily driving automobile yet, but, I think, it’s finally on the right track. But what about motorcycles? Enter the Lightning Motors Lithium Poweres Sport Bike (not the same as the video above – click the link the see it). Now this R1 is clearly not ready for prime time – at least not without a lot of work – but you got to hand it to these guys…this is not Honda or Yamaha, these are small “shops” taking available technology and doing something useful (ie, burning rubber). But this electric R1 gives us an idea of what sportbikes might be like in 10-20 years… No clutch or shifter, no exhaust sound, just a 100hp motor ready to unleash everything instantaneously at the twist of a wrist. All they need to do is raise the top speed by 50%, extend the range to 130-150 miles, and you can sign me up!

(Note: Yep, you can buy electric conversions to fit into any motorcycle right now, like in the video above.)

Related posts:

1. The Future of Gearboxes?
2. They’re almost here… (electric motorcycles)
3. Electric Motorcycle Repost

“…The biggest news with this year’s model is the Suzuki Drive Mode Selector, or S-DMS, which lets riders choose between different engine power settings at the flip of a switch — while riding, at whim and as conditions warrant.” – Sue Carpenter, LA Times

We’re still at a cross-over age in motorcycles, in which a good number of riders still drive around without gas gauges or fuel injection. Instead many of us have to use the choke and remember to flip the fuel shutoff to ‘reserve’ for those last few miles before a fill up. The crossover point seems to be 2001-2003… God said “let there be fuel injected motorcycles” and there was, and we saw that it was good. Now even Harleys are fuel injected… FI has become ubiquitous in motorcycle factories, although not (yet) on the road.

With computer controlled fuel injection comes certain possibilities. Not only can you take a laptop and remap your FI computer for more power (or fuel efficiency)…now, Suzuki seems to have quietly opened the bag on mapping throttle response for riders… Check out the LA Times link above for a first hand review of the new Gixxer with its Drive Mode Selector (DMS). The Suzuki DMS has three settings:

• A-mode for the quickest throttle response,
• B-mode for softer response except at higher rpms, and a
• C-mode for all around softer response.

Now this version is designed for the race track – the reviewer didn’t notice much difference in the settings on the street – but this line of thinking opens interesting possibilities for street riders! It also shows that Suzuki isn’t just thinking about making bikes for championship racers, but for real people too.

Related posts:

1. The World of Superbike (2011)!!
2. Olympic News
3. Fire breathing monsters