Motorcycles

Video: Intermot Motorcycle Show - a 210bhp four, two six cylinders and an astonishing V8 Ducati

Video: Intermot Motorcycle Show - a 210bhp four, two six cylinders and an astonishing V8 Ducati
The Wirthwein Ducati V8
The Wirthwein Ducati V8
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The world's fastest electric scooter - 80 mph and lots of fun
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The world's fastest electric scooter - 80 mph and lots of fun
This is the brochure of the ZEV7100 from Intermot
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This is the brochure of the ZEV7100 from Intermot
The Yikebike - the smallest viable transportation device yet to hit the market - it'll be a long time before someone can make something smaller that can do 25 km/h
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The Yikebike - the smallest viable transportation device yet to hit the market - it'll be a long time before someone can make something smaller that can do 25 km/h
Max Biaggi and the bike his 2011 Superbike will be based on.
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Max Biaggi and the bike his 2011 Superbike will be based on.
The ZX10R was announced with loud music and dancing girls. I'd like to say the ZX10R was the highlight but there was another ZX10R on the other side of the stand and it had no photographers around it.
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The ZX10R was announced with loud music and dancing girls. I'd like to say the ZX10R was the highlight but there was another ZX10R on the other side of the stand and it had no photographers around it.
Kawasaki's ZX10R
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Kawasaki's ZX10R
Suzuki's new 750 promises a very sweet-handling, lightweight super sports ride
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Suzuki's new 750 promises a very sweet-handling, lightweight super sports ride
Adjustable suspension is another BMW first
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Adjustable suspension is another BMW first
BMW's new headlight system is a winner - one wonders what the other manufacturers will do to match the innovation
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BMW's new headlight system is a winner - one wonders what the other manufacturers will do to match the innovation
BMW's six cylinder engine
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BMW's six cylinder engine
The Horex VR6 is just beautiful in the flesh
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The Horex VR6 is just beautiful in the flesh
The engine layout of the Horex - very clever stuff indeed
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The engine layout of the Horex - very clever stuff indeed
This was the first working engine Dieter built with his four cylinders on a single conrod design
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This was the first working engine Dieter built with his four cylinders on a single conrod design
The Wirthwein Ducati V8
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The Wirthwein Ducati V8
The Wirthwein Ducati V8
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The Wirthwein Ducati V8
The Wirthwein Ducati V8
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The Wirthwein Ducati V8
The Wirthwein Ducati V8
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The Wirthwein Ducati V8
The Wirthwein Ducati V8
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The Wirthwein Ducati V8
The Wirthwein Ducati V8
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The Wirthwein Ducati V8
The Wirthwein Ducati V8
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The Wirthwein Ducati V8
The Wirthwein Ducati V8
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The Wirthwein Ducati V8
The Wirthwein Ducati V8
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The Wirthwein Ducati V8
The Wirthwein Ducati V8
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The Wirthwein Ducati V8
The Wirthwein Ducati V8
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The Wirthwein Ducati V8
The Wirthwein Ducati V8
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The Wirthwein Ducati V8
The Wirthwein Ducati V8
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The Wirthwein Ducati V8
The Wirthwein Ducati V8
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The Wirthwein Ducati V8
View gallery - 27 images

The Intermot motorcycle and bicycle fair rolled around in Cologne earlier this month with a lot of focus clearly beginning to shine on the area of electric bikes, scooters, bicycles and even smaller devices.

Major new motorcycles at the world's biggest motorcycle show - two sixers and a V8 Ducati

The Yikebike – the world’s first commercially available transportation appliance

The highlight for me was getting a ride on the Yikebike, a tiny electric mini-farthing which is the world’s first commercially available vehicle to be small enough to warrant a new category – I think it should be regarded as the first commercially-available "transportation appliance". Just as the evolution of the computer has seen new categories defined (desktop, laptop, netbook, tablet, smartphone and no doubt, one day, implantable), transportation devices are certain to follow a similar path, causing us to rethink personal mobility. Whatsmore, personal mobility devices will definitely proliferate in the space between a pedestrian and a motorcycle.

Currently, there’s a lot of development activity going on in this area by mobility manufacturers across the world but very little has actually reached market just yet. Dean Kamen’s Segway will one day be seen as the very first of this entire wave of mobility devices, but the Segway weighs in at 50kg plus, and such devices will become increasingly compact and light weight and quite a few such devices will be available a decade from now at the extreme lightweight end of the market – my suggestion is that to qualify as an transportation appliance, a device must be 10kg or less and fold to a size manageable for carrying.

Honda’s U3-X (U3-X video here) and Toyota’s Winglet would both fit into the rough definition of this category above as they too weigh in at 10kg or less, but the big difference is that the Yikebike does 25 km/h, at least twice as fast as that celebrated duo, and the Yikebike is available NOW!

The Yikebike - the smallest viable transportation device yet to hit the market - it'll be a long time before someone can make something smaller that can do 25 km/h
The Yikebike - the smallest viable transportation device yet to hit the market - it'll be a long time before someone can make something smaller that can do 25 km/h

It weighs so little and folds so small it can be carried in one hand and can be easily managed on a train or bus by even a child – it weighs less than 10 kilograms thanks to its economical design and carbon fiber construction. Just how important the Yikebike becomes in the future is going to be interesting to watch. It is the smallest viable transportation device yet invented and it has the added advantage of being similar enough to the bicycle that 75% of the learning to ride it is already done. Noel McKeegan, Gizmag’s editorial director is featured in the video in his first two minutes on the Yikebike and apart from a quick wiggle as he rewired his brain to the steering, you’ll see how quickly he picked it up. In short though, this is a very significant product as it’s commercially available, you can buy direct from the manufacturers over the internet and we’ll have a lot more detail in a feature video in the next week.

The world’s fastest electric scooter, the 7100 watt ZEV

I also rode the world’s fastest electric scooter, the 7100 watt ZEV, and I can tell you that it is a rocketship fast enough to safely get you through hostile urban traffic and more than quick enough to pull you clear of traffic at the stoplight Grand Prix. It and the top-of-the-line Vectrix which is only slightly slower, offer just about everything you need from an electric commuter. The ZEV has two stages of braking – the first offers regenerative braking from the rear wheel and essentially slows the bike quite rapidly, but a bigger handful of the brake lever brings in the front disk and ample enough stopping power for any situation. The ZEV also has three speeds, operated by a sequential shift button on the throttle grip – 1-2-3-2-1 style just as in Formula One cars, though with a few less ratios available – and the combo offers better acceleration than almost any car. I spoke at length with ZEV founder and chief engineer Darus Zehrbach and Darus was quite clear about his intentions with the brand and future developments.

The world's fastest electric scooter - 80 mph and lots of fun
The world's fastest electric scooter - 80 mph and lots of fun

“We have the world’s fastest production electric scooter and I intend to keep it that way – if you build a faster one, I’ll build another that will be faster than yours.”

Darus was also clear on his intentions to eventually develop the brand into a full range with high-performance electric motorcycles at the high end, and electric bicycles and mountain bikes at the lower end. It was patently clear that more power and range on the way for his scooters too.

Aprilia’s Max Biaggi RSV4R Special APRC SE

On the pure motorcycling front, Aprilia showed a Max Biaggi Special to commemorate its 2010 World Superbike Championship for the RSV4R (see Gizmag's video review of the RSV4) which is undoubtedly the closest yet a road bike has come to a MotoGP bike in terms of adjustability, but next year’s APRC SE model comes with an array of rider aids more comprehensive than we’ve seen before too.

Max Biaggi and the bike his 2011 Superbike will be based on.
Max Biaggi and the bike his 2011 Superbike will be based on.

There’s an 8-stage Aprilia Traction Control system which is fully adjustable, even on the fly, using a small joystick on the left handlebar. So if you’re sharp enough, you can now choose the exact level of wheelspin for each corner on a racetrack, as you go. Back in the pits, you can choose the position of the engine in the frame, and rake and trail are also adjustable as is the length of the swinging arm It also comes with 3-stage Aprilia Wheelie Control system which we haven’t quite worked out yet, and a Launch Control system - another world first on a production roadbike. Launching a motorcycle is now a matter of engaging the electronics, holding the throttle wide open and doing your best with the clutch – it doesn’t really matter that much because the bike takes care of the rest to get you off the line optimally, and there’s also a quickshifter system that lets you bang your way up through the gears at full throttle without using the clutch.

Kawasaki’s ZX10-R – 210 bhp rocketship

The biggest announcement of the show was probably Kawasaki’s ZX10R. Every now and again, Kawasaki likes to make a huge leap forward in motorcycle development – and the Ninja ZX10R is undoubtedly the new king of the castle. Ripping out a terrifying 210 horsepower and weighing just 198 kg full of fuel and fluids, the 2011 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R has more power and a better power-to-weight ratio than anything in its class. A completely redesigned chassis and a traction control/ABS setup that all focused on making you faster than ever before on the road or track.

The ZX10R was announced with loud music and dancing girls. I'd like to say the ZX10R was the highlight but there was another ZX10R on the other side of the stand and it had no photographers around it.
The ZX10R was announced with loud music and dancing girls. I'd like to say the ZX10R was the highlight but there was another ZX10R on the other side of the stand and it had no photographers around it.

The last few horsepower are available thanks to additional pressure from the ram air - that is, the bike uses aerodynamics to force extra air down the engine's throat at high speeds – the total 210 horsepower is a new record from a stock production motorcycle, beating the BMW S1000RR, and exotica such as the Ducati Desmosedici and MV Agustas.

Suzuki's Gixxer sheds nine kilograms

The attention to detail evident in constantly refining models has seen Suzuki manage to pare 9 kg from its next model GSX-R 750 and eight kilograms from its 600. Small and lighter … well, everything. Every part has been worked over to get a stunning result.

Suzuki's new 750 promises a very sweet-handling, lightweight super sports ride
Suzuki's new 750 promises a very sweet-handling, lightweight super sports ride

BMW's Six Cylinder Masterpeice

BMW’s six cylinder engine required all the ingenuity BMW could muster to build a 1600cc six cylinder engine so small. It’s an in-line across the frame engine weighs just 102.6 kilograms yet produces 118 kW (160 bhp) and 175 Nm of torque.

BMW's six cylinder engine
BMW's six cylinder engine

The engine size is a result of using a 72 mm cylinder bore with just 5 mm between the cylinder sleeves, a design that squeezes the 6 cylinders into a 555 mm wide block. Experiencing a six cylinder scream at peak torque of 175 Nm at 5,250 rpm will be worth waiting for, and the suitability of the beastie for effortless top gear turbine-smooth touring is indicated by the flat torque curve which serves up 70 per cent of that torque from 1,500 rpm upwards.

The engine was just the start of the wizardry though, and there were several other firsts on the BMW sixers such as adaptive headlights, and electronic Suspension Adjustment, both of which are pointers to the future of motorcycle development.

BMW’s Electronic suspension adjustment means the rider can adjust the rebound damping properties of the front and rear spring strut and the spring preload and spring rate of the rear strut on the fly – you can finally adapt a bike’s suspension to suit the conditions as you go without setting foot on terra firma.

BMW’s Adaptive headlight system - a world first for two-wheeled safety

Perhaps even more relevant to the average motorcyclist was the other BMW first. Motorcyclists have had to put up with lights that don’t point where you are going since motorcycles were invented. BMW’s Adaptive headlight directs the main headlamp in relation to the angle of the motorcycle, which will no doubt delight those who like or need to ride at night. This will be much safer.

The Horex VR6 - V6 with the mostest

BMW was able to claim it had the lightest and most compact serial production 6-cylinder engine in a motorcycle over 1000 cc in history until later that day when Horex astounded us by putting six cylinders in the smallest space yet with an ingenious offset piston 15 degree V6 1200. There's a lot more detail on the Horex VR6 in Gizmag's feature on the bike.

The Horex VR6 is just beautiful in the flesh
The Horex VR6 is just beautiful in the flesh

The 1200cc six-cylinder engine also has a belt-drive supercharger and develops a meaty 200 horsepower, putting it right up with Yamaha's V-Max in the musclebike category.

The Ducati V8

Even those two launches did not fully prepare me for coming across the Ducati V8 of German engineer Dieter Hartmann-Wirthwein, who is very much a “can do” kinda guy.Just four years ago, Dieter undertook his first motorcycle project – creating a four valve-head for a vintage R50 BMW racer – people who know the bike will know the problems. It worked. Next up, Dieter had an idea for creating a compact four cylinder engine from a single cylinder engine using just one conrod. The video contains an animation of his fascinating system which I can guarantee will fascinate anyone who has ever had grease under their fingernails. The system is ingenious, and his next step was to build one

So he took a Honda single cylinder 125 engine, and made it a four cylinder 125, which he installed in a monkey bike for testing. once the engine had worked reliably and powerfully, he decided to take concept and doing something very cool with it - like taking a Ducati 900 V-twin and turning it into a V-8.

The name of the motor is a derivative of the Ford Mustang GT 500 in the film “Gone in 60 seconds" and the entire motorcycle is now nearing completion as an 868cc V8 Ducati – the engine looks a treat, but it’s the workings that mesmerize me. The system he uses to achieve such an astonishingly compact road bike is just fascinating and I am certain these pages will review further engineering astonishment from Dieter in the year's to come.

The desmodromic valve system has been lost, and Dieter says he's not seeking massive horsepower from the bike - his aim is to build a fine roadbike, not a racetrack brute.

View gallery - 27 images
7 comments
7 comments
Douglas
Yike bike is very unique like the Segway. However I doubt if I would call it commercially available transportation appliance. Check out the VeloMini which was introduced in May of this year and reviewed by gizmag in August. It is small, travels 12mph and it is as easy to ride as, well a bike.
http://www.gizmag.com/velomini-folding-electric-bike/15946/
Craig Jennings
I wonder how the bearings hold up under the con-rod being pulled back up in the common con-rod engine. Looks pretty cool :)
Mr Stiffy
The Yike Bike..... Ummmmmm Experience has demonstrated that having a front wheel, forks and the handle bars in front - in a sort of height to \"distance out front\" ratio, that gives an optimum ratio of transferance of momentum to the contact patch, vs. having the contact patch so far out front that skidding becomes too easy, or having the contact patch too close to the center of gravity - leading to the \"break neck / face\" style of Penny Farthing face plant.
While I think Yike Bike is very clever, me thinks having the front wheel under the anus, will make for a neck snapping emergency stop.
Suman M Subramanian
Enjoyed the article and the video.

Been curious about the Yikebike for a while now, though I\'m not sure it\'ll meet my needs. However, I do know people who believe it\'ll work for them, so I hope they market them here in the U.S. The ZEV is interesting, and they\'ll be interesting to watch as they expand their product line, competing with Brammo on the motorcycle end and E on the electric bicycle end.

BMW, as is often the case with their bikes (and their Bangle cars), has fantastic technology wrapped in an odd-looking shell - this new tourer has the face of an owl! :)
Eric Drake
I could sit and watch the v8 animation for hours. Any chance of getting it posted seperately or in a a screen saver?
Suman M Subramanian
Almost forgot: the Wirthwein V8 is beautiful to watch in the cut-away animation shown in the video. I\'m curious if it has fewer friction losses than a conventional V8 due to replacing 6 con rods with 4 inter-piston pivots.

It also seems like it could approach 2-stroke levels of power as each linked pair of pistons is complementing each other: one\'s power stroke is the other\'s exhaust stroke. Further, while the inner pistons in each bank push their con rod down during their power strokes, the the outer pistons in each bank pull the same con rod back up during their power strokes, like a clipless pedal allowing a bicyclist to pull a pedal up instead of merely pushing down - ingenious!
Jetwax
Eric Drake, you can get the video from YouTube . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E6KglXPmTs
Cheers.
PS: I agree, it looks cracker d;-)