Articles tagged with "Scooter"
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Sidam's tilting Xnovo three-wheeler: scooter or micro-minivan?
February 26, 2008 Riding the wave of interest started by the Piaggio MP3 and Gilera Fuoco three-wheelers, French scooter importer Sidam is planning to try its luck with a new bike that turns the concept backwards. The Xnovo gives the tilting triangle wheelbase concept a much less fun, more utilitarian application than its Italian forebears, acting like a mini-minivan with huge carrying capacity, a hard roof, windscreen and twin driven rear wheels each on its own swingarm. And while it probably handles like a barge, the Xnovo may well find a niche as a traffic-busting courier/delivery vehicle. (read more...)
Adiva release 250cc convertible scooter
February 18, 2008 Gizmag road-tested the head-turning Adiva convertible scooter in when released in its 150cc guise, now news that a 250cc version of the rain-beating getabout has been announced. (read more...)
Cargobike: proper storage capacity on two wheels
December 10, 2007 While they offer huge advantages in getting through traffic, fuel economy, convenience and pure smiles-per-mile, it's no secret that onboard storage on motorcycles is generally absolute rubbish. You might fit a wallet, phone and a spare pair of gloves under the seat, but anything bigger than a helmet, and even a maxi-scooter's stumped. Which is why we were fascinated to discover Cargobike, a two-wheeled conveyance designed with one goal in mind: proper carrying capacity. And that it delivers - 150 whole liters of waterproof, lockable storage capacity, and a maximum load of a whopping 80 kilos in the cargo compartment which is nicely balanced where the tank and engine would be on a normal motorcycle. (read more...)
EV-X7: the electric future-cruiser
November 26, 2007 With a style unlike anything that’s come before it, the EV-X7 is an electric streetbike with a 92mph top speed and a range of up to 110 miles. It looks like it runs some sort of hub-centre steering arrangement, and the prototype is now on display in Japan. Axle Group, the makers of the bike, will release a US$2100 mini-scooter using similar technology in the next 12 months. While 92mph represents quite decent performance for a zero-emissions, electric vehicle, we’re sure if you thrashed this oddball motorcycle along at that sort of speed for any length of time, the battery range would be closer to 25 miles than 110. (read more...)
First ride: Piaggio’s MP3 three-wheeled carver
October 30, 2007 What a hoot! Piaggio’s new carving three-wheeler, with two independently suspended front wheels, opens up yet another whole new category of motorcycle – a category that will surely explode once people get a glimpse of the ability of these stunning bikes. The MP3’s triangle footprint produces some sensational handling characteristics, making it an exceptionally fool-proof learner/commuter bike – as well as a hilarious hooligan tool for more experienced riders. Gizmag spent an afternoon with the scooter that just won’t let you mess things up. (read more...)
Kymco’s new 700cc scooter: a technology flagship
October 25, 2007 Taiwanese manufacturer Kymco is getting ready to stamp some serious presence on the scooter market with a brand new 700cc super-scooter unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show. The Myroad 700i features plenty of neat gadgets such as inbuilt tyre pressure gauges, electronically adjustable suspension, keyless ignition, ABS and an alarm, as well as a 170kmh+ top speed to make it the up-and-coming company’s technology flagship for 2008. (read more...)
MotorBoard 2000XR: next generation electric scooter
Continuing its quest to take motorized scooters out of the realm of toys and into the arena of genuine, eco-friendly, urban transportation for adults, Roth Motor Company has released the much anticipated upgrade to their fully portable 2000X MotorBoard. The new 2000XR motorized scooter retains a safety-limited speed of 15mph but boasts improved torque, range and hill climbing capabilities over its predecessor. Since the range began in 2002 with the release of the 1500X, the power has been doubled while the weight has been reduced with the latest model now capable of carrying an average sized rider (up to 250 lbs.) between 4-7 miles on a single charge. (read more...)
Honda unveils six cylinder sports motorcycle prototype
September 27, 2007 Honda will unveil a series of show motorcycles at this year’s Tokyo Motorcycle Show, headed by a radical six cylinder prototype to be known as the EVO6, which will be based on Honda’s six cylinder Gold Wing engine, but in a form far from its long-distance tourer guise. Seemingly aimed squarely at the Suzuki B-King muscle machine which was unveiled at this show four years ago, the 1832cc engine is much lighter and sportier than its touring brethren and is housed in an ultra-modern lightweight frame and is clearly designed for very rapid acceleration. (read more...)
First ride: the Vectrix Electric Maxi-Scooter
It’s a special sort of road test when you get to try out not only a brand new bike, but one of the first viable examples of a whole different engine technology. Loz Blain and Noel McKeegan get their hands on the Vectrix Electric Maxi-Scooter, an Italian/American beauty with a 100kph top speed, a 110km commuting range, and a two-way throttle that engages a very handy regenerative braking system. It’s a promising early taste of what’s in store when electric motorcycles hit the market in force. (read more...)
Gilera shoe-horns an 840cc engine into its latest scooter
September 11, 2007 An 840cc, 90-degree fuel injected V-twin, performance chassis, 200kmh top speed and braided brake lines… on a CVT, step-thru scooter? After sending heads spinning with its Nexus 500, a scooter that handles like a sportsbike in the twisties, Gilera have completely dumbfounded us with their GP 800 hyperscooter. Striking some sort of bizarre balance between a super-grunty commuter and a genuine sports-tourer, this bespectacled bad-boy is the new and undisputed king of the scooter segment. (read more...)
Piaggio ready to release 170 mpg hybrid two and three wheel scooters
Italian manufacturer Piaggio, the maker of Vespa, is set to become the first company to release a hybrid drive scooter following an announcement that it is developing hybrid versions of its Vespa LX, Piaggio X8 and Vespa MP3 (the carving three-wheeler) models. The new hybrid system, which has a working title of HyS (Hybrid Scooter), can operate in full electric mode with a range of around 20 kilometres as well as hybrid mode - whenever the rider needs to accelerate more aggressively, the electric motor kicks in, providing about 85 per cent extra performance. Piaggio’s HyS system is a parallel hybrid in which a combustion engine and an electric motor incorporated into the gearbox casing are mechanically and electronically linked and simultaneously supply power to the rear wheel. The system uses drive-by-wire and the in-built electronic management combines the two engines to offer not only better acceleration but also a significant reduction in fuel consumption (up to 170 mpg or 1.67 liters/100 km) and in CO2 emissions, only 40 g/km (using 65% the hybrid modes and 35% the electric one). Perhaps the most exciting prospect is the hybrid MP3 which enjoyed such success as a 250cc it has since been developed as a 400cc version and was recently shown as a stylish 500cc Gilera – a sportier hybrid version of the 500 would enjoy exceptional performance. (read more...)
The world's fastest scooter unveiled - 75 bhp 850cc V-twin
December 18, 2006 When Honda released the first mass-produced four-cylinder motorcycle in 1969, the 72 bhp CB750K caused a sensation due to its performance. The horsepower and capacity wars that followed have seen the capacity of production motorcycles raised to a staggering 2.3 litres and it seems that the scooter world is following suit with the announcement of the Gilera GP 800, an 850cc V-twin-engined scooter that will most likely become the the world’s fastest scooter when it hits showroom floors a year from now. Suzuki kicked off the maxiscooter craze in 1999 with its Burgman 400, then Yamaha followed with the 40 horsepower twin cylinder 500 T-Max in 2000, then Honda trumped that with the 50 bhp Silver Wing 600 twin then in 2002, Suzuki raised the bar further with the Burgman 650. As forecast earlier this year, Piaggio (which owns Gilera, Vespa, Moto Guzzi, Aprilia and Derbi) has been working on a new 850cc maxi scooter and the bike was shown publicly for the first time in Milan. The scooter will bear the Gilera name, with its 75bhp 90 degree V-twin motor giving it a top speed of more than 120mph. Perhaps even more significantly, the Aprilia engine comes straight from the new Aprilia Mana and features an advanced electronic transmission. A simple touch of the button on the handlebar and you enter into a completely different world. Three separate mappings for the totally automatic transmission and a sequential shift with 7 gears make it easy to find the best-adapted configuration for the riding conditions. (read more...)
Vectrix Electric Maxi-Scooter three-wheeler prototype
December 17, 2006 While the established players in the scooter game have shown concept machinery in the fuel cell, electric and hybrid genres, there’s one European company that has been quietly going about the business of designing and building a viable electric maxi-scooter with performance roughly equivalent to a 400cc conventional internal combustion engined mount – Vectrix. The Vectrix maxi-scooter is 100% emission free, has a top speed of 62 mph and runs for up to 68 miles on a single 2-hour charge from a standard electricity socket. Combined with low running costs, minimal maintenance, ease of operation, and generous storage, the Vectrix maxi-scooter is the world’s first practical zero-emission two-wheel vehicle. The scooter will be available within months and the great news is that Vectrix recently purchased the EV rights to the innovative Vespa three wheeled carving scooter and a prototype was displayed at last month’s Milan motorcycle show. The variable front suspension provides stability at low speeds and excellent handling at higher speeds. The 3-wheel scooter is extremely versatile and will be popular with local businesses and with consumers with limited riding experience as well as being ideal as a delivery vehicle and council/police mount. (read more...)
Yamaha shows 125-class fuel cell scooter
October 30, 2006 Yamaha showed a new fuel cell scooter at this week’s 22nd International Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Symposium & Exposition (EVS22), in Yokohama, Japan. Though only a prototype, it shows things can go a long way in a year. Yamaha has been developing fuel cell technology for 20 years, and this time last year it was proudly showing it’s FC-ME (wouldn’t you think such a clever company would get a Western-savvy marketing exec to vet their names), a lightweight machine powered by Yamaha’s Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) system, and with the performance of a 50cc scooter. This year the FC-AQEL hydrogen fuel cell scooter prototype has 125cc class performance – though no power figures have been quoted, that’s at least a 100 percent increase over last year’s best and enough grunt to make the FC-AQEL viable in most global markets. Now all we need is a hydrogen infrastructure. (read more...)
Yamaha’s Maxam scooter bound for overseas markets
October 26, 2006 This time last year the motorcycling world was amazed to see Yamaha unveil a two wheeled limousine of extravagant proportions in the form of the Maxam 3000 prototype (image gallery). The 3000 in the model designation was there to signify the beastie was indeed 3000mm in length - almost 10 feet long! What wasn’t conveyed and hence wasn’t obvious to the rest of the world was the success the crossed tuning fork brand was having in its domestic market with the Yamaha Maxam 250 scooter – a similarly limousine-like scooter designed for two-up riding as a “weekend leisure cruiser.” The Maxam 250 is selling in droves in Japan and there’s a mmassive aftermarket and official Yamaha accessory listing of all manner of aesthetic and practical parts to complement the machine’s obvious strength of having loads of storage. Now it appears that Yamaha is to offer this limousine scooter to the rest of the world, beginning with a showing in Australia this week at the Sydney International Motor Show alongside its 189 bhp R1 sports machine. We can’t wait to throw a leg over this one – the seat height is so low that even the smallest of Japanese females (one of the target groups for the bike) can get both feet flat on the ground. Great image gallery. (read more...)
The Fhybrid front-wheel driven hydrogen-powered scooter
July 29, 2006 The Fhybrid scooter is a hydrogen electric hybrid two wheeler that has emerged as Crijn Bouman's graduation project at Delft University in Holland and it is a very different form of two wheeler than almost anything that has come before it. For starters, it’s the only front wheel drive two wheeler going around that we know of, has a reverse gear for parking (another first on a scooter), and a range equivalent to that of a normal scooter in that it can travel approximately 200 km on a full tank of hydrogen. Oh, and it doesn’t make any noise or produce harmful emissions and looks very different to normal scooter fare. (read more...)
MotorBoard to release 10 pound carbon fibre electric scooter
June 4, 2006 Personal electric transportation options are growing rapidly, and we expect this evolution to continue to accelerate as the early adopters evangelise the options, battery technology moves to the next, much-awaited level of power density and increased volumes drive pricing down. In the electric scooter area, one of the most acclaimed manufacturers is Motorboard. The company’s latest 2000X model has regenerative braking, a clever front suspension, folds up for ease of carrying, retails for US$449, weighs under 20 lbs, and goes up to 15 mph. Upgrades to the 2000X are imminent, including a larger NiMH battery, a space-age nanotechnology Lithium battery, and a carbon fiber version that will tip the scales at half the current weight. There’s also an official blog where those amongst us (guilty, yer honour) who figure you can always hack or tweak a better gizmo can learn and share their modification experiences. (read more...)
Vespa's very sporty three wheeled scooter
May 18, 2006 Piaggio launched the first Vespa model in 1946, creating an iconic presence in the personal transport revolution that evolved in the following decades. Sixty years on, the Italian company has come up with another revolutionary product: the PIAGGIO MP3, a three-wheeler with two independent tilting front wheels that operate in a “carving” motion. The PIAGGIO MP3 provides safety, road grip and stability levels that no two-wheeler can match, with lean angles of 40 degrees or more possible from novice riders. Available in 125 and 250 forms initially, we’re licking our lips at the prospect of the 500 version. Extensive image library. (read more...)
Yamaha unveils hybrid electric motorcycle and limousine scooter
October 28, 2005 UPDATED IMAGES Yamaha revealed a hybrid motorcycle concept at the Tokyo Show which is quite unlike any form of two wheeler seen to date. The motorcycle, to be known as the Gen-Ryu, uses the high output lightweight compact YZF-R6 600cc motor and an electric motor to deliver the type of performance normally associated with a much larger capacity engine, and is packaged as a futuristic cruiser with advanced aerodynamics and some form of noise cancelling in the cockpit area to enable voice activation of the navigation system, mobile telephone, intercom communications with the pillion and other similarly equipped riders plus a dazzling array of advanced technologies such as headlights which turn to the inside of the corner and rear cameras playing through LCD screens in the dashboard. The Gen-Ryu will be joined on the Yamaha stand by the previously reported and equally radical stretching and shrinking DEINONYCHUS and the limousine-styled Maxam scooter. With massive overhangs, plush white leather upholstery and long, feet-first styling, the Maxam is the most distinctive two wheeler we’ve ever seen. (read more...)
Honda E4-01 900cc scooter
October 24, 2005 Honda’s media information for the Tokyo Motor Show exhibits was sparse this year and kept everyone guessing as to exactly what was behind the exterior of the motorcycle stand’s central focus – a concept motorcycle with a stylish superscooter exterior dubbed the E4-01. Accompanying the image of the bike was the simple sentence, “Honda's vision of the future begins with the E4-01 concept vehicle which offers customers a new take on motorcycling lifestyles.” The E4-01 has some strong visual similarities to the centrepiece of the 2003 Tokyo Show motorcycle exhibition which was dubbed the Griffon, and the Griffon was an evolution of the 2001 centrepiece, the full-roofed Elysium, both powered by 750cc horizontally opposed motors. Our initial suspicion that it was an electric motorcycle was also wrong. It's a 900cc motorcycle with "sports automatic" transmission, and claims of supersport performance and handling, all wrapped up in scooter styling. (read more...)
How to convert an electric scooter to a solar scooter
August 18, 2005 Primary producer Donald Dunklee has been watching the power grid slowly but surely failing, while the world demand for fossil fuel is slowly overpowering the world supply, driving prices skyward. It made him determined to "get off the drip" and build street-legal, affordable, dependable, sun-charged transport for his daily 5 mile commute. His solar powered motorcycle has not been plugged into the factory charger since April 15, 2005 and it’s now travelled over 700 miles since then. We guess he made it - this is Donald's story, as told by Donald. (read more...)
Dog-powered Scooter
June 6, 2005 This new concept in near zero emission transportation could be just what you’re looking for, though we suspect that parking might be a problem. Seriously though folks, if you have a big dog that often takes you for a walk, here’s a great way to harness all that energy and travel the bike paths of your city at the same time. The manufacturer and inventor Mark Schuette of Oregon claims the human is in total control of the speed and direction of the dog powered scooter because the dog is harnessed inside of the frame and subject to its steering (with 90 degree turns easy) and braking force. (read more...)
The scooter - the short history of a cultural icon
The scooter was invented in 1947 as a low cost alternative to the automobile in war-ravaged Europe – it was designed as transport for the masses and it caught on so quickly that it became one of the great transport phenomena to sweep the world in the 20th century. The Vespa (which means “wasp” in Italian) was the result of Enrico Piaggio’s determination to create a viable alternative to the automobile for the masses. As the war drew to a close, Enrico studied every possible solution to get production in his plants going again. (read more...)
Piaggio testing 850cc scooter with radical new electronic gearbox
April 19, 2005 Italian scooter magazine Cyberscooter has published pictures of is believed to be the prototype of a Gilera Nexus 850 scooter undergoing pre-release testing on Italian roads. That’s 850 as in 850cc – the largest megascooter seen to date. The convergence paradigm appears to be inspiring all manner of marketplace morphing with the scooter and motorcycle industries clearly now beginning to overlap. In less than a decade the maxi scooter has grown from the once humble Italian invention, the scooter into a powerful pseudo sports motorcycle. The Nexus 850 scooter is believed to have been under development since early 2003, with a radical new electronic gearbox that was showcased in the Gilera 850 V-twin Ferro concept machine at the 2003 Milan Motorcycle Show. The new gearbox can change gears some ten times faster than mere mortals, offering a significant performance improvement, if that’s needed on an 850 scooter. (read more...)
And now ... the naked scooter
The Naked Motorcycle craze seems to be reaching epidemic proportions with the announcement by Honda America that its 2005 range will include a "naked" scooter. The Big Ruckus "blends the open feel of a motorcycle with the comfort and convenience of a scooter", according to Honda, though we have to wonder whether the new rugged good looks of the Big Ruckus will overcome the loss of the scooter's most appealing feature - weather protection. (read more...)
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