Grace E-motorbikes are ultralightweight, German, and very expensive

[Thanks, Christopher]

Continue reading Grace E-motorbikes are ultralightweight, German, and very expensive

Grace E-motorbikes are ultralightweight, German, and very expensive originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda’s timeless Super Cub motorcycle showcased with a touch of EV

The world’s best-selling motorcycle of all time (60 million as of May 2008) is dipping its gears into the EV industry. Honda unveiled this week at the Tokyo Auto Show an electric version of its Super Cub motorcycle. Seeing as the gas-based equivalent can already get over 300 miles per gallon, we wonder just how more efficient this new concept could be. Honda reps told Wired it’s a concept designed “to be just as functional and convenient” as its brother bike, so if it does reach mass market, we’re holding out hope it also maintains that low price point.

Filed under: Transportation

Honda’s timeless Super Cub motorcycle showcased with a touch of EV originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC looking to free up spectrum, and the airwaves that support it, with broadband and wireless for all

Want more wireless broadband? Sure, we all do, even the FCC, which is making a case to open up more disused portions of the spectrum. The first goal is to come up with a way to sate Congress’s demands for a nation-wide broadband service, as opening up the airwaves would certainly be a lot cheaper than running more wires everywhere. Secondly, though, the FCC wants to assuage issues cellular providers are having in keeping bits flowing to all those fancy new smartphones. Exactly how long it’ll take for the FCC to rope off another few bands of frequencies for use remains to be seen, but we’re sure whenever it does it’ll use them as another reason to block white space approval.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

FCC looking to free up spectrum, and the airwaves that support it, with broadband and wireless for all originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fuseproject commissioned by the City of New York to make bike helmets look less bad

In cities like New York, where bikers ride right alongside heavy traffic, bike helmets are a must. Trouble is, apparently plenty of riders don’t like wearing them because of vanity — most bike helmets aren’t exactly attractive, if you haven’t noticed. Well, the City of New York’s commissioned Projectfuse helmets — that combine safety with an attempt at decent stylings. The helmets feature a two-fold design, with an inner protective polystyrene, which is then covered with a customizable soft fabric that attaches with straps. No, you cannot buy them yet, and we don’t know anything about pricing or availability yet, but we do know that you can score one for free — yes, free — at various events around the city. Let us know if you snag one!

[Via Wired]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Transportation, Wearables

Fuseproject commissioned by the City of New York to make bike helmets look less bad originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sanyo’s new eneloop bike gets carbon fiber frame, traction control brain

Carbon fiber, with its light weight and high strength, is the material upon which the modern motorsports world is built. Traction control, which decreases difficulty, threatens to destroy it. However, in the world of the urban commute, traction control is a great thing and carbon is generally unheard of. Not for Sanyo, which will soon introduce the CY-SPK227 eneloop bike with a frame made of the stuff, featuring two wheel drive and traction control. The rear wheel is powered by the chain, the front by an electric motor, and should the rider pedal more enthusiastically than slippery conditions allow the bike will compensate by adding more juice to the front. Total weight is about 43lbs, many times that of the composite wonders Lance straddled in France, but about 7lbs lighter than the company’s last entrant. It has regenerative braking, an LED headlight, magnesium suspension, a ¥627,900 price tag (about $6,600), and it releases in Japan in October — you know, right about when the skies start to threaten snow. A good test for that traction control, then.

[Via Fareastgizmos.com]

Filed under: Transportation

Sanyo’s new eneloop bike gets carbon fiber frame, traction control brain originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Flossie the robot can ‘ride’ a motorcycle, remains oblivious to good oral hygiene

The best and worst part about robots is the fact that they can be purpose-built to perform any task at hand. Oh sure, they can be built to kill, or they can built to test motorcycles without risk to our feeble (yet tasty) meat-sacks. Introducing Flossie, the Castrol-developed test rider that’s threading a Fireblade between its “legs” in the shot above. The robot features a self-learning mode that enables it to get a feel (throttle response, clutch drag, gear shifting patterns, etc.) for any stationary bike upon which it’s perched — right, stationary… he’s no Murata Boy. Still, as the ultimate precision rider that never tires, Flossie allows Castrol to evaluate its lubricants as effectively as possible. See it in action after the break.

[Via Faster and Faster, thanks Jensen]

Continue reading Video: Flossie the robot can ‘ride’ a motorcycle, remains oblivious to good oral hygiene

Filed under: Robots, Transportation

Video: Flossie the robot can ‘ride’ a motorcycle, remains oblivious to good oral hygiene originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 07:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hybrid2 public bike concept promises to help power city buses

Hybrid bikes are one thing, but designer Chiyi Chen looks to have some far grander in mind for his Hybrid2 bike concept, which he says could one day help power fleets of city buses. To do that, the hybrid part of the bike (a regenerative braking system) wouldn’t be used to help power the bike itself at all, but would instead store the energy in an ultracapacitor that’d then feed the energy back into the grid when its parked at a special bike stand, which would in turn be used to help charge the hybrid electric buses. Not one to overlook an ingenious little detail, Chen has also devised a special card RFID card that would not only be used to unlock the bike, but keep track of the energy that each rider generates — build up enough credits and you can ride the bus for free. Intrigued? Head on past for a video overview from the man himself.

[Via Inhabitat]

Continue reading Hybrid2 public bike concept promises to help power city buses

Filed under: Transportation

Hybrid2 public bike concept promises to help power city buses originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 01:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW kicking Garmin’s zumo 660 up a notch with the Motorrad Navigator IV

Sure, Garmin’s zumo 660 was designed with the biker in mind, but BMW’s taking it one step further with the latest in its branded Motorrad series, the Navigator IV. Based on Garmin’s GPS ditty, it’s got the same 4.3-inch “glove friendly” touchscreen, voice control, and A2DP support. It can withstand heavy vibration, fuel sprays, UV rays, is waterproof and most importantly, can play your favorite adrenaline-pumping tunes for when those other precautions are being handily tested. Additionally, we’ve got a four-button motorcycle mount and it comes pre-loaded with a database of BMW dealers, just in case you ever need one in a jiff. Coming third quarter to US and Europe, there’s no word on price yet, but as a basis for comparison, the cost of the zumo 660 is about $700.

[Via NaviGadget]

Filed under: GPS, Transportation

BMW kicking Garmin’s zumo 660 up a notch with the Motorrad Navigator IV originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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