Mavizen's electric bike hits 130 MPH, ships with Linux and WiFi
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Nov 5th 2009 1:49PM
posted Nov 5th 2009 1:49PM
Mavizen, the manufacturing arm of the TTXGP (the Time Trials Xtreme Grand Prix -- a race for zero-emissions motorcycles) has just announced the TTX02 at this year's SEMA. A shining example of "EVs as consumer electronics" (the buzz-concept going 'round the electric vehicle scene) this guy is being billed not as a bike, but as a development platform -- shipping not only with a chassis and drivetrain, but with an open source Linux OS, web server, USB-based system bus, and WiFi connectivity. If you're looking to give the gang from Mission Motors a run for their money at the next TTXGP, hit the read link -- about $41,000 will get you in the game. Videos after the break.
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I believe the scientific term for this is 'mega awesomely hypercool'
It looks damn good...Except for the sound..Guess I will be sticking a lolly pop stick ( popsicle for the US readers ) in the spokes or just screaming Vroom vroom in my helmet.
..Wifi?? So when I get pulled by the Rozzers ( Police )... My bike will have already told them how fast I was going..Damn this technology.
@Zak, if you want the sound, get the version with a 155hp 1148cc twin.
http://www.ktm-rc8.net/
i can just imagine it in the future:
'alright, who hacked my motorbike?'
or
'alright, Who uploaded donkey porn onto my motorbike?'
hmm that 41k price tag is just ridiculous, at most i thought this would be 25k, i'll pass.
"'alright, who hacked my motorbike?'"
They said Linux, NOT windows
This is a platform where multitasking support could get you killed.
or save your life ... ahem
since electric sort of implies drive by wire... you are about to run into another car apply the brakes and the acellerator never stops so you continue moving and wreck all thanks to a single tasking os that couldn't turn off the motor while applying the brakes at the same time....
Yes I realize that is stupid
Cruising the web at 130 MPH. makes LTE/WiMax/HSDPA look lame
@cb88 errr... u ok dude?
@cb88
you don't know how drive by wire works do you?
@cb88
*WHOOOOSH*
Why do motorcycles have to go electric? They are already extremely fuel efficient.
Hopefully all the torque all the time....
Nothing wrong with being better, ever bit counts... Unless research in this area is somehow only useful to emotorcycles and not all evs, there is no harm in improving all aspects of our generally wasteful society
I see your point there.
I do see a motorcycle being a better use for electricity in transportation than cars. Cars are still many years from being remotely feasible as all electric.
Most sport bikes are surprisingly inefficient...
I recall being happy getting mileage in the upper 30's...
Motorcycles are nowhere near fuel efficient since they are tuned for super performance. If you ride it slow and steady you might be able to squeeze hybrid car type fuel efficiency out of it. But lets be honest I doubt that happens.
In London, electric vehicles get a 100% refund from the Congestion Charge. And motorbikes also get a 100% refund. Therefore, with an electric motorbike, the government actually pays you to enter the Congestion Charging Zone.
In California, motorcycles account for 1% of miles driven but 8% of the pollutants. No cat/egr systems.
Because people like to spend 41,000 dollars on a motorcycle?
Snark aside, as a proof of concept, I salute the engineers. As an actual motorcycle...not so much. When choosing a motorcycle, I think fuel efficiency is pretty much off the list of priorities...at least for me. That sort of calculus is better left to cage shopping, IMO.
Pure practicality? Buy a scooter...still fun and much better gas mileage.
They are the ideal platform for an all electric vehicle in the near future, as batteries are expensive, and the lower the vehicle weight and smaller the frontal profile, the less batteries you need for an acceptable range.
Between electric assist bicycles and electric scooters and motorcycles, there really isn't much of a reason for anyone to use gas commuting and running little errands.
Seems like bikes used to be fairly efficient... Nowadays it's hard to find one with a smaller engine than my beetle! Part of the problem is probably emissions control, reducing horsepower so much that they need gigantic engines to cope.
I always think of the super cub when considering motorcycles and fuel economy. One gallon gets you 330 miles on a super cub, but they're illegal here (U.S.) because of emissions. Is it really worth it to burn 1000% more gas?
But anyway, no argument here that electric motors are a much more elegant solution. However, the only problem is the batteries. We have not yet invented an efficient way of storing energy for electricity. And while I think the problem of CO2 and other "pollutants" is highly exaggerated, I also feel that it's just not quite right to sump up deeply buried materials and release them into the environment in mass quantities.
Erm, I've got a yamaha yzf r-125, small engine, decent speed (ok, not *great*) - up to about 85mph, great acceleration, and I get on average 95mpg, in city use.
one thing that need to be done is we ned some loud noise coming from the bike. riding is very dangerous as it is in traffic, it so hapens that a lot of cars don't see you and the removal of noise is really ot going to help in this case.
wow!! I didnt get it!! Its a bike with OS, USB and WIFI ???
if yes then 50% chance that Im going to rob a bank!!! :D
I can't wait to go 130MPH while configuring my Apache server.
Nah, it has an old version of glibc, so you can't put Apache or anything else on it.
I've done it at 650 over the ocean. Bet this bike can't do that.
^ But you weren't driving...
Good marketing and name-dropping (recall: "like an ipod on wheels")
Product quality remains in question.
$41,000 for the priveledge of getting clipped by some old f*ck in a Prius and ending up sideways under a truck .. no thanks.
That's my only gripe about the new crop of electric bikes. All the ones I actually like (styling wise) are about as expensive (if not more expensive) than the Chevy Volt will be. I would love to have that bike, but I can get a top-of-the-line gas-powered sports bike AND a pretty nice car for the same price. I could live with a ~$5 grand premium over a comparable gas-powered bike, but not a ~$30K premium.
priveledge? dude, you totally killed that word.
I'm with you, pal. For ~$41,000 I could just about replace my K1200LT--twice--or buy a year-old GSX-R 1000 four times over.
Brammo offers a far more affordable (if less EXTREME) EV motorcycle options. http://www.brammo.com/
It'll be interesting to see if these kinds of vehicles can gain acceptance, at least relative to the gas-powered 2 wheelers.
P.S. the guy at the podium in the bottom pic: i hope they screened him for explosive devices. just sayin.
Is the operations of the vehicle tied in at all to the conputer system? this sounds like a hackers joy. They can drive up to you, hack your bike, and wreck you!
Linux webserver, move along.
YES!
Finally I can read engadget while cornering at 130 mph around the park way!
Yeah, but does it run... oh, wait, nevermind.
*Waits for someone to make a controller driver for it*
Burnout Paradise has never been so much fun!
add son servos, gyroscopes, accelerometers,gps and some extra code, and that bike will run alone.
Hopefully this wont require recompiling the driver.
Wow. Electric bike based on the beautiful KTM RC08. Good Choice.
sudo go faster
sexy as hell, i would defiantly buy one if the price was right.
The biggest problem I see with this is the noise it makes. The main reason why bikes should be so loud is because of safety concerns. Having a loud exhaust on a sport bike or any bike for that matter is to allow other cars in traffic to know that you are near by. If this electric bike is as slient as a prius going around the city, it'll be pretty dangerous to ride this any where near other cars.
Pure bullshit. That's the argument asshole Harley riders use to justify the hideously loud, obnoxious straight pipes they put on their Hawgs. It is the single biggest fallacy in all of motorcycling; not only do loud pipes -not- save lives, but they're detrimental and damaging to the image of the motorcycling community as a whole:
http://www.virginiawind.com/byways/loud_pipes_save_lives.asp
In fact, loud, obnoxious motorcycles are so derided by the general public, and so harmful to motorcycling's image, that the biggest cycle group around--the American Motorcyclist Association--has issued an official position statement on the subject:
"The single greatest threat to motorcycling in America -- both on- and off-highway, including ATVs -- is excessive exhaust sound... As motorcyclists, we have to realize that we live in a world already filled with unwanted distractions, and chief among them is sound that is so excessive that it becomes a nuisance to the general public. Excessive exhaust sound plants targets squarely on the backs of all riders, even those who ride with reasonably quiet exhaust systems."
Read the full text of the AMA's position statement here:
http://www.amadirectlink.com/news/story.asp?id=609
you cannot argue with the asian need to have a loud, shrill, irritating exhaust note.
Gregory: Your link was little more than someone's opinion article. No studies were quoted regarding loud pipes' actual impact on motorcycle accidents. I certainly notice the louder bikes much more quickly than the "quiet" ones; you can't help but hear them coming. So when I hear that distinctive noise, I instinctively check my mirrors to see where it's coming from. So, at least for this car driver, loud pipes do help me in identifying, "Yes, there is a bike next to me." There is no reason to think that would not be the case for a majority of drivers.
If you're going to claim this is a myth, at least provide a link to a proper study to back your claims up.
Personally, I would be psyched if my neighbor were to get one of these quiet bikes. He wakes up the entire neighborhood every morning at 6am when he goes to work.
@yodaman: To be fair, he doesn't need to back up his refutations with fact because the original claims he was refuting didn't have any facts to back them up either. Having some noise associated with your mode of transport would probably help, but it won't stop other people from being terrible drivers.
With Linux you don't have to worry about BSOD! How much would that suck at 130MPH?
Actually, I wonder how much this motorcycle costs with a Windows 7 license?
Bad jokes- sorry, had to get them out.
I always wonder about electric motorcycles: looking at hub motors of electric bikes, couldn't motorbikes do the same thing and reduce weight? Am I missing something?
The problem with Hub motors has to do with handling and suspension. Ultimately you want your wheels to be lightweight so that they can react to the road surfaces quickly moving up and down with the contours. Just imagine hitting a big bump with a 100 lb wheel instead of a 5 lb wheel.
Instead of the wheel easily being pushed up by the bump in the road and then being pushed back down to the road just as quickly and easily by the shocks, you have a big weight that hits the bump hard, gets thrust upward and has a lot of kinetic energy so it is hard to reverse the momentum with the shock, and ultimately be forced back down on the road. This means that it is difficult to ensure that the wheels get back on the road after hitting a bump that would normally affect traction for only a fraction of a second.
It makes sense to me to add hub motors to concept cars, and even non-suspension bicycles, but when it comes to motorcycles, where traction is already an issue, I would just as soon sacrifice a little efficiency in order to ensure my wheels are have as much surface contact as possible.
That makes sense - I haven't ridden motorcycles for years and forgot how tricky it is to handle. Great reply. Thanks!
Finally a system where a Kernel Panic is a true reason to panic.
I assume that joke makes some sort of sense in nerdtown.
That and PEBHAS (Problem Exists Between Helmet And Seat)
@ A 5 Star Dining Experience
Kernal Panic is the Unix/Linux equivalent of a Blue Screen of Death. I guess I should have gone with the more obvious "crash" joke
Just remember that if you oppen SSH, you'll want to change the root password. Though a controversial grayhat may send you an agressive reminder anyway.
Riding a motorcycle has changed my life. This is an awesome concept. I'm rooting for them to keep pushing the envelope of innovation.
% host -l -v -t any @this_is_a_stupid_idea.com.
At that price, I'll stick with my Ducati and BMW. Both combined for much less than $41K.
Pure bullshit. That's the argument asshole Harley riders use to justify the hideously loud, obnoxious straight pipes they put on their Hawgs. It is the single biggest fallacy in all of motorcycling; not only do loud pipes -not- save lives, but they're detrimental and damaging to the image of the motorcycling community as a whole:
http://www.virginiawind.com/byways/loud_pipes_save_lives.asp
In fact, loud, obnoxious motorcycles are so derided by the general public, and so harmful to motorcycling's image, that the biggest cycle group around--the American Motorcyclist Association--has issued an official position statement on the subject:
"The single greatest threat to motorcycling in America -- both on- and off-highway, including ATVs -- is excessive exhaust sound... As motorcyclists, we have to realize that we live in a world already filled with unwanted distractions, and chief among them is sound that is so excessive that it becomes a nuisance to the general public. Excessive exhaust sound plants targets squarely on the backs of all riders, even those who ride with reasonably quiet exhaust systems."
Read the full text of the AMA's position statement here:
http://www.amadirectlink.com/news/story.asp?id=609
Sorry... this was in response to Jooyong's comment...
I ride nearly every day on my commute. Though I ride something far less cool than a Harley, due to circumstances surrounding my commute I find myself riding in groups of a dozen or so other bikes, many with loud pipes. There is no doubt in my mind that drivers of cars are more aware of the motorcycles presence when they have loud pipes. So yes there is more awareness, but at the same time, I have also seen the loud pipes startle drivers, trigger road rage in drivers and deafen everyone around them.
Personally I hate riding behind them, think those pipes are loud when you are near in a car, try being on a bike 20 feet away from them right in the direction their exhaust is aiming.
I think the most detrimental aspect, besides bad PR for motorcyclists in general is actually safety related. Case in point; the closest I have come to instantaneous death comes to mind. I was at an intersection waiting for a green light, the road I was about to cross had two lanes in each direction. There was a truck coming to a stop at the changing red light in the closest lane to me on that cross road. The lane beyond the truck was empty when the light turned green for me to go. I accelerated on my aforementioned sissy bike, and as I was just about to pass in front of the large truck and cross the empty lane, I heard the screaming of an engine and jammed on my brakes. I barely came to a stop just as a 7 series BMW missed my front wheel by a matter of a couple inches. The car was running the red light going easily 75 MPH. Had I not heard that car, I am pretty certain I would be dead. Motorcyclists need all their senses to be safe, I don't see muffling your sense of hearing just so other cars can be more aware of you as a good trade-off.
i would vote to outlaw motorcycles
...and I would vote to outlaw you.
i apologize in advance if i accidentally open my door next time you're trying to squeeze past my car in rush hour traffic.
actually, the only thing i hate about motorcycles is the unnecessarily loud exhaust.
Let me guess, are you from California? Most states don't allow for lane splitting, and where it isn't allowed it is pretty rare to see. So now lets analyze why Lane splitting is allowed. It is the same reason that motorcycles are allowed to use the HOV lanes, it is to add an incentive for people to use a more efficient means of commuting, and thus reduce traffic.
So next time you get pissed about a motorcycle zipping past you, just envision another SUV on the road in its place as an alternative. I am biased because I am a rider (and no I don't do lane splitting, though if it were legal here, it would shave even more time off my commute), but the entire reason I ride is due to the perks and incentives I get for riding a motorcycle vs a car (I live in a very rainy place and riding year round isn't entirely pleasant).
Some comparisons of my commute (and yes I know it is not even close to a typical commute)
Doing my commute via a Car = 4 hrs a day @ $35/day (gas, parking and tolls)
Combination of Park&Ride, and bus, etc = 4 hrs a day @ $12 (gas, bus and tolls)
Motorcycle = 2 hrs a day @ $7 (gas and tolls)
So if the government is providing that many incentives to motorcycles, I can hardly imagine a ban going into effect.
Looks like they ripped off the RC8.
Common people, 2 pages of comments and no one has thought of combining it with google maps and making a real life TRON?
@ RandomGuy
Just reading that close call makes me cringe. I'm trying to get back in the saddle after being hit by a car from behind on the freeway at 50mph. Honestly I'd track it but no track here in Honolulu. I LOVE to ride but came to the conclusion that I cannot compensate for all the stupid cagers that would hit and kill me esp. on freeways. My sportbike is white on color with a white riding jacket and a super reflective back, hi-vis orange backpack and this bitch still hits me causing my bike to slide 100ft and me roll 50ft. at 50mph.
I'd love an electric bike because I can fix it myself or less items to troubleshoot.
Yeah that incident got my heart beating. I was wired from adrenaline for a good solid 3 hours after that. Obviously I never told the wife that particular story.
How fitting for the 1st race in the States at Infeneon Race Way. I still love to hear sportbikes roar, something about quiet race bikes...I'll keep my loud ass Ducati..
I've been on a Yamaha and this looks like way more fun. Imagine the torque!!!!
Need a free website? http://0host.tk
This vehicle looks damn good. I'm sure it would be fun to drive, not as fun as my '03 GSXR-1000. I will however say that for $41k, that's almost $30k over a new GSXR-1000 which will never be repaid with fuel-cost savings. Also, it takes a ton of fossil fuel to produce electric vehicle right now (the batteries) which make them worse for the environment. But it's progress. In a few years you'll be able to get one for $15k and batteries will be made out of new different materials.
Side-note: Why can't electric motors be connected to conventional manual or automatic transmissions, it seems all I see are direct-drive or transmission assist. Maybe someone smart knows that answer and can help me out.
Man, my helmet's off to you, pal. There ain't enough money on the planet that'll get me into the saddle of a GSXR 1000. I'll stick with my super-porky Beemer. It even -looks- like me. :-)
Internal combustion engines will only put usable torque into the final drive while it operates within a pretty narrow range of RPM. That's why internal combustion engines require a transmission: so the internal combustion engine can stay in its most efficient torque-making RPM range, and yet provide a full range of RPM to the final drive.
Electric motors have no such constraints. They make the effective, usable torque through their entire operating RPM range, so there's no need whatsoever to gear their output up or down or worry about keeping the engine turning within a particular RPM range like you have to do with an internal combustion engine, and therefore can be directly connected to the final drive and rear wheel(s).
With all the tech in this product, the aluminum unibody frame, and the premium price tag, I'm surprised there isn't a little apple logo on it.
Maybe SOME sound would be wise..mostly for Peds stepping off curbs sensing all was clear but certainly nothing loud is needed.
I've ridden my whole life and defensive driving is mandatory. Never hang in a car's blindspot and generally keep your distance from everyone. Loud pipes are BS.
When I was a kid, Mattel made a little fake plastic motor called the Vroom you could mount on your bicycle that made load engine sounds... The Harley pin-dick crowd are all those that never got their Vroom motor as kids... now we all must suffer.
They say "Loud pipes save lives" ... All loud pipes make ME wanna do is kill the jackoff making the noise. Loud pipes are only for the "Look at me" pin-dick crowd.
A buddy of mine once said "The loud pipe Harley crowd aren't bikers... they're all actors looking for a movie set they think they are suppose to be staring in". The only thing those bikes do is make noise... they don't Go, they don't Stop, they don't Handle...they only make noise...
$sudo apt-get install nitrous
WIFI????? I don't think I want to be hacked going 130 MPH on a track or anywhere else. The picture I just got in my mind is not too pretty. All it takes is one clever hacker to win the bet he/she posted. LOL.
Kernal panic at 130MPH. Safe.