superbike
Latest
ICYMI: Humanoid moto bot, engineered desk marvel and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-121846{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-121846, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-121846{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-121846").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Altwork Station is a $3,900 computer desk that can sit, stand and fully recline, levering the screen and desk up to keep that ergonomic alignment you've realized you need to actually care about. Being an adult can be so overrated. Meanwhile there are two pieces of fun robot news: Yamaha is teasing its autonomous motorcycling robot and MIT researchers built a robotic cube that can jump over uneven terrain.
Yamaha's robot motorcycle rider could challenge real racers
Humans might not be the fastest things on two wheels before long. Yamaha has unveiled Motobot, a robot designed to ride superbikes much like you would -- it even has to twist the throttle to get moving. This initial version travels slowly and needs training wheels to avoid tipping over in a turn, so it's not about to compete on the MotoGP circuit just yet. However, Yamaha ultimately hopes to get Motobot blasting along at more than 120MPH on a race track. It goes so far as to put racing legend Valentino Rossi on notice, as you'll see in the promo video below.
'Driveclub' spices up its racing with superbikes
Like Driveclub's arcade racing, but miss the two-wheeled adventures of Evolution Studios' earlier MotorStorm? You might just get the best of both worlds. Evolution has taken the wraps off of Driveclub Bikes, a standalone game (also available as an add-on) that brings superbikes into the fray. The core mechanics will be familiar if you're a veteran of the PlayStation 4 racer, of course, but the switch to motorcycles can't help but alter the experience. Is Bikes going to change your mind on Driveclub if you were soured on it at first? Probably not, but you can download it today -- it might be worth a look if you want to know whether or not the franchise has turned a corner.
Energica Eva is a 'naked' electric superbike for the street
If you liked the basic concept behind CRP Racing's Energica electric superbike (now the Energica Ego) but wanted something that was more stripped down, you've just met your dream machine. The company has unveiled the Energica Eva, a "naked" streetfighter counterpart to the Ego. You'll still find a high-powered 136HP motor (good for 149MPH) and a 95-mile battery (with a 3.5-hour full recharge), but much of the design has been pared down and shortened for urban riding. You'll see more of that electric powerplant, while the handlebars, pegs and wheels should be more city-friendly. As for a launch date and price? CRP isn't ready to hand those out yet, but it was previously aiming for a price between $25,000 to $28,000 -- you'll have to really want a fast, environmentally conscious two-wheeler for the Eva to make sense.
Meet the electric motorcycle that's now the fastest production bike in the world
The Lightning LS-218 boasts a model number that actually means something. Back in 2012, a prototype of the electric bike clocked in a wholly unnecessary (yet much appreciated) 218mph, helping it to win at Pikes Peak and setting it up to become the world's fastest production motorcycle. The finished version is now ready to make good on that promise, having just been revealed at the Quail Motorsport Gathering in California, prior to a scheduled launch in the summer -- at which point it'll likely cost upwards of $38,000.
Ecotricity looks to break 100 mph barrier with Ion Horse electric bike, at Isle of Man TT (video)
More than two years after breaking the world land speed record with its wind-powered Greenbird, Ecotricity has its eyes set on the record books once again. This time around, the UK-based green energy company is bringing its Ion Horse superbike to the Isle of Man TT raceway, in the hopes that it will become the first electric bike to average 100 mph over the course of the one-lap race. Developed by a team from Kingston University London and constructed in seven months, the Ion Horse is powered by a set of lithium polymer cobalt batteries, allowing it to blast from zero to 60 in three seconds, before topping out at 140 mph. Its engine also boasts up to 100kW of power, which should help the Horse make its way around the Isle of Man's sinuous, 37-mile circuit. The bike cost some £150,000 (about $245,000) to produce, but if Ecotricity breaks the aforementioned barrier during this week's TT Zero race, the team will receive an extra £10,000 (roughly $16,370) from the Isle of Man Government, in addition to all kinds of street cred. The race was originally scheduled for yesterday, but has since been postponed due to rain. In the meantime, though, you can head past the break for a video of the Ion Horse during a recent practice run, followed by the full PR.
Chip Yates goes 190MPH on an electric motorcycle, takes you along (video)
It's amazing what an electric motor and some lithium-ion junk in the trunk can do. For the SWIGZ team, which earlier bested some internally-combused competition on the track, the results are 190MPH from a standing start, completed at the Mojave Mile event. As you can see in the video below the 241HP bike wasted no time in getting up to that speed -- also wasting no time getting into an unsettling head shake and speed weave. Thankfully it was all over in less than 30 seconds and the new (unofficial) record was recorded: 190.6MPH. Fastest for an electric bike in a standing mile -- and pretty darned quick for any bike.
Mission R electric sportbike drops its fairings, shows us its billet birthday suit
141 horses is a good amount of power for an average sized car. On a motorcycle that equates to one heck of a ride. That's what the Mission Motors Mission R electric superbike is putting down in a package that's the size of a 600cc road bike -- the sort of bike that might match that rating but only when you ride it like you stole it. An electric bike, naturally, gives you all that power right from 0 RPM, and after first seeing it in the flesh back in December we're now getting a glimpse under the fairing, at the trellis frame that bolts to the MissionEVT drivetrain ahead of the swingarm. There's naturally a big hole ahead of that, where the battery slots. The aluminum plate you see is part of that, left in place here but normally yanked from the top with the rest of the cell pack. Lots more tech details like that on the other end of the source link, and a bunch more pictures over at Autoblog Green. As to when you can get one, sadly right now it's just for racing.
MotorStorm Apocalypse gets Superbikes, photo mode, demo in 2011
Sony has unleashed a barrage of MotorStorm Apocalypse news over on the official PlayStation blog. Revealed in a video posted after the break is a track called Skyline, which pits racers against each other while driving across the rooftops of a destroyed (and crumbling) city. The clip also shows off a new Superbike vehicle, and lots more. The game will offer player customization in the form of both perks and cosmetic updates, a new photo mode for snapping shots mid-race, extensive PSN tie-in content including some PlayStation Plus exclusives and a new taunts / gestures system that will enable you to bug other riders online. Sony also promises lots of DLC (including possibly a free island-themed track) and a series of developer diary videos in the weeks to come. The game's been given a launch target of Spring 2011, and a demo is planned for early next year. Is it weird that whenever we start to key in on a big Sony release, our biggest wonder is what KB will say about it?
MotoCzysz E1pc electric superbike packs iPhone in the dash
We've certainly seen Apple's iPhone act as an integral part of a vehicle before, but we've yet to see one front and center on a motorbike. Hailed as the planet's first "digital superbike," the MotoCzysz E1pc packs some pretty sick technology from end-to-end. Aside from being a zero-emissions, all-electric motorcycle, it reportedly relies on Apple's darling for its instrumentation. Sadly, details about what exactly the iPhone handles are few and far between, but hopefully we'll hear more after its upcoming run in the TTXGP on June 12th. Two more looks after the break.[Via Hell For Leather]
Tiger Woods 09, SBK08 demos hit Xbox Live
So, we've got good news, and we've got potentially bad news. We're going to mix it up and give you the bad news first: There's a demo for SBK08 on Xbox Live right now, but if you live in Asia or North America, you can't play it. Maybe it's not that big a deal, but what if we told you that SBK stood ... for superbike? We thought regular bikes were cool, but these bikes ... wow, they're just so far beyond that. We feel bad for anyone (ourselves included) who's stuck with a last-gen non-super-bike. You've won this round, Europe.But, hey, dry those tears, rest of the world, because today you can also download a demo for Tiger Woods 09. Experience the thrill of Joystiq editor Ludwig Kietzmann's day-to-day life as you play three holes at the Gary Player Country Club in South Africa. Hey, just because Little Steven avoids it doesn't mean you can't play Sun City!(P.S. We're assuming that at least the Tiger Woods demo will show up on PSN today. We'll let you know when we see an update.)Source -- SBK08 DemoSource -- Tiger Woods 09 Demo
