1/7/2003: "Tomahawk" concept motorcycle
 

http://cellar.org/2003/tomahawk.jpg

It's Int'l Auto Show time which means that there are a lot of concept cars being shown. And in this case, concept motorcycles. This particular one from Dodge shares the engine from their Viper, has a four-wheel suspension and can go 400 MPH.

And now it's time to imagine wiping out at a speed usually reserved for jets. First picture the fastest you've ever gone in a car and imagine wiping out at that speed. Now multiply that by 4. (or whatever.)

Or maybe - imagine if you hit a 3-foot wall. Assuming that you're in a rather flat area, how far would your body travel? The math is left as an exercise to the reader.

The dude above, by the way, is the COO of Chrysler Group. I like a hands-on COO.

I'm just sitting here patiently, waiting for the Freudians to chime in.

There's no "bitch seat". What's up with that?

that thing would make a Freudian out of B. F. Skinner.

I don't care how powerful the engine is. It looks ridiculous, and Mr. COO looks even more so, perched atop it.

Hmmm. Perhaps this is the automotive industry's solution to the overpopulation problem. Women will laugh so damn hard that even the amount of money the fellow had to have to acquire this thing won't overcome the power of the absurdity of the superbike. Beyond that, because of the danger of cruising along at speed, and going headfirst through a Jeep Cherokee during an accident, the number of organ donors will go up. WAAAAY up. Which is a good thing.

I'm liking this thing better ALL the time here! Keeps people with more money than sense OUT of the gene pool AND allows them to make a worthwhile contribution to society.

Gee. I hope they start building these babies ASAP. Bring 'em on!

:) you need a bike wolf. That may change yer mind. Despite what the "safety nazis" say, bikes can be safe and fun.

Just don't try to shoot while you're riding. Not at first anyway.

I wouldn't start with this monster though. It probably costs 50k anyway.

500 horsepower V-10 for a motorcycle. Unreal. Reminds me of something from Akira.

Is it still technically a motorcycle if it has four wheels?

Also, I would pay good money to see the concept sketches of this.

Slang, I believe the Reuters article I saw on this said they'd be $250,000.

I am willing to learn. Just need someone willing to teach me.

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: !!!!

Stickin' with the Segway might be a good idea for right now.

However, if you win the PowerBall you can buy one of each.

And a Hummer.

And a tank.

And a small country, kick out all the current residents, and establish benevolent dictatorship, from which base you can work out the finer details of the plan elaborated in your current .sig.

Can I put my image on the new money? I always thought that would be cool.

Sure!

Your country, your rules.

Oooh ... wait, if you're head of your own country, you can apply to the US Govt for loans that will be supported by the Federal Reserve and you'll never have to pay them back ... just keep borrowing enough money to make the interest payments. And every now and again you get your loans forgiven ...

This could WORK.

Okay! Never say that I miss a chance to take a shot at the extremely obvious!

1. They missed a really great opportunity to name this thing The V-10 Peniscycle from Hell...

2. Notice the guy isn't wearing a helmet. Bet he doesn't wear a rubber, either. On the other hand, wearing a helmet while riding this thing is about as useful as wearing a parachute on the space shuttle.

3. Worst case of elephantitis of the ego that I've ever seen.

4. It looks like a lawn tractor for guys with small tools.

That's all I can think of for now. What an incredible waste of engineering effort. Might as well have put a Saturn V motor on a Radio Flyer...

They need to spent more time developing efficient means of travel, and less time on trying to match Batman movies.

4 hunert mph = no tissue worth collecting

http://www.bosshosscycle.com/ the Boss Hoss-Chev V8

http://marineturbine.com/home/default.htm Helicopter Turbine in a motorcycle. :eek:

These bikes have nothing to do with attracting mates and everything to do with bungy jumping, sky diving, and snowboarding. I want Kaneda's bike from Akira.

“Driving is a spectacular form of amnesia. Everything is to be discovered, everything to be obliterated.”
--Jean Baudrillard , French semiologist. [extra credit: find hiim in "the Matrix"]

---

And - More buses and the oil we import used to make carbon fiber bodies for lightweight cars running turbo 4 cylinders, fuel cells, and/or batteries. Imagine cars the size of Cadillacs handling like porches, running 4 cylinder engines.

Nice links Ury. I LOVE the turbine bike (although the Boss Hogg 502 makes about twice as much HP)

The cool thing about the turbine is that it makes torque all along it's RPM range. The faster is revs, the more torque it makes.

Hmmmmmm!

This could WORK! Better than my current project of trying to fit this old JATO thingie on my Pinto...

Brian

I'd be up for that.

This would be awesome for basejumping! Hit top speed, soar off a cliff, and open your parachute. Drop the bike into the ocean and parachute down. =)

Seems like a waste of a perfectly good, overpriced, supercharged bike.

At around half a million thats a fucking expensive base jump.
How would a 2-tire bike handle i wonder. What happens to leather biking gear when it hits the road at 400kmh.....

i do love bikes though, safety be damned. Soon as i'm off my moterbike Ls i'm aiming for a Ducati Monster Dark .

http://www.ducati.com/docs_eng/model...ages/dark1.jpg

Back in the day, I was hell on 2 wheels. I had a sportbike, a VF1000R. I had it up to 135 on a regular basis. At that speed, the wind is painful when you're on the bike, let alone hitting the pavement.

Sometime around 1986 Randy Mamola, a superbike racer, hit the pavement and slid down the track at 160 MPH. Once he finally stopped moving, he got up, shook himself off, and walked off the track to a standing O from the crowd. I dont think a set of leathers exists that will handle 400 mph though.

I sure wouldnt want to try it even at 100.

Cars the size of Cadillacs DO handle like porches. Actually many of them have the handling characteristics of an entire damn four-bedroom house. :D

Look at that picture. Where on earth does he think he's going to ride that thing? In a vaccume? There's no wind shield. He hits a bee at 400pmh and it's going to drill a hole in his fucking skull. No mud flaps what so ever. His front tire flicks up a pebble and it'll be like getting shot.

I think they should mount a camera on the front of it, pointing at his face...

...so we can watch an "Indiana Jones:Raders of the Lost Ark" re-enactment as the flesh peels from his bones...

"Happy little trees..."

Quzah.

How do you tell a happy motorcycler?
 

By the bugs in his teeth! :-D

So at 400 MPH, do I lose a tooth on impact?

The machine looks totally unworkable - how does one steer? By leaning that monster? Or do the two front wheels turn, like an automobile?

I like motorcycles*, but I wouldn't ride that one.

*During 1980 - 1995, I did not have a car for most of that time, riding a motorcycle instead. (Although I did have a car for three of those years.)

They're neat, didn't say they were practical! A nice Duc would be ... nice. Yes. :cool:

Triumph owner here. I saw this yesterday and am curious as to how this thing steers with four tires. They must be independently pivoted in order to counter-steer, yes?

And 400 mph is ridiculous - you can't hang on without a fairing and a windscreen much past 225 or so. :)

It's a concept motorcycle. You're not supposed to actually start the engine, much less rev up to it's intended speed. All this thing is meant to do is stand in show rooms and look ugly.

Same goes for the COO, I suppose?

No, he stands in board rooms and looks like he can make the company lots more money.

Hubba, hubba!
 

Yeah, I might pay a few bucks for a ride on that.

Note to offended male readers: Hey, you guys get away with references like that all the time, so don't give me any grief!

Judge Dredd's bike.
 

That thing is the most silly P.O.S. I have ever seen.

There is no way that thing could go 400. It is too tall and narrow. On a two wheeler, gyroscopic precesion keeps everything upright and self-corrects.

This thing wouldn't be able to take a corner at over 30.
Just a sad waste of an engine that belongs in my civic.

'Yes Mr Bond, it does fit nealty into this parker pen when your not using it' ..

Brian, if you ever really decided to do anything so monumentally stupid and photogenic, please remember to invite me. I promise to bring my camera and would be willing to compose a really cool slideshow for your wake.

Not to mention filling out your 'Darwin Award' application. Although I seem to remember something similar already.

Is that exactly how it's supposed to look or do they put on a cowling? They must at least have a windscreen for it because at anything over 150 you would be just barely hanging on in the wind never mind working the throttle.

Let me guess, Jay Leno already owns 2.