Yea, fun.

Tanshanomi

To those on the motorcycle versus car speed debate: it all depends on the track and track conditions. Everyone knows that aerodynamic aids can be used to make a car pull more lateral G's than a typical motorcycle, with relatively much less skill and cohones than a motorcycle pilot. That's why, despite certain limitations, many people agree that piloting motorcycles is a greater challenge and much more fun.

Would this vehicle with a full canopy and landing gear negate some of the fun? Inquiring minds want to know...

my favorite car is a motorcycle

Tanshanomi

FЯeeMan

What it is, is convergent evolution. Two different approaches to achieving the same outcome in similar conditions will yield similar results.

Handling? Helloooo...at 340mph, handling really isn't the issue.

I have my doubts about 340mph, but if the horsepower numbers are to be believed, I'm very willing to admit it can be done - 750hp in an aircraft really moves the mail, and this thing is sleeker over most of its profile than a low-wing Cessna.

Anyway, it's vaporware. You saw the guy's rationale: everyone driving highish-speed electrics while a new, dedicated superfreeway is set aside just for personal missiles like this one. Ain't gonna happen. This prototype is as far is it gets.

Elhigh

KMII

What I see is a mid-1970s Bede BD-5 kitplane fuselage with a 1994 Yamaha GTS1000 grafted into it. The newest tech I see is the late 1990s Ducati 9X6 exhaust. And with that wheelbase, it's not gonna exactly, like, handle.

rocketrodeo

Memory prompts: Late Malaise period, Octopussy, Coors Silver Bullet Demonstration Team, BD-5J.

Remarkably similar, just grounded.

DSLPWR

[en.wikipedia.org]

Stevegasm

dwp

chase42

LandofID

bdon

Euromobile

Bad Juju

b_e_a_s_t_i_e

As for road adaptations of competition vehicle designs, please leave that to sportscars, sportbikes, et cetera, which excel in a number of dynamic departments. (You drag and oval racers, please feel free to have a think about this. Now try braking and turning right. See now why FIA homologation works?)

velocecrat

Mrb00st

Although, he would leave off the training wheels or make it into a trike.

Personally, I would much rather have an Ariel Atom.

cgarison

POLAЯBEEЯ

IamZardoz

htrodblder

Maymar - now with 37% less anonymity

Even if those training wheels do retract, I still call "vaporware". Three years and that amount of money, and I'LL BUILD THE DAMNED THING. With simple hand tools.

avarno

BeerDearthair

Indeed... A missle that will likely deliver a payload of hot, red, salsa.

Great milage yada yada... Although that doesnt seem very relevant for a vehicle that does not look street legal. Headlights? Signals? A $4million toy, and they are touting efficiency?

SebringMGB

laxman15

RoninianHoon

RoninianHoon

NovaloadMissesPolar

TheCartorialist

dylanseals

charles_barrett

I'd still give it a ride, but doubt I'd go half the speed it is capable of. I prefer to ride ON my cycles, not IN them.

DoctorNineTenths

Though, on the salt flats, I would give it a go. Still, I think I, myself, would be more comfortable on this in a traditional motorcycle position.

Akbar Biberkopf

chase42

lascauxcaveman

Fitty7lax

@Buckster: 750 Body-parts Hacked-off Permanently!

"Well Frank, the opportunity sounds promising, but are you sure there's no life insurance benefits?"

POLAЯBEEЯ

well, yes, but... how does you slide your knee?

Akbar Biberkopf

Kinda my "You killed Kenny! You Bastards!" for the new millenneum....

charles_barrett

I dont think so.

Buckster

Wouldn't get the fuel mileage, however.

BeerDearthair

"Hey Bob, take this one we just finished out for a test run will ya?"

"Sure Frank!" Vroom, VROOM! screeeeech! BOOM! "Ahhhhh!"

"Oh that's great, JUST great! Now we have to build another one all over again AND find a replacement for Bob! We'll be up to four years in no time."

POLAЯBEEЯ

This thing scares the bejeezuz out of me.... I've not ridden many fast bikes for legality reasons, but I do know that the if you get out of shape, like a slide, it is throwing your bodyweight in the opposite direction which is your best chance of uncrossing yourself.

This thing, with 750hp, anything goes wrong, even slightly, and you're a passenger. You go where it goes.

I know we're talking hypothetical here... nice idea, but uh... no.

Arnold Wagner came close with the Ecomobile, and we know that that actually works (video). Also, with a sensible 130hp it looks like it totally fucking rocks.

Rust-MyEnemy is stll out there!

gadgetfanatic

smokeydog001

That said, the rider in me wants one of these, bad. I think I need to put a PayPal "Donate Now" button at the bottom of every one of my posts on the innerwebs.

BeerDearthair

BlackIce_GTS

Hell, people absolutely can't see me on my 125cc scooter (maybe 60 mph tops), so I'd love to see their reaction times when a bike passes them at 120 mph never mind 340. Yeah right.

Placebo

AndyDuncan

SpeedWagon

or is it a suppository for an dually pickup >,<

karmakid

thatguy01

[www.dailymotion.com]

okay
well, here are the gear-boys going at it
check it out

wheels OF satan!

will look for it...
here

[www.dailymotion.com]

wheels OF satan!

Also, it looks like a giant suppository.

graverobber- Two BEER minimum

this will look great in the garage of that new oceanfront arizona property i just bought from the acabion real estate group.

i drive a dodge stratus!!!

Jake von Slatt

I'm really curious what's up with the (apparently) functional prototype in the pictures. I bet you could get some people to sign up if you held a demonstration of the top speed/mileage.

Mad_Science

Jonny Lieberman

Tanshanomi

Ray Wert

HIDGolf

Hmmm... seems to me, I've heard variations on that scam before.

TR3-A

PatFromGundo

Akbar Biberkopf

Well, that, and the choice between being severely burned or having your collarbone go through your jugular...

Tanshanomi

Tanshanomi

Akbar Biberkopf

Excellent argument.

It's amazing what a Gold Wing will do if the right person is at the controls.... Even I have managed to surprise those on sportbikes, and I don't claim to be anything special on two wheels.

Kelly

When I met Weigert he asked me if I had the "balls" to go 200 mph in his car. I told I'd go 300 mph. This is after he threatened to break Aaron Gold from About.com in half.

I really need a camera to follow me around....

Jonny Lieberman

Reminds me of the Ecomobile, a Swiss machine. Saw one, and one only, someone rode it to college in N. Texas in the late-80's. Bitchin' concept, but I'll pass on 4 million dollars for a 350 MPH version.

Kelly

There's several reasons and theories. Cars, despite being heavier, roll much less during turns, allowing a sharper entry into turns. Further, cars can get on the power on exit earlier (tail out in a car = rad, tail out on a bike = probably gonna lowslide). Bikes hold the advantage in acceleration up to about 120-140 when aerodynamics becomes a dominant factor.

I think bikes are faster on tracks with sweeping turns and medium length straights, but on tight tracks or on tracks with very long straights (backstretch of Road America for example), cars are dynamically better.

But most importantly, in my experience it comes down to the pilot of the vehicle. Valentino Rossi on a Ninja 250 could probably lap faster than any of us can in an Atom, just like Schumacher in an Accord could probably chase down most average riders on a Duc 1098R.

Fitty7lax

@Wes Siler: I'd tune into that show.

lascauxcaveman

Braff S. Preston, Esq.

Wes Siler

yes
two wheels good
four wheels for scaredy cats!

wheels OF satan!

charles_barrett

Methinks Gerry Weigert has something to say about that!!!

[jalopnik.com]

Jonny Lieberman

Either way, my BS meter is showing a strong reading here.

It seems like € 1.87M would be enough to run a whole development program, which would take about 3 years.

Mad_Science

Y'know, if I had $4m to spare.

skaz

Braff S. Preston, Esq.

Euromobile