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Filed under: Tuners , Videos , Motorcycles Click above to view video after the jump It must take a certain kind of person to yank the small and economical 3-horsepower engine from a golf cart and replace it with one from a 2007 Yamaha R1 literbike. For the record, the team behind the transformation did a few dyno passes and managed to record 125-horsepower at the rear wheels. As you might expect, hilarious antics ensued, such as smoking tires and multi-geared wheelies on the dyno, which were then duplicated outside. After viewing the video, we want one, along with a really, really good helmet and full-body armor. Watch the video after the break. [Source: Youtube via Motorcycle News ] Continue reading Adventures in excess: Golf cart powered by Yamaha R1 engine Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Motorcycles Click above for more shots of the 2009 Yamaha FZ6R While Yamaha's biggest sportbike release for the year is undoubtedly the 2009 R1, the tuning fork crew didn't leave out the smaller-bore machines either. For the last few years, Yamaha's race-ready 600cc efforts have sent the powerband further and further into the stratosphere, optimizing it for the racetrack. Don't expect that to change much for '09. In fact, don't expect much at all in the way of changes to the range-topping R6, as Yamaha cites only a revised ECU that has remapped YCC-T settings. Plus, Honda's not the only Japanese manufacturer with some crazy colors for '09, as the new Yamaha is available in a Halloween-esque orange and black scheme. Considering that the R6 is such a narrow-minded machine, though, Yamaha has two other fully-faired middleweights to consider for a more streetable package, including the all-new FZ6R. Featuring an engine yanked from the past-generation...
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Filed under: Tech , Motorcycles Click above for more shots of the 2009 Yamaha R1 As is often the case when one of the big four Japanese bike manufacturers introduce a new literbike, there's way too many new features and detail improvements for us to include in a write-up. For the '09 Yamaha R1, though, there are some huge differences which are sure to become major talking points over the next few months. For starters, Yamaha is now the first manufacturer to move its "big bang" firing order from the Moto GP tracks to your driveway. Featuring a staggered crossplane crankshaft that locates each connecting rod 90° from the one before it. According to Yamaha, this arrangement allows for the high RPM power of an inline-four with the steady powerband of a twin-cylinder bike. We look forward to finding out for ourselves how effective this is. Other useful technology is the adjustable power button which changes the engine map between three different settings. Also new is a...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Motorcycles Click on the image to see more renderings of the Deus Ex Machina concept If somebody asked us what an environmentally-friendly motorcycle of the future would look like, our best answer would be nowhere near as awesome as what Jake Loniak, a student at Art Center Pasadena , came up with. Perhaps that's why we are just bloggers who write about cool stuff instead of the actual designers. Called Deus Ex Machina, which means God Out of a Machine, the vehicle is a blend between a motorcycle and an exoskeleton. Featuring seven artificial vertebrae, thirty-six pneumatic muscles and a head of its own, the Yamaha-branded concept looks like something out a child's worst nightmare. As speed increases, though, the two front wheels move outward, forcing the rider into a proper forward lean which resembles a current motorcycle stance more closely. In-wheel electric motors get their juice from a hybrid power pack made from Doped...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Etc. , Motorcycles We always appreciate when folks can give it to us straight. Even if they've done something, um, regrettable, they can at least admit it, give us a no-bull explanation, and we can all get on with the show. Next up in the Please Relieve Me of My Mistake category is a gent in Seattle who got rid of his Ford Explorer for a Yamaha R6, only to realize that sportbikes weren't the must-have accessory he thought they were. After buying it because it had shiny tires due to Armor All, laying it down in the parking lot at 5-mph, not having the desired effect on females, and putting just 3,000 miles on it, he has decided it's time for the R6 to go. It's possibly the only classified ad to include the word "douchecanoe", and the only R6 to allegedly come with side impact airbags, heated and cooled cupholders from a MINI Cooper, and a Wendy's Baconator coupon. Follow the link for your chance to purchase a piece of shattered dreams...
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Filed under: Euro , Japan , Videos , Motorcycles Over the weekend, Dylan Weiss from Cry Havoc Productions, Inc . let us know that his latest motorcycle-specific documentary went live at Discovery's Turbo online site . We've spent some time watching the footage, and we think it's awesome. Focusing in on Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, BMW, Ducati, MV Agusta and Bimota, the crew took plenty of footage home with them and managed to ride some of the greatest modern sportbikes ever created along the way. Best of all, over four hours of video is available online for free at their mini-site, broken down into 50 segments. The whole shebang was shot in High Definition, so we have some serious hopes that it will air on The Discovery Channel, be offered on DVD or both. It's extremely entertaining and we definitely recommend checking it out. Thanks for the tip, Dylan! [Source: Cry Havoc Productions , Discovery Turbo ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Motorcycles The Yamaha V-Max is pretty much a two-wheeled muscle car, and many people have had a hard time keeping them on two wheels. Solution: add another wheel? Sure, according to Tilting Motor Works . Starting with Legos before moving on to something more substantial, Bob Mighell designed a new front end for the Yamaha V-Max, one that is capable of leaning into corners but offering more grip for cornering and braking purposes. Removing the front forks and tightening eight bolts will transform your bike into a really big Piaggio MP3. Whether that is a good thing or not is up to you. Speaking of the MP3, that and concepts such as the Yamaha Tesseract prove that people are thinking of making the single-track of the motorcycle into a dual or triple-track. If it allows people who'd like to ride the chance to do so, we're all for it. [Source: Tilting Motor Works via Bikes In The Fast Lane ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Government/Legal , Safety , Motorcycles South Florida has a motorcycle problem, and lawmakers are introducing legislation to show bikers that they'll go a long way to punish those who break the rules. Stunt riding (including wheelies), excessive speeding, and concealable license plates will get you a 10 year ban on your motorcycle license, mandatory jail time, and an impounded bike. If the punishment sounds like the medieval practice of cutting off the hand of a man for stealing, that's exactly how State Representative Carlos Lopez-Cantera wants it. Lopez-Cantera witnessed firsthand a variety of incidents during which reckless behavior was on display, including bikers flying down the highway at 120 mph, high speed wheelies, and more. Police officers can't even run plates since bikers will often flip them up to avoid detection, and it's very difficult to catch a motorcycle on the open road with a squad car. We like motorcycles , even though our focus is on cars...
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Filed under: Economy , China , Euro , Japan , Hatchbacks , Toyota A version of Toyota's iQ concept , originally shown in Frankfurt, is rumored to begin production sometime next year and according to a couple of sources cited by Automotive News , power will come courtesy of Yamaha. The two Japanese firms are currently collaborating on a new 1.0-liter engine based on one of Yamaha's motorcycle powerplants, although output and fuel economy numbers have yet to be disclosed. Toyota is expected to produce around 100,000 units, with Europe receiving approximately 80,000 vehicles when sales begin in 2009. Although there's no word on U.S. distribution, the iQ-inspired micro-car may find its way into emerging markets in India and China where low-cost transportation is becoming a booming business. [Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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