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Davinci DC100 Is a Two-Wheeled Robot Disguised as an Electric Motorcycle

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by Elena Gorgan from https://www.autoevolution.com 0 to 60 mph (100 kph) in 3 seconds top speed of 124 mph (200 km) peak power 135 hp and peak torque 627 ft-lb (850 Nm) ride range of 222 miles (357.51 km) fast-charging to full charge in 30 minutes The motorcycle of tomorrow is, according to makers Davinci Dynamics, the DC100, or its fancier, more expensive version, the limited-edition, hand-crafted masterpiece DC Classic. Introduced this week in Beijing (hat tip to New Atlas), it is said to be the culmination of seven years of hard work, the first step toward the electric two-wheel revolution that the world has been hoping for but is yet to fully witness. Big words for an equally big moment, but you don’t get the chance to stand out from everyone else if you don’t show cojones, figuratively speaking. Hopefully, Davinci Dynamics can back up the impressive claims with a futuristic cafe racer to match, because, on paper, the DC100 sounds like a dream. It’s more than just an electric motorcycle, the company says: it’s a two-wheeled robot disguised as an elegant, futuristic, electric cafe racer. The DC100 rides on a monocoque aluminum alloy chassis. It has a single-sided swingarm and a cover for the giant lithium 17.7kWh battery pack that gives it a boxy but still streamlined appearance. It rides on Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tires, and it’s painted in muted gray or bright orange, making it feel as if it belongs in a video game of some sorts. On paper, the DC100 delivers solid performance, meant to “rival the performance of their 1000cc gas-powered counterparts:” you get 0 to 60 mph (100kph) acceleration time of 3 seconds, peak torque of 627 ft-lb (850 Nm), and a top speed of 124 mph (200 kph). The hub motor delivers […]

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House Passes Highway Bill – Biker Priorities Included

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Thursday morning the full House of Representatives passed H.R. 3684 the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act or the INVEST in America Act. This bill is more commonly referred to as the highway bill. The bill is over 1,500 pages, spends $715 billion and includes five beneficial provisions for motorcyclists. The final vote on passage was 221 for and 201 against. Two Republicans voted in favor and no Democrats opposed. The Senate has begun work on their version of the highway bill and the two chambers will eventually need to work out the differences before an agreed upon bill is sent to the President for his signature. Traditionally, a highway bill has a five-year lifespan before Congress must fund and reauthorize programs again. Typically, highway bills occur in years ending in 0’s and 5’s. The last highway bill expired in 2020 but was given a one-year extension as Congress was unable to reach a compromise. Congress now faces a September 30th deadline to pass a new highway bill and reauthorize crucial transportation and safety related programs. Below is a brief recap of the five motorcyclist related items that the House of Representatives approved and included in this major piece of legislation: Profiling: The bill includes an update to current federal law on the issue of motorcycle only check points. The bill passed today includes language that prohibits state and local governments from using funds from the Department of Transportation to “profile and stop motorcycle operators or motorcycle passengers using as a factor the clothing or mode of transportation of such operators or passengers.” Traffic Stop Data Collection: An amendment to the bill by Congressman Tim Walberg (MI-R) and Congressman Michael Burgess (TX-R) added the term “mode of transportation” to a newly created

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Highway Bill Unveiled for 2021

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Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure unveiled its 2021 highway bill, titled the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation (INVEST) in American Act. As you may remember, every five years Congress is required to reauthorize many of the highway related spending bills it passes. The current highway bill, known as the FAST Act, was given a one-year extension last year and is set to expire in September of 2021. The bill introduced Friday is a key component of the major infrastructure spending push the Biden Administration has made a top priority. For the last two years, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation and its members have diligently educated and lobbied lawmakers about the need to include motorcyclist specific priorities in a new highway bill. These grassroots efforts were given a boost with the inclusion of three major motorcyclist specific items in the bill. The Democrat lead bill includes the following provisions in its nearly 1,300 pages of text: Expanded prohibition on motorcycle only check points, including prohibiting using the clothing or apparel of riders or their passengers to profile or target bikers. Reestablishment of the Motorcyclist Advisory Council, which gives bikers a voice within the Federal Highway Administration. Included in the bill, a seat on the council is specifically designated for a “representative of a national motorcycle foundation.” Inclusion of motorcycles as a specific category that autonomous vehicle studies must account for during the testing of this new technology. Additionally, a motorcyclist rights organization is assigned a seat on an autonomous vehicle working group at the U.S. Department of Transportation. The road ahead for a massive infrastructure plan remains uncertain. Negotiations between the House, Senate and White House will be contentious and as always political. However, what is certain is that

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The “Cobra” Could be the Next Autonomous Motorcycle

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by Cristian Curmei from https://www.autoevolution.com You know, sometimes dream really do come true. Most of the vehicles around today came to life on some drawing board in a room hidden away from the world. But before that they were all concepts, ideas so to speak. It’s been dubbed the Cobra by its creator Christian Grajewski of Hannover, Germany, and is to be a fully autonomous motorcycle. This too is one of those ideas, and even though it hasn’t quite made it into real life manufacturing, one day, it very well could make it into production. But then again, I’m a dreamer, and for now this motorcycle remains only a concept rendering. But being a concept, there’s definitely some worth to its mention, and mention it we shall. Before you go on reading, have a look in the gallery to really get a feel for the idea. If you’ve had the look, then by now you’ve figured out why it’s called the Cobra, basically because it looks like a downright cobra snake, only in mechanical form. Also, if you paid attention to the gallery, you witnessed two different designs. Both are from the same creator, just during different years. The one in focus today will be the newer design, which is also characterized by the white and orange color scheme. This concept is similar to the idea of Roborace, you know, the ones that race autonomous and electric sports cars. The designer wanted to push the limits of motorcycle design by simply eliminating one crucial component, the rider. Anytime you choose to design something that is no longer based around the human form, you can really go outside the box. And that seems to have happened here as well. But you still need a pilot in some way or another, so

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China’s Ninebot unveils scooters that drive themselves to charging stations

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Ninebot said Uber and Lyft, the ride-hailing giants that are expanding into scooter-sharing, would be among the customers for the new semi-autonomous vehicles that are expected to hit roads early next year. BEIJING/HONG KONG – Segway-Ninebot Group, a Beijing-based electric scooter maker, on Friday unveiled a scooter that can return itself to charging stations without a driver, a potential boon for the burgeoning scooter-sharing industry. Ninebot said Uber and Lyft, the ride-hailing giants that are expanding into scooter-sharing, would be among the customers for the new semi-autonomous vehicles that are expected to hit roads early next year. Gao Lufeng, Ninebot chairman and chief executive, told Reuters in an interview that AI-driven scooters, controlled remotely from the cloud, could radically improve the economics of scooter-sharing. “The pain point for scooter operators is to better maintain the scooters at a lower cost,” he said. Currently, operators of scooter sharing fleets have to collect the machines manually for re-charging. Formed by the 2015 combination of China’s Ninebot and U.S. transportation pioneer Segway, the company has quietly become the largest supplier for scooter-sharing companies such as Bird and Lime “I believe scooters will replace bicycles as the prime solution for micro-mobility,” Gao said. “It’s human nature to save energy when commuting.” The scooter-sharing fad was triggered two years ago with the launch of Bird in California. Venture-capital investors have since poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the sector, and fleets of electric-powered scooters now operate in cities across the U.S. and Europe. Segway-Ninebot Group has applied to list its shares on the China’s new Nasdaq-style board for homegrown tech firms, the STAR Market. The company sold 1.6 million scooters in 2018, according to a prospectus filed in April. Lyft and Uber did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment. The new scooters

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RIDING FREE FROM DC: Your Weekly Biker Bulletin from Inside the Beltway

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Your Motorcycle Riders Foundation team in Washington, D.C. is pleased to provide our members with the latest information and updates on issues that impact the freedom and safety of American street motorcyclists. Count on your MRF to keep you informed about a range of matters that are critical to the advancement of motorcycling and its associated lifestyle. Published weekly when the U.S. Congress is in session. Capitol Hill Update Republicans Pressing Democrats With Democrats now the majority party in the House of Representatives, they control the committee chairmanships and thus control the agenda for each committee. The House Energy and Commerce Committee, who has jurisdiction over autonomous vehicle technology, is now chaired by Frank Pallone of New Jersey. This puts Republicans in a role they not been in since 2010, seeking the help of Democrats to tackle legislative priorities. Republican Greg Walden of Oregon, the previous chairman and now ranking member as well as Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers of Washington and Bob Latta of Ohio sent Chairman Pallone a letter regarding the need for Congress to act on autonomous vehicles legislation. “We write to urge the Energy and Commerce Committee to take up bipartisan self-driving vehicle legislation. Last Congress this Committee worked across party lines to draft H.R. 3388, the Safely Ensuring Lives Future Deployment and Research in Vehicle Evolution Act (SELF DRIVE Act). The SELF DRIVE Act was an example of this Committee at its very best: working together, across the aisle, to develop legislation that will advance lifesaving technology. As a result of our deliberative, transparent, and bipartisan process, the Committee voted unanimously, 54 yeas and 0 nays, to report the SELF-DRIVE Act to the House floor where it again passed unanimously. Unfortunately, the Senate failed to act on the bill,” Walden, Latta, and Rodgers wrote. The MRF has

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