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What is Hub-center Steering Motorcycle & Why it is Better

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by Todd Halterman from https://www.autoevolution.com Hub-center steering is one of several different types of front-end suspension and steering mechanisms used in motorcycles and cargo bicycles. It is essentially a mechanism that uses steering pivot points inside the wheel hub rather than a geometry that places the wheel in a headstock like the traditional motorcycle layout. Perhaps the most venerable example of the idea came in the form of the 1930 Majestic. This Georges Roy design used a novel pressed-steel monocoque chassis, and it incorporated an automotive-type chassis with hub-center steering. Other bikes had already used the configuration in such machines as the Ner-A-Car and the Zenith Auto-Bi, but the Majestic made it lovely to behold. Another bike, the Vyrus 984 C3 2V Razzetto, was one such motorcycle that used hub-center geometry. Vyrus is a small Italian motorcycle manufacturer based in Coriano, Italy, and their bikes such as the “Tesi” – Thesis in Italian – had their designs originate from a university engineering project linked to the motorcycle legend Massimo Tamburini. The Tesi, and the Vyrus 984, were instantly identifiable by their use of their hub-center steering front suspension and steering arrangement. Those fabulously expensive bespoke motorcycles have been called “functional works of art,” and they look a bit like something you might see in a video game. In hub-centered bikes, the front wheel is attached to a swingarm with a shock and an internal pivot point. Steering is achieved using those linkages to turn the wheel on a pivot point. Hub-center steering has been employed on motorcycles for more than a century, but the design, despite what some engineers say offers a distinct advantage, never took hold. But the founder of Vyrus, Ascanio Rodorigo, once worked for Bimota as a race mechanic and engineer during the 1970s and his tenure […]

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Peugeot Plans To Introduce A 300cc Motorcycle

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by Sabrina Giacomini from https://www.rideapart.com From cars to scooter to bikes. When we say the name Peugeot, we usually think of cars and scooters—that’s what the French brand is most famous for. The brand also produced a handful of motorcycles through the years, but mainly built its reputation on its four-wheel and step-through products. In October, 2019, Indian giant Mahindra— the same people behind the Jawa revival and Royal Enfield—bought Peugeot’s entire motorcycle division with the intention to introduce seven new two-wheel models between 2021 and 2023. The first model in the pipeline could be a small-displacement motorcycle based on the P2X Concept. Italian outlet Motociclismo had a chat with GAM Distribution president Mario Minella. The distributor is in charge of importing Peugeot Motorcycles products to Italy and Minella was able to provide some insight into the French brand’s plans for the future. Minella explained that despite the pandemic, the plan to reposition Peugeot Motorcycles on the global market thanks to a new branding and a new design remains on track. The company plans to adopt a younger, more aggressive image. The plan also includes the introduction of a GT model armed with a 300-400cc engine and the implementation of higher building standards (scooter, we’re assuming, since the journalist asked about “traditional products”). What about motorcycles? Minella answered that from an enthusiast standpoint, he sincerely hopes there will be one introduced soon. He explained that the motorcycle concept (P2X) introduced at the 2019 Mondial de la Moto was very well received. The maker developed a 300cc motorcycle platform that could eventually also be turned into 125 and 500 models based on the concept introduced last year. While the focus will be on the Asian market for small and mid-size bikes, he added that that new platform will be developed for

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French start-up Heetch effectively launches VIP motorcycle taxi service with a network of 250 drivers

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Equipped with pink vests and helmets, 250 motorcycle taxis now roam the streets of Douala, on behalf of French start-up Heetch, the government daily Cameroon Tribune reveals. Indeed, on May 8, 2019, Heetch announced the success of a fund-raising operation of €34 million euros (about XAF23 billion), to establish itself in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria, and Senegal, and develop its activities in Belgium. In addition to the VIP motorcycle taxi business, Heetch also offers Cameroon its Car-with-driver service. This start-up is, therefore, competing with local companies such as Easyride, which provides taxi services for VIPs, or Bee Sarl, which is also helping modernize the motorcycle taxi business in Cameroon.

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Is a flying motorcycle the future of riding?

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by Chris Best from https://www.wkrg.com The future of riding, may not be riding at all, but flying. That’s if you can afford it. French auto-maker “Lazarus” is showing off its new “motorcycle” that is more about wings than wheels. It’s called “La Moto Volante”…sounds fancy right? But it just translates to “flying motorcycle.” Four turbines boost the bike from the ground to the sky…talk about getting in the wind. Downside is it will only fly for about 10 minutes at a time…oh and there’s the price tag. The company will only be making five of them…and they are $560 thousand dollars each. So although the dream of flying motorcycles may be coming true…It will remain a dream for virtually everyone on the planet.

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NAWA’s Radical Electric Motorcycle Highlights The Potential Of Supercapacitors In EVs

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by Bill Roberson from https://www.forbes.com/ Despite the fact that they have built an electric motorcycle, French tech company NAWA Technologies, or just NAWA for short, isn’t in the business of building electric motorcycles – they build batteries. But maybe they should reconsider the motorcycle market option, especially in light of the one-off bike they did just indeed build, because it’s a serious looker packed with possibly industry-changing technologies. The NAWA Racer’s sleek, minimalist styling comes courtesy of a collaboration with Envisage Group, who have been involved with Jaguar and other brands that want some cool lines with their new tech. One highlight is a hubless rear wheel, although the bike is covered in cool touches including the wrap-around LED taillight and duck-tailed seat. But beyond the slick lines and hubless rear hoop of the NAWA Racer, the cafe-racer inspired from-the-future motorbike carries an underlying technology that significantly boosts performance and could signal a significant step forward for electric motorcycle performance – or the performance potential of anything that needs batteries for motive power, including electric cars. NAWA has added a supercapacitor to the Racer (NAWA calls it an ultracapacitor, and have branded it as NAWACap), and the short version of the technese is this: A supercapacitor is similar to a battery, except it can be charged in seconds, and can then dump that charge at an extremely high rate – far beyond what a battery can provide – for an instant boost in power. It can also repeat that feat millions of times without any substantial performance losses. NAWA isn’t the first company to put a supercapacitor into service; supercar maker Lamborghini is integrating a supercapacitor system into their new Sián hypercar (sorry, but all 63 are sold out at $3.6 million per copy). According to information provided by NAWA,

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