safety

Damon Motors New Production Plant for World’s Smartest Electric Motorcycle

by Otilia Drăgan from https://www.autoevolution.com World’s Smartest Electric Motorcycle to Be Produced at Brand-New Plant in Vancouver Whether two-wheeled or four-wheeled, electric vehicles are taking over the roads by storm, offering not just a clean energy alternative, but also advanced connectivity and the latest tech. One of them is Hypersport, Damon Motorcycles’ flagship model, set to enter production at the company’s new plant. The concern for a green, sustainable future extended beyond the vehicles themselves, to the manufacturing process. Several carmakers have already opened or planning to open sustainable production plants, and Damon is doing the same in the motorcycle sector. The Canadian company recently unveiled its latest facility, located in Surrey, British Columbia. Developed together with Bosa Properties, the new production plant is a state-of-the-art, 110,000 square foot (10,219 square meters) facility that will not only become “ground zero” for the Damon electric motorcycles, but will also premiere a cleaner, advanced manufacturing process. This new milestone adds to the brand’s success, after recently having surpassed $40 million in orders for the award-winning Hypersport, presented as “the world’s smartest, safest, fully electric motorcycle”. This innovative motorcycle is based on the brand’s proprietary electric powertrain, Hyperdrive, which is the first monocoque-constructed, fully electric, multi-variant powertrain on the market. With an aerodynamic design and having passed through extensive wind tunnel testing, Hyperdrive claims to deliver better speed, range, and acceleration than any previous powertrain. The battery was designed for top performance, but also to be as light as possible. Hyperdrive is integrated as a structural component of the motorcycle itself, and the battery enclosure acts as the bike’s load-bearing frame. The high-tech motorcycle also boasts an award-winning 360-degree Advanced Warning System that uses integrated windscreen LEDs, a long-range radar, plus front and rear cameras, to warn the rider of potential danger. Shift […]

Damon Motors New Production Plant for World’s Smartest Electric Motorcycle Read More »

Dave Currier, aged 68, on Winning Cannonball riding his 1911 Harley-Davidson

by Kevin Wallevand from https://www.inforum.com Fargo man wins Motorcycle Cannonball with 1911 Harley Davidson Dave Currier turned 68 years of age on the road while racing in the Motorcycle Cannonball Earlier, Dave Currier had been a runner-up in 2018 Motorcycle Cannonball riding a 1915 Harley-Davidson His father sold Indian and Harley motorcycles in the 1940s and 50s in Fargo and also raced them Dave Currier credits John Rouland of Northern Crankshaft in Thief River Falls for doing a lot of the technical and engine work on his 1911 H-D “To start it, you have to pedal to start it, it is a belt drive. To move it forward, you have a lever which tensions the belt and the bike moves forward.” – Dave Currier Fargo man wins Motorcycle Cannonball with 1911 Harley Davidson A Fargo man has just won a cross country motorcycle run called The Motorcycle Cannonball. Dave Currier is finally getting some feeling back in his rear-end. He is back in Fargo after competing in the most difficult, antique endurance race in the world: The Motorcycle Cannonball. “I think this has been the toughest ride of my life,” Currier said. “It is a real grind, I had about eight hours in the saddle every day.” Riding his 1911 belt-driven Harley Davidson, Currier and 88 competitors crossed 11 states over 16-days straight. From Michigan to South Padre Island, Texas, they racked up just over 3,700 miles. “The bike is tall. I have short legs, so my feet don’t touch the ground,” Currier said. “To start it, you have to pedal to start it, it is a belt drive. To move it forward, you have a lever which tensions the belt and the bike moves forward.” But Currier, who had a team planning and tweaking this bike, not only competed;

Dave Currier, aged 68, on Winning Cannonball riding his 1911 Harley-Davidson Read More »

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

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

What is Hub-center Steering Motorcycle & Why it is Better Read More »

Congress passes extension of Highway Bill

Congress Kicks the Can… 30 day Highway Bill Extension Passes With the failure of Congress to pass a new highway bill, by the September 30th deadline, nearly 3,700 United States Department of Transportation staffers were furloughed on Friday. Most of these workers belong to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Without dedicated funding to operate, those agency workers were forbidden from coming into work on October 1st. Operations in these agencies, related to safety and construction projects, were halted as a result. On Friday evening, in an effort to end the closure of these agencies, Congress passed an extension of the recently expired FAST Act. The 30-day extension releases federal funds so workers at the FHWA and FTA can return to work for the month of October. An interparty fight between progressive and moderate Democrats created a stalemate on infrastructure legislation and produced the need for an extension. This is the second time the FAST Act has been extended in just over a year. The original 2015 bill, expired on September 30, 2020, but was given a full 1-year extension, creating the recently passed September 30, 2021, deadline. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) remains engaged with lawmakers on this important bill. The MRF continues to stress the need for action on the transportation policy priorities of the nearly 10 million bikers across the country. We will keep you updated as events warrant. Visit Motorcycle Riders Foundation website at http://mrf.org

Congress passes extension of Highway Bill Read More »

Blind Spot Warnings Display On Motorcycles

from https://www.malaymail.com How blind spot warnings could be displayed directly in motorcycle mirrors. Motorcycle manufacturers are exploring ways of alerting riders to the risk of collision with vehicles in their blind spot. TOKYO, Sept 30 — Yamaha has filed a new project with the Japanese Patent Office for a system that alerts motorcycle or scooter riders when a vehicle is in their blind spot. This solution takes the form of LED strips placed directly behind the mirrors that face the rider. This solution could prove an effective means of alerting riders to this type of danger. Most motorcycle manufacturers are actively working on blind spot warning systems. Yamaha recently filed a patent revealing a new technology that displays specific icons directly on the bike’s mirrors. The idea is to be able to alert riders to dangers quickly and effectively. To do this, the Japanese manufacturer relies on displaying warnings on the bike’s mirrors in case of danger. The solution takes the form of a small screen placed behind each of the mirrors in the bike’s two rearview mirrors, capable of displaying a warning icon in the event of a collision risk, i.e., a vehicle in a blind spot. Note that the system could also display the warning on just one mirror, depending on the side where the danger is located. In addition to the presence of a vehicle in their blind spot, this device could also warn riders of a risk of collision with another vehicle, when they’re breaking the speed limit or when they receive an incoming phone call. It could theoretically be fitted to a motorcycle as well as a scooter. Still, it remains to be seen whether this solution will eventually see the light of day. Currently, the most advanced solution in this field is undoubtedly Bosch’s

Blind Spot Warnings Display On Motorcycles Read More »

Contact Governor Gavin Newsom TODAY about AB43- Traffic Safety Bill

National Motorists Association (NMA). California Immediate Attention: Contact Governor Gavin Newsom TODAY about AB43–the Traffic Safety Bill Dear California NMA Members, AB43 is a “hair on fire” situation. The bill, generically titled “Traffic Safety,” was passed by the state Senate and Assembly earlier this month by votes of 30 to 5 and 68 to 5 respectively, with a few abstentions in both chambers. AB43 was forwarded to Governor Newsom on September 17th and is awaiting his action. That’s why the urgency. (Please send this out to family and friends as well). Members should email their opposition to the bill to: Governor Gavin Newsom c/o Ronda.Paschal@gov.ca.gov –Deputy Legislative Secretary The main issue is that the bill would reverse nearly 100 years of California speed limits being based on fact-based engineering by allowing the lowering of limits without any particular rationale. By disregarding proven traffic engineering standards and posting unrealistic limits, many more drivers traveling at conventional, safe speeds will be stopped and ticketed for noncompliance. Police and community relations will be poorly served by a dramatic increase in traffic stops that serves no safety purpose. Speed traps will become much more prevalent. The forced lowering of speed limits will also create a surge in traffic accidents. Most drivers obey their instincts of what is a safe rate of travel on a particular road. That’s why the prevailing methodology for setting the safest speed limit is based on the prevailing behavior of 85 percent of drivers. Studies have shown repeatedly that the 85th percentile rule for establishing speed limits minimizes crashes. By reducing speed limits below those levels, there will be a wider variance of driving speeds on the road, some obeying the new numbers on the speed limit signs and more following natural driving patterns. The result will be more vehicular

Contact Governor Gavin Newsom TODAY about AB43- Traffic Safety Bill Read More »

Kanopolis City, Kansas Ordinance for Off-Road Motorcycles

from https://www.indyrepnews.com (First Published in the Ellsworth County Independent/ Reporter, September 23, 2021) ORDINANCE NO. 2021-O-02 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE USE OF OFF-ROAD MOTORCYCLES (ALSO KNOWN AS ‘DIRT BIKES’) ON THE STREETS OF KANOPOLIS, KANSAS, AND PROVIDING FOR PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION OF THE SAME. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF KANOPOLIS, ELLSWORTH COUNTY, KANSAS: The purpose of this Ordinance is to protect the health, safety, property and well-being of the citizens of Kanopolis by regulating the use of off-road motorcycles in the city which may endanger the safety of persons driving, bicycling or walking on the roads, the safety of motorists, cyclists or pedestrians, the safety of its operators, and which may disturb the use and enjoyment of land. This section shall apply throughout the city, both on and off streets and highways and on all public and private land. • Sec. 1. – Definition. The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this section, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning: Off-road motorcycle or dirt bike means any motorized nonhighway vehicle traveling on two tires, and having a seat designed to be straddled by the operator, and/or any motorcycle licensed for highway travel being utilized off of a street, roadway or improved surface. • Sec. 2. – Unsafe use of off-road motorcycles prohibited. The following practices constitute unsafe use of off-road motorcycles in the city: (1) Use of an off-road motorcycle one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise without headlights and rear lights installed and illuminated. (2) Use of an off-road motorcycle without a rearview mirror. (3) Use of an off-road motorcycle without a warning device such as a horn. (4) Use of an off-road motorcycle with more than

Kanopolis City, Kansas Ordinance for Off-Road Motorcycles Read More »

Queensland wraps up connected vehicle road safety pilot

by Aimee Chanthadavong from https://www.zdnet.com The Queensland government said during the nine-month pilot drivers were alerted about on-road hazards, including red lights, pedestrians, and cyclists. A pilot involved with testing technology that alerted drivers about upcoming on-road hazards, including red lights, pedestrians, and bike riders in Queensland’s Ipswich has now wrapped up after nine months. As part of the Ipswich Connected Vehicle Pilot (ICVP), 350 participants had their cars retrofitted with cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS) technology, including an antenna mounted on a roof-rack, in-vehicle communications box placed under the driver’s seat, and a display on the dashboard that signalled safety warnings to the driver. The equipment enabled each vehicle’s position, speed, and other data, to be shared, while it also received data from traffic signals and traffic management systems related to traffic lights, speed limits, road works, and road hazards. The pilot covered 300 square kilometres within the Ipswich local government area, and included 30 traffic signals fitted with roadside communication devices. These devices, plus those that were installed in participant vehicles, had access to cloud-based data sharing systems throughout the pilot area. The ICVP was delivered by Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads, in partnership with Motor Accident Insurance Commission of Queensland, Telstra, Queensland University of Technology’s Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety Queensland, iMOVE Australia, Ipswich City Council, and the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development. “The connected technology tested allows vehicles to talk with other vehicles, roadside infrastructure, and transport management systems,” Member for Ipswich Jennifer Howard said. “Messages received are combined with the vehicle’s data and used to generate driver warnings such as red lights, road works, road hazards, congestion, and pedestrians.” The pilot was launched under the Queensland government’s broader Cooperative and Automated Vehicle Initiative (CAVI) that aims to reduce

Queensland wraps up connected vehicle road safety pilot Read More »

Omaha Police refuse motorcade access to Patriot Guard Riders

from https://www.ketv.com Omaha police: Only law enforcement in Cpl. Page motorcade for safety reasons Patriot Guard Riders say they’ll follow behind motorcade. OMAHA, Neb. — Omaha police said it’s not safe to have hundreds of motorcycles on the route that will only be blocked off for the fallen Marine Cpl. Daegan Page and his family to pass. The Patriot Guard Riders said it’s their honor to pay tribute to Page and still plan to follow the motorcade. “I’m a bit flabbergasted with the decision. It really took me by surprise,” said Scott Knudsen, Nebraska State Captain, Patriot Guard Riders. Knudsen and other Patriot Guard Riders said they’ve never been denied a place in a military motorcade and asked Page’s father for permission to be part of Friday’s event. “We never go anywhere unless we are invited. We always seek out permission to achieve permission from appropriate people,” Knudsen said. But Omaha police asked all groups to stay out of the motorcade for safety reasons, disappointing Knudsen and hundreds of riders coming from Western Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa. “It’s really a shame that it has come to this, but we are in different times today. I don’t know all the details I’m certainly not blaming the Omaha Police Department or the sheriff’s department or anybody else,” Knudsen said. “We decided for safety sake and not tie up the intersection,” said Steve Lahrs, Director of American Legions Millard Post. Millard American Legion Riders were planning to join the escort to honor the fallen Marine until police asked them to stay parked on the sidelines. “They are short-staffed and short-manned and it would create too much of a havoc for the city of Omaha to have hundreds of bikers blocking intersections,” Lahrs said. In a statement to KETV, Omaha police said once again

Omaha Police refuse motorcade access to Patriot Guard Riders Read More »

BMW Vision AMBY showcases excellence against H-D Serial 1 e-bikes

SOURCE: https://www.autoevolution.com/ SOURCE: https://www.financialexpress.com/ BMW unveils Vision AMBY electric bikes: 300+ km range, 60 km/h top speed! BMW Motorrad Vision AMBY Breaks the Norm With Striking Design and Advanced Tech Of BMW’s 2021 IAA display, a very interesting one is the BMW i Vision AMBY, a peddle electric bicycle that boasts three speed ratings – 25 km/h for cycle tracks, 45 km/h for the city and 60 km/h for multi-lane roads (although, higher speeds would require a licence as well). The i Vision AMBY also gets the rest of fancy EV features like geofencing which can be used for automatically adjusting its speed. It is one of five different concept vehicles with which the BMW Group is presenting at the IAA Mobility event. While users of the BMW i Vision AMBY have to constantly pedal in order to benefit from the assistance of the electric drive system, BMW Motorrad Vision AMBY accelerates via a throttle grip One of the five concept vehicles showcased by BMW at IAA Mobility 2021 is truly innovative – neither a bike or a motorcycle, the BMW Motorrad Vision AMBY blends the best of each category with advanced connectivity and geofencing technology. BMW unveiled two electric vehicles with two wheels under the “Adaptive Mobility” (AMBY) concept. Both of them come with three speed levels for different types of road, and require an adequate driving license, insurance license plates, and a helmet for riding at maximum speed. Compared to the BMW i Vision AMBY that requires constant pedaling, the Motorrad Vision uses the throttle grip and features footrests instead of pedals, like a motorcycle. According to BMW, while it resembles a bicycle, the new Motorrad Vision flaunts the features of a powerful motorbike, including an 830 mm-tall (32.6”) seat, a large bicycle fork, a small headlight with

BMW Vision AMBY showcases excellence against H-D Serial 1 e-bikes Read More »

Scroll to Top