by Barrie Haughton AKA Bear, President and Founder of Old Bike Barn
How long will it be before motorcycles run without gas? It’s a question for the ages, or the engineers. Now that cars and trucks are scaling back fuel usage and converting to electric power, don’t kid yourself, motorcycles won’t be far behind. There will always be a place for the classics, mind you, just the same as there’ll always be a place for classic cars – though perhaps alternative fuels will allow us to retain the internal-combustion engine without using fossil fuels.
Trying to find Motorcycles Parts Especially vintage Japanese and European motorcycles can make the task of rebuilding or restoring one of these bikes practically impossible… (more…)
The electric motorcycle is certainly not a new concept. Mission One has already taken the wraps off its own electron-powered sports bike, while Honda and newcomer Xenophya have each revealed their own plans for an electric motorcycle.
Zero Motorcycles is a little different though. Its road-legal Zero S supermoto is actually available for order, and, with US deliveries commencing in May, it’s not far away either.
A reasonable $9950 USD is the price of entry, which may be a little on the expensive side for a supermoto, but not a bad price considering it will cost you peanuts to run. Zero Motorcycles says that less than one cent will take you a mile.
Maximum range is stated to be 60 miles (97 kilometres), which should be plenty for the average urban commuter. Batteries run low while away from home? Less than four hours on the integrated charger should see you back on your way.
Don’t think it’s some asthmatic electro-scooter either. With 31hp (23kW) and 62.5lb.ft on tap from its electric motor, the Zero S has more than enough pep to hustle its 102.1kg mass along. It should also be a doddle to operate too, thanks to its clutchless one-speed gearbox.
Given the somewhat ‘new’ nature of the technology, you may also want to consult with your local road authority before importing one of these things.
Sound like your cup of tea? Head over to Zero Motorcycles‘ site and place your order
Honda has put a shot across the bow of the chopper industry! I was at the New York Show, and I have not seen this much excitement or traffic at the Honda booth in a few years. The consistent complaint from the motorcycle press has been that “there is not excitement in Honda’s line up”. You can rest assured the Fury will bring it, with its extreme chopper style and Honda’s traditional reliability and ride-ability it should prove to be a threat to some of the great looking but less refined chopper brands out there.
The Fury was there in several colors including a flat gray, but it was the light blue metallic version that really caught my eye, with it’s same color frame and body work. The stretched frame provides that all important empty space above the engine and is truly shocking to see from a main stream company like Honda. If memory servers none of the other OEM’s have come close to this amount of stretch and some have never ventured there at all.
I sat on the Fury and to my surprise the ergonomics seemed very comfortable, Honda has managed to capture the chopper feel but remain true to its self with excellent fit finish and build quality! Mr. Honda’s little piston ring company has come a long way, I’m sure he would be proud of the Fury.
They Stayed very true to these early release sketches!
In an effort to continue to best serve our customers, Old Bike Barn regularly sends staff to show’s around the country to keep up with the latest trends in motorcycling. We just got back from the New York Cycle World show and I’ve got a lot to cover. Bill the OBB girls and I, had a great time with a warm welcome from many friends and fans.
We even got to meet up with Dee Snider lead singer of Twisted Sister. The roads were hellish as usual this time of year. The normal 5.5 hour drive back to the Adirondacks mushroomed into almost 8. Tired and road weary I’m still going to get some content out as fast as I can. There are a few exiting things we saw at the show that just can’t wait; including the New Honda Fury, Billy Joel’s famous Cafe Racer as well as a few of Indian Larry’s most famous Bikes.
I’ll have some product reviews, and political news on bill 416-which, seriously threatens the rights of motorcyclists in New York State. If 416-A makes it to law in New York it affects us all as these types of legislation tend to spread.
For now here are a few shots of the OBB crew and a link to our pro Photographer Tristan Brand’s Flickr page with hundreds of shots of the show!
The Old Bike Barn Crew in NYC with Dee Snider lead singer of Twisted Sister
Bear and Bill of Old Bike Barn with Indian Larry's famous "Daddy-O"
I been meaning to for a long while to put up some shots of my buddy Scott Thompson and his 2 rides… one he and his section confiscated from Taliban forces in Afghanistan and the other his pimped out V-Star back home, with many mods and custom parts form www.oldbikebarn.com Scott and I severed together way back when and he continues to solider on with yet another tour of duty on the way… I hope we find the time to get in the wind his summer! Speaking of veteran here’s I sit I like to promote http://www.powmia.com/
Steve “Carpy” Carpenter has once again out done him self with the Koppa Cafe bike seen here, truly as site to behold with a fully blown hopped up CB750 motor.
Don’t for get Cafe Fan’s here at www.oldbikebarn.comwe Carpy’s entire line of Cafe Racer parts. Click the image about to Carpy’s site and the build of this sure to be famous Cafe Racer.
