Yamaha Motor Co has showcased its 04GEN scooter design concept model at the Vietnam motorcycle show 2016, which was held in Ho Chi Minh City from April 7-10. The show was the first two-wheeler expo held in Vietnam.

The 04GEN’s design is based on Yamaha’s RUN-WAY concept, which is aimed at women buyers who seek an image of dignified elegance and grace. 'RUN' stands for 'Revolutionary, Unique, Noble'. Compared to regular scooter body structures, which hide the frame with exterior parts, the 04GEN only covers the frame with semi-transparent exterior parts. For instance, the scooter features a unique a pair of translucent wings, like that of a dragonfly that fold down over the side panels – though they apparently have no function. The feature many have been incorporated to infuse a sense of lightness to the body.

The concept aims to make a contrast between the old and the new by using authentic real leather and innovative semi-transparent resin. Also, 04GEN indicates that it is the fourth concept by the company to use transparent materials as a design feature.

This is the fifth GEN design concept in Yamaha’s series. The 01GEN in 2014 was a crossover motorcycle with two wheels at the front; the 02GEN was an alluring electrically power-assisted wheelchair, also in 2014, and in 2015 the 03GEN, mobility enhanced by optional colours, materials. The next was the TRICITY. The 04GEN takes off from there.

Production details have not been revealed yet, and it's unlikely to see the concept in India anytime soon. 

Courtesy : Autocar

There aren’t many alternatives to the front fork suspension on motorcycles and the ones that exist have their own set of issues but Motorcycle Innovation from Australia might have a solution

If there was ever a shrink for the front suspension on a motorcycle, the telescopic forks would probably be their best patient. Why? Well for starters, the front telescopic forks found on over 90 percent of motorcycles worldwide are essentially a compromise. It is the least bad idea humanity has when it comes to the front suspension on a motorcycle. But an Australian firm by the name of Motorcycle Innovation or Motoinno for short (their idea not ours) might have found a solution to the least bad idea that has stuck around for almost a hundred years. And the new solution claims to be a second faster per corner compared to the telescopic forks. But before we get into the solution allow us to explain why does the telescopic suspension desperately needs a shrink.

The telescopic issue 

 The front suspension of a bike especially on the high performance ones is always under tremendous amount of pressure from braking, steering and of course keeping the tyre stuck to the ground. The very simple reason for that is physics and Newton’s third law of motion. Every time you brake hard the hot front tyre constantly tries to push the suspension backwards, then there is the upwards and downwards motion every time you go over bumps and the pressure and flex only increases when you’re cornering. On a bumpy corner the suspension isn’t only moving up and down but has to cope with sideways flex as well. This makes the bike inherently unstable which means even the best handling bikes today are actually rather unstable. 

Now to counter the braking forces and to ensure the front suspension can take all that punishment, the headstock, where the front forks are mounted has to be massively reinforced with metal to reduce flex to a minimum. This not only adds weight but also puts a significant amount of weight right up front where you least want it. In addition, most forks on the bigger bikes these days are upside-down which are much stiffer than conventional ones but they still flex under hard braking and create stiction which makes harder for the suspension to absorb bumps. When you’re leaned over in a corner there is a bit of sideways flex as well which causes the front to wobble, it ultimately results in loss of traction and a lowside crash.

Forks also tend to dive under braking and this changes the rake and trail steering geometry making the bike harder to control, hence the notion, finish your braking before you enter a corner. However, a steeper rake does make a motorcycle handle better but at the cost of top end stability. So for years riders have been simply riding around these problems and manufacturers have been battling the top speed or handling conundrum. 

Although there is an alternative in the form of hub-centre steering like the one used on the Bimota Tesi 3D and the Vyrus motorcycles. Hub-centre steering basically mounts the front wheel on a swing arm reaching back to the engine. Now this does take the weight off the front and eliminate brake dive but then then the steering lock is almost non-existent which can be tackled by a wider swingarm but then that can drag on the tarmac and lift the front off the ground resulting again, in a lowside. Plus, this system uses complex steering system to connect the wheel to the handlebar and steering slop by up to one centimeter is quite common. Then there’s the lack of steering feel not to mention the sheer expense and difficulty of repair. That’s why you don’t see many manufacturers opting for this system.

So what’s so special about this new system?

Well for starters it looks like nothing we or the world has seen before. And it isn’t on the simple side, it is rather complicated so you’ll have to bear with us. The official name of the system is TS3 which stands for Triangulated Steering and Suspension system and unlike most motorcycles where a suspension is designed around a bike this is the other way round and looks like something straight out of a science fiction movie albeit with a Ducati Testastretta 11 900cc L-twin. 

The front suspension system in itself works like a parallelogram. The wheel is held by a triangular brace which remains at a constant angle. Then there are two more arms attached to the top and bottom of this brace which connect to the pivot points mounted on the top and bottom of the chassis. This helps counter the braking forces and helps keep the bike neutral. 

Now, the top part of the triangular brace is connected to the handlebars. This beam moves independent of the entire system so the lower part of the triangle connected to the parallelogram on the pivot points remains firm when you turn the wheel. This is achieved thanks to the use of scissor links to connect the handlebars to the steering mechanism to isolate the suspension from the steering. 

The biggest advantage of this system is that it can be tuned to any preference. The rake and trail angles are adjustable so you can have it setup for the street one day and for the track on a Sunday. In addition, you can even dial in whatever brake dive you would like or none at all or even reverse where the front rises during braking, we’re not sure if that’s preferable though. Plus, the absence of massive tubes obstructing the handlebar help give the bike a tight turning radius as well. The closes we can put it is that it is quite similar to the MacPherson Struts used in cars. 

Unfortunately we haven’t ridden it yet but we know someone who has, two time Isle of Man TT winner, Australian rider Cameron Donald. The Motoinno team let him have a go on a Suzuki GSX-R 750 first and then on the TS3 prototype. The results were staggering. The TS3 shaved off a second off the Gixxer’s lap, per corner, not per lap, per corner. 

It might all sound quite farfetched but Motoinno is readying their system for racing and founders Colin Oddy and Ray Van Steenwyk hope to take it to the Moto2 races in the next six months. In addition, they also aim to produce bespoke motorcycles priced between $1,50,000 and $2,00,000. If this suspension system proves itself it could relegate the telescopic forks to the history books ushering in an era of the Triangulated Steering and Suspension System. 

Courtesy :  Zigwheels

KTM had shelved the E-Speed electric scooter project as it felt it didn’t gel with the image of the brand KTM. But according to latest reports the electric scooter might hit production by 2017

KTM has enjoyed great success in the past few years with record number of sales. It seems that the Austrian bikemaker is now planning to revive an old project that it has shelved. According to the recently published annual report, KTM is working on developing a new drivetrain system for urban mobility scenarios. It maybe a suggestion to the fact that KTM is planning to restart its electric drive system mostly for a scooter as it has been mentioned that it will be focussed on urban environments. 

KTM isn’t a novice to the world of electric vehicles as it had showcase the E-Speed at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show and garnered lot of curiosity from the show goers. The KTM E-Speed was positioned as an electric scooter for the urban commuter market with zero-emission. Powering the KTM E-Speed was an electric motor that generated 15PS of peak power and 36Nm of torque, which is delivered to the rear wheel via a belt drive. KTM claimed that the electric scooter could hit speeds up to 80kmph. 

The KTM E-Speed employed -ion batteries with a capacity of 4.36kWh that used to get fully charged within two hours via a regular power socket. KTM claimed that the E-SPEED had a range of 64km on full charge. Given the fact that electric vehicles are slowly gaining demand, KTM might showcase a pre production version of the E-Speed at the 2016 EICMA motorcycle show with a possible launch in 2017. Watch this space for more updates. KTM influence on the electric scooter was clearly evident as it employed trellis frame and suspension duties were taken care of by WP sourced goodies. Braking is done by 220mm dia disc brakes at front and rear. 

Courtesy :  Zigwheels

A sneak peek into the talk-of-the-town Tesla Model 3 that will mark the entry of Elon Musk’s car enterprise in India

The news about the India launch of the most sought-after electric car in the world, the Tesla Model 3 broke out on Friday, but was quickly discarded as a Fool’s Day prank. Soon though, Elon Musk’s public statement confirmed the entry of Tesla in the sub-continent with its new sedan, soon after which, the bookings for the car were declared open.

The Tesla Model 3, ever since, has been the talk of the town. Here we look at the top five facts about the car that make it really drool-worthy.

Roof completely made of glass

On the design front, the car's roof area is one continuous pane of glass, which drew a roar of applause from the audience during Elon Musk’s speech at the launch. The all-glass roof culminates into a semi-glass boot trunk at the rear.

Tesla has established a pretty crisp and coherent design vocabulary with the Model S and Model X, and the Model 3 is a pretty clear development of those basic ideas. 

The absence of a grille on the front is a notable feature while the headlight-hood treatment seems inspired by luxury car brands. Overall the new 5-seater electric sedan looks a toned down version of the Model S.

Thousands of superchargers 

The cars powertrain comes fitted with a total of 7,200 Superchargers, double the number available today, which can propel the car to from 0-60 mph (0-96km) in less than 6 seconds. 

Supercharger support and a 346km range will be standard across all variants and like the Model S, the Model 3 will also come in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive versions.

Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk confirmed on Twitter that the company will set up a pan-India supercharger network. Considering that the car will be available in early 2018, Tesla is expected to utilise this time to set up its infrastructure in the country.

Big screen on the dashboard

Inside the Tesla Model 3, five adults can fit comfortably. It features more cargo capacity than any petrol or diesel car of the same external dimensions. 

Tesla has reportedly tapped electronics company LG to make the giant 15-inch landscape touchscreen display on the inside of the car. This is just 2 inches smaller than the centre screen in Tesla’s flagship Model S sedan and Model X SUV. 

Could be priced in India at around Rs 37 lakh

With a US sticker price of $35,000 (about Rs 23 lakh), the final on-road price in India would depend on how Tesla wishes to present this car in India. If the car is brought to India in parts and assembled here, the import duty would vary between 10 per cent and 30 per cent, depending on the level of assembling done in the country.  

However, if the car is launched in India as a completely built unit, the on-road price would rise by 60 per cent -- the import duty applicable for all imported cars priced below $40,000.  At that level of tariffs, the Tesla Model 3 could land on Indian shores with a price-tag of around Rs 37 lakh.

Book it for Rs 66,000 in India!

With its rather steep pricing, the country’s customers have a chance to block their Model 3 with an equally large token amount of around Rs 66,000 (the rupee equivalent of $1,000). But that hasn’t stopped early adopters like Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma and venture capitalist Mahesh Murthy to book their Teslas already. 

Courtesy :  Zigwheels

Expanding the reach of its flagship touring bike in the country, Mahindra 2-wheelers launched the Mojo in 15 more cities on Friday, informed a press release. Into the second phase of its launch, the Mahindra Mojo has been introduced in 23 more dealerships across 11 states in India. 

The bike was launched in October last year and despite a significant delay in its introduction, is doing decently well in the country’s markets. And after the phase II of its launch, the bike will now be offered in cities like Vizag, Vijawada, Chandigarh, Delhi, Goa, Ahmedabad, Indore, Nagpur, Jaipur, Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Kolkata.

The Indian company’s chief operating officer Vinod Sahay highlighted the importance of the Mojo in its stables, on the occasion. “Taking this (positive) sentiment forward, the bike will now be available across 14 states and 34 dealerships, thus making it possible for more consumers to have access to a superior touring bike,” he said.

“To further enhance the engagement between MOJO owners, we are creating communities in cities where it is launched. The MOJO Tribe will provide a platform for MOJO owners to share their riding experiences and plan similar trails with fellow members. Owners can also share live updates via our exclusive MOJO Tribe Mobile App,” Sahay added.

The Mahindra Mojo is powered by an indigenously developed liquid cooled, single-cylinder unit with a capacity of 295cc. The engine is good for 27PS and 30 Nm. Equipped with a large 21-litre fuel tank, making it ideal for touring, the bike returns around 35km per litre.

Courtesy : Zigwheels