Motorcycle Future

  PREV UP NEXT  

The B91 Wraith

PHOTO COURTESY CONFEDERATE MOTOR COMPANY

Although the basic design of the motorcycle remains the same, motorcycle
engineering continues to enjoy innovation and gradual evolution. Consider the
two vehicles shown below. The B91 Wraith from Confederate Motor Company is
a $50,000 motorcycle with a carbon-fiber frame and a molded carbon-fiber fuel
container placed under the engine. The Dodge's Tomahawk is not even a
motorcycle in the strictest definition. To handle the massive V10 Viper engine,
Tomahawk designers had to add two more wheels. They also had to move the
gas tank to the front fender to shield it from the engine's heat.

The Tomahawk is essentially a concept vehicle, but it demonstrates America's

fascination with two-wheeled transportation and underscores why people ride
motorcycles in the first place -- speed, power and the thrill of the ride.
Motorcycle accessories are becoming more high-tech as well. For example,
BMW's K1200 LT Elite offers a built-in navigation system that dictates turn-by-
turn directions through speakers in the helmet. The prototype Blue Eye Helmet
features the world's first head-up display -- a 320- by 240-pixel color LCD
positioned two inches from the eye.

For more information about motorcycles, check out the links on the following
page.

Related HowStuffWorks Articles

 How Harley-Davidson Works

 How Bicycles Work
 How Car Engines Work
 How Manual Transmissions Work
 How Clutches Work
 How Gears Work
 How Gyroscopes Work
 How Gasoline Works
 How Gas Prices Work
More Great Links

 Harley-Davidson USA
 Indian Motorcycles
 American Motorcyclist Association
 Motorcycle Industry Council
 Bikez -- motorcycle encyclopaedia
Sources

Books

 Holmstrom, Darwin and Charles Everitt. The Complete Idiot's Guide to

Motorcycles, 3rd ed. New York: Alpha Books. ISBN 1592573037
 Green, William. Harley-Davidson: The Living Legend. New York: Crescent
Books. ISBN 0517066831
Reference
  Encyclopedia Britannica 2005, s.v. "motorcycle." CD-ROM, 2005.
 Encyclopedia Britannica 2005, s.v. "bicycle." CD-ROM, 2005.
 Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2005, s.v. "motorcycle."
 DK Ultimate Visual Dictionary, s.v. "The motorcycle," "The motorcycle
chassis," "Motorcycle engines," "Competition motorcycles." New York: DK
Publishing, Inc.
Promotional Material

 "Journey to adventure: Ten-step guide to motorcycling." Brochure

produced by the Motorcycle Industry Council Inc.
Print Articles

 Brown, Joe. "Rev your ride," Popular Science, March 2003.

 Harbison, Martha. "Dodge's 4-wheel Tomahawk," Popular Science. March
2003.
 Kirschner, Suzanne Kantra and Jenny Everett. "And now, onboard
navigation for bikers," Popular Science. February 2002.
 Murphy, Myatt. "The ultimate 2-wheel racing machine," Popular Science.
May 2002.
 "What's new: Motorcycling," Popular Science. August 2002.
Web Articles

 Tretheway, Steve and Terry Katz. "Motorcycle gangs or motorcycle mafia?"

National Alliance of Gang Investigators Associations, 1998.
http://www.nagia.org/Motorcycle_Gangs.htm
 Tharp, Dave. "The first motorcycle?" Motorcycle.com.
http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mcmuseum/firstbike.html
 Yager, Mark. "Safety bits: High-speed steering." Motorcycle.com.
http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mcnews/safe2.html
 "Quebec's motorcycle gangs," CBC News Online. March 2, 2004.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/bikergangs/
Web sites

 Harley-Davidson USA http://www.harley-davidson.com

 Honda Motorcycles http://powersports.honda.com/motorcycles
 Indian Motorcycle http://www.indianmotorcycle.com