Eideard

Yamaha’s press conference at the Tokyo Motor Show today was a genuine sign of the times. Four brand new world premiers were shown. The largest internal combustion engine amongst them was a 250cc model with fat tires designed to go anywhere – the SUV of motorcycles was the claim.

There was also a three-wheeled electric commuter, a fold-up electric pedal-assist bicycle and, wait for it, a 188 U.S. miles/gallon retro 125cc commuter that’s somewhere between a bicycle and motorcycle – it weighs just 80 kg and it is beautiful…

Modeled on Yamaha’s first motorcycle, the YA-1, the Yamaha Y125 is a modern interpretation of that motorcycle. Though the YA-1 was itself a copy of the German DKW RT125 and was powered by a two-stroke engine, I am certain readers will agree the Yamaha concept has faithfully updated the YA-1.

The YA-1 weighed around 140 kilograms and produced 5.6 bhp @ 5000 rpm for what was at the time, a highly competitive motorcycle not just on the road, but on the racetrack.

The big difference with the Y125 is in the fuel consumption. Yamaha claims the bike uses its “world” 125cc four-stroke motor, though the engine certainly seems to have been lightened and polished and beautified, and heaven knows what they’ve done with the internals.

The Y125 uses what is by today’s standards, close to a bicycle frame with sophisticated lightweight suspension and similarly, the brakes are also featherweight. The end result is a bike that tips the scales at 80 kg – just a tad more than half the original YA-1′s total…

The “world” motor Yamaha claims is used in the bike produces double the horsepower of the original YA-1, so the Y125 will never be embarrassed for acceleration or top speed on urban roads. The 80kg weight will ensure it is far quicker than your average scooter to ride, and the fuel consumption…is testimony to what can be done when you really want to achieve economy in a two-wheeler.

I’d be willing to risk these old bones on a critter as attractive and economical as this for errands to town – or wandering back roads for opportunistic photography sessions. Heavier rear springs to aid attaching a dual bag carrier would be nice for a grocery catch-up trip that loses control.

It surely is a pretty little bike.

 
Police in Utah are searching for a group of construction workers, students and bystanders. But for a good reason.

This group is credited with saving a man’s life by working together to lift a burning car and pull a man to safety.

It was a “life-saving move that the Logan Police Department does not want to go unnoticed,” said Jeff Curtis, assistant chief of the police department in Logan, Utah.

The incident occurred Monday morning on a street near Utah State University and was captured on video.

Police said the BMW pulled out of a parking lot and in front of Wright. Curtis said the motorcyclist tried to avoid the car, which resulted in him laying the motorcycle down. After crashing, gas spilled out of the motorcycle and ignited, engulfing both the motorcycle and the front end of the car in flames…The motorcyclist became lodged underneath the burning vehicle…

Curtis said police are trying to find the people who helped so they can be recognized for their efforts at a city council meeting.

Bravo. Ordinary people torn an their ordinary day by extraordinary circumstances. Caring – as we all should – for the life of another human being.

Michael Wiles, 29, was seen on Melbourne’s busy Eastern Freeway effectively “wearing” the barbecue as he carried it home after finding it by the side of the road.

He had inserted his body through the wooden frame and was peering through a protruding steel grate to see his way as he drove along at speeds of up to 46mph.

Police investigated after his antics were photographed from a passing car. The picture later found its way on to the internet and was widely circulated in emails.

Mr Wiles, a New Zealander who lives in the Australian city of Melbourne, admitted the charge when he appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Paul McClure, his defence lawyer, said Mr Wiles’s excuse was “lack of thought processes” at the time and poverty…

Mr McClure said his client had been approached by a barbecue company to appear in an advertisement after his photograph was published but he had declined to do so.

Lionel Winton-Smith, the presiding magistrate, said he could not recall a case like it in his years on the bench. “I’m trying to think of a word to describe it,” he said.

“Ridiculous?” suggested Mr McClure.

“Ridiculous. That will do,” agreed the magistrate.

He fined Mr Wiles A$800 and disqualified him from driving for one month.

Having done similar silliness I can’t really criticize Mr. Wiles for what he did.

No – it wasn’t any brighter when I did it. But, then, I wasn’t caught.

The new Mission One electric motorcycle from San Francisco startup Mission Motors, unveiled in prototype today at TED 2009 in Long Beach, Calif., maxes out at 150 mph without an ounce of gas or puff of tailpipe exhaust.

This comes on the heels of reports that Yamaha and Honda plan to launch battery-powered electric motorcycles aimed at rivaling today’s gas-powered bikes in 2010 and 2011, respectively. But while Honda wants to hit the mass market with a low-cost, long-distance option, Mission Motors is aiming for the high-end performance market with its lithium-ion battery-powered motorcycle — much like Tesla Motors with its luxury electric sports car, the Roadster.

“With the Mission One, we’re writing the next chapter in motorcycle design, delivering a new riding experience without sacrificing performance or design in a zero emissions vehicle,” Mission Motors founder and CEO (and former Tesla engineer) Forrest North said in a release today.

Now, if the company can deliver on its claims that the bike will go 150 miles on a two-hour charge — and make it to production, a painfully thorny phase for Tesla — then let the oohs and aahs begin.

Wowee, zowee!