Yamaha's new toys

[acecycleins]

Now, I am not really a MX or ATV guy, but can you imagine the possibilities of knobbies and great suspension range with something like this? I know the initial design was intended for "street" application, but Yamaha could be on to something with this design. Odd, funky, not to everyones taste, but innovative, clever and inspiring come to mind.


•Tesseract (Special exhibition model / prototype)
This is a hybrid 4-wheeled vehicle powered by a combination of a liquid-cooled V-twin gasoline engine and an electric motor. It is also designed with a unique dual-scythe suspension that enables cornering with a lean (banking) like a motorcycle despite the 4-wheel format. There is also a dual arm-lock system that keeps the machine upright when at rest without a stand. It offers excellent performance and maneuverability with a machine width roughly equivalent to that of a 2-wheeler.

[seruzawa]

How do you take the possible consumer movement towards these sorts of consumer toys? I see this and the Can-Am trike as a way of putting people who are too afraid of motorcycles on vehicles that are high risk. I mean that if someone doesn't have the courage and coordination to get on a motorcycle he sure doesn't belong on one of these.

Similarly, the proliferation of ATVs has filled the emergency rooms on weekends with idiots who seem to think that riding an ATV is safer than a motorcycle. Au contraire. ATV injuries are usually worse than off-road motorcycle injuries, largely because more people are on them who are incompetent and ATVs are more likely to roll over on people. I know two emergency room nurses and both say that the ATV accidents are the worst epidemic by far for juvenile and adult recreational injuries in the Salt Lake area.

I shudder to think of the same clowns I see on ATVs on the weekend riding these 4 wheeled contraptions around town.

[longride]

Originally Posted by seruzawa

How do you take the possible consumer movement towards these sorts of consumer toys? I see this and the Can-Am trike as a way of putting people who are too afraid of motorcycles on vehicles that are high risk. I mean that if someone doesn't have the courage and coordination to get on a motorcycle he sure doesn't belong on one of these.

Similarly, the proliferation of ATVs has filled the emergency rooms on weekends with idiots who seem to think that riding an ATV is safer than a motorcycle. Au contraire. ATV injuries are usually worse than off-road motorcycle injuries, largely because more people are on them who are incompetent and ATVs are more likely to roll over on people. I know two emergency room nurses and both say that the ATV accidents are the worst epidemic by far for juvenile and adult recreational injuries in the Salt Lake area.

I shudder to think of the same clowns I see on ATVs on the weekend riding these 4 wheeled contraptions around town.

Maybe helmets will solve all the problems?

[Buzglyd]

Originally Posted by seruzawa

How do you take the possible consumer movement towards these sorts of consumer toys? I see this and the Can-Am trike as a way of putting people who are too afraid of motorcycles on vehicles that are high risk. I mean that if someone doesn't have the courage and coordination to get on a motorcycle he sure doesn't belong on one of these.

Similarly, the proliferation of ATVs has filled the emergency rooms on weekends with idiots who seem to think that riding an ATV is safer than a motorcycle. Au contraire. ATV injuries are usually worse than off-road motorcycle injuries, largely because more people are on them who are incompetent and ATVs are more likely to roll over on people. I know two emergency room nurses and both say that the ATV accidents are the worst epidemic by far for juvenile and adult recreational injuries in the Salt Lake area.

I shudder to think of the same clowns I see on ATVs on the weekend riding these 4 wheeled contraptions around town.

The sit down style Personal Watercraft enabled a bunch of morons to bust themselves up at the rivers and lakes too.

[acecycleins]

If you look at the thing closely (yamaha has it on their tokyo show site) you'll notice the stance of the thing. I believe that there are possibilities in the off-road sector. Not novice, in any way. But serious off-road competition applications could be done. Like a cross between MX and comp ATV. If you could get weights in the 300lbs range and manage to get 65hp out of it, well, the fun should ensue......

[mscuddy]

I think it shoud have been a three-wheeler. And with big baloon tires too.

Wait a second....

[Kenneth_Moore]

Originally Posted by seruzawa

How do you take the possible consumer movement towards these sorts of consumer toys? I see this and the Can-Am trike as a way of putting people who are too afraid of motorcycles on vehicles that are high risk. I mean that if someone doesn't have the courage and coordination to get on a motorcycle he sure doesn't belong on one of these.

I shudder to think of the same clowns I see on ATVs on the weekend riding these 4 wheeled contraptions around town.

I think that is an extremely perceptive remark. In fact, I have thought exactly the same thing: These things have all of the dangers of a real bike, yet do not demand the same level of commitment and/or training to use. And in fact, they're so easy to wail around on doing slides and burnouts and such, I suspect they're going to be splattering their new riders all over place.

You're pretty smart for a Harley rider.

[sarnali2]

That's where you're wrong. They have four wheels, ergo they are perfectly fine for 5 and 6 year olds to blast around on wearing t-shirts, shorts and plastic bicycle helmets.

Only motorcycles are dangerous.

[pplassm]

Originally Posted by Kenneth_Moore

I think that is an extremely perceptive remark. In fact, I have thought exactly the same thing: These things have all of the dangers of a real bike, yet do not demand the same level of commitment and/or training to use. And in fact, they're so easy to wail around on doing slides and burnouts and such, I suspect they're going to be splattering their new riders all over place.

You're pretty smart for a Harley rider.

Exactly. Quads suck, in any incarnation. They're not too bad out West, I guess, but they have totally hosed off-road riding here in the East. Their proliferation and idiotic riders have destroyed trail systems and given us all a bad image.

Put them all in a pile and light the fuse.

[seruzawa]

Originally Posted by sarnali2

That's where you're wrong. They have four wheels, ergo they are perfectly fine for 5 and 6 year olds to blast around on wearing t-shirts, shorts and plastic bicycle helmets.

Only motorcycles are dangerous.

... my favorite Labor Day weekend fishing hole after the State designated it part of an ATV approved area. I've had @ssholes ride right through my camp.... even through the firepit. But the last straw was watching these people riding down the roads without even eye protection with their infants perched on their laps. I just couldn't take it any more. Now we only go to areas where ATVs are rare or banned. It's those quad jerks who have gotten more areas closed that the motorcycles used for decades without problem. Them and the mountain bikes. don't get me started on those granola crunching yaehoos and what they've done to Moab.