Tag Archives: flying motorcycle

Lazareth ‘flying motorcycle’ finally hovers

A four-wheeled leaning electric motorcycle has finally shown it can get off the ground with a video showing it at least hovers.

French motorcycle designer Ludovic Lazareth has converted his previous Maserati V8-powered four-wheel leaning motorcycle into an electric version with jet turbines in the wheels.

In December, Lazareth posted this teaser video promising the LM496 or “La Moto Volante” (the Flying Motorcycle) would be unveiled in January 2019.

However, their jet-powered motorcycle failed to take off at the launch party.

Now, the company has released a new video in which the LM496 hovers about a metre above a platform.

It’s not really flying. And the bike is tethered on each corner to prevent an accident.

How La Moto Volante works

When the La Moto Volante is on its centre stand, the wheels rotate outwards to horizontal.

Lazareth LM496 flying motorcycle
Turbine jets

Then German Jetcat turbines in each wheel fire directly downward to elevate the bike, like a Harrier Jump Jet or a manned drone.

While the short hover may not be much, it’s a start.

And it is not that this will be the first flying motorcycle nor the first commercially available.

Pigs’ might fly

Scorpion hoverbikes flying

In fact, Dubai police will soon be using drone motorcycles to patrol city streets.

Rather than flying like a plane, the $US150,000 (about $A212,500) Russian Hoversurf Scorpion also hovers.

Earlier this month, Jetpack Aviation also announced plans for flying motorcycles.

However, so far they have only provided artwork and this animated video.

Despite the absence of a working prototype, they are taking pre-orders of US$10,000 (about $A14,000).

It’s called the Speeder and they claim the 240km/h, 105kg, self-stabilising, jet turbine-powered flying motorcycle will climb to 15,000 feet.

However, it will only stay aloft for 20 minutes.

So once again, it may be something only for emergency forces, police and security use.

But the flying motorcycle trend seems to be “taking off”.

How long before we’re all literally flying on our motorcycles?

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

A year of motorbike technology

Technology dominated motorcycle news this year with jet thrusters to prevent low-siders, sidecars with a drone launching pad, plus self-riding, self-balancing and even flying motorcycles.

While most of these are fanciful or far-off innovations, there was some advance in more useable technology.

Ducati and KTM have made giant leaps forward with Bosch developing blind spot alerts to prevents sideswipe accidents and adaptive cruise control that keeps  the bike a set distance from vehicles in front.

Big Bosch tech

Bosch tests jet thruster year
Bosch tests jet thruster

But the biggest tech story of the year for us was the Bosch jet thrusters that prevent low-siders.

The system uses pressurised gas to blast a jet of air out of the high side of the bike when sensors, gyroscopes and accelerometers detect the wheels sliding sideways.

This sudden jet of air is designed to help counteract the slide pressures and lift the bike back up.

ON the one hand, it would be great to have tech that would prevent low-sides, but just how much will this add to the weight of the bike and its expense.

And, like an airbag inflator it would be a one-time activation, so you would be up for the expense of a new activator after it’s been deployed.

Given the problems with faulty Takata airbags, we’re not so sure about this tech.

Quirky tech of the year

There have been some quirky bits of tech this year.

One of the most interesting is Suzuki beacon light that shines on the roof to make traffic aware of the rider’s presence.

They filed for a patent this year so it may be a while before that comes to market.

Furion M1 Hybrid SportBike with Wankel rotary engine year
Furion M1 Hybrid SportBike

Then there’s the Furion M1 hybrid motorcycle from France that has a Wankel rotary engine  and an electric motor. So far, its only CAD images on a computer screen.

And here’s some tech you never thought you would need that will be available soon in Australia.

The Russian Ural AIR outfit includes a DJI Spark drone and a special discrete and waterproof compartment with a launching platform!

And while a new electric motorcycle company seems to spring up every week this year, Ural also unveiled its plans for the world’s first electric outfit with batteries under the chair.

URAL electric sidecar prototype year
URAL electric sidecar prototype

Perhaps the strangest tech is the Lazareth La Moto Volante Maserati V8-powered four-wheel leaning motorcycle with jet turbines in the wheels s it can fly like a drone.

La Moto Volante is planned for release on January 31.

Maserati Quattroporte engine powers this Lazareth LM 847 quad concept flying year
Maserati Quattroporte engine powers this Lazareth LM 847 quad concept

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com