Very Cool Carbon Fiber Bike

[stimmer6253472]

Like to see it in action on the FMX circuit.

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/10/ ... p=features

[troy]

The Skycraft is so minimally designed that it carries its fuel within the frame, and its carbon fiber rear swing arm doubles as a silencer for the exhaust.

Wow! I'm a bit surprised it still weighs 165 lbs, but tires alone weigh a lot I suppose. I love to see engineering pushing the edges. There are different considerations and concerns between designing a bike to compete in single, arena race events, where the machine can be rebuilt after every race, and designing a bike to endure years of monthly abuse at Chadwick by the casual user who will do nothing more than change the oil and lube the chain. Unencumbered by facts, I think KTM has done an amazing job of creating a machine that is mostly "race ready" yet stands up to years of abuse with relatively simple maintenance.

I remain more excited about how electric motors can revolutionize our riding. The noise our machines make is what people object to more than anything. The day a battery can sustain 6 to 8 hours of riding and recharge in less than 2 hours seems a very long way off.

[Savage]

I lipo battery and brushless motor can put out crazy power and both are super efficient. If the manufactures would retard the motor they could last all day with good batteries. The main problems are cost and they can pack SO much energy into a tight package that the batteries will burst into flames if you don't charge them correctly. For a small motor, ESC and battery that you could hold in your hand, you're looking at $400-$500.