Motorcycles Finally Go Green

I think motorcycles are doing their part by consuming less gasoline than cars. Regulators need to go after two wheelers?

This, from that artical says what needs to be done.

"Ty van Hooydonk of the Motorcycle Industry Council says there isn't much incentive to develop the bikes until there's a demand for them, given the investment manufacturers must make in R&D, tooling and the like. "If Americans want really green bikes then they'll have to vote with their wallets, and the big manufacturers will then respond," he says."

You can see I'm not a fan of adding more and more government control than is really necessessary. It has it's place, but just how many percent of global "greenhouse emissions" are from motorcycles? Not from just vehicles, but all forms of greenhouse gasses? I am betting a very tiny fraction of one percent.

What I am saying, is that if 1/10,000th of one percent of total global greenhouse emissions are from motorcycles, we should let their low fuel comnsumption take precidence over the govenrment strangling one more industry so we can 'feel good'

Common sense has to prevail. People are becomming more environmentally friendly, and when they start demanding electric and hydrogen fuel cell motorcycles, industry will provide them.

No, I don't own a motorcycle.

I'm not a big fan of government intervention either. That being said, I think what's going on is a result of going after auto manufacturers...the what about them attitude has come to pass. In the end I think it is more responsible for motorcycles to have emissions more in line with average vehicle requirements. And yes I do own a motorcycle. '05 Honda Shadow VLX.

I drive a motorbike on the UK weather and can say I am very lucky because the weather seems to be with me on the morning when I go work.

To come back it's another story.

About cover, you're right to say, my little Del cat, we need extra ones on your body and a nice one around the motorbike.

Funny enough in the UK scooters/motorbikes have less covers than in Italy.

With good gear, windscreen and legs/waist cover you can ride scooter without wetting your clothes.

My mum use to say we need to prepare well for the weather not complaining about, we are too comfortable now.

I like the new 4 stroke scooter doing 80+mpg...think we should carry working out this high mpg researches.

Being an avid proponent of motorcycles; one of my projects for 09 is to finish development of an all electric motivated motorcycle with minimum recharging requirements and few lithium batteries. We've been mostly successful with our regenerative sources and was a challenge due to space while reduction in heat and resistance was a pleasant out come. I'm hoping to take it to Bonneville with me along with a second running with the one pictured in my Avatar. That one, runs on Diesel, gasoline, E-85, and other types of ready available fuels. It also uses some other ideas for increasing efficiency by using more usable internal energy of the fuel in it's operations bringing it's overall fuel consumption way down and increasing mileage. On diesel it's best thus far is 108mpg with the small fairing up front and cruising at 85mph. It will run at 145mph with current gearing. It's an old 82 550 Yamaha. There of course is much more to this but I'm trying to stay on topic here. I strongly believe that, given the past history to electric motivated vehicles we should have been much further along than we are. The demand Henry Ford made along with big financial moguls of the time sent great engineers like C.P. Steinmetz of General Electric out of the market in favor of oil. We have two well known labs here in NM and I work with those who have made amazing strides on electrical regeneration and the storage of electrical power that far exceeds what is commercially available. Sorry to say due to the arrangements of the labs and it's scientists, we will probably not see those developments made public for quite some time or if at all.

Nice,
We'd love to see your bike and your development if you have a few pics, without giving away any secrets.

(Or do a blog.
I'm too lazy to actually have a blog, so I just take pics, write a bit of text and e-mail it Moose (one of the admin guys) you can always send him a PM if you want to try it.)

Del

Hey Del, I do have a blog that I had made available for just a few viewers. Feel free to look through it and make any comments you feel are helpful in it's design or what is being stated. My Patent attorney made me take off a bunch of photos I thought were not all that of a problem, but whatever. Most of what is there is on the fuel systems. We'll start in February, if all goes well, to complete the electric bike by July. Or so is the plan. The blog is: www.energyextraction.blogspot.com.

Thanks for that, nice blog.
I don't have the facilities to mess with engines these days...I fondly remember tuning motorbikes and scooters as a kid, but on the 'minimum cost maximum return' principle (yup that's elbow grease opening out 2 stroke ports)

Best of luck with it in 2009.
Del