Honda to Sell Hybrid Motorcyles In Two Years
Honda will start selling gas-electric HYBRID MOTORCYCLES in two years, and all-electric motorcycles in three, according to a report in Japan's Mainichi newspaper. The hybrid hog will use the same technology as Honda's hybrid cars, but miniaturized. The conventional wisdom has been that building hybrid motorcycles would be impossible, but Honda says they can do it.
4:32 PM * PERMALINK * 27 comments
Comments:
This may be a good idea in terms of fuel economy, but undoubtedly not so from the aspect of safety.
Anyone who's ridden two-wheelers for several years (in my case, for 57 years) knows we have to drive not only for ourselves, but also for the folks behind the wheel of a truck or car. Anything we can do to make ourselves more noticeable to four-wheelers improves our chances of survival.
That's why, in my opinion, operating a vehicle that would be almost silent would have negative implications in terms of safety. Maybe riders of the new bikes should carry radios that would play a recording of a real noisy Harley. :-)
In case you were not aware of it, the term "hog" does not apply to all motorcycles. It strictly refers to Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and should not be used when refering to ordinary motorcycles.
**** In case you were not aware of it, the term "hog" does not apply to all motorcycles. ****
That's why it's funny to apply the word to a dorky Honda hybrid.
Mike
Anonymous said: "In case you were not aware of it, the term "hog" does not apply to all motorcycles. It strictly refers to Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and should not be used when refering to real motorcycles."
Fixed.
Harleys are such a waste of time and money. Talk about a poser bike.
Im in for an electric bike.
doclocke,
If you think loud pipes are going to save you from a crash, you're fooling yourself. With today's quiet luxury cars, loud stereos and distracting cell phones, unless the bike is already in front of a car, they aren't going going to hear you. It may add a small edge in some cases, but for the most part safety lies in the hands of the rider.
Ordinary? Dorky? Honda is the king of motorcycles throughout the world. Honda is in a different category altogether and HD appeals to an entirely different demographic; It really is stupid to bring up HD in this conversation.
Doclocke:
I couldn't disagree with you more.
Not only have I been riding for quite a number of years, but I also work in emergency services.
Loud motorcycles do nothing more than to limit the places that are willing to allow motorcycles access. (Parks for example)
If loud pipes work, why don't we see a disproportionate amount of quiet bikes in accidents? (And why aren't we encouraged to ride with our horns on all the time?)
My clothing is bright, my bike is covered in reflective material, and I have plenty of lights all around.
I'm very excited at the premise of a hybrid motorcycle! I can't wait to see what the Honda engineers can make of it!
I don't feel it was "stupid" to bring up HD, he was merely correcting the authors terminology.
Anything we can do to make ourselves more noticeable to four-wheelers improves our chances of survival.
If survival is so important to the exhaust amplifier crowd, why do so many wear black, no helmets, and spend all day drinking and riding back and forth across town from bar to bar? Honestly I'm curious what you "think".
I agree with Zack. I average about 16k miles or so a year and every last mile of those I consider myself invisible.
I long for the day when an all electric near silent bike is available so that the only noise I ever hear is wind and nature (I'm separating the two in order to account for the wind being created by riding...).
Only reason I would own a loud Harley would be to sell it for a BMW bike.
Wow. That'll be good. I would want one.
Quite interesting story.
"In case you were not aware of it, the term "hog" does not apply to all motorcycles. It strictly refers to Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and should not be used when refering to ordinary motorcycles."
-pick, pick, pick; you are probably about as annoying in real life as those obnoxiously loud "hogs".
i long for a quieter world.
I don't think an electric bike would be "quiet". There is sure to be some electric motor noise. Speaking of sound, A goldwing is a very quiet bike, hard to hear the motor at cruising speed. Most of the noise is tire,wind generated.
I think those devices that pulse the headlight do make motorcycles more visible to on coming traffic.
In before pretentious Harley guys talk about.... FUCK beaten.
I ride a Honda because I like riding motorcycles. I don't need an image, I don't need a loud bike, and I don't need to waste more money on gas.
I sincerely agree that a loud bike isn't any more safe than a bike with no noise. Plus, the bikes are HYBRIDS,they'll most likely just have an electric first gear.
I for one, look forward to a bike that IS completely silent however - so I can listen to the wind and nothing else. :)
Good god, how long will this stupidity and urban legend that "loud bikes are safe" go on? It's been proven, in safety study after safety study, that louder bikes aren't safer. Motorists don't hear them. They noise does, however, upset neighborhoods and lead to all sorts of anti-biker rules.
If you want motorists to notice you, wear bright clothing. It's the visual clues that have been linked to a lower chance of accidents.
I think Hybrid motorbikes are a pretty good idea, provided that they give off enough noise as before. It's a saving grace to be seen and heard. Even riding a moped in Ottawa i need the attention in heavy traffic
I think this is a great idea. As opposed to one of the previous comments, I don't think that exhaust pipe noise will help you to survive meeting and idiot cage driver any more than wearing a wild coloured clothes and helmet. Both these things work only with drivers who actually care what's going on outside their car! :) I think the primary protection of every motorcyclist is his own brain - you have to think for yourself and others road users at once. If you don't see danger coming your way, you can't expect the other party is any more likely to see it (no matter how loud or bright coloured you are).
More on motorcycle fuel economy ... Cheers
I believe that this whole idea of hybrid cars and motorcycles is just the first step in this process. It's a shame to see other types of energy that have no emission and do not use much power that are not being funded or even glanced at by the federal government. I think that the hybrids will give way to newer and better ideas that are already being deviated from the wonderful engineers that we should all be grateful for for the things they've given us. I can't wait to see magnetism being incorporated into society.
I've dreamed of owning a hybrid motorcycle for nearly a decade now. Why? Because of the silence. I get all of the wind and torque and fuel efficiency without the guilt of waking people up at night or annoying people at work. Loud bikes are just like loud car stereos. Noise pollution.
Back in 2007, Piaggio announced that they were developing hybrid versions of some of their scooters, including the three-wheel MP3: here an article from MotorcycleUSA.com. I wonder if and when they will be for sale.
And yes, I know, scooters are NOT motorcycles...
I'll be interested to see what they come up with. Hopefully something viable economically and adequate performance with the 1st gen attempt.
BTW, HOG refers to loud underpowered bad handling/reliability poser bike that spends most of its time in a garage, in front of a bar, or on a trailer to a bar more than 50 miles away. But what did the "HOG" definition have to do with the article?
A "HOG" is any large displacement cruiser type motorcycle, American and metrics included. The term is commonly used with Harleys, but it's very old jargon that dates back over 50 years. HD tried to copyright it a few years ago, but the courts threw out the case. HD, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Triumph, Kawasaki, Indian, etc. all have models that can be called a "HOG".
Loud pipes save lives:
If my car stereo isn't half way down...I can't hear what's going on outside (luxury car).
The #1 cause of motorcycle accidents happen for not utilizing "turn signals" (lights, not the hand ones) and riders that weave in an out of traffic or going faster and not being able to correct a miscalculated pass.
99% of the fault is carried by automobile drivers who change lanes in high traffic situations without using their turn signal.
That's 100% the only way other drivers and drivers will know your intention.
At fault: car drivers and moto riders for not using caution, and common sense.
OK, I can't take anymore..... if "Loud" doesn't make people hear you coming how come emergency vehicles use siren's AND lights???
In reply to the dumb ass "anonymous"
Loud... OK that's a given
Underpowered.... have you not seen or read of a Harley since the 70's? They are very powerful, some models have up to 100 HP, without power adders
Bad handling... the Sportster's and Dyna's are among the best handling large bike (i.e. NOT a sport bike) in the world!
Bad reliability... you really have been in a cave since the 70's! Harley's are among the only current model bikes that regularly see well over 100k miles without major service
Spends most of their time in a garage, in front of a bar or on a trailer to a bar 50 miles away.... uh, only fagots trailer their bikes, gay's own every brand! Not to mention that Harley has more all weather riders, than the other brands, except for maybe BMW!
And poser bike...?? Why don't you ride your Vespa here and say that?
Anyone who has actually ridden a bike with stock exhaust, then put louder pipes on can tell you how many more people see them, it does make a difference, some look for the sound, others look to see a bad ass bike, either way it does work. (remember the "experts" are the ones who used to tell us that the world was flat, and space was un-reachable)
As far as the original point of the article goes, a hybrid bike, whatever the brand IS a great idea, anything that helps us out of the crisis we are in, is a welcome addition! Most motorcycles now-a days get 45+ mpg anyways (yes, even Harley's) so I personally believe the engineers should spend more time on cars and trucks, fix the guzzlers first, then go for the efficient for refinement!
Post a Comment
<< Home