Performance Cruiser - Oxymoron?

**wkid_one** · 2nd July 2004, 07:37

Check out Hondas new concept performance cruiser

Vehicle characteristics

Based on a VTX1800 motor
Custom billet engine cases
Chain drive
2 into 2 exhaust with upswept carbon fiber mufflers One on each side
Dual curved "road race" style radiators
Trailing link front suspension Milled from billet aluminum
Dual shocks mounted behind the integrated headlight
Billet swing arm w/ inboard rear shock
Split hub rear wheel with custom offset spoke design
Front & rear wheels are machined from billet aluminum
240/40-18 rear tire
Solo seat with separate back support pad
Angular shaped tank is sculpted for leg clearance
Carbon fiber tank cover houses the digital speedometer
Analog tachometer is fared into the headlight
Upswept angular rear cowl houses the LED tail light

**Motu** · 2nd July 2004, 07:55

The Honda Billet.

**vifferman** · 2nd July 2004, 08:12

I saw this somewhere else, but IIRC, it wasn't Honda that was actually doing this?

I kinda like it, even though it'd prolly be a bit hard to wheelie.

I like your avatar-asses too, Wkid (not that I'd admit to it, of course). Had any complaints about them?

**NordieBoy** · 2nd July 2004, 08:13

That rear wheel is brilliant.

**Bob** · 2nd July 2004, 08:19

It could almost be a naked Hayabusa.

Now THERE is a scary thought!

**James Deuce** · 2nd July 2004, 08:25

Originally Posted by NordieBoy

That rear wheel is brilliant.

Yeah! No axle.

I like this class of bike, but I couldn't live with one as my only ride.

**Dr Bob** · 2nd July 2004, 09:03

Originally Posted by Jim2

Yeah! No axle.

I like this class of bike, but I couldn't live with one as my only ride.

Isn't having no axle a bit iffy? What would be the reason to get rid of it, apart from looks

And again with the mirrors, concept bikes are often lacking about 4 crucial legal requirements.

**Drunken Monkey** · 2nd July 2004, 09:08

Originally Posted by Dr Bob

Isn't having no axle a bit iffy? What would be the reason to get rid of it, apart from looks

And again with the mirrors, concept bikes are often lacking about 4 crucial legal requirements.

That's why they're CONCEPT vehicles, duh. Those concept cars at the big car shows wouldn't meet most road legal standards of any country either, let alone the fact that most of them just have a 'show' motor and have to be wheeled in on the back of a truck. It's to show you what design fashions are influencing their dev. teams at the time. Very rarely do they appear in production runs looking the same as the show car.

**vifferman** · 2nd July 2004, 09:08

Originally Posted by Dr Bob

And again with the mirrors, concept bikes are often lacking about 4 crucial legal requirements.

Yeah. Isn't it brilliant? It's the way things should be evolving, to become less namby-pamby, less politically correct, less safe, more exciting.

Originally Posted by Drunken Monkey

That's why they're CONCEPT vehicles, duh. Those concept cars at the big car shows wouldn't meet most road legal standards of any country either, let alone the fact that most of them just have a 'show' motor and have to be wheeled in on the back of a truck. It's to show you what design fashions are influencing their dev. teams at the time. Very rarely do they appear in production runs looking the same as the show car.

Well, yeah. So people go, "Wow!!! I like me that there cruiserbike!"
And then the watered-down, namby-pamby, politically correct, low emission version comes out....

**Hitcher** · 2nd July 2004, 09:40

This looks a bit "Rune-esque", particularly the headlight, tank lines and exhaust. It looks like it can go!

**pete376403** · 2nd July 2004, 11:36

Still going to get hosed by the Triumph Rocket III - which isn't a concept, it's something that can be bought. Now THAT is a performance cruiser.

**Dr Bob** · 2nd July 2004, 12:28

Originally Posted by Drunken Monkey

That's why they're CONCEPT vehicles, duh. Those concept cars at the big car shows wouldn't meet most road legal standards of any country either, let alone the ......

If the designer has the ability to create a rear vision mirror that both is fully integrated into the design and meets most countries standards, then that is an acheivement. Not putting one on is a cop out. Like an architect that never draws a television in a lounge because he/she thinks it will detract from the image - well duh, if that's the only place for it in the house then it will go there and if it hasn't been well integrated in the design it will most probably look ugly.

**vifferman** · 2nd July 2004, 12:36

Originally Posted by Dr Bob

If the designer has the ability to create a rear vision mirror that both is fully integrated into the design and meets most countries standards, then that is an acheivement. Not putting one on is a cop out.

That's a very good point, Dr Bob.

Maybe designers can't do mirrors, so they just end up snatching summat out of the parts bins at the time the bike's put together.