I have absolutely no idea how this became possible. This is not the same batmobile that was seen at various places of the city when the movie The Dark Knight was screened. It looks like a completely useable one and the rider appears to be respecting the State’s helmet laws and wears one too. Whatever it is, it looks awesome and cool. Would be great if they made more of these.
Vintage
29
Jul 10
Batmobile
17
May 10
Yamaha RX 100
Not many around the world know that a Yamaha RX 100 existed. It was introduced in the Indian market in 1985 and was initially available as Completely Knocked Down Kits from Japan. These first bikes were powered by 110 cc motors and later when licensed production started only the 98 cc motors were available.
Very few bikes in the world were produced with absolute perfection. This bike is one of them. In its entire 11 years of production it only underwent changes to its electrical system which was upgraded from 6 volts to a 12 volts system and changes were made to its paint job and nothing else. The bike proved to be worthy and easy to maintain. Its light weight and powerful engine became instantly popular among the youths.
It was withdrawn from the market due to regulations introduced to curb pollution nevertheless this bike has loyal followers and a huge fan base.
9
May 10
Yamaha RD350
Yamaha RD 350 tells the story of Yamaha’s two stroke legacy. This mean machine was introduced in the 70’s and is a breed apart. Though it was meant to be a commuter motorcycle its shear power and handling made it a formidable racing machine on the roads.
It was Yamaha’s love for two stroke engines that put this machine on the road. It is powered by a two stroke, air cooled, 350 cc engine that produces a beefy 39 horses. It has been reported that some variants of this bike had had a peak power output of 44 hp. The machine is capable of speeds in excess of 100 mph.
This bike is truly for the enthusiasts and is too hot for new bikers to handle It threw out so much power that the rider has to lean forward just to keep the front wheel on the ground while accelerating from first gear. This resulted in a lot of accidents, especially to the new riders and hence there is a myth that RD stands for ‘Racing Death’ while in reality it stands for ‘2-stroke Road’.
8
Mar 10
Michaux-Perreaux
Launched in 1968, this is the world’s first motorcycle. The original Michaux-Perreaux still exists in France.
The engine is a small compact steam plant comprising a cylindrical boiler which is mounted horizontally below the bicycle saddle, a steam engine is attached to the top of the main frame of the bicycle. The engine is a small single-cylinder, double-acting, unit and though the power output was low, the motorcycle has a speed of 10 m.p.h. The rider starts the cycle by foot-pedals on the front wheel and once forward motion was established steam under pressure was admitted to the cylinder. Transmission was by two leather belts direct from engine pulley to each side of the rear wheel. No brakes were fitted to the machine and the metal-spoked wheels had solid tyres
24
Feb 10
Triumph
The model ‘H’ of the Triumph motor cycle illustrated here represents an interesting and popular design of the period. The Triumph model ‘H’ came out in the year 1917. Motorcycles of this type had an extensive use in the First World War by dispatch riders as they proved to be reliable and easy to maintain.
The machine is powered by a single cylinder, air cooled engine with a cylinder bore of 85 mm and a stroke length of 97 mm. A Triumph carburettor is fitted and a chain driven magneto provides the ignition. Transmission is through a chain drive connected to a three speed gearbox and a final drive belt to a pulley on the rear wheel. It has a one and a half gallon petrol tank and a foot break operates a block on the rear wheel pulley and a handlebar control type brake on the front wheel.
20
Feb 10
Levis
Butterfienda Ltd. of Birmingham first introduced this small Levis. It soon shot to popularity with its light weight, simple maintenance and economical usage characteristics.
This vehicle has a mediocre road performance yet its simplicity of this motorcycle with its two stroke engine and direct belt drive resulted in a high reliability. Hence this motorcycle ended up as a utilitarian means of personal transport. The small two stroke engine of this machine produced 3 horse power and has a capacity of 211 cc. the power is transmitted to the rear wheel directly by an enclosed chain from the crankshaft. The machine weighs a mere 120 lb approximately.
15
Feb 10
Rudge ‘Multi’
The Rudge ‘Multi’ is the result of amalgamation of the famous nineteenth century cycle firm with that of the Whitworth Cycle Co. This motorcycle was manufactured in the year 1915. The motorcycle is a belt driven one. The motorcycle is known as ‘Multi’ because of the variable speed gear which it embodies. This single-cylindered engine boasts a stroke length of 88 mm and a bore of 85mm. it has a Senspray carburettor and the motorcycle as a whole weighs 214 lb.
12
Feb 10
Indian
The ‘Indian’ and Harley-Davidson were the most successful and most typical of the American machines. They contributed consistently to the development of motorcycle during the earlier part of the 20th century. This machine is a single-cylinder, air-cooled engine formed by removing the front cylinder from the characteristic Vee twin-cylinder machines.
The engine has a stroke of 93 mm and a bore of 82.5 mm and that totals to a capacity of 497 cc. A gear-driven Bosch high-tension magneto forms the ignition and the machine boasts an automatic carburettor by Hedstrom. Both the carburettor and ignition are controlled by a twist grip system. A foot operated external contracting brake operates on the rear wheel and the drive is through primary and secondary chains to the rear wheel. It has a two speed gearbox with a multi-plate clutch.
9
Feb 10
F N
This Belgian motorcycle was built by Fabrique National d’Arme de Guerre of Liege and is known as the ‘F N’. earlier this century a few motorcycle designers designed and produced large touring motorcycles hoping to reduce vibration and improve reliability and this machine is a product of such innovation.
The FN is powered by a four-cylinder, air-cooled engine bearing a bore of 45 mm and a stroke of 55 mm with a total capacity of 363 cc. This design proved successful and production continued up to 1923. But ultimately these machines saw their decline not due to their high initial cost rather than their technical complexity.
5
Feb 10
Werner
The days of tricycles and engines geared to the rear axle were put to an end and simpler method evolved in 1897 by Werner Freres of Paris.
The bike is very light weight weighing in only at 65 lb. and the operation is smooth due to the belt drive. But the bike has a high centre of gravity and so it is prone to side slip, particularly in wet weather. The engine is a single cylinder, air-cooled, four-stroke and is attached to the steering head. The drive is through a belt rim on the front wheel. The petrol tank is attached to the top of the frame tube. The engine is a 217 cc with 62 mm bore and 72 mm stroke cylinder. The brake is of simple band type and is operated from the handlebar through a cable.
This bike may be regarded as the first successful machine of a type which came to be known as a ‘cyclemotor’.
2
Feb 10
De Dion Bouton Motor Tricycle
Two Frenchmen designed this motor tricycle in 1898 and quite a few were made and one of them even ran in the famous Paris to Bordeaux race in 1899 clocking an average speed of 28 miles per hour.
These tricycles were pretty hard to start as it has to be powered by pedal to start it. But once these machines kicked off they were capable of cruising at a reasonable speed of 20 mph which was quite fast at those times. Considerable amount of skill was required to corner these tricycles. The rear axle has a differential gear and no clutch was provided. It is powered by a single cylinder, four-stroke, air cooled engine which generated about 2.5 hp.
22
Jan 10
Wolfmuller
This petrol engine was made in 1894 by Messrs Hilderbrand and Wolfmuller of Munich. This is the first practical motorcycle to be put on the market. Many were made in France and Germany, The engine is mounted between four horizontal tubes which makes the frame of the bicycle.
he engine is a four stroke type with two cylinders. The machine weighs 115 lb and its maximum speed is 24 miles an hour. As this is a four stroke engine the firing takes place only in alternate movements of each piston stroke.