Well, this is really off topic, but I just couldn't leave it alone:
I just received my "Spring Preview 2011" Hammacher Schlemmer catalog (hammacher.com), which describes itself as "America's Longest Running Catalog", "Offering the Best, the Only and the Unexpected for 163 years". Well, they did have a couple of unexpected items in the catalog that caught my eye.
The first item is "The All Terrain Electric Skateboard". It is rides on large knobby tires and reaches speeds of up to 19 mph. It is powered by a 36-volt battery and an 800-watt motor. It has a carrying capacity of 330 pounds and your speed and braking are controlled by a wireless hand-held controller. If you step (or fall) off the skateboard it stops immediately. The board weighs 65 pounds and has a range of 10 miles from a 4-hour charge. The board should be used by people 16 years old and up. Catalog # HD-79798 and will set you back $749.95. A street version for smooth services, using a 600-watt motor, is available for only $549.95.
But since anyone that can afford a Brammo has money to burn (
), you will really want to get "The Light Cycle". It looks just like that one that was featured in the 2010 film
Tron: Legacy, they say. Except this device is powered by a GSXR1000 motor and gearbox! It has Electroluminescent strips built into the tire cowling, wheel rims and body, which illuminate the cycle as you ride along. You lay at a near-horizontal position astride the padded leather seat, with feet on foot pegs that control its 6-speed transmission. The hubless wheels are former truck tires built up then custom-shaped to fit into one of two counter-rotating rims, spinning within each other. A chain-driven friction drum manages acceleration and braking, which are controlled from the handlebars. It has a spring-loaded front and rigid rear suspension (?). It has a 3.5 gallon main fuel tank and a 1.25 gallon reserve tank.. The cycle weighs 474 pounds. All cycles are street-legal and built to order. Catalog # HD-11862. Only $55,000. Be the first on your block to get your very own Light Cycle. Order yours now!
