Tokyo Motorcycle Show

[Richard230]

Here is the latest from Honda and Yamaha regarding their electric motorcycle concepts. While the Honda sport bike looks as good as it did a couple of weeks ago, there is no indication that it will be put into production.  The best Yamaha can come up with is a goofy looking electric bicycle. It looks like Japan is just not with the electric motorcycle program.  I guess they don't see enough potential sales volume to interest them at this time.

http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news-new-bikes/honda-at-the-tokyo-motor-show/19592.html

http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news-new-bikes/yamaha-at-the-tokyo-motor-show/19593.html

No word (that I have seen) yet if Kawasaki is thinking about electrics and I think we can assume that Suzuki is barely able to afford new graphics on their future models.

No mention if there is a Brammo display at the Tokyo show yet.

[Gavin]

Thanks for the links...

this is just pure sexy on wheels...



I want to be done with gas forever, but if Yamaha made this I would HAVE to add it to my garage...Heck I might never put gas or oil in it and put it in my living room as a piece of art...

Gavin

[Richard230]

Here is a link to more photos of the Honda RC-E, including a slide show. No photos of the motor or battery systems, though.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/12/01/honda-rc-e-tokyo-2011/

[protomech]

I posted this on ttxgpfan's blog, but I'll post it here as well.

Take a look at the 2nd Gen Insight IMA motor here:
http://green.autoblog.com/photos/abg-first-drive-2010-honda-insight/full/#photo-1221559

Notice how thin the stator and rotor are.

Now take a look at how large the RC-E motor enclosure is:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/honda-rc-e-tokyo-2011/full/#photo-4650299/
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/honda-rc-e-tokyo-2011/full/#photo-4650292/

Could be more than one IMA motor? Very similar Insight 1G motor is 2.5" wide, not counting enclosure.

The 2G Insight IMA motor is rated at 10 kw @ 100V. Not too much. Hop it up some and stack more than one together.. and you have a bit more power to play with. Nothing that will challenge Mission Motors or the 2012 Brammo TTXGP bike .. but not entirely gutless.

There's a lengthy thread centered on this idea (stacking motors, not the RC-E) on InsightCentral:
http://www.insightcentral.net/forums/modifications-technical-issues/17822-stacked-insight-ima-motors.html

[Richard230]

Now I see the motor and I now remember a report that the RC-E uses the Insight motor.    I was looking at the slide show and the motor kind of blends into the rest of the bike due to its color and shape.  That Ohlins suspension caught me by surprise as I seem to recall that Yamaha owns Ohlins and you typically would not see Honda using suspension from a company connected with a Japanese rival. I wonder if this bike was made by an outside contractor?

[craigq]

Ohlins bought back most of the company in 2007:
http://www.ohlins.com/About-the-company/Our-HIstory/

[Richard230]

Ohlins bought back most of the company in 2007:
http://www.ohlins.com/About-the-company/Our-HIstory/

Well, that news item didn't make my local newspaper.  Still a 5% ownership by Yamaha is historically typically too much for Honda to stomach.  I think a production version of the bike would probably use Showa suspension components.

 But, for me, give me an Ohlins shock every time. I even have them on my Triumph Bonneville and the 1986 Honda VFR700FII that I gave my daughter when she graduated from college still has the Ohlins shock that I installed on it when I bought the bike new.  It has never been serviced and still works fine after 25 years and 86,000 miles of use.   

[ttxgpfan]

I'm a Penske man myself.

Aren't all the racing Honda's (ie MotoGP and WSBK) on Ohlins now?  I don't know anyone using Showa suspension.  I suspect it has something to do with the Bridgestone tires.