bike

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wisc.--To Harley-Davidson riders, the Powertrain Operations facility here just north of Milwaukee is hallowed ground. It's where the hearts of their favorite bikes start beating.

Engines for most of the Harley-Davidson line come alive here before they head to bike assembly plants in Pennsylvania and Missouri. To help promote Harley-Davidson's emerging Dark Custom line, CNET was invited to stroll through the plant as part of its Steel Toe Tour this past weekend to see how the company's V-Twin engines come together.

Harley-Davidson began offering the Powertrain Operations tour in 2010, escorting a small number of motorcycle lovers through the factory floor to see the various stages of V-Twin engine construction. The tour builds chronologically from the construction, refinement, and inspection of engine components, including cam heads and pistons, to the fly wheel assemblies and overall engine build. About 100 employees work in two shifts at Powertrain Operations alongside Swedish-made industrial robots that perform assembly and inspection. … Read more

Powering uphill on your bicycle often comes down to mind over matter. What if, in addition to controlling your protesting thigh muscles, your mind was master of your bike's gear shifter?

That idea is being made flesh in the form of a high-performance concept bicycle that sports a thought-controlled interface.

Electrodes in the rider's helmet pick up neuro-electrical activity. Signals from the helmet are transmitted to an electronic gear shifter mounted under the seat. With training, a person can learn to shift up or shift down simply by thinking it.

Gives "Look Ma, no hands!" new meaning.… Read more

MILWAUKEE--There's no better time to visit the Harley-Davidson Museum here than the July 4th weekend. The often brutal Great Lakes weather smiles on you with blue skies reflecting on the nearby riverfront. The huge Summerfest music festival roars not too far away. And the rebellious, proud image of America's oldest active motorcycle manufacturer fits the patriotic mood.

But museums generally look back at history, the minds behind Harley-Davidson looked to use the 3-year-old attraction to promote the company's push to modernize its image.

Built on waterfront property that was once a Morton Salt factory, the $70 million-plus complex documents the engineering history of Harley-Davidson and the development of the uniquely American motorcycle culture that developed throughout the 20th century. Founded in 1903, Harley-Davidson was the only surviving American motorcycle company until a British firm begin making a small number of Indian motorcycles in the U.S. around 2006. … Read more

Brammo will offer its electric motorcycles with a six-speed transmission beginning in 2012, the company announced today.

The bikes will be unveiled this Friday in Las Vegas shortly before competing in the MiniMotoSX race.

Motorcycle manufacturer Brammo could make a big impact on the motorcycle world with this change.

While electric motorcycles have been around for some time, and even had their own race on the Isle of Man in June 2009, up until now they've mainly been seen as bikes for early adopters interested in green tech, or those who might otherwise consider a moped.

Electric motorcycles are relatively quiet, have a limited range, and arguably offer limited speed and performance when compared to comparable racing bikes with internal combustion engines. They're also fighting an image problem in a market famous for exuding a longstanding sexy, powerful, and adventurous appeal.

"Electric motorcycle design has always been a bit of a balancing act in direct drive systems where great acceleration performance comes at the expense of low top-end speed," Brian Wismann, director of product development at Brammo, said in a statement.… Read more

One of the annoying things about getting older--and yes, there are more than a few--is how frequently you discover that what you were taught either is now outdated or simply flat wrong. But don't get too down about it. Scientists only now are realizing that they've misunderstood the physics of what keeps bicycles upright.

For as long as anyone can remember, the science behind why a bike remains stable once it reaches a certain speed had to do with wheel rotation and the stability generated by so-called gyroscopic effects. Also, there was the proper distance between the steering … Read more

If I rode bikes, I'd be very into the cyclocomputer Mark Fickett rigged up with some off-the-shelf parts and a sewable electronic component called a LilyPad that features the handy Arduino processor.

A cyclocomputer is a computer that records revolutions of a bike wheel and turns the readings into data such as distance gone, speed averaged, and other information a serious biker might want to have.

Fickett's contraption uses a magnet on a spoke to trip a sensor on the frame every time the wheel goes around. The sensor sends the data to the processor, which is powered by an AA battery. As Fickett's traveling, the computer reports data in real time via Morse code (because English just isn't as cool as it used to be).

The data can also be pulled from the Arduino via serial connection (which we call "USB") and displayed like it is in the graph pictured. A button harvested from a broken VCR acts as a reset button if needed.

Like any good DIY-er, Fickett made sure all the code and parts he used are available. The code is up on GitHub, and all the parts are listed in detail on his site. It's something that could be assembled easily in a weekend. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--For all the bicycle enthusiasts, especially those interested in longer-distance touring, China-based Jooyn Power Shenzen is introducing a rear-wheel mini generator that can power the company's bike lights, sound system, and controller up to 18 volts/1 amp. Each light includes a USB port for powering other devices at around 5V/1A, and the generator doubles as a rear light that flashes during rotation.

Solar-based systems are cool, but when reliable lighting is most important (say, for riding at night), they're just not optimal. If Jooyn's new generator (pricing and release dates to be announced) adds … Read more

There's this notion that it never snows in Seattle. Let me tell you, it does. And the snow in Seattle can be especially treacherous, due to a combination of steep hills, a lack of enough snowplows, and the fact that the snow thaws and refreezes, effectively locking the city under a 2-inch thick sheet of super-slick ice. It can get dangerous.

Seattle, like most major cities in the U.S., has a thriving bike community, despite the hills, but the snow renders most non-major streets unrideable for many bikers. So Fritz Rice, who works at Dutch Bike Co., a shop in the Ballard neighborhood, employed a novel way of getting around.

The bike shop doesn't stock studded tires because it really doesn't snow enough in Seattle to warrant them; when it does snow, it's intense and brief, like my relationships. So to get around, Rice installed 62 zip ties (the kind that come 35 to a pack at any drug store) on the rims of his favorite bike. They acted the same way snow chains do, allowing an almost tank-tread-like purchase in the ice and snow.

He told me the first few rides popped a few of the ties. The two packs gave him 70 total, but he only needed 62, so he had some room for error. The trick is to get the tension of the tie to the wheel just right with a little trial and error. Once it's dialed in, it works fine. Sure, it looks kind of silly, but it seems to work. Rice was able to ride, corner, and even brake without slipping into cars. … Read more

Aside from all the Black Friday and Cyber Monday bargains, it's been a relatively slow week for new gadget cravings. That said, we've got a few awesome gems to discuss in Jasmine's absence, including Delorean hard drives, the perfect vacuum shoes for Donald's recently admitted robot maid fetish, bike locks that take to the air, and social-network sneakers. Also, a pizza that should not be!

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