eco-aware motocross?

August 2, 2004 9:22 AM

I never would have imagined we'd see silent, full-powered, electric motocross bikes, but they actually exist. Looks like they went for gas motor-like performance over range, but they'd probably be a blast if you had a small track near your house.
posted by mathowie (10 comments total)

Oooh! I wants me one o' them!
posted by five fresh fish at 9:56 AM on August 2, 2004

Nice idea. I think the trailer is a little too small for hauling groceries, but I guess it could be modded without affecting the handling. It would be cool if you could recharge them using surplus charge from your electric car...
posted by carter at 9:59 AM on August 2, 2004

According to the specs for the ihybrid and this video, they're not silent, so I don't know how they can claim that on the front page. But they're cool nonetheless.
posted by jpoulos at 10:05 AM on August 2, 2004

I think the specs say they run at 59db - silent enough compared to petrol engines, I guess.
posted by carter at 10:12 AM on August 2, 2004

jpoulos, the sound you were hearing were all the gas engines on the bikes the person on the electric one was competing against. I used the word "silent" because it is plastered all over the site as a feature of the bike. They don't have any actual movies of the bike being ridden without music or standard motorcycles around, but my guess is that they can't be actually completely silent, but I bet they're very quiet.
posted by mathowie at 10:15 AM on August 2, 2004

This would be pretty cool. They might not be much good for cross-country riding, but you could probably make a really good racing bike this way, over short hauls. The electric dragsters already out-drag the top-fuels.
posted by lodurr at 10:26 AM on August 2, 2004

the i-hybrid is just that, a hybrid...that's not a storage trailer he's lugging around, it's a little generator, hence the hybrid non-silence. the fully electric one is supposed to be the truely silent one, I think...
posted by nomisxid at 10:56 AM on August 2, 2004

It's a B.O.B. trailer, and it's plenty big enough for several bags of groceries if it's not full of generator. (I've got one and have gone grocery shopping with it.)
posted by Zed_Lopez at 10:57 AM on August 2, 2004

that's not a storage trailer he's lugging around, it's a little generator aah, thanks! And thanks for the link Zed_Lopez ...
posted by carter at 11:21 AM on August 2, 2004

Woah, don't call it a "BOB" trailer, or they'll have to turn the airplane around!
posted by five fresh fish at 12:46 PM on August 2, 2004