Anything you can do, A Gsxr can do better!

[motorcycleman]

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/mcn/2007/December/december-24-30/dec2707theraddicalsuzukigsxr1000/

[Mae]

that looks good!

different but good!

Least it doesnt look like that damned scooter/motorcycle hybrid!!!

[tripledigits]

They must use a single shock above the wheel. From an engineering standpoint, it looks good - no fork issues to deal with. It would be easy to change a tire...

[rforsythe]

Ahh, hub-centered steering makes a comeback.

It uses a shock (Ohlins, judging by the pic), compressed by a mechanism similar to the rear swingarm. The main difference is that the wheel "pivots" within the arm to allow the bike to steer. A lot of HCS designs have been put out there (I have an engineering book that goes into it, pretty cool stuff), and a major handling improvement is usually noticed since the suspension movement is unencumbered by side loading like you always get with forks during braking and turning, which causes them to bind. Inverted and coated forks do improve that aspect, but still suffer from that problem regardless.

[Raptor]

Trip. I've seen some older Bimotas with that same design. Not sure if they were the pioneers but I read of the superior handling as applied to them in particular.
Lazareth has a few custom jobs like that too, single sideed even, but with much heavier bikes (ie: V-Max etc.) but they look insane! I'll find the link...

<edit> here:

http://lazareth.fr/ click 'entrer' in the left, bottom corner, watch or skip the intro, then click the 'moto' link.

[motorcycleman]

Ahh, hub-centered steering makes a comeback.

It uses a shock (Ohlins, judging by the pic), compressed by a mechanism similar to the rear swingarm. The main difference is that the wheel "pivots" within the arm to allow the bike to steer. A lot of HCS designs have been put out there (I have an engineering book that goes into it, pretty cool stuff), and a major handling improvement is usually noticed since the suspension movement is unencumbered by side loading like you always get with forks during braking and turning, which causes them to bind. Inverted and coated forks do improve that aspect, but still suffer from that problem regardless.

have seen design before. on a mass production scale, should become affordable and cost effective

[rforsythe]

It was already mass produced once before. The issue wasn't making it cost effective, it was that the motorcycle-buying public wasn't ready or accepting of something so radical.

His limited production runs should help reintroduce the idea to the general masses, but I still don't know if "mass production" is possible yet.

[elbromisto]

The design alleviates a little suspension anomaly called fork dive. There's a company called Vyrus that makes a center hub steered bike with one of those Italian engines in it, but it's a little on the pricey side.