Wednesday 21 May 2014

Too fast, too strong, too scary: fastest production bike on the planet will soon be an electric (video)

2012 prototype:



2013 fastest motorcycle at Pike's Peak:




2014 production LS-218:


Credit: Glynn Kerr/Lightning Motorcycles/Gizmag

Why "LS-218"?

Well ... LS is Lightning Sport ... & 218 is miles per hour ...

http://www.gizmag.com/lightning-ls218-unveiled-specs/32142/

http://cleantechnica.com/2014/05/19/lightning/

Video at Bonneville Salt Flats. Doesn't get much more interesting than the frame shown below: inside of motorcycle fairing, GPS speedometer updating, strip of white salt, blue sky. Despite the title, only makes it to an indicated 216 mph in this run, around the 1 minute mark:



About land speed records: records are the average of two runs, in opposite directions, over a flying mile. Both runs must be completed within one hour. For the LS-218, the average was 215 mph. 218 mph was the top speed during one run. At 215 mph, a mile takes 16.74 seconds. / road vehicle 218 mph 350 km/h top speed motorcycle 200 horsepower torque figures absolute excess Lightning LS-218 fast motorcycle fastest release electric motorcycles motorcycle motor cycle bikes practical range exciting performance electric superbike performance petrolheads biggest fastest meanest bikes roadburning dinosaur bones Lightning LS-218 fastest production bike runaway 20 second victory Pike's Peak production superbike Quail Motorsport Gathering Carmel California superbike battery Lightning specs specifications 218 tested top speed world record fastest production motorcycle liquid cooled 200 horsepower 150 kW 168 lb.ft lb ft pound feet 228 Nm of torque acceleration excess direct drive system lower power modes battery pack options available budget 12 kWh 20 kWh pack maximum range 180 miles 290km 30 minutes top up quick charger standard wall socket 495 lbs224.5 kg running gear absolutely top notch Ohlins Öhlins FGRT forks TTX shock magnesium Marchesini wheels radial Brembo front brakes customer bikes upgraded frame swingarm carbon fiber units save weight unsprung mass dash fully programmable Android touch screen seat customized Glyn Kerr designed custom graphics wrap electric vehicle EV electric street superbikes 2012 prototype electric bikes /

Lytro reveals the 40 megaray professional-grade Illum light field camera (video)



40 megaray sensor? That's not a spelling error. Lytro cameras don't just record position, colour & intensity of light at each point, but direction as well. With this extra information, an image can be refocused after the event.

http://www.gizmag.com/lytro-illum-light-field-camera/31742/ / Lytro consumer oriented light field camera focus re-focus imageform factor low resolution early adopter second generation light field camera Illum US$1,500 Lytro Illum camera devices market capture capturing 2D image light sensor records color intensity direction light ray 3D three dimensional subject adjust focus tilt perspective shift depth of field take taking a photo one inch 40 megaray light field sensor Lytro’s patented microlens array technology sensor millions of rays comparison megapixels equate to roughly 5 megapixels living picturesflattened print printing 2D display 30-250 mm equivalent zoom constant F2 aperture extreme close focus macro capability dual electronic rings zoom focus control angled 4-inch articulating LCD touchscreen 384k dots /