Real 'Akira' Motorcycle 320
News for nerds writes "At Tokyo Motorcycle Show in Japan (2/3/4 Apr.), the official licensed model of the motorcycle in the anime movie Akira (poster) is displayed. This Kaneda bike is not a mere replica, but a full working model (more pics at ITmedia) with twin-steering system and 249-998cc water-cooled 4-cycle engine, and on its cockpit is DVD-navi-system + trackball & ten-key + custom computer-controlled LED meters - all licenced by the author and the publisher of Akira. Though at the show only miniature figures are sold and real price or release date is unclear, you can check out the manufacturer's website for later info."
TETSUO!!! (Score:5, Funny)
And I'll be the first to say... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:TETSUO!!! (Score:2, Funny)
I also found this game doesn't work very well with The dead ringers [dvdmg.com] :-)
Neo Tokyo is about to explode!!! (Score:5, Funny)
Kaaaaaaaaaaaaa...
neeeeeeeeeeee....
DAAAAAAAa
Oh, shush, someone had to do it...
Re:Neo Tokyo is about to explode!!! (Score:5, Funny)
Teeeeeeeeetttttttttttttsuooooooooooooooooooooo noooooooo!!!!!
Re:Neo Tokyo is about to explode!!! (Score:2, Funny)
Drivetrain (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Drivetrain (Score:2, Interesting)
Enclosed like that it's probably not too fun to maintain either.
Cool looking bike however, if a bit too red.
Re:Drivetrain (Score:2, Flamebait)
Most bikers are killed/injured/generally fucked up by sudden impacts, either with other vehicles or the scenery. The chain failing is just not an issue.
Re:Drivetrain (Score:5, Informative)
That's not a nelly little bicycle chain. Motorcycle chains are stout stuff.
Re:Drivetrain (Score:5, Informative)
That's not a nelly little bicycle chain. Motorcycle chains are stout stuff.
I've broken a couple. It is annoying, since it tends to strand you and/or lose races, but I have never been hurt or seen anyone hurt as a result. Can't say the same for any number of other component failures (coolant hoses for instance). For me the worst thing about chains is the constant lubing and adjusting. I'd like to see more kevlar drive belts (no adjustment necessary) like Harley-Davdson uses.
That said, some olde tyme designs had three chains: one timing (to the cam), one primary (to the gearbox) and one final drive. But I have never seen a motorcycle cam or primary chain break through a case.
Re:Drivetrain (Score:5, Interesting)
I had a primary drive chain fail on a old Honda 400 Four under full throttle while banked over somewhat in a low-ish speed bend. It didn't break through the case, but the engine sure stopped fast. The 10ms before I pulled in the clutch, and almost getting high-sided afterwards were one of those slow-motion moments I won't forget in a hurry. Fortunately no injuries other than a few pulled muscles from putting my foot down at 40mph.
I'm sure it would have been very interesting at a higher speed.
Re:Drivetrain (Score:5, Informative)
Losing a chain is not the danger , not even getting whacked with a broken chain at 60-70mph, a chain guard will stop almost all damage, it hurts but its not too bad with no chain guard like when my race bike let loose..
The REAL problem, and I give you this from a lot of riding and racing experience is when a chain catches in the back wheel/brake assy, one of my WORST ever accidents was due to exactly this, I had laid the bike down earlier and apparently bent the rear sprocket. I lost the chain at 50 or so mph, it catapulted me over the handlebars , then the bike ran over me, I was OK when I first hit the ground but the bike running over me broke 4 ribs, my jaw, my left elbow and my right wrist. I was 16 I walked home the rest of the way (1/4 mile) leaving the bike in the ditch, collapesed on the couch and called my mom and said mom im really f***ked up and hung up , she got home in like 10 minutes flat (normally a 30 minute drive) came in saw me bleeding all over and writhing in pain and said "OH Thank GOD I thought you were f****ed from drugs or something"
He must be an old timer (Score:2)
Re:He must be an old timer (Score:2)
Re:Drivetrain (Score:2)
Re:Drivetrain (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Drivetrain (Score:2, Informative)
take a stroll down www.bikemovies.com for some cracker examples.
Or take a peek at http://www.whileyouwereout.net/online/ for some small ones.
Re:Drivetrain (Score:2)
Looks cool. but Impractical as hell, wonder what the turn radius is with those funky wheel-covers?
Re:Drivetrain (Score:3, Insightful)
Superpowers not included (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Superpowers not included (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Superpowers not included (Score:2)
If I were going to get this bike, (yeah, right) I'd demand stickers like in the movie.
Re:Superpowers not included (Score:5, Funny)
Want one? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Want one? (Score:2, Informative)
That moto (Score:2)
Re:That moto (Score:2)
you do realize that many (most?) motorcycles are chain driven, right?
Re:That moto (Score:2)
Cost (Score:4, Interesting)
If only I could afford it!
Hey, nice (Score:4, Insightful)
Yeah...that's, uh, a great investment for a motorcycle.
Re:Hey, nice (Score:2)
This [wehrmachtsgespann.de] is a motorcycle. Well, almost. It's missing one MG-42.
No kidding.... (Score:2, Insightful)
Dear God: THANK YOU! (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Dear God: THANK YOU! (Score:4, Funny)
Cool motorcycle (Score:5, Funny)
Anyone got a mirror?
Done. (Score:5, Informative)
Another mirror of the motorcycle, but a different pic [darkfire.net]
Play nicely with the mirror now
impressive. (Score:5, Funny)
This is why the japanese should build up a military. We'd have mechs walking around and defending tokyo from alien invasions in no time. Except they'd have to be piloted by children who were finicky and subject to teen angst.
Re:impressive. (Score:5, Funny)
Yea, and they'd probably get raped by an octopus or something. Not everything about Japanese culture is cool.
Re:impressive. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:impressive. (Score:2, Funny)
(alternate ending quote in Tora! Tora! Tora!)
"I fear all we've done is to awaken a sleeping Minmae attack"
Yeah, that'll be the day. :)
Re:impressive. (Score:2, Offtopic)
Re:remember Nanking (Score:2)
I have a question for you Mr/Ms AC. At exactly WHAT point in time can you stop holding a government's transgressions against it?
That was nearly 70 years ago. There's a difference between REMEMBERING the past and living in it. You, like many others, unfortunately, cannot tell that difference. I encourage you to grow up and to move on with your life. Remember it, revile it. Don't hold it against the current generation.
Re:remember Nanking (Score:2)
Re:impressive. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:impressive. (Score:3, Interesting)
however, a smaller version, like a Battletech Elemental would be great. Impervious to small arms. more mobile than standard infantry. nigh-impossible for armored vehicles to track in time.
hell. I'd field test it.
I doubt that... it's self-healing (Score:5, Funny)
If all you do is ride a sci-fi reproduction, the girl has to know something about either motorcycles or sci-fi to suss you out.
Where the nerd factor comes in is the nasal bragging about the animation director's signature on the cowling. That keeps you from getting laid. Also not showering for days before or after riding in your reproduction sci-fi leather riding suit. Ewwww....
Re:I doubt that... it's self-healing (Score:3, Insightful)
made by geeks for geeks I guess.
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:What are the specs? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:What are the specs? (Score:2, Insightful)
All I need now is a Light Cycle from TRON! (Score:4, Interesting)
I've been watching American Chopper and just dreaming of the day I could have enough cash to order a custom light cycle.
It would be the PERFECT thing to go with my TRON costume: TRON Costume by BaumSquad [tron-sector.com]
Until I can make that happen, I'll just have to save up for this thing! Kaaannaaaaeeeedddaaaaa!!!!
Just one laser rifle short. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Just one laser rifle short. (Score:3, Informative)
Tetsuo (the psychic ex-best friend in Akira) could read minds (at least in the manga; can't remember the details regarding the anime), but it appears he was only capable of doing so when the person who's mind he's reading is within a few feet of him. After Tetsuo aquires his powers, Kaneda tends to keep his distance from him (all the better to hit him with military-issue laser rifles).
with apologies to hose who prefer subtitles... (Score:2)
(Also: wow. Nice.)
Damnit... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Damnit... (Score:2)
249-998cc? (Score:2)
I'm guessing it's around 2.5 liter. Can anyone shed any illumination?
Re:249-998cc? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:249-998cc? (Score:2)
I guess anything over 500ccs is intended for export? maybe people that use the loopholes or buy it as a showpiece. There is someway to get larger bikes there but it's weird. I know Harley-Davidson somehow imports at least some bikes to Japan. I learned that on the factory tour. That says something since the smallest HD is
Real bike? (Score:3, Interesting)
It has been a looong time since I saw that movie, but I seem to remember the bike being an electric vehicle, and this is not one.
Re:Real bike? (Score:5, Informative)
"...ceramic, double-rotor two-wheel drive, computer-controlled anti-lock brakes, 12,000 rpms"..."
so i believe there's an electric motor(s) in each wheel hub
and a battery(ies) underneath the bodywork, probably under
the seat. remember that this movie was made in 1987, so a
ceramic rotor electric motor wasn't quite practical yet.
a fan page is here: http://www.bbakira.co.uk/kanbike/bike.htm
googling for "anime akira motorcycle" nets you 6,960 hits,...
many sites think that there are any number of working prototypes
and an even larger number of non-working models.
i can't wait for the real deal!
Re:Real bike? (Score:2)
If they put a rotary engine in one of those things, then I'd buy it.
(Yes, I know my site is down, I'm trying to find CPU fans that'll work with Alpha 21164s.)
((Yes, I know owning rotary powered vehicals, and Alpha powered servers puts me into a totally other class of nerd, with an even lower chance of getting laid.))
Re:Real bike? (Score:2)
does it have... (Score:2)
Looks a lot better.... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:NO NO NO (Score:2)
Here's a mirror (Score:5, Informative)
http://erichv.com/akira-bike/news040.html.htm [erichv.com]
Re:Here's a mirror (Score:3, Funny)
That is informative!!! Thanks!!!
Re:Here's a mirror (Score:2)
Thanks for the mirror. But this is what Babelfish had to say:
With movie "AKIRA" near future Tokyo, the deep-red motorcycle of protagonist Kanada which runs in length and breadth mutual loan and comes out.
Mutual loan??? Will someone who speaks Japanese please provide a sane translation?
Thank you.
Re:Here's a mirror (Score:2)
An experienced 2/3-wheeler-riding lunatic writes.. (Score:5, Funny)
From this, and from reading reports of earlier home-made customs in the style of Kaneda's bizarre feet-forward bike, I believe that thing is going to handle like an utter, utter pig. Looks like a fish, moves like a fish, steers like a cow.
Despite this, I want one desperately, right now.
what about the jacket... (Score:3, Insightful)
Get back to me when... (Score:2)
Re:Get back to me when... (Score:2)
There's a good chap!
Re:Get back to me when... (Score:2)
Akira is a cool flick. (Score:2)
Uh-oh, did I just jinx it? Is there going to be a Disneyfied ripoff of Akira on the way now?
Re:Akira is a cool flick. (Score:3, Interesting)
You know what, now I almost want them to do it just to see how utterly WEIRD it would be.
Something missing, though... (Score:5, Interesting)
Of course, I could always pair up with the Chernobyl gal [angelfire.com]...
Trackballs on motorcycles... (Score:2, Funny)
And in today's news...... (Score:2, Interesting)
I always worry when they start to put too much technology into something that is inherently better the simpler it is. I can just see it now, the media coverage about how it is now illegal to watch DVDs while biking because some idiot gave it a try and killed himself.
bike design (Score:3, Interesting)
forgot to add these notes:
if anyone is doubting the stability of a "recumbent" design
such as this needs to look at Dan Gurney's Gator(see his
website:
http://www.allamericanracers.com
it's been tested by a couple of the mtorcycling mags with
generally favorable reviews.
TRON Lineage (Score:3, Funny)
ttyl
Farrell
Where the hell is the Slashdot Mirror? (Score:4, Interesting)
How many articles will it take before slashdot implements a simple mirror?? It could be automated as part of the publishing process.. just do a simple static mirroring of the image or page linked from a story. If a server becomes unavailable or otherwise in error, add the mirrored links.
Sure, some sites might love all the hits of a "slashdotting". But obviously there are many others that die under the load, or get disabled by bandwidth limiters, or various other problems.
If the site owners want to know the stats of how many hits they got, you could include stats for mirror hits.
This is not rocket science.. This problem occurs every day. In the current story, the server for the main article is barely responding, and the link for the image is responding with a "don't steal bandwidth" message.
Re:Where the hell is the Slashdot Mirror? (Score:4, Insightful)
Also, consider this:
Re:Where the hell is the Slashdot Mirror? (Score:3, Informative)
Plastic Chopper (Score:2)
does it really run? (Score:2)
Put that girl from Chernobyl on that bike... (Score:5, Funny)
thad
Here's an idea... (Score:5, Interesting)
So, anyway... I was watching American Chopper [discovery.com] a while back, and I got to thinking:
But I'd sure love to watch them build one!
(Too bad I can't afford it... anybody else want to join in and start a pool? We could have the 'Slashdot Bike' built! (Anyone remember the 'Slashdot PT Cruiser'?) Too bad the .com boom is well and truly dead, or we'd be looking at a fleet of the things!)
The version in the article... it looks a bit fat and heavy. I don't know how much fun it'll be to ride. As much as I like the appearance, it's just pointless if all it does it look pretty.
Suzuki G-Strider (Score:3, Interesting)
Plastic-y? (Score:2)
I would envision something more metallic and a little tighter...
Not very impressive.... (Score:2, Interesting)
when you could be riding one of these [dodge.com]
Re:Not very impressive.... (Score:2)
And In Other News... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Bured by the referrer check! (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Bured by the referrer check! (Score:2)
If the site doesn't want people linking to their pictures, then Slashdot should not be linking to th
Re:Dodge Tomahawk.. (Score:3, Insightful)
it was after a HUGE response they built some to sell. The ones they sell are missing one component... maybe a final drive chain or something? the reasoning on that was liability. the bike is just way too much for anyone to ride full throttle.
IUAM 4 wheels = car (Score:2)
Re:Live-action Akira? (Score:2)
Haven't heard much about it in awhile, though. Maybe it's gone to Development Hell...