Tag: mountain

Official: Motopeds occupy muddy middle ground between moped and mountain bike [w/video]

Filed under: Videos, Motorcycle, Specialty, Off-Road

Motorized bicycles have been around for a long time, but it isn’t often that they’re as cool as the off-road-oriented contraption called the Motoped. Looking more like a skinny dirtbike with pedals than a mountain bike or moped, Motopeds mount a 50-155cc Honda XR50/CRF50 engine and swingarm to a custom frame with downhill mountain bike suspension components and brakes.

Being able to ride quietly on the sidewalk, switch on the four-stroke Honda engine (or similar Chinese design, if you’d like to go the cheaper route), then pretend you’re Ricky Carmichael for the rest of the way home sounds like great fun to us, but take note of your state’s laws before you do so. In California, for example, the two main laws in the vehicle code require motorized bicycles to have automatic transmissions and less than two brake horsepower to be legal. Also take not that the Motoped is a build-it-yourself ordeal after buying the frame, though the company supplies a parts list with many options depending on price range. If you’re interested, visit the company’s Kickstarter for a discounted price on the frame (as long as the Kickstarter goal is met).

Whatever motor is featured in the video below is the one we want – we have a strong feeling it has more than two horsepower. Or wait for the electric motor version, which is under development, says Motopeds spokesman Joe Rajakaruna.

Continue reading Motopeds occupy muddy middle ground between moped and mountain bike [w/video]

Motopeds occupy muddy middle ground between moped and mountain bike [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Jul 2013 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford Model T convoy to revisit Britain’s highest mountain

Filed under: Classics, Ford, UK

Ford Model T convoy

Having a Ford Model T ascend a mountain might sound like a crazy idea, but in 1911 it was a marketing coup. Ford had just arrived in Britain and to prove its worth, a corporate sales agent named Henry Alexander drove a Model T to the top of Ben Nevis in Scotland – Britain’s highest mountain. The 4,406-foot ascent took five days, and he Alexander was greeted at the peak by the motor press pool of the day. Then he drove back down in just three hours.

A hundred years later, Ford of Britain is celebrating its centenary and will commemorate the Ben Nevis ascent with a convoy of over 60 Model Ts driving back to the mountain. Among them the very last unit to roll off the revolutionary assembly line. Unfortunately, environmental conservation prohibits driving up the mountain these days, but a group of volunteers will disassemble a replica Model T, carry it up the mountain and put it back together at its peak in celebration of the original feat. Now that’s dedication. Follow the jump for the full press release.

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Ford Model T convoy to revisit Britain’s highest mountain originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 14 May 2011 14:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Ferrari FF gets ski-mountain delivery via Chinook helicopter

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Etc., Europe, Videos, Ferrari, Luxury

2012 Ferrari FF helicopter delivery

2012 Ferrari FF delivery – Click above to watch the video after the jump

To give journalists their first close-up look at the 2012 Ferrari FF, Maranello has chosen Plan de Corones, a ski resort in the Italian Alps accessible only by ski lifts, as the venue. Why not a racetrack? Credit the car’s all-wheel-drive architecture and its main purpose as a grand tourer, not a sports car.

To get the FF media cars to the resort, Ferrari called upon the Italian Air Force to haul them up there using CH-47 Chinook and Augusta 205 cargo helicopters. This has to rank among the most badass ways a car has ever been delivered. The choppers were from the Italian Air Force’s Viterbo 1st Regiment Antares and 4th Regiment Altair, stationed in Bolzano. Hit the jump to watch the special delivery.

[Source: YouTube via Carscoop]

Continue reading Video: Ferrari FF gets ski-mountain delivery via Chinook helicopter

Video: Ferrari FF gets ski-mountain delivery via Chinook helicopter originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Mar 2011 09:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Translogic tests Chevy Volt, reveals Mountain Mode and 0-60 time

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Videos, Chevrolet, Electric

2011 Chevrolet Volt

Translogic Episode 5.4 – Click above to watch video after the jump

Our brothers from another mother over at Translogic just released their latest episode yesterday, episode 5.4 for whoever’s counting. Host Bradley Hasemeyer spent a day with General Motors at the automaker’s Milford Proving Ground driving the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and came away with some heretofore unknown tidbits of information about the series hybrid.

For one, in addition to Eco, Normal and Sport modes, the Volt will have what’s called Mountain Mode that allows it to climb any grade in the country. A GM engineer says they checked to be sure its Mountain Mode was adequate for any grade in the States and we have proof of at least one major mountain the Volt can climb. When Mountain Mode is selected, ideally about ten miles out from any big hills you want to climb, the Volt will kick on its on-board generator and create extra energy for the batteries. This allows the Volt’s drive system to draw more power than normal from the battery packs while climbing a grade. If the battery packs are drained and the generator’s already on, Mountain Mode will then increase the engine’s RPM to make up the difference.

Bradley also performed an impromptu 0-60 miles per hour test in the Volt, completing the run to highway speeds in 8.53 seconds while the car was in Sport mode. Not earth shatteringly quick, but plenty spry to feel normal in everyday driving conditions. Over the course of the day, Bradley drove the Volt a total of 59.7 miles, 16.1 of which occurred with the gas-powered range-extending on. During that time, 0.59 gallons of gas were consumed, which means the Volt achieved about 100 mpg for the day and 27.3 mpg while the engine was operating.

The rest of the video is full of Volt information of which we’re already aware, including how it interacts with mobile devices, charging options and the like, though we can’t say we’ve seen anybody throw around the Volt yet like Bradley did. Follow the jump to view episode 5.4 for yourself and visit the Translogic blog here.

[Source: Translogic]

Continue reading Video: Translogic tests Chevy Volt, reveals Mountain Mode and 0-60 time

Video: Translogic tests Chevy Volt, reveals Mountain Mode and 0-60 time originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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