Years ago, one of the most dangerous types of motorsports was board track motorcycle racing. As the name suggests, a steeply raked oval track made up of wooden boards was created and cycles with nothing more than an engine, frame and skinny wheels (no brakes, even) circled the track at high speed. Unfortunately, both the riders and the spectators were in extreme danger and after a few deaths, the races were shut down. Still, the vintage board tracker style remains a popular one even today.

Just as scooters have been setting sales records in these days of high gasoline prices, some see the moped as yet another logical way to save on some fuel. One potential problem, though, is that the moped isn't really seen as the fashionable statement that the scooter is. Derringer Cycles looks to change all that with its line of board track-inspired mopeds. Traditional pedals get the machine moving, and the extremely fuel efficient little engine takes over from there. Powered by a small Honda engine, expect top speeds in the thirty mile per hour range and fuel mileage of around 180 miles per gallon.


[Source: Autofiends]

Somewhere between a normal pedal-powered bicycle and an electric scooter lies a class of vehicle which keeps the ability to pedal and adds some assisted power via a small battery pack. This new generation of vehicle is just as useful as the good old moped, except that the electric motor is free of pollution, which is something that most certainly cannot be said of the older two-stroke 'peds and even the newest four-strokers.

Ultra Motor has a new machine on the market known as the A2B which fits nicely into this category. Using a small electric motor integrated into the hub, the machine retains the look and feel of a normal bicycle. Constructed of aluminum, the full-suspension electric vehicle features a small lithium ion battery and is capable of traveling up to twenty miles on electricity alone. A second battery can be added, doubling the range. Of course, pedaling increases the miles between charges to as far as your legs can take you.

[Source: Ultra Motor via Hell For Leather]

Motorcycle, scooter and moped manufacturers in India are worried. Since Tata announced their ultra-cheap Nano, the two-wheeled industry is abuzz with worry that the populace will quickly abandon their old single-track vehicles for the safety and convenience of a four-wheeler if the price points get too close. This is a rational concern, and it is exactly why Tata's created the Nano in the first place.

In an effort to persuade buyers to stick with their bikes, the major manufacturers in India, including Bajaj, Honda and Kinetic, are all working on natural gas options for their various offerings. According to this article, each of these companies has contacted Energtek, a leader in absorbed natural gas (ANG) technology for help in implementing the conversion process. The advantages to using the ANG lie primarily with price, however there are also eco-benefits to be had, as natural gas burns cleaner than other fossil-fuels. We have to wonder, though, what would stop companies like Tata from using similar technology in their low-priced automobiles.

Related:

• VIDEO: Live reveal of the $2,500 Tata Nano
• Here's the $2,500 Tata Nano, the Indian peoples car

[Source: Red Orbit]

The more you read our blog, the more you probably realize that there is an absolutely huge amount of research going into alternative automobiles. Much of the research is on creating new fuels with which to run our internal combustion engines. However, a great deal of research is also being made into electric transportation. Batteries, capacitors and electric motors with their associated electronics are all being made better and more efficient. Thankfully, other transportation devices can stand to be improved by much of this same research, and ebikes are no exception. Assisted bicycles have been around for a good long time, and you may remember the days when mopeds were criss-crossing your country regularly. After the engine, electric bikes started showing up as well. Now, there are hundreds of electrically assisted bicycles from which to choose.

The HyperBike Feasibility Study in Austria is looking at ways to improve the electric bike's batteries, motor and overall efficiency. Being that the pedals still exist, this is a hybrid form of transportation. Check out their website and see what they are doing. Remember, the original language of the page is German, so the English is not perfect, but its pretty easy to understand. Have fun!

[Source: HyperBike]

Piaggio has gone a slightly different route with their newest moped design. In fact, they have taken two different routes; the machine includes electric motors in both the front and rear wheels. Piaggio and their wholly-owned Vespa have produced mopeds and sold them in America before, but not for many years. After recently seeing success bringing their scooter models back to America and helping to kick-start the scooter scene again, is it time for them to attempt the same with the humble moped?

Thanks to Steve Guzman from The Scooter Scoop, we have seen a link directly to the patent application (sub. required, in .pdf). Steve has a loyal reader named Dudel who finds these patents, so we should be thanking him too. This machine, like other mopeds, is really a hybrid which allows pedaling along with the battery power. Speed is 25 miles per hour with both wheels powered, 15 with just the rear. Your mileage will depend on how much you want to pedal. Sound cool? Unfortunately, we don't have a release date yet, but we'll be keeping our eyes and ears open.

[Source: The Scooter Scoop, thanks Steve]

There is a rather large contingent of Americans who still view the moped as a viable means of getting around. Back in the '70s, mopeds were a common sight on our roads, at least ones that didn't have a high speed-limit. But, these days, the humble moped has fallen out of style, being replaced with electric bicycles, scooters and even cheap or hand-me-down cars.

For Nick Girard, Tom Sands, and Kevin Corkrum, from Champlain College, there is no better way to see the sights then cruising at a gingerly 30 miles per hour. I can see the merit to taking your time while you have the chance to, and take a moment to consider the cost savings in gasoline by using the small, under 50cc engines. Getting over 100 miles per gallon on a moped is completely commonplace, even when traveling at the maximum velocity possible. The students will be retracing the path of Horatio Nelson Jackson's first-ever cross-country trip in an automobile more than 100 years ago. If you want to follow their trip, take a gander at the site http://www.mopedcountry.com.

[Source: Motorcycle USA]

We don't always need to take our cars places. Sometimes we can walk, and sometimes we can ride a bike. But... if you can't do that, how about taking a biofuel assisted bike?

MobiBike has created just such a vehicle using a folding Dahon mountain bike with front shocks and disk brakes, and added a Subaru 4-stroke 33.5 cc engine that is set up to run on E85.

Of course, there are also many electric powered bicycles available as well, and, if they travel under 20mph, you don't need any sort of license for them, according to federal law.

Related:

• In Australia, the bicycle is king
• Ten tips to make winter cycling easier
• The new business cycle: comfy bikes aimed at commuters

[Source: Treehugger.com]