‘ E ’ BRIEFS
It is reported that Bosch has invented a “ carbon neutral ” synthetic hydrocarbon based fuel . It is likely to be some time before the chemistry involved proves to be scalable or for production of sufficient quantities to be commercially viable , but should it prove to be so , it could take the transport emissions debate in an additional new direction .
Microsoft is reported to have teamed up with fellow American company Baidu Inc . to take the technical development and adoption of autonomous driving worldwide . As a member of the socalled “ Apollo Alliance ”, Microsoft will provide global scale for Apollo ( outside of China ) with the Microsoft Azure cloud . The plan sees the data captured by vehicles combined with Microsoft ’ s “ AI , machine learning and deep neural network capabilities to accelerate the work already being done to make autonomous vehicles safer ”.
Founded earlier this year , Salt Lake City , Utah , hybrid truck manufacturer Nikola Motors ’ powersports division has unveiled designs and specifications for the Nikola Zero UTV – an all-electric , 400- volt plug-in , off-road and , potentially , street legal fourwheeler . Production is presently forecast to commence in January 2018 and starting at $ 35,000 , there will be two performance options – 415hp and 3,675 ft . lbs of torque and 555hp with 4,900 ft . lbs torque – and 75kwh , 100kwh and 125kwh battery options . The larger of the three is said to deliver 200 miles range in 4x4 off-road mode . Speeds of up to 0-60 in 3.9 seconds with four passengers inside are being quoted .
The United States has another new multi-line motorcycle manufacturer with San Francisco based Alta Redshift SM , having put its Supermoto E-Bike into production alongside the Redshift MX it started to produce two years ago . Earlier this year Alta secured a $ 27m funding round ; the new model will be up against KTM ’ s Freeride E-XC , which has just recently started shipping to U . S . dealers .
Bigger Barber
The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum and Barber Motorsports Park at Birmingham , Alabama , has made major facility improvements . An additional 85,000 sq ft of space has been added to the Barber Museum , making it more than a quarter of a million sq ft in total – said to be the largest motorcycle museum in the world , housing the largest collection of motorcycles in the world ( over 1,400 and counting ), the museum drew 270,000 visitors last year . Two new pedestrian bridges give access to the infield areas within the 16-turn , 2.38 mile , 45-foot wide race track , and a newly constructed Barber Proving Grounds complex includes a multi-configurable track , classrooms , wet / dry skid pad , obstacle course and 50-acre off-road course . With its creative architecture and great attention to detail , the museum showcases over 100 years of motorcycle production . More than 650 bikes can be seen on any given day , and 200 different manufacturers from 20 countries are represented in the collection — from Harley-Davidson , Honda and Indian to Showa , DSK and Cagiva . The motorcycle collection started with the first acquisitions in 1988 and includes around 100 Harleys , with 99 percent of all the bikes in the collection said to be able to run within an hour of prep ; the only machines that do not run are the wood and unattainable replicas .
The 2.38 mile , 45-foot wide road racing track
Credit : Mark Bondarenko
The 880-acre Barber Motorsports Park , housing the 2,300 sq ft Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum
Efforts are made to restore each machine to its original specifications . Some machines bear period modifications – “ with the diversity of the collection , some inconsistencies are inevitable , yet we continuously add to our research library and discover and correct inconsistencies . At any one time , more than 600 motorcycles are on display in the museum – “ we have many bikes in storage , and museum guests can view
Proving Grounds track with wet skid pad and classroom overlooking the track
Facilities include 25,000 sq ft of meeting space and a 74-seat multimedia theatre
this area of the collection during large events and when purchasing a Premium Museum Tour , which includes the Restoration Level . “ There have been over 2,500 bike manufacturers around the world since 1900 . We have purchased from as far away as Australia , New Zealand and Sweden , and we have 216 different manufacturers represented from 20 different countries . “ The vision for the museum began as a car collection and then took on the role of motorcycle collection . But cars were never forgotten . The museum has focused primarily on Lotus race cars , although other cars are exhibited .” The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is a 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit , with proceeds going to local and national charities , to generate positive publicity for the region and to attract visitors to Birmingham , Alabama , from across the country and around the world .
www . barbermuseum . org
16 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - NOVEMBER 2017 www . AMDchampionship . com