Is this the future?

[Sven]

I wish they would make it!  I would definitely sign up for a demo ride! I think if it was priced right, it would be a big seller.  It would take some time for it to grow on you before you liked the looks of it.

I don't think it would be a big seller, but I do wish they would make something that had its genesis in this design...half the fun of bike/car design history are those niche products that were not popular.  Look at the Brittan (if you can, all that Barbie pink)...or the DeLorean car...the appeal being unique design.  One of the prettiest bikes (to my eye) is the Confederate Wraith (http://www.confederate.com), all circles, but it looks like an uncomfortable ride...and yet some people are buying them (or will once production resumes after the French Quarter factory was ruined by Katrina), just as they buy those ridiculous OCC choppers.

Again, it's a CONCEPT, obviously trying to look like something out of a futuristic movie...or perhaps a lightcycle from TRON (man, I always wanted one of those!), but society has a way of envisioning the future and then building things to reach what was intended to be fantastic.  Look at the old STAR TREK shows and how many things have been purposefully designed to function.  So, 10 years from now when the showrooms are full of bikes that look like a headless buffalo...

You vill ride zem und you vill like eet!

[Vidrazor]

>>It's not my style, but if companies never tried anything new we'd be stuck with one, old design!<<

That was basically my point, and I was principally referring to the tired American bike market in particular. It's doubtful that bike will make it to production (it just doesn't look like somethng you could ride for more than 5 minutes), but if they make ANYTHING that isn't another cruiser or sport bike with a Jurassic engine design, then it'll be a huge wake-up call for the American manufacturers to finally start looking beyond the H-D me-too mentality. Even the Conferderate bike is still a cruiser, an H-D fashionista, if you will.

The 800 is obviously an attempt to step out of that mold, and I applaud Victory for taking that step. I hope they continue to be bold enough to refine the concept and  make modern American bikes that can compete in the world market for design, innovation, and real-world use.

The auto tranny thing is a weird concept that bike manufacturers are shamelessly shoving down our throats. Obviously they figure they can sell more bikes if they are easier to ride, like scooters on steroids. Look at all the new offerings from Japan. A good number of these bikes have auto trannys as either standard or plugged as "luxury" items as Yamaha has done with it's FJR1300. Just about all the concept bikes have auto trannys.

The really scary part about this is that the manufacturers are probably right in their sales assumptions, and soon we're going to see a lot more dangerous motorcyclists out there.

[Desolation Angel]

The concept of an automatic motorcycle doesn't worry me.  No more than automatic cars do.  I see nothing wrong with twisting the throttle and taking off like a bat out of hell.

Just like my Saab 9-5.  I assure you I don't miss a standard transmission whatsoever.  They were fun to play with in my youth, but after years of driving one in stop and go traffic, well, you can keep 'em.  And the same thing has happened to me on the Bandit.  In traffic it's exhausting.

Clutch, brake, shift, clutch, coast, clutch, accelerate, clutch, coast, hold clutch, paddle bike, release clutch, oops, clutch again, brake, stop, go, clutch, ad infinitum!  

Yeah, a perfected high performance automatic transmission sounds cool to me.  Bring it on!

And for those of you who desire to build up your Popeye muscle, why, sure, standards are still available!

[Mongo]

I spotted this POS at the International Bike Show in Long Beach Saturday, when I down loaded the pictures my five year old daughter asked me if it was one of the Power Rangers bikes!

[Vidrazor]

>>I see nothing wrong with twisting the throttle and taking off like a bat out of hell. <<

I was seeing it more from the perspective of selling bikes that are easier to ride to people who aren't really going to learn how to ride them.

[Mongo]

>>I see nothing wrong with twisting the throttle and taking off like a bat out of hell. <<

I was seeing it more from the perspective of selling bikes that are easier to ride to people who aren't really going to learn how to ride them.

 Go Speed Go!