Project Futurebike
PROJECT FUTUREBIKE
The Best of 300 Design Contest Entries
JOSEPH C. PARKHURST
WHAT WILL the motorcycle of the future look like? What features will it have? What possible engineering innovations will be present in its conception?
In cooperation with U.S. Suzuki, who offered $1000 worth of their motorcycles to the winner, the March issue of CYCLE WORLD put that question to readers in the form of a design contest called Project Futurebike. More than 300 entries were submitted! Some of them were conservative, some of them far out, and many were interesting and original, but impractical to produce on an economic scale. The panel of judges included this writer, as well as Roy Richter, president of Bell-Toptex and Bell Auto Parts; and Charles McHose, an independent industrial designer and instructor at the Los Angeles Art Center School. Whittling the entries down to a winner and six honorable mentions was no easy task. Much midnight oil and hot debate transpired before the decision was made, so that we can present them to you here. We think you’ll find them intriguing.
WINNER
1)I~:siG\' (:()v IFS / winner was James R . Ferron, of I1'eir~an', .Vc'w ork. Though not what mi~/zt he called a radical design departure'. hz.c Rank ci en gined l)e'auty won the judges m'er in (`very respect, except one; I/ic propor tions do not quite' fil the human anato ?flV pertee1i~'. But the minor changes necessary would affect tile o~'eraII design c'rv little'. tc'rron called for a Rank ci engine with shaft drive, air cooled, with two rotors exhausting on eat/i cu/c'. (,`ast (1110)' u,hee'ls are used. lice' i'er.cions are shown, one uilh 15-in, wheels for the road, the other nit/i IS-in. u'heel.', for off-road. Chassi.'~ construction is of three piece's of t h eriii ojo i-rn `d l BS /i `el plas tic, me'tal reinforced, conically welded together and foam tilled. I)rawing s/lows metal reinforcing lu/ic's blind ru' eted to plastic panels, "B, `` inner plastic panels sonically welded, "(:, `` outer p1a~I Ic panel.c welded to in ii e'rs, ``I), `` outer cavitie's foam filled. ;~c tank is an integral rubber b ladder. Ferro 11 stat c's: ``1 feel it is pointless to try to pro~ecl much beyond present tee/u nologv or styling trends. ``(arc Of I/ic' J'uturc `` of ten /uave' a tenth'iuv to look ridiculous in tue y ear .~ time. Ihc'ref ore I /i(zl'c c/i osen to make rn~' design an exercise' in styling a iid chassis concept, based on pre'.e e nt suspenslo ii and overall pack aging t re iids. i/ie'sc' bikes could be built tomorrow wit/i minor modifications and could be extremely marketable. i'hev wo uld give the buyer sonie't/iing uniquemore than just a choice of engine sizes and ga.c tank cob rs. `` 1/ic judges ii'e're most unpres'.c'(I wit/i the off-road c rsio 1?, Considering it more' practical i/iou the almost fullbodied road version. I/ic' t/uird .cketc/i s/iows ti Borinc'~'ilhi' version, one \`UU sit on, rather 1/iou in. Both e'nclose'd sions would require' na/er cooling, partitularly as 1/ic' designer eni'i.cione'd f/ic use of .`,e'u'c'ral Wankel rotors or a turbine'.
