Tokyo 2007 Preview: Yamaha Tesseract concept

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And now for something completely different. Yamaha has just announced that it will be bringing a bevy of new motorcycle and scooter models to the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show. One of the more interesting concepts, which we'll roughly refer to as a motorcycle, is the Tesseract. Piaggio has a success on their hands in the form of the MP3, which is capable of leaning into turns despite the third wheel. Yamaha has one-upped that with its Tesseract, though, by adding yet one more whee,l bringing the total count to four. And yet, nobody would confuse this machine with a car!

Again, following Piaggio's lead with its impending hybrid MP3, Yamaha has made this concept a hybrid, boasting both a V-Twin engine of undisclosed size along with an electric motor. Yamaha claims that the machine is about the same width as a standard motorcycle, meaning lane-splitting could feasibly remain an option and parking shouldn't be too difficult. The Tesseract has also been equipped with a mechanism to keep the machine upright when stopped or when parked, once again, like the MP3. As for the styling? It's, uh... different! Imagine a Transformer half transformed and you'll be pretty darn close. And we love it!

[Source: Yamaha Motors]