Filed under: Concept Cars, Tokyo Motor Show, Motorcycles
Tokyo 2007 Preview: Yamaha Tesseract concept
click above image to view an enlarged photo
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]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Dan 12:41PM (10/07/2007)
badass
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Tinu 2:27PM (10/07/2007)
It looks like 2 bikes placed really close together =).
reader 2:59PM (10/07/2007)
Hah, first word I thought of was "badass". Scrolled down to find that I wasn't the only one.
josh 4:30PM (10/07/2007)
my thoughts exactly ....
paul 12:45PM (10/07/2007)
it does look pretty badass. would totally get one of these
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Alex Nunez 1:07PM (10/07/2007)
"Thirded" on badass. Coolest quad ever?
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Robert 10:45AM (10/08/2007)
No, the coolest quad ever, and closer to being an actual 4 wheeled motorcycle, is the Dodge Tomahawk.
That thing is awesome.
dustandechoes91 1:17PM (10/07/2007)
ballin'
id drive that
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geo.stewart 1:46PM (10/07/2007)
"The Tesseract has also been equipped with a mechanism to keep the machine upright when stopped or when parked,"
yeah, 2 more wheels?
wicked fun, but is there a purpose? what is the intended niche, people who cant balance a motorcycle when driving or put their foot down at a light?
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Jeremy Korzeniewski 2:26PM (10/07/2007)
It has four wheels, but it's free to lean from side to side. Without the mechanism to keep it upright, it would tip over when not moving.
Syke 10:16PM (10/07/2007)
Although they're not going to admit to it publicly, as it would kill the marketing, baby boomers. That bunch currently riding motorcycles who are soon enough going to be old enough that they're not going to be able to ride a bike any more. And, those who want to be 'in the wind' but never owned a bike because they were too scared that it would fall over on them.
Bombardier is doing about the same thing with the Can-Am Spyder, a three-wheeler that is going on sale later this fall. The shop I work for is one of the dealers and I lived with a prototype for a day a couple of months ago. Not terribly exciting for this guy who's been riding for 31 years (I'm 57), but I can see needing one in about twenty years.
banzairx7 7:56PM (10/08/2007)
Some of you asked what's the purpose? Is this for old people that can't balance?
What this allows you to do is slow down or accelerate in corners. Those are things that are hard to do on a standard two wheeled bike, especially the braking part. With twice as much contact you can brake harder and accelerate harder in turns. The other good bit is that in straight line hard braking the front won't "Wash out" on you. Something that is all to easy easy to do on slipepry rodes.
osnofla 1:55PM (10/07/2007)
totally awesome
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RDL 3:27PM (10/07/2007)
Wicked! I'm sold!
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lauralemay 3:44PM (10/07/2007)
You know, I just got a huge argument with a bunch of friends over whether the Can-am Spyder was really ugly or mega ugly (I fall on mega MEGA ugly), and yet this thing? AWESOME.
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RamSport47 4:14PM (10/07/2007)
So...A Dodge Tomahawk, but wider and slower.
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Dan 4:43PM (10/07/2007)
lol this is a completely different concept from a dodge tomahawk. stop hating on imports
Buckus 4:57PM (10/07/2007)
Too bad it'll never see production as a street-legal vehicle. The fact that it has four wheels would classify it as a car in the US, and as such subject to federal vehicle guidelines, such as front and rear bumpers, airbags, a structural element that will support the vehicle if it rolls-over, side-impact beams, etc, etc. Looks cool, though.
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Yago Bal 7:17PM (10/07/2007)
Does a quad classify as a car, too? :)
John R 7:15AM (10/08/2007)
or an Atom? You can get that qualified as a kit car.