An airless tyre, using memory alloys as the load bearing component, is the claim of the Los Angeles based SMART Tire Company. It’s been working with NASA to develop a tyre from the experience of an exploration vehicle used on the Moon. The result is the SMART (Shape Memory Alloy Radial Technology) which has a non-pneumatic tyre shape comprising a mesh or radial bands, mainly of the memory alloy NiTinol. Memory alloys are capable of “undergoing phase transitions at the molecular level with significant reversible strain (up to 10%) an order of magnitude more than ordinary materials.” In other words, it can deform significantly and will always spring back into shape – SMART claims the result is has the elastic qualities

In a dramatic move, BMW Motorrad has issued a temporary sales ban on all of its petrol-powered bikes in North America. This applies not only to new bikes, but also to used ones at dealers. Effectively, it leaves BMW as an electric-only brand in the USA and Canada for the time being, with only the CE 04 scooter on sale, though the smaller CE 02 is on the way. The problem is a component in the fuel vapour retention system that, “may not have been manufactured according to the material specifications.” BMW gives no more details than that, but it’s likely to be an emissions compliance issue for the North American markets. The company has emphasised that the sales stop is voluntary, temporary

ARC, the Coventry-based builder of the Vector electric hyperbike, is getting UK Government funding to develop a new motor system, giving a glimpse of the technology its next generation of battery bikes will use. the new dual motor set up, with integrated inverter, will debut on new motorcycles due for launch in 2026. ARC says that the new system will offer more performance and lower weight than the existing system while also, crucially on a motorcycle, taking weight out of the battery. Named HiPERMOD, the new system is being developed in conjunction with Talos Techology, an electric drivetrain specialist which is based just down the road from ARC, in Warwick. The project is Government-funded through the Department for Business, Energy and

Petrol prices leapt up in August, rising by 6.68p per litre, one of the largest monthly price increases in over 20 years. According to the RAC, only the effect of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and a one-off increase in October 2021, caused sharper price hikes. According to the RAC, the main cause of the latest increase was a decision by the OPEC+ group of oil-producing countries deciding to lower production, which increased the price of a barrel of oil by nearly $12 to almost $87 – the average forecourt price for a litre of petrol rose to 152.25p in August. RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said that the increase could have been even more. “While the increase is clearly

Ever suffered from a misted-up visor? Of course, we all have in colder weather, though mitigated by the growing use of visor inserts such as the Pinlock. Now a British firm has gone one step further with a heated insert powered by an external rechargeable battery pack. There’s nothing new about heated visors, which up until now have used fine elements to provide the heat. The ‘VISIN’ has been designed by West Midlands-based Diamond Coatings, which supplies aerospace, medical, military and automotive sectors with specialist coating technology. In this case, the transparent insert coating can conduct electricity and thus heating across the entire area, working down to -20 degrees C, according to the manufacturer. It was developed by Jason Elite of Diamond

Ewan McGregor is to narrate a new documentary on the life of Philip Vincent, the man behind the British V-twins of the 1940s and ‘50s which carried his name on the tank. Speed is Expensive: The Philip Vincent Story, will be available to stream from 25th September 2023 on Amazon, Sky Store, Apple TV and Google Play. The Stevange-built Vincent-HRDs were the superbikes of their day, the fastest production bikes then available and holders of multiple speed records. The most infamous was probably Rollie Free’s setting of a new American motorcycle land speed record on Bonneville Salt Flats in 1948 – infamous, because to minimise drag he rode the bike lying flat across the seat and tank, clad only in a

Honda has patented mirrors mounted underneath the bars, rather than on top. The mirrors, which according to the patent application use a conventional stalk, would mount at the top of the forks just below the top triple clamp. It doesn’t sound like a ground-breaking innovation, but Honda claims several advantages for the underslung mirrors, which are serious enough to warrant the patent. First off is better visibility than conventionally-mounted mirrors – because the mirrors are below the rider’s elbows, the view is less obstructed. This in turn allows them to be mounted closer to the centre of the bike – conventional mirrors have to be high and wide so you can see past your shoulders. A narrower mounting, says Honda, means