A New Deal in Metal to Aid Efforts Towards World Land Speed Record
We’ve just had word that Lightning Motorcycles, in their efforts to prep to break the World Land Speed Record (WLSR), is teaming up with a unique metal supplier in the business of a substance called niobium – and they’ll be using the metal in tests to determine the best place to strengthen their upcoming project.
Noibium, as stated by CycleWorld, is found to be a metal denser than steel. While a pound of this stuff might go for as much as $18-$20, the material’s abilities – excellent conductivity and potential to strengthen existing steel structures, to name a few – mean this bad boy is more than worth the price.
And with Lightning Motorcycle’s partnership, we’re guessing that the brand will be getting the stuff at quite the discount.
The goal for this ingredient is to somehow use it to strengthen the bike that will eventually challenge the WLSR; to do that, the machine in question will have to punch past 250mph, or just over 402kmph.
It’s a crazy dream – but dreams have become reality before, and Lightning Motorcycle is banking that they will come to life for the record break.
“Signed in January, the partnership with the Silicon Valley-based company…intends to innovate and test [niobium] in various components of the vehicle, in order to improve its performance and, eventually, exceed the 250 mph (around 403 km/h) mark,” states the press release from CBMM (the noibium supplier).
Lightning Motorcycles gets to play with precious metals…so what does CBMM get out of the partnership?
Apparently, they get to be a part of how this material can be used in high-performance machines (besides the already-integrated use of niobium in today’s jet engines and rockets, beams and girders for buildings and oil rigs, and oil and gas pipelines). With the Powersports Industry seeing ever-more-competent machines on the road (and off it), it’s no wonder that companies are on the hunt to find materials that will stand up to the increase in power specs.
Besides. Should Lightning Motorcycles strike gold, there’s great potential for CBMM to strengthen their connections and become a main hub supplier for other Powersports companies looking to cash in on Lightning Motorcycle’s findings.
“Light weight and high efficiency are essential for high-performance motorcycles,” says Lightning Motorcycles CEO and Founder Richard Hatfield.
We have used some applications of niobium to achieve these goals.”
“We are excited to work with CBMM to further innovate niobium technologies that can be translated into meaningful benefits to not just high-performance electric motorcycles but to all types of vehicles.”
Our very best to this unique partnership. Should they find anything out, be sure to be subscribed to our newsletter, where we’ll drop it in the evening news on one of the two days we send stuff your way throughout the week.
Drop a comment letting us know what you think, and as always – stay safe on the twisties.