Ain’t no better day than National Raspberry Cream Pie Day; coupled with the fact that it’s also National Girlfriend Day (and National IPA Day), I see a stunner of a weekend a’brewin’ in your future.
Meanwhile, today’s news is being kept at a simmer after the explosion of last week – and Sturgis may be starting tomorrow with a fleet of Super Cruisers, but we’ve also got some updates on how Tesla’s autopilot tech is doing after not recognizing YET ANOTHER motorcycle… and to top the whole caboodle off, Suzuki’s racing an experimental bio-fuel gixxer??
Let’s dive in and see what else we’ve got, because this stuff’s getting more and more interesting.
Tesla Autopilot Confirmed to be In Use During Seattle Motorcycle Collision
A picture of a Tesla car next to a motorcycle. Media provided by FEMA.Part III of Why Teslas are Deadly to Motorcyclists
Remember when the NHTSA found over 2 million Tesla models with a defective “Autosteer” function? Given recent news, Musk’s tech hasn’t really changed – and per usual, the problem lies in the fact that Tesla’s autopilot still can’t find two-wheeled machines when it counts the most.
Coverage from Teslarati sets the scene on an accident in Seattle in which a Tesla car hit a motorcycle, with authorities blaming Tesla’s Autopilot, or “Autosteer” function. To clarify, It’s possible that the Seattle accident was one of the two collisions connected to the NHTSA’s evaluation of Tesla (disturbing, as all of the accidents mentioned had a motorcyclist pronounced dead on the scene), but relation is irrelevant, as we now have additional information on the communication between the Tesla car and the driver.
According to this recent report, the Model S’ event data recorder showed the car’s Autopilot system to be in use during the car’s remaining minutes prior to the accident. Couple this with the driver’s admission that he was checking his phone with Autopilot engaged, and we have yet another Tesla car that runs over motorists without human prompting.
Why are we making space for this situation on our weekly news round-up? You should know that the Model S driver was arrested for investigation of vehicular homicide “based on the admitted inattention to driving, while on Autopilot mode, and the distraction of the cell phone while moving forward, putting trust in the machine to drive for him.” In other words, there has never been a better time to remind everybody you love and hold dear that safety involves trusting 0% of road-goers to be predictable…
Especially vehicles with the “Autopilot” driver aid.
Per both Tesla and our previous coverage of the NHTSA’s evaluation, all three situations are still open and being handled as we speak. We’ll be sure to update you on any relevant particulars.
Have you ever used Tesla’s Autopilot function? What did you think of your experience?
Bio Me Up, Scotty: Ex-MotoGP Blood Confirms Suzuki Success with Experimental Gixxer
A view of Suzuki’s experimental bio-fuel gixxer. Media provided by Visordown.#0 Bio-Fuel Bike Takes 8th Place
Ducati may have locked down enough laurels in racing championships to festoon half my suburban block, but did you know that Suzuki’s been surpassing Ducati machinery on the circuit? They’ve even been revving around Suzuka 8 Hours with an additional bike: An experimental gixxer that gave more than a few competitors a run for their revs.
Didn’t hear me the first time out? Fact: Suzuki has a team at Suzuka that’s got mambers of their old MotoGP crew working strong, and they’re working with an experimental, modded GSX-R1000 running on bio-fuel.
The thing even finished in 8th place while sporting other eco-friendly choices such as recycled carbon fiber fairings and Motul engine oil using a bio-sourced base oil – not half-bad for a race entry, and Suzuki’s Executive General Manager of Motorcycle Operations is in complete agreement:
| “I believe this initiative has a very significant meaning to realize carbon neutrality, especially for mid to large displacement motorcycles, for which we believe combustion engines will still be needed.
I can say with confidence that endurance racing, which simultaneously demands running performance and endurance, is the optimal place for testing and development of not only fuel but also various sustainable items, and it is an activity that would revitalize the future of the motorcycle industry.” – Tsuyoshi Tanaka, Executive General Manager of Motorcycle Operations, Suzuki (Visordown) |
These efforts follow Suzuki’s exit from MotoGP and subsequent about-face toward experimenting with alternative – non-EV – fuel options for bigger bikes, as well as the company’s involvement in the HySE Consortium – a partnership between Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, and Kawasaki (with support from Toyota and Kawasaki Heavy Industries) in the creation of “hydrogen-powered engines for small mobility.”
As if the above weren’t enough, Tsuyoshi also confirms that this won’t be the last time that we see Suzuki experimenting with biofuels – that Suzuki will “continue the initiative by aiming for higher goals in the years to come.”
In short, Suzuki’s still cooking on the circuit… they’re just using weird ingredients.
Would you try a biofuel gixxer machine from Suzuki? Why or why not?
Yamaha’s Using Recycled Steel for Revised Motorcycle Package Frames
A pictrue of the metal-framed packaging that Yamaha will be changing to incorporate more eco-friendly “low-carbon” recycled steel. Media provided by Powersports Business.“Low Carbon” Alternative to Reduce Emissions Footprint
Suzuki set the tone with its experimental gixxer, and now Yamaha has the idea to use recycled material for its motorcycle experience, too—only this initiative involves switching out its usual packaging frame material with “low-carbon steel.”
If you think that this decision to switch packaging materials won’t be as green as changing a model in the brand’s lineup, keep in mind that every bike leaving Yamaha’s factory is rolled out in a steel-framed box… and that more people got rich in the Gold Rush selling shovels than they ever did panning/mining for gold (per Medium).
Supplies are expensive, costly, and unending in a business like Yamaha’s; their decision to swap out the country’s usual package frame components for steel sheets from electric furnaces is commendable, if a tad unorthodox. At the very least, the move fits with the brand’s commitment to carbon neutrality, per the following admission from Powersports Business:
| “Yamaha Motor, in line with its Yamaha Motor Group Environmental Plan 2050, is working toward being carbon neutral throughout all of its supply chains, including the company’s business activities, by 2050.”
“As the company works toward achieving this goal and eventually switching to 100% sustainable materials, Yamaha Motor is pushing to adopt and further expand its use of green and recycled materials.” – Yamaha adopts recycled steel for motorcycle packaging frames (Powersports Business) |
We’re expecting – between this and Yammie’s 2035 Carbon Neutrality Goal – that the company’s emission footprint will be further tackled in the years to come.
Do you think Yamaha will be able to keep to their deadline for carbon neutrality?
Buell’s Riding a Fleet of Super Cruisers to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
A picture of Buell’s Super Cruiser. Media provided by Buell Motorcycles.“Sturgis or Bust Baby!!”
Curious how Buell’s incubating Super Cruiser fares long-distance? Well, CEO Bill Melvin and other members of Buell’s internal team are proving right now that the cruiser is more ready for her debut than ever before.
According to Buell’s recent video footage on Youtube, integral members of the Buell family (members such as engineer Jacob Stark) are revving Buell’s bikes into South Dakota, where Buell will be present from August 2-11 to showcase their big-bore hooligan.
Buell’s Super Cruiser has now survived overheating tests and endurance testing on a dyno, as well as a track day with Tony Blackall, founder of Blackall Racing. Specs are a bit hard to come by as the brand is still finalizing development of the thing, but we DO know that the bike produces 175hp and 100ft-lbs of torque while weighing in at a mere 475lbs.
As for what others think of Buell’s Super Cruiser, we have a listen-in on how Tony found the thing from the circuit:
“It was amazing; in a straight line, it felt like it was just a bullet, a rocket ship. I mean, I got 174 [mph] on that, and I still had plenty of track to do. I didn’t realize how well it was gonna do on the brakes. When I hit the brakes, it stopped. It was a riot. Once I started to loosen up on it, you start to tip over, get out the bike – the maneuverability, the agility to get it around the curves… it’s amazing.”
– Tony Blackall, Blackall Racing (Youtube) |
Would you like to take Buell’s Super Cruiser for a ride?