Questions are welcomed ....
and if they are common questions they will be added to this FAQ page.

We will also be updating the REPORT booklets
so as to better detail areas where questions have arisen
and we find more or better detailing is needed.

Involvement | The Bike | Website | To Erik | Bike Design

Involvement

Investors | Partners | Dealers | Buyers

INVESTORS

Q: When are investors invited in ?

A: The INVEST button is now active.
the Business Paperwork etc is there.
to access the "Detailed Numbers" you will have to be accepted first.
We are seeking a small group who love bikes.
Let us know about you in "CONTACT" form in the INVEST index.

Q: How can I participate in this project ?

A: You may offer funds, talent or equipment toward this project.
Just go to CONTACT and give us the details.

PARTNERS

Q: How can I become a partner ?

A: Depends on your industry and the alliance you have in mind.
Go to CONTACT and talk to us about the details.
We are about team building.

DEALERS

Q: How can I become a dealer ?

A: Go to the DEALER button and fill out the form.
The R-Bike is designed with Harley parts and tooling in mind.

BUYERS

Q: When and where will the first bikes be sold ?

A: Production begins in late 2008 after the drivetrain is tested.
those first bikes are for the military, the shows and Hollywood
Public production will begin with 2009.

Q: How may I buy a bike ?

A: For now, bikes are only available through this WebSite.
Soon you may place a deposit to save your "place-in-line".

Q: Will "Models" be marketed ?

A: Every bike is a very individual statement fit to each owner.
As you begin to build your bike,
you start by going to the Build-aBike section.
It will be ready for primetime in early November 2007.
We do have "Special Models" already (Police, Military etc)
and as further patterns emerge, other models may naturally evolve.

Q: How much will the bikes cost ?

A: At first the idea was to use the very best materials and parts.
The problem is it puts the bike out of reach for most people.
A starter is around ~$20k and go up to ~$120k
This allows more people to afford the bikes.

Q: How can I reserve a bike ?

A: By investing or soon placing a "pre-order",
this saves your "place-in-line".
Investors first, then the pre-order list (first come, first served).

The Bike

Q: What are the power specs ? A: We haven't published the SPECS booklet yet
because many final figures have not been nailed down,
but these are the power expectations ....

regular
1000cc (75 hp .... 50 lb-ft)
750cc (50 hp .... 35 lb-ft)

hemi
1000cc (100 hp .... 100 lb-ft)
750cc (75 hp .... 75 lb-ft)

diesel
1000cc (50 hp .... 75 lb-ft)
750cc (35 hp .... 50 lb-ft)

Q: How does the shapeshifting relate to different styles ?

A: First, go to the QT shapeshifting video, toggle thru the colors.

The R-Bike adapt to the varying demands
for example in the woods ....

1. The full scrunch (white) is a barely reasonable trials setting
made for those times when you are going super slow,
with feet down, squeezing thru a really tight spot.

2. The second one (brown) is more trials riding in tight trails
in the mountains or very hilly country.

3. The third (light blue) is Enduro for horse-trails / gravel roads.
(the feet are at the center of mass).

Because there are so many settings,
there is always one that would compete with and exceed
the abilities of any existing Enduro.

4. The next (grey and dark blue)
are two good settings for around town traffic.

5. The (dark blue and red) are best for long distance touring.

That takes care of about half the shapeshifting range.
The last half is all about cruising
and how you want your legs stretched at that moment.

6. The (red and black) are relaxed cruiser settings
for the relaxing suburban rides.

7. The (green and yellow) are chopper settings.
Yellow has a rake of 44 degrees .... maximum stable stretch.

Q: What about single cylinder vibration ?

A: Comfort is assured because the engine and drive is isolated.
It starts with all the vibration dampening technology
and the rider is very isolated from vibration
by mounting him on the Short-Spar
while mounting engine and drive system on the Long-Spar

.... For more details see the ENGINE booklet in the REPORT.

Q: Is the bike noisy ?

A: This year it sounds a lot like a muted cross between
a farm tractor and an American Muscle Car.
Soon you will be able to adjust the tone and volume yourself.

Q: What guarantee and post-sale service will the bikes have ?

A: It is made to the very highest standards
so we gladly offer a quality and workmanship warranty.
The bike is constructed with Harley tooling in mind.

Q: Does the bike meet Government safety standards ?

A: The bike exceeds all government standards and expectations
by introducing the birth of the ACTIVE safety of shapeshifting.

Website

Q: Some of the images and videos don't look the same.
Are final versions coming ?

A: Final versions ?, never !
In order to offer a good look at the R-Bike,
we put up some images and videos not completely up-to-date,
but close enough to show off the design itself,
and so ....

1. Only some of the cross-struts are shown.
Their exact positions to be determined during final flex/load testing.

2. The chain adjuster (rectangle) is on some and not on others.

3. Headlight mount looks flimsy because we have not put it on.
We are just using the thin rods as place-holders.

4. The oil tank is the last thing to be shaped,
because it is used to fine-tune side-to-side balance.

To Erik

Q: Is there any real bike that especially inspired you ?

A: The project started fresh as if I never saw a motorcycle
and concentrates on the relationship triangle.

1. between the riders eyes and the road,
2. the road and the bike
3. the rider and the bike.

They are all very different and yet must work together.
From that, function develops
and as function flows more perfectly, form emerges
and the design starts to speak for itself.
The child matures and starts dictating its own needs.
I stop imposing on it and it begins imposing on me.
At some point it is time to lift the brush, to put down the chisel.
With this bike, that moment has come.

Q: Are motorcycles your favorite design object ?

A: It is not about the object,
it is about the creation, the gestation and the birth itself.
It doesn't matter what it is.
It is making relationships between people and their creations,
whether machines or architectual structures.
Sculpting the environment, introducing the mood.

Q: Would you like to keep working on two wheeled vehicles ?

A: If and when I see a need not filled.
You have something in mind ?

Bike Design

The Look | Frame | Engine | Front Suspension | Rear Suspension

The Look

Q: The function is nice, but it looks odd.

A: If any part is mounted even a half inch off,
it would not work as well .... It is a puppet.

Even the curves on the body parts are specific in their function.
The first focus is off-road function, because that is the most difficult.
Then second focus on road needs .... then finally the look.
There will be several tanks, seats wheels etc offered
to create a variety of "looks" to suit the owner.

Those who are only about the look of a bike,
may say it looks odd, and want to look elsewhere for a bike.
People who are about the ride, will like the agility and control
that shapeshifting brings to the ride.
It creates a far more connected rider-bike relationship.

The body shapes are well thought out.
If a person wanted to go for another look,
as long as there is the tank and electricals and guage etc,
then the body parts can be other shapes.
I welcome your sketches :>)

Q: Have you made a physical prototype yet ?

A: The bike was designed and tested in the computer.
It is far more precise than physical prototyping could accomplish.
A final physical prototype is next to fine tune the "feel",
but the bike is over 95% finished within the computer.

Frame

Q: Is the frame stable throughout the ShapeShifting range
or will the torsional rigidity “wind-up” under loads (especially side loads) ?

A: The frame is a double-layer "boxed ladder frame" with diagonal struts
much like a trellis/spaceframe.
Most of the struts, including the diagonal stuts, are not shown.
The precise placement of diagonal struts
will be determined during physical testing.

Q: Rake/trail .... too tight when scrunched ?

A: The rake goes from 22 degrees in full scrunch
to 44 degrees in full stretched compression.
Remember .... suspension compression INCREASES rake.

Q: Scissor pinch .... ?

A: There is always at least a finger's width between moving parts.

Q: Tube cap sticks out. Can it interfere with the leg ?

A: It was a cap for a storage compartment tube
but it made the frame pivot-point too weak,
so now it is a much flatter emblem cap.

Q: Does the Short Spar interfere with engine cooling ?

A: The short spar has many functions ....

1. Protecting the leg from engine heat.
2. Funneling air across the engine for cooling.
3. Hiding the engine heat signature (military).
4. Side protection for the engine in a fall.
5. Easy sliding surface in a fall (to help prevent cart-wheeling).
6. To create the saddle-to-stirrup look.
7. Isolating the seat and pegs from the long-spar.
so engine and drivetrain vibrations are isolated from the rider.

Q: The engine looks like it is just hanging there ?

A: At the top there the cylinder head and cylinder are clamped together.
The engine “hangs” from this clamp
and is attached to the rails of the lead-screw assembly
that controls the ShapeShifting of the frame.

At the bottom the cylinder and the crankcase are clamped together.
That clamp is attached to 2 rods that terminate at the frame.

So, the engine hangs from the upper clamp
and is held in position by the lower clamp.

The rods that connect the clamps to the frame also carry oil
so oil is fed directly to the valvetrain
as well as directly to the engine oil pump and lower end.

Front Suspension

Q: Does a single sided Fork cause twist under heavy loads ?

A: We have not yet revealed the nature of the single-sided fork.

Q: Does the lower A-arms, mounted outside of the frame
expose it to the rider's leg, and interference by objects
(passing trees, rocks, etc.) ?

A: The lower A-arm uses the Long-Spar as a rail
and is clamped around it both on the inside and the outside (one inch).

Rear Suspension

Q: The swingarms look like I-Beams.
Does that cause torsional weakness ?

A: The swingarms start as I-Beams
enclosed on the inside/back-side creating a boxed I-Beam.
(The rear brake-line runs inside the upper swingarm).