Snow-tor-cycle

Gizmodo Reports: Hyanide Snow Bike Mobile Concept

This conceptual design easily falls into the category of coolest damn thing of the year. This motorcycle is equipped with tank-esque treads to turn it into an all-terrain mobile. This design was created by Germans, Oliver Keller and Tillamn Schlootz, for the 2006 Michelin Challenge Design.

The Hyanide is also capable of making sharp and fast turns with a advanced turning system that bends the entire frame of the bike to properly make turns. For the guts, the Hyanide is powered by a 60hp 500cc liquid-cooled single cylinder engine that could product a top speed upwards of 85 mph. It currently only exists as a one-fifth scale, non-functional, model. Surely there is a company out there willing to tackle this revolutionary idea. Honda, anyone? – Travis Hudson

PopSci reports: Your Very Own Personal Tank Deep mud, sand and snow are no match for this go-anywhere mutated motorbike. Click here for an exclusive 3-D look By Dawn Stover

You may not have room in your garage (or budget) for a dirt bike and a snowmobile and a four-wheeler. But what if one vehicle could take the place of all three? That’s the idea behind the Hyanide, a wild concept vehicle created by German designers Oliver Keller and Tillman Schlootz for the 2006 Michelin Challenge Design. This year’s competition showcased vehicles made especially for California’s diverse and often rugged topography.

Named for its supposed resemblance to a crouching hyena, the Hyanide is designed to run on a flexible rubber tread that spans the machine’s entire underside. So if any part of the bottom is touching the ground, the Hyanide should be able to move, no matter how deep the quagmire, no matter how rough the terrain. The tank-like tread consists of 77 identical segments-each made from hard plastic covered with tire rubber -held together by Kevlar rope. Each segment flexes independently, making the tread significantly more limber than if its components were rigid. Not only does this setup help with traction, but it would allow the tank- cum-motorcycle to corner like no other vehicle.

Both the front and rear of the Hyanide rotate into a turn, which would give riders extra control while making sharp turns or climbing hills. To drive the vehicle, you’d steer with your hands as well as your feet, and you’d wear special shoes that snap onto the pedals, like on a racing bicycle. To turn left, for example, you’d push the right side of