Describe your fantasy bike (Addendum)

(In case you're curious, this is what I put on my application to describe the kind of bike I want. I think it's a neat idea. It usues fuel cell technology.)

The vision I have for my fantasy bike really pushes the envelope as far as bike and fuel technology go. It’s something that no one has ever attempted to do, I’m sure, but would be an incredible mix of technology, design, and ingenuity. I propose building a gasoline to hydrogen to electric powered Chopper. This may sound absurd, but let me first discuss how I think this will work, and then I’ll discuss some of the benefits and rewards of designing such a bike, and then I’ll talk about what I think the over all design should try to accomplish.

Before I describe how this would work, let’s consider how a regular motorcycle engine works. Gas is first stored in a tank and then the gasoline is directed to the engine where it is compressed and burned creating power for the bike to run. You’re left with carbon monoxide which is a greenhouse gas as exhaust.

Now, instead of an engine, the fuel first goes to a reformer where it is broken down into hydrogen and carbon monoxide, but then water vapor is added creating hydrogen and carbon dioxide which is much safer than carbon monoxide. The hydrogen is extracted from this process and heads to a fuel cell. Oxygen from the air combines with the hydrogen to produce electrons that generate electricity that is then converted to mechanical power.

In the end you essentially use the same fuel, but instead of carbon monoxide as exhaust, you end up with carbon dioxide and water. Plus, this process can be up to twice as efficient as the normal process. I’m not sure how the power output compares, but this is something further to consider.

Why go to all of this trouble? If you use gas instead of hydrogen, then what’s the point, right? The point here is that using gas to create hydrogen fuel is an intermediate step that must be taken before we will ever see hydrogen fuel being as easy to access as gasoline.

Last year, president George W. Bush proposed $1.2 billion dollars towards researching a transportation system powered by hydrogen. To get to this vision, the DOE, Ford Motor Company, Daimler Chrysler, and General Motors are collaborating in an effort to create “Freedom Car”. I won’t go further into it, but basically it’s a car that will be operational on hydrogen fuel only. Also, the executive director of the THINK group, John Wallace, at Ford, is looking at replacing the internal combustion engine all together at some point in the future. I think with these big names working towards fuel cells, it would be possible to work with one of them to get the technology adapted for a motorcycle and I’m sure they would be happy to get there company publicized on American Chopper. John Wallace might be a good person to start with.

With that in mind, the purpose of this bike is to show that hydrogen fuel technology can be applied to a machine where power is generally valued more than fuel efficiency and a clean environment which will show that it can and should be applied to the automobile industry. (It’s similar to saying, your younger brother does something well, why don’t you do the same thing well or even better?) I don’t think this is something that should necessarily change the way bikes are built, but I want it to me more of an example to boost awareness for the hydrogen economy and put more pressure on government officials as well as automotive manufactures. They already are working towards this goal, but I want to make sure that they keep up their efforts and I think the general public should have a better understanding of what hydrogen fuel is all about and what it mean for their future.

I’m not going to say too much about the actual design of the bike just some general ideas. Assuming Paul Jr. would be designing it, he seems to like to take ideas from what ever source he’s using, whether it be from a person, place, or an object and use that to inspire his designs. I don’t want to step on the toes of a great Chopper designer. With that in mind, this bike represents energy efficiency, steps towards the future, and a cleaner environment. I think the bike should resemble that of a concept car you see in a car show that’s not produced, but always looks sleek and futuristic. As far as the color scheme goes, I’m thinking maybe a blue and green to represent the environment to some extent (water and trees), but I’m open to suggestions. I’m not sure how the motor will fit in exactly, so there may be a way to stylistically play with it to make the motor either stand out or have it disappear (kind of like the 3rd web bike, with negative space).

I believe this would be an excellent bike for OCC and DCI. OCC is always mentioning in their shows that they are always looking for new ways to be different and stay on top in the motor cycle world. Paul Sr. mentions more often than not that’s it’s nice to give back to the community, whether it be a game of bingo with senior citizens, or Christmas presents for under privileged children. This in a way is giving back to the environment after taking so much from it. This would be a good bike for DCI because it would bring together new technology and entertainment which is what the Discovery Channel seems to be about. I could watch the Discovery Channel all day if I didn’t have other responsibilities. In conclusion, I’d like to say that this bike may not be possible, but that’s always the case whenever you push one’s limits with design and technology. If you don’t test yourself, you’ll never know your potential of yourself and others.