2012 Izh concept from Russia
Japan-based Russian designer looks to the future for Izh
APART FROM giving the world one of the greatest assault rifles of all time, Russian arms manufacturer Kalashnikov are also pretty handy at knocking together motorcycles - and this is the latest dual-power concept from Russian-born, Japan-based designer Igor Chak.
Working from the same factory as Kalashnikov, Izhevsk Mechanical Works, or Izh for short, have sold around 11 million motorcycles over the last 80 years; the 1929 Izh-1 was one of the most successful for the Russian marque.
The latest thinking in this short video shows a drastic update from Izh's usual Russian tank-like design, the concept is armed with dual front airbags, a radar system, on-board cameras, traction control and ABS. The girder-style fork design crumples on impact to absord the force of a collision, rather than 'pinging' the rider over the top of the bike.
Chak's design also stretches to encompass zero-emission thinking; a 140bhp V-twin engine and a Lithium sulfide-powered 60W electric engine power the futuristic beast.
Ah well. Back to reality.
