LOL that's why it's called KillaCycle it dont kills cycles it's kills people...lol

:( Poor Dube!!

Could there possibly be a worse name for a motorcycle than "KillaCycle?" I don't think so. While I understand the intentional play on words, having "Kill" in your product's name is truly inviting fate.

What a moron, thanks for the laugh.

Save gas and your head with a helmet. Ouch.

This guy is a genius.

At least the babe of an assistant was spared!

That bike not only sounded deadly it almost was. I was impressed at the power, horrified at how dangerous that looked and astounded he didn't kill anyone, especially himself.

That's the best Hoax I've seen since Bush said Iraq had Weapons of Mass Destruction.

1. No helmet
2. Little experience
3. Wrong venue

Thank God there was no one in front of him, they would have been split in two.

better stick to being the crew chief! :-]

Also demonstrated was it's ability to stop. It successfully went from 60 to 0 in an astonishing .2 seconds... roughly 5 times as impressive as it's 0 to 6 mph figures.

oh, the irony!

The inventor mentions that the bike operates like an electric drill. Personally I would need my drill to have a governor controlling the speed before I rode it.

Particle accelerators use electric fields to come to think of it. Definitely, a governor.

Is the bike ok!???

If he work for the Government and this is what he does with his spare time, what does he make at work?

That was hysterical; thank you TG Daily.

Thanks to humphrey cheung and max wilson for being there and sharing this vid and info about a fantastic electric dragcycle. dont be ashamed about that wreck dube. get well soon and keep up the great work

"If he work for the Government and this is what he does with his spare time, what does he make at work?
Bob K."

Foreign Policy.

hahahahahahahahahahahaha

"I'm the owner, not the driver".... you sir, are a dumb***

Bill is a tech guy doing testing, quality control, and failure analysis on aircraft electronics. He has been a professional racer for over ten years. In recent years he has had a pro do the actual racing. Now, he makes the serious mistake of having little knowlege of the pavement conditions, very poor burnout site selection, limited stopping space, and sadly no helmet. It's ironic since he has always been the teacher of many electric vehicle racers over the years, always taking extreme precautions and warning of potential danger. Too bad he only followed his own advice 99% of the time. He's not a careless guy. In fact, he's saved many of us from our stupid mistakes and ignorance. He's made thousands of great decisions and one big mistake. Here's hoping he's OK.
Jay

So, asides from getting on the guy, does anyone actually know how he is?

{We will be following up on this as soon as we have an update. -ed]

Hahaha!!! He didn't even stay on the wet burnout area. The bike jumped foward and emril said it best "BAM"!!.

Bill is one of the best engineers I've ever worked with. He was a design and test engineer at NIST and now works at NOAA. Slam him all you want, but he's made major contributions wherever he's been. How many geek engineers design the fastest motorcycle on the planet?

They don't call it a donercycle for nothin...

"What does he do for the Government?"
Well obviously he is a Rocket Scientist.
I concur with Johns observations...,

1. No helmet
2. Little experience
3. Wrong venue

Hope he is OK, and that is one BadA** Bike.
At least the batteries didn't explode and catch fire like the sony laptop batteries. Great news for the sponsor.

While he was down on the ground he mentions to someone that the throttle got stuck. But I agree that he should have taken precautions like wearing a helmet.

My wife just spoke with his wife, and she said he's fine, just needed a few stitches.

Bill is the guy that proves the new Lithium Polymer phosphate batteries DON'T explode. He's has been proving how different these new batteries are for more than a year. The batteries are NOT Lithium. They are "treated" and contain much safer nanoparticles that are not "explodable". Fortunately, we just found out he only got bumps and scratches and a couple of stitches. We talked to his family. I'll bet he wears a helmet and makes wiser choices in the future.
Jay

Geez that thing is fast. Maybe he needs Chuck Yaeger or Evel Knievel to do the driving. Or both. I'd love to meet Bill Dube, he proves that a motorcycle scientist is more incredible than a rocket scientist. Get well soon guy, the world needs folks with your vision.

I've never ridden a bike with more than 80cc's and even I know you should wear a fricken' helmet! Sheesh! Nice example to set, bright eyes!

Actually, it's a pretty good example, now that I think about it.

"Hey kids, see what happens when you're stupid and you get on a bike that goes 0-60 in under a SECOND??"

DON'T BE STUPID.

I wasn't wearing a helment, because we did not intend the bike to even move!

We were spinning the tire in soapy water. The tire unexpectantly gripped, (water ran out?) and launched the bike. I couldn't get it shut down as quickly as I would have liked. I had to release the front brake to fully untwist the throttle. I then managed to slow it down to about 20 mph.

The positive message here is that when we crunched the battery pack, NOTHING happened. No smoke. No flames. Not even sparks. Not only are these cells more powerful, they are are the safest possible for automobiles.

Also, there was NO ONE in front of the bike or in the possible trajectory of the bike.

I have to ask, though, how is it possible that the rider doesn't come off the bike that that acceleration? Or that the bike doesn't flip over? I mean, it's long and everything, but WOW. That thing takes off like a rocket.

Glad you're okay.

Jason

We're just glad you're okay, but your motorcycle was impressive, nonetheless

Of course none of us have EVer done anything bordering on the edge of sanity and come close enough to disaster to see our life
flash back in a split second only to live and wonder, "What was I thinking". No, NONE of us have EVer done anything like that ;-P
**biting my tongue** remembering all the stoopid stuff I've done and lived the rest of my life trying to forget, thanks for
reminding me Bill ;-P I'll give it to ya though, one way or another Killacycle always puts on a good show, EVen if its just sitting there. The growl of those tires unwrinkling as it launches reminds of a snowmachine running on the track, with paddles :-)

Mike Willmon

but don't be a squid with your bike!

watching you run out of puddle with the throttle still wide open and then launch yourself halfway to Santa Monica was like something out of Road Runner cartoon.

400HP on just 80kg of batteries . . . wow . . . I bought my Miata in 2000 with an eye to converting it to battery powered after 150k miles, looks like technology is starting to become more viable, finally.

I like that.. its so fast ... u really need to be careful with the throttle. He's crazy .. how can a person manage a thing which goes 0-60mph in less than a sec. in a sec before he could react, bike got traction and reached beyond limit.. think it breaks all records.. definitely not street legal. 1 sec of diversion can take your/others life. No more F1.. kicked all of them in the face.. all perf cars.. cool, congrats , well done and get well soon.

I don't care how fast this guy has gone, how many races and/or how much engineering he has done on motorcycles; he was completely unsafe in his attitude and the results show. As a biker I see stuff like this every day. The ability to throw your leg over a motorcycle doesn't make you a "biker"...staying safe and alive after many years does. Hopefully he (and everyone) has learned a lesson.

"we did not intend" - i don't think victims of any crashes "intend" to crash. anyway glad to see you're ok. great technology - just be safe!

...after my last post. These are poor excuses for not taking the proper safety precautions. Do you not wear safety gear in your lab just because you're doing something that may or may not have consequences? This is a ridiculous excuse and what happened to you probably happened to about 60% of the other idiots doing a burnout on that same day.

Hey Bill, you took my words out of my mouth, I wanted to say that "he had not full armour cos he did want to ride the bike, planed was just a short burnout", obviously. But Bill this is a hell-of-a-bike, great work. When do you think that it will be time for reasonable e-bikes for everyday street use (wich can do 150-200 miles with some shirt charges)? TNX.

Just imagine a Prius doing a burnout like that!!! LOL!

>Also, there was NO ONE in front of the bike or in the possible trajectory of the bike.

You HIT a car! Wasn't that in the possible trajectory of the bike?

Anyway, glad you're not dead... hope you weren't seriously hurt. Please don't pull a Gary Busey and wear a helmet next time. Always assume the gun is loaded...

W

As a bike rider myself, I'm thrilled to see a bike like this in action, and I must commend him on his reflexes if not his choice in riding gear. Given the stats that they are reporting of the bike he didn't get a lot of time to bring that weight of bike to a stop. I'm sure I don't need to tell you this but wear a lid next time man any time it's in gear. Hope the bikes ok.

heal well dude.

STUPID?


and america are the world police? and are so stupid.. well i dont know what to say.. it so stupid to do a burnout in public and not wearing any saftygear..

The throttle may have stuck but to my eyes he was in trouble anyway.

The trick to performing a burn is to make sure the front tire has enough grip to stop the bike from moving. You usually put as much weight on the front as possible & it didn't look to me that he did this. Wetting down the rear wheel helps, but that bike looks like it's very tail heavy.

Glad to hear that he's OK...

Humphrey reports the top speed as 158mph - Bill doesn't say that in the video. He says that it's doing 158mph after a 1/4 mile. With 400hp and the right gearing, this'll be a 220 mph machine.

[I concluded that a 0-60 time in 0.97 seconds would likely result in top speed being attained in less than 1/4 mile. DC motors attain maximum torque and power at near idle speeds. At high rotation, it falls off quickly. The top speed might be something more than that, but I doubt it's much more. Still a good catch though. -Rick]

Wear protections, when you can run a soccer pitch in slightly more than a sec!

Wow, it can fly!!! You're a great inventor. Just wondering how far the Killacycle can go after fully charged. Does the engine work like a hybrid car?

Glad you are more or less ok. Next time you might want to put the front tire against something stationary too like a nice big brick wall.

Hi Bill,
There is just no way to defend not wearing a helmet, even if you didn't 'intend' to move. Don't even try.

CA Vehicle code technically only requires helmets when on 'highways', which it looks like you weren't, until the end there.

Bill, I like what you have done, I certainly hope your sponsors don't repremend you, "accidents" happen once in a while.

i'll show this video to my son to try and persuade him that bikes are dangerous - no offence meant

glad to have you back

I'm looking forward to seeing those batteries getting to a store near me :)

Glad you are ok!
0-60 in under a second, 150's mph in a 1/4 mile on battery power = amazing
Wilber and Orville crunched a few and then in less than 70 years Armstrong was waliking on the moon.
If if were easy work everybody would be doing it!

next time on one wheel

Well that was a typically gung-ho dumb thing to do. Forget about him and the stupid bike, what about the pedestrians on the sidewalk with this idiot hurtling towards them. He should go to jail.

killa!

1. That bike is awesome! I will love to get that tipe of acceleration! 0-60 in .97s in stupid fast, but o so nice to have :-)
2. Where is the kill switch? My small 180cc bike has a kill switch. Of all the fancy electronics on that thing, where is the simple kill switch!?
3. Bill. Good to know you are fine. Good work on that awesome bike!

When can we expect to see a KillaSegway?

"I wasn't wearing a helment, because we did not intend the bike to even move!"

Funny, I never intend coming off my bike either when i'm riding, but I still wear a helmet.

"I had to release the front brake to fully untwist the throttle."

Try using the clutch next time?

Great work, Bill!

It will be wonderful if this type of technology can become available to all of us. Imagine having this for electric cars!

Glad your OK Bill! Sweet machine! Try some X12 next time, it may work better for your needs? It was bizzar seeing the bike in a mini-van, but I really got a cold chill when you were on the ground with your arms layed out. THought perhaps the worse had happened.
0-60 in .97 WOW, that's one hell of a cordless drill. In regards to the Li-Phospahte (sp?), can they ever be made in a small package for PDA and cell phone use you think?
Glad your ok!

Seriously, I can spin the tire on a 40hp dirt bike without any help. You hold the brake in, slip the clutch a bit and let her fly. WTF is this about releasing the brake to untwist the throttle? Better go back to the drawing board and fix that little problem. My personal piece of advice is to not get your arse anywhere near the seat of a 400hp motorcycle until you get a handle on riding something a little milder, like a 13hp scooter.

How stupid you must be to do a burn without helmet on such a powerfull motorbike..

Honorable mention for darwin awards ? :-D

Bill,

Very cool bike... Very unfortunate accident. Just glad to see that it didn't dampen your spirits (or worse).

Gary

Just goes to show we all drop the ball from time to time. Here's a brilliant guy doing an incredibly stupid thing in the totally WRONG place. Luckily no one was seriously hurt. Imagine what would have happened if a women and kids had been crossing to enter the building, or the van hadn't stopped the bike!

Even a simple 'Risk assessment' would have flagged this up as a No No NO!

Accidents happen. Truly impressed at the power of that bike... Professional bike racers should be fearing for their lives right about now.

That whats professional drivers are for you dummy.

but he should have worn a helmet

very dangerous anyway. little kids come from all hidden places, cars turn around corners, etc.

i like your initiative, keep up the good work. and get well soon!

big number 1 WRONG VENUE.
Leave the power demos to the younger guys Bill. I do understand the promotional angle of what you were trying to do, but. . . .
This would be a good time to change to the 1000 HP battery pack that A123 is building for you. Since the bike is already going to be in the shop.......
I want to see your bike break the world record 1/4 mile for motorcycles. That would be a much better promotion than hundreds of 'parking lot' burnouts. Heck, while your at it, go after the nitromethane dragster record @ around 330 mph.
At 'some' point your problem is traction not horse power. Have you considered putting an in-wheel electric motor in the front wheel also? Twice the traction, although I don't know what other problems it would create. It would shift the weight distribution certainly, although I'm not sure that wouldn't be a good thing. Steering might be a problem. But in a 1/4 drag, turning is definitly something you do not want to do.
I hope I don't see any more video of you on your back.

I think front brakes could not hold the torq.
he needs to add another 5pounds to frond disk brakes system. so it can hold the bike and he can make his drift.
and shit happens...

What a person, with the typical idiotic mentality that you find in most crotch rocket fans, will do with something like this?

That's all we really need is to give the idiots a FASTER bike, so now we really can't see em coming from behind.

I hope Bill knows his "invention" will likely lead to many deaths. I could care less about the idiots on the bikes, it's the poor innocent drivers who instinctively swerve to avoid hitting them, and then get in a wreck themselves that I feel pity for.

Worthy of a darwin award! Fast bike but so so funny!

Except the car :|

I have a great deal of Respect for Bill, in the experimental aircraft world we have come to rely his superb knowledge. Get well soon Bill, I guess we all screw up sometimes...You'll be back!

Frank

Throttle stuck my ass, he had no clue how to ride that rocket and he shouldn't have been doing it downtown Los Angels.

Yep... he's a government worker.

[LOL - Rick]

Bill, I'm glad you're OK, but you should apologize to everyone for setting a bad example. Think: Gary Busey.

I would've implemented some kind of anchored front wheel stand before attempting that stunt.

When I owned my motorcycle, people would sometimes roll down their window and shout "wheelie!" at me. Fortunately, I never took the bait. I still have most of my original skin.

That such smart people do the stupid things?

I first hand know as a "rider" that you always wear your gear. The excuse of not wearing his helmet complete BS! Did not intend...HA! Thats like saying, "Oh I didn't intend to start that fire officer when I was fooling around with my matches. Give me a break! You plan for the worse case so when it does happen (and it did) you have very minimal damage to your surroundings and the people involved.

Tire unexpectantly gripped? Did you watch your own video? The damn thing jumped out side that shitty so called water box. What did you think was going happen when you heat up that slick on dry pavement?

I like how he agrues that NO ONE was in front of him. But their could have been...and with that insane machine going 0-60 under a second, you think anybody could just step aside as it came hurling at them?

Then the jack@** has the nerve to try to get a positive out of it. Crashed the bike, damage a van, almost lost my life, could have killed anyone else, but...the batteries are totally awesome! How is this guy still employed?

Take some advice, keep that machine where it belongs ON THE TRACK!

Many people may see you as a highly intelligent man, but you just jumped to the biggest DumbSh!t on my list.

Stop being such an idiot. We have enough what with all the mid-life crisis Hardley riders and the SQUIDS. Next, rename the "KillaCycle" ! That's about the dumbest name I have ever heard of for a bike. Lastly, do something useful with all this technology besides blasting down the quarter mile.

Even if you did not expect to move or go anywhere, a helmet would have been a wise move for safetys sake. It is the unexpected that gets one in the end.

I am glad you are doing well. It is good to see you reply to the posts.

I would love to have one of those.

Wear a helmet... I mean you have all that brain power and battery power and you decide to do that with no safety equipment, in the middle of a crowded city....? Gotta weigh the risks a little more....

I thought people like him were supposed to be immune to this award lol!
0 to 60 in .97 hmm, never rides it just builds it... hmmm, you just KNOW that was going to happen. Just a bit of hubris there huh?

This sounds great Bill. Sorry you got injured bope you're ok!

If you really are Bill Dube writing the previous post, sorry for your luck.

I do, however, feel that if you're hyping up a machine called a "Killacycle" and it has the power of what you're riding, you should have all of your protective gear on (helmet AND leathers) anytime you go near that thing. If not only for your own protection, consider the example that you're setting for your audience.

The comment that no one was in front of the bike really is a mute point because I'm sure that you didn't intend to park it in the minivan, but it happened. If there would have happened to be have been someone getting in that vehicle at the time or coming into the parking lot as you were crusing through it, this story would not have a happy ending.

The bike is impressive and I hope that there's eventually a street leagal version because I'd be first in line to buy it. Best of luck.

Hey that bike is super sweet. We all make mistakes. the point is that you accomplished something really cool that most people could only dream of. Keep on livin the dream. But do take care and maybe use the stunt driver next time. We need you around to make improvements to the bike :)

BTW... apparently everyone else failed to notice the blond on the bike. Now that was a good choice! Too bad the video quality isnt good enough to get a good look!

bill, you shouldn't have to release the brake to stop it. probably a 1/4 turn throttle, 1/8 maybe. lack of experience maybe, cement too abrasive for the slick?

nice bike, funny crash, thank god for the minivan.

Pathetic know-it-alls gotta feel superior somehow! :)

Just goes to show they don't mix ...
Saying the throttle stuck is lame - looks like he was shutting it down and the rear got traction while the front brake was off. It is a noob mistake, and he admits he isn't the rider, but crews the bike instead. I'm glad he is okay, but as stated earlier in this thread:
Wear a helmet
Practice your skills
This was the braniac version 'Hey y'all, check this out!!!!'
However, it is a VERY cool bike.

I was thinking about giving advice, however I think you learned what I would say in 10 minutes in less than 5 seconds.

I work in an industry that normally won't allow me to touch what I design because of people like you, please take time to understand the actual physics of what you make before you try to personally test it.

Pay attention to burnouts with Drag Radials like you were using, you will see a trend that looks familiar to your video(without the car in the way).

Yeehaw - Geronimo .... ouch !!!

Good to hear you made it out ok! Just have to live with the annoyance of having it caught on film.

Hope the bike makes it too.

Wicked crash man. Hope you recover soon. What you need to do is get with GM to develop a wicked electric sports car that rivals the Tesla and something that you can actually be seen driving in without shame.

Thing is, Bill, you need to wear a helmet regardless of the circumstances. What you intend to do and what actually happens are two different things. You're sitting under a human-controlled rocket, if it screws up and you can't react fast enough to stop it, you can get killed.

Always, always wear protective gear when on a motorcycle.

I'd like to see more about this motorcycle! Imagine if you made a modern day Honda 50--where anyone/everyone can ride one--only electric. It would need huge range, some cargo capacity, and good looks.

It's unfortunate that he doesn't understand the difference between 'Killacycle' and 'kilocycle'. I doubt that he meant to be so truthful. And so many people can't be bothered to learn spelling or grammar, apparently thinking they don't matter.

A site such as this makes me realize how unaware the masses are about EV development- I hung out at the Tesla model at burning man and none of the folks walking by recognized it at all, as an Elise, a full-sized model or as a Tesla. You'd think they'd google the word killacycle before responding!! Someone's got to take risks, Dube and other EV racers/developers are doing that so the rest of the country won't have to wake up and find the only way to work is in a golf cart!

Bill, I'm glad to see you're ok.

But dude! You had to know what happens when you apply 400HP to a puddle of water! Heck, on a hot LA day you don't need to wait long for the water to evaporate all by itself, let alone with all that friction helping.

Next time:

1. Wear a helmet when sitting on a rocket
2. Use more water
3. Plug in the kill lanyard and USE IT!

.cp

battery acid

It seemed like Cheung was encouraging him to do something unsafe for the camera. Dube told him he was not the driver, just the inventor.

Be proud that you gave the world more than it bargained for! Both with the work you're doing and those few seconds of footage captured for posterity. The future is yours.

Ok, people have already commented on the lack of a helmet and basic safety gear so I'll pass on adding any further to how dumb that is.

My other question...why on earth is there no tethered kill switch on this bike so that if the rider falls off (or purposely pulls it) all power to the motors is killed? A stuck throttle on a bike like that could easily kill innocent bystanders.

My family has been involved in boat racing for decades and we've had that simple sort of safety mechanism for years. If the driver is thrown the engines shutoff.

This guy demonstrates very little respect for the amount of power he was playing with and bragging about.

Deafscooter witness at place.

he should put his killeCycle to against to concrete barrier
then show off Smoke burn rubber on rear wheel spinning ..

This is Prevent runaway to crash to something Lucky not kill
to anyone on way to parking lot !! it very Dangerous Motor!

Craig ( deafscooter ) alway put high powered Electric scooter
against concrete barrier and during tire spinning burn smoke

See Ya Later Gasoline Engines! ....

I'm sorry to report but Your Fired

It's sad to see such a brilliant man get caught up in the excitement of the moment and do something so stupid. I'm confident that he is intelligent enough to not repeat the same mistake again.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Bill. (I suspect that most of the recovery time will probably be spent recovering from the embarassment.)

The previous name for the bike was OrganDonorCycle.

lol so stupid... hire a professional driver and do that in a controlled environment...

Glad you are safe and sound Bill. Good times, lol. Who is that hot chick in the video? Hook a brother up.

It attaches to the leathers, in which there weren't any being worn, hence not attached.

As far as "pulling in the clutch", hello?? This is an "electric" bike, no clutch.

A helmet?? Yeah, that is always the best choice. However, he wasn't there to ride it or do a burn out and since the rider wasn't there probably didn't even have a helmet with him.

And this is NOT street legal, it will not be on the streets ever, it has been created for the drag strip and that is where it will stay. So, as far as people having to "watch out" for it coming up behind you, that'll only happen if you're standing at the 1,000 foot mark on the strip.

Bill was pretty much forced into doing the burnout, I personally wouldn't have done it, I would have left it to Scotty to do at the next race. But, have we not all been in a position at some point in our life where we were pressured into doing something via peer pressure and regretted it later, even if something bad didn't happen? Ever heard of Glass Houses people??

I'm glad you're okay, Bill, and leave the burn out to Scotty...we've all seen the YouTube video, he really is the best for the job!!!

Get well soon!

"you know, i've seen someone killed on the drag strip"

you almost experienced being killed! you should have listened to your own advice! Did nobody hear what happened to Ben Roethlishamburger? he says, "oh I left my helmet inside the house" and what happens? POW! Head first into a car- smashing his face and his teeth and nearly ruining his NFL career - tsk tsk! shame on you and I agree- that was so close to earning darwin award of the year!

I was almost surprised by this...wait...hold on...no...no I wasn't

Thank you for your pain.

I would like to know how this cycle compares to THIS one:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4377824264280162096
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-472004366476459286
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8463953633961799181
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Tomahawk

My bike weighs 725 lbs, (wet weight) and 60-0, while faster than any car, is still too slow for something like this...
Doesn't that thing have a front brake? WHy wasn't he wearing protective equipment?
Shoot, I want one of the new C-14s and I will take my old bike and make it into a hybrid electric ... Bill, can I borrow a motor and some batteries?

And the AssHat of the week goes to

Stop with all the, "that was unsafe" comments. Maybe it was but its been said to death. The bike got away from him but he did NOT hit the van at top speed. He managed to get it mostly slowed down, barely hurt himself and from the video, doesn't look like there was much damage at all. If he was as dumb as so many here seem to think, he would have hit the van doing 100. The demonstration got away from him, and he saved it. Seriously, great bike, and great job minimizing the accident, Bill.

Stupid people pass judgement on those who experiment with the unknown, but sit on the coach telling stories of shoulda coulda woulda....