While most bicycle companies are drooling over the projected growth of eBikes in China Specialized Bicycles Director of Design Robert Egger is looking to internal combustion. The bike pictured above was on display at Eurobike 2010. No word on whether an ICE powered Specialized bicycle will ever grace the streets but it is nice to look at and dream about.

Source: Cycling Weekly Via: Specialized Forum

United Motors quietly closed their doors February 1, 2010. They had what seemed to be a solid business importing Jincheng motorcycles from China after input on specs and quality and rebadging them as UM. A few years ago they began a deal with Hyosung (S&T Motors) to rebadged the 650c and 250cc models as UM. The multi-phase deal would eventually lead to Hyosung engined bikes designed by UM. The deal did not sit well with Hyosung US and rightfully so. The UM bikes began to sell better than the Hyosung brand in the states and dealer locations were not spaced far enough apart to protect Hyosung USA dealer territory.

All the details are not available about how UM met its fate. GE Money, the firm that loans money to dealers to stock the showroom, took possession of all United Motors inventory. A United Motors Group member in China called UM Global is still in business. Although this is strange it might offer hope for UM powersports owners who have warranty claims. If you have more information about UM’s fate and its possible future in UM Global please leave a comment or email admin [at] othermakes.net.

Source: Powersports Industry Daily Via: Korider

Zhejiang Yongkang Easy Vehicle Company took the Bombardier Spyder reverse road trike concept and brought it to the dirt with the TF110. Being familiar with the Spyder I’m not sure why this reverse trike atv caught me off guard. It seems part of the benefit of having two wheels in the back when off road would be additional contact patch with loose dirt and rough terrain. Maybe in deep ruts the centered rear wheel would hook up on high, dry ground? The rider would be in a rather uncomfortable forward leaning position with the front wheels in ruts and rear wheel not.

The concept is interesting and there must be some situations where this 3 wheeled ATV shines. Anyone have any experience riding this Chinese creation? Have any thoughts on terrain it might handle well? Please leave a comment and let me know.

TF110 Specifications

Source: Yongkang Easy Vehicle Co.

OSET Electric Motorcycles Range

If you have a child who wants to get into motorcycles an Oset Electric Dirt Bike is worth looking into. They are comparably priced compared to a Honda CRF50 and don’t make any noise or have a hot engine and exhaust. Less noise means less intimidation. If the kids are riding more, so are you. Yes, it is OK to be selfish. You can ride the bike too as it can carry up to 300 lbs. Check them out at OsetBikes.com

Source: OSET Bikes via: Electric Motorcycle Forum

Italjet is about to enter the big bike market with the Grifon 650. The Italian mark is catching a second wind after it’s banruptcy in 2003. The Grifon’s blacked out Italian styling is accented with spoked rims, Giannelli exhaust and Brembo brakes. The Pre-production Grifon looks to be a combination of the Grifon and Bazooka prototypes introduced in late 2005. MCN posted the following video of a test ride…

Italjet is the latest company to outsource the chassis and 650 vTwin engine to South Korean Motorcycle manufacturer Hyosung. This most likely will allow them to hit a lower price point than previous prototypes with outsourced engines. Diamo USA is set to import the Grifon to the United States under the name Italjet USA. Let’s hope we see it spice up the bike meet parking lots some time in the near future.

As Asian motorcycle manufacturers fight for market share against the big 4 and other unknown companies it is critical that they differentiate themselves and provide a unique product that solves a problem for perspective buyers. With high gas prices and eco-minded Americans, this may be a big success in places were E85 Ethanol is available. Would you buy one?

Sikk is another example of an up and coming company that is not afraid to fill a niche in need. It’s 125 Trail Bike is basically an air-cooled four stroke 125cc engine mounted in a minimalist, mountain bike like frame for a combined weight of 160 lbs.

Most trail motorcycles are around 280 lbs, pack a lot more engine than an average rider can realistically use and cost $6k or more. Big power is fun but takes a lot of skill and control. Coming from the other side of the spectrum, Mountain bikes are light, flickable and roll over obstacles with their large wheels. The only problem is they take a lot of strength and endurance to go up hill. The Sikk 125 Trail Bike meets the two in the middle. It makes a lot of sense. The bike does not use cutting edge technology so why did it take this long to make it happen?

Motorcross Action did an article on Sikk’s play bike this month on the bike. They mentioned that the 125 was prone to finding neutral when shifting and the engine over heating. Apparently Sikk made everything right because the review did not have much bad to say. Their only real complaint was a too low first gear and a large gap between 2nd and 3rd gear.

The reasonable $1895 USD retail price combined with the light weight and reliablility make this bike totally unique. I fully expect this motorcycle to create a new category of rider. On technical trails this bike should be able to keep the most talented riders entertained. Skill will trump power. It should appeal to big bike riders as well as mountain bikers. A side benefit might be that these bikes will have less impact on the environment. Mud puddles will not turn into cavernous ruts, exhaust noise and emissions are minimal. This might keep trails open and expand the number of trails available to riders. It maybe the fact that I picked up my Cannondale e440 one too many times but I am very tempted to trade in for one of these little bikes. The one thing that would stop me is the thought of doing hill climbs on a 125. I will have to read some forum posts and hunt down a test ride. If you have one please let us know how you like it.