Where does Batman get those wonderful toys? We may finally have an answer for the Joker: Batman shops on eBay, just like the rest of us, and he apparently also sells off his unwanted bits and pieces after they've served their purpose. Such is the case with the classic 1966 Batcycle, which was ably replaced a few years back by the far more menacing Batpod.

The Caped Crusader must have finally decided the Batcycle would be better served fighting crime in the hands of a new hero than collecting dust in a remote corner of the Batcave, as it's just been sold on eBay with a final winning bid of $29,500. It seems that Batman had put just 8,245 miles on his Batcycle before retiring it for more advanced machinery.

According to the auction, the bike itself was designed and assembled by Kustomotive for the original 1966 Batman feature film and made subsequent appearances in the television series from the '60s. The seller notes that this Batcycle was based on a 250cc Yamaha Catalina with a custom sidecar featuring a removable go kart for Robin that was powered by its own 50cc engine. While it's clear that the Batcycle wasn't exactly a barnburner, it sure makes up for its lack of power with style.



[Source: eBay via Tilted Horizons]

T3 Motion, creators of the Segway-esque non-balancing T3 Series Electric Stand-up Vehicle for police and security use, has detailed its plans to launch an electric three-wheeled called the CT3. The new vehicle is the first machine from T3 that was specifically designed for personal commuter use, and it's based on the company's CT low-speed electric four-wheeled vehicle.

Using a three-wheeled design should allow the company to classify the CT3 as a motorcycle in most states, which means it won't necessarily need to be restricted to low-speed use as a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle, though the machine will be capped at a 45 mph top speed regardless. All three of the CT3's wheels are powered by electric motors that get their electrons from T3's proprietary Power Management System and lithium polymer batteries.

At this time, the vehicle exists only in rendered form (pay close attention to the wheels and tires in the above image), but T3 plans to enter a special CT-S version of the machine in the Auto X Prize that will reportedly be capable of 80 miles per hour and an equivalent mpg rating of over 100 miles per gallon. Click past the break for the official press release. Thanks for the tip, Deepa!

[Source: T3 Motion via Green Launches]

Christian Audigier won't leave us alone. The fashion designer responsible for decking out all the celebs in Ed Hardy and Von Dutch gear has made a killing off his overpriced wears, but apparently unsatisfied with infection of Hollywood, he's turned to motor vehicles as his unfortunate canvas.

As if the tattoo'ed Lamborghini Murcielago which Audigier created with Edo Competition – which in turn spawned the Ferrari F430 Calavera imitator – wasn't enough, he's set upon another exquisite piece of Italian exotica to tarnish: the Ducati Monster. Starting with the 1100cc superbike, Audigier and his partners at Rever Corsa have laid down some sort of dragon-tiger thing over a particularly gaudy red and gold paint scheme. This limited edition crotch rocket commands a $55,000 price tag, proving once again that money and taste don't always go hand in hand.



[Source: Rever Corsa]

We didn't much care for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen when we went out and saw it on opening night, but we're still smitten by the concept of robots that transform into all manner of vehicular machinery. In Michael Bay's new flick, motorcycles may have taken a more prominent role than in the past, but we prefer the classic Norton Commando in the short clip after the break to the two-wheeled robotic movie machines.

Composed and rendered by Steve Twist, a student from Bournemouth University gunning for his undergraduate degree in Computer Visualisation and Animation, this eight-month project looks to be time well spent to our eyes. Better still, in our heads, this is exactly what an old Norton motorcycle would sound like if it could talk.

Perhaps Twist can get in touch with Bay to instill at least a modicum of realism for the inevitable Transformers 3? Nah, probably not. Click past the break to watch the video.

[Source: Motorcycle News]

Further proof that you can literally fashion anything if given access to enough interconnecting Lego bricks is this Triumph Daytona 1200 motorcycle. The machine has apparently been on display for quite some time at Legoland Windsor in Berkshire, England and is obviously assembled from thousands of individual pieces. We especially like the detailed engine, which is complete with linkages for the carbs and throttle cables.

As cool as this creation is, how much better would it be with a fully functional Lego engine? Of course, having a full-scale building-block motorcycle would also require a matching helmet. May we suggest this one? Click past the break for a video of the LEGO Triumph Daytona on its display stand and click here for more automotive-themed Lego madness.

[Source: Asphalt and Rubber]

Late last year at the Intermot show in Germany, Honda pulled the covers off a radical concept motorcycle it promised would soon enter production powered by a powerful new V4 engine. The new bike's introduction is obviously close at hand as a new series of spy photos clearly shows the bike testing on the street.

Shortly before the bike was spied out and about in the real world, Motorcycle News in the U.K. managed to acquire a series of leaked images of the new bike in what appears to be production-ready form. From these shots, we can tell that the new Honda will feature relaxed sportbike geometry with an upright seating position, a single-sided shaft-drive swingarm and a Cylon-like single front headlamp flanked by twin ram air ducts.

Current speculation is that this new bike will be known as the VFR1200 and be equipped a new V4 engine that will put out close to 200 horsepower. That powerplant will supposedly feature Variable Cylinder Management, which will be capable of running on two of the four cylinders in order to save fuel when maximum power isn't necessary. It seems likely that Honda will officially debut the bike later this year with sales planned for early 2010.



[Source: Motorcycle News via Hell For Leather]

When most people think of sidecar motorcycles, visions of World War II-era BMWs likely spring to mind. For others, however, "sidecar" may be translated a bit more literally. Take François Knorreck of Italy. After some 10,000 hours of work over a ten-year period and at a cost of 15,000 euros, Knorreck created a unique sidecar motorcycle called the Snaefell – likely named after the tallest peak on the famed Isle of Man. Half the machine is based on the guts of a Laverda motorcycle, while the other half uses bits from a Volkswagen GTI, Audi 80 and a Citroen Xantia.

Equally as interesting is this mashup that combines what appears to be an older British motorcycle with a cut-down Citroen 2CV sidecar. It seems both machines are in fully working order with the older 2CV still sporting what we assume is an inoperative a steering wheel. Check them both out in the gallery below.



[Source: Bikes in the Fast Lane]

Following up on the success of the world's first zero-emissions motorcycle race at the Isle of Man earlier this month, the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) has announced plans to launch a new electric motorcycle racing series in 2010. As part of the Road Racing Grand Prix Commission, the project will be led by Azhar Hussain, organizer and founder of the TTXGP. Says FIM President Vito Ippolito:

I am very happy to with this new Series, the future of the sport depends on our capacity as well as that of the manufacturers to innovate quickly. We are convinced that very shortly the motorcycle World Championships will be accessible to non-polluting engines as far as gas and sound emissions are concerned. Now that this important decision is taken, we have to work on rules and calendar to be ready to compete in 2010.

Details on possible entrants and regulations are scarce at this time, but we'd expect to see a number of competitors from the TTXGP take part in the FIM series, such as Brammo, Mission Motors, Motoczysz, Electric Motorsport and the race-winning team from Agni Motors. Expect more information to filter out following the upcoming eGrandPrix race at Mid Ohio on July 24-26.



[Source: eGrandPrix]

While the age-old question of whether the fastest way 'round a race track is on two wheels or four isn't likely to get a definitive answer, on July 13th at the Ducs Fly South track day at New Jersey Motorsports Park we'll get another bit of evidence to consider.

Three Ferrari Challenge cars will take to the track driven by the staff from Universal Autosports, with each competing against the other to set the fastest lap. Immediately following that hot lap competition, a series of professional instructors and racers from Ducati will perform an identical contest piloting the Italian bikes.

You know where this is heading, right? Naturally, the Ferrari Challenge driver and Ducati rider with the fastest laps will go head-to-head in a winner-takes-all race. Wanna watch? No problem – you can even hit the track yourself on your own motorcycle. Click past the break for all the details.

Before even throwing a leg over the new 2009 Yamaha FZ6R, we couldn't help but think that this bike fits neatly into the burgeoning entry-level sportbike category and is just the kind of motorcycle that most Americans would be better off purchasing than a bike from the more popular supersport category. Generally speaking, though today's crop of 600cc race-replica motorcycles are tons of fun to ride in a proper setting, there are few if any circumstances where it's necessary to have a machine capable of topping 160 mph or accelerating to 60 in around three seconds on public roads. With this in mind, we had very high hopes for Yamaha's latest middleweight sportbike. Did it meet our lofty expectations? Read on to find out.



Photos copyright ©2009 Jeremy Korzeniewski / Weblogs, Inc.