It's not a motorcycle, but it plays one on the street.
The Naro is a two-person vehicle which combines motorcycle and car design elements in order to provide a mix of comfort, maneuverability, and efficiency. Co-designed by Coventry University's Art and Design course and Prodrive, a British motorsport company which makes its money providing cars for racing teams, the Naro is intended to fill a transport role similar to the Smart and other lightweight, small-footprint, high-mileage vehicles. The Naro seats two in a jet fighter-style cockpit, providing enough room for a small bit of cargo; one of the first intended applications is as a single passenger taxi.
Weighing only about 300kg, less than a third of most city cars, it is expected that the Naro will be powered by a small petrol or diesel engine giving up to 100mpg or by a new generation of fuel cell engines running on hydrogen. While designed primarily for the city, the aerodynamics of Naro means that it would be more than capable of motorway speeds.
As long as there are no crosswinds, one presumes.
The lead designer, Damian Harty, is the subject of a lengthy and fascinating article in Engineer Live, a journal for (you guessed it) engineers. The dilemmas involved in the design of a tall, slim vehicle amount to more than just how to keep it upright in a stiff breeze. The Naro will lean in turns, for example, just like a motorcycle but distinctly unlike a traditional passenger car. How will people accustomed to driving a car adjust? What's the best control mechanism -- a steering wheel, handlebars, or something entirely different, like a joystick?
The design is reminiscent of never-to-be-brought-to-market vehicles from Toyota and MIT: the vehicle of the future, it seems, will look something like a moon buggy crossed with a Mac Mini. Despite its concept-car looks, the Naro is apparently on its way to production by the aptly-named Narrow Car Company. Sales will be to European markets at first.
