We’re expanding our automotive tech coverage to motorbikes

Since we launched Alphr in June 2015, we’ve been covering the most interesting developments from the exciting world of car technology. Judging from the number of page views, it’s a topic that’s clearly going down well.

For example, our interview with Andy Cowell, the man responsible for the amazing Mercedes F1 engine, has been one of our best-performing articles of this year. And our reviews of cars and the tech inside them, such as the amazing Audi A4 Avant or Tesla’s groundbreaking Model S, have also done very well.

But there’s another area of the automotive market where tech is hugely important and extremely advanced: motorbikes. Bikes are no longer the poor relation of cars when it comes to the latest technology, design and engineering. Some of the technology built into today’s “standard” sportbike machinery outshines that adorning some of the world’s highest-prestige supercars.

The world of bikes is not only fascinating from a technology point of view. Riding bikes is also great fun, and a practical and cost-effective mode of transport in congested towns and cities. Generally, motorbikes are much more environmentally friendly than cars – many of today’s scooters can easily manage over 150mpg, and electric scooters are greener still.

We’re delighted to announce that we’re going to cover motorbikes and the incredible technology that helps make them exciting, powerful, fuel-efficient and safe – right here in the Cars & Bikes channel on Alphr.

It’s an exciting prospect. I’m looking forward to bringing you the latest tech on two wheels, from humble scooters all the way up to the latest MotoGP missiles. We’ll be looking at the astonishing engineering that goes into the construction of the latest motorbike tyres, as well as safety features and engine technology. We’ll also be test-riding the latest bikes from all sectors, and taking a peek into the future of tech on two wheels.

We’ll bring together a range of experts to ensure our bikes coverage is informed, authoritative and interesting. For my part, I’ve been passionate about bikes for more than 20 years, and have been lucky enough to cover many of the world’s best motorbike launches in recent years for publications including MotorcycleNews and The Daily Mirror.

Joining me will be Curtis Moldrich, who has been editing our Cars section. He’ll be taking his motorbike test this summer, and we’ll be bringing you the lowdown on how he progresses.

We’ll also be getting input from some of the UK’s best-known motorcycle journalists – watch this space.

For a small taster of the kind of stuff we’ll be getting up to, check out the short video clip below. It was taken using a GoPro Hero 4 camera at a track day test in Spain last month. We were experimenting to see if modern tyres and suspension technology could transform my 16-year-old sportbike into a machine that can compete with the superbikes of today.

Check back next week to read the full story and see if my lap times were better or worse on a modern sportbike.

Anyway – welcome to our adventure into tech on two wheels. Together, Curtis, me and a selection of well-known motorcycle journalists are excited to bring the best bits of motorbikes and tech to you right here on Alphr.com.