Saturday, September 28, 2013

Stigo-World’s fastest-folding electric scooter & cool machine for city Adventure

Stigo

 The world’s fastest-folding electric scooter:


I am a Big fan of innovative and creative peoples, A team from Estonia has done
something which is enough for me to watch and appreciate their creation.

Stigo they called it  and  for me its a new kind of machine  PERFECT for Urban Adventure.


Stigo is the world’s fastest-folding electric scooter that can be taken along wherever one wishes to go – a restaurant, apartment, on public transportation or a small elevator.



This novel, max 25 km/h electric scooter weighs only 17 kg and its footprint is mere 45×40 cm when folded.


Stigo gives you ultimate commuting freedom as well as smiles from people in the streets.




Stigo ready to go


Stigo was developed in response to the need expressed by many urban commuters for an electric bicycle or scooter; however, there was always the problem of where to store the vehicle. It is not that easy to take a bicycle into a city apartment or find a place on the street to charge your electric scooter. The Stigo solution is really simple – it folds into a wheeled suitcase-type package you can bring along anywhere and charge from a regular outlet.

Stigo standing
SPECIFICATIONS:
Speeds up to 25 km/h
Weighs 17 kg
Folds up in 2 seconds with footprint a mere 45×40 cm
250W hub motor
36V LiFePO4 battery
Drives up to 40 km with a single charge
L1e-B street legal electric scooter
Doesn’t need parking space
Can be charged from a regular outlet

To drive 12–13 kilometers, which is the average daily commute of an urban person, costs only 1.5 euro cents per day.

Watch Stigo  in Action:
http://stigobike.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAwdCzSKF8c


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmJ6EO_OGq0

Hope to see  Stigo doing well  for the green future and  the fun, its built for.

All the best  Stigo,

Monday, September 16, 2013

Legendary Off road Adventure Vehicles

     1.                 Legend of  Volkswagen IItis

                                           Dakar Rally winner of 1980




The Volkswagen Type 183, more commonly known as the Iltis (German for Polecat), is a military vehicle built by Volkswagen for use by the German military and under licence by Bombardier for the Canadian Forces and Belgian Army. Although the two vehicles were briefly offered simultaneously, the Type 183 effectively replaced the Type 181.
The German military had been part of a cooperative effort beginning in the late 1960s to create what was dubbed the Europa Jeep, an amphibious four wheel drive vehicle that could replace the small all-terrain transport vehicles being used by several of the participating governments. With development taking longer than expected, the German military requested that something inexpensive be built in small quantities to fill their need for additional small transport vehicles while the Europa Jeep project was still undergoing design research.
Volkswagen responded to the request, designing an updated version of their Kübelwagen and designating it the Type 181. But by 1976 the Europa Jeep project had fallen apart completely, the victim of skyrocketing costs and a difficult development. Needing a suitable four wheel drive vehicle to take over the spots that had been designated for the Europa Jeep, the German government issued requests to several manufacturers to design and build prototype vehicles to be considered for military use.
Prior to the advent of the Type 181, the German military had purchased several thousand vehicles of the Munga, a light jeep manufactured by DKW, but production of the Munga ended in 1968. VW consolidated the former Auto Union marques into a single company, re-using the Audi name to designate vehicles manufactured by the company rather than continuing to manufacture vehicles under the names of the various brands that had made up the original Auto Union.
Volkswagen IItis

                                                        

2.                                         Legendary Range Rover

1st Generation model Range Rover(1970-1996)
The Rover Company (the creator of the Land Rover marque) had been experimenting with a larger model than the Land Rover Series as far back as 1951, when the Rover P4-based two-wheel-drive "Road Rover" project was developed by Gordon Bashford.This was shelved in 1958, and the idea lay dormant until 1966, when engineers Spen King and Gordon Bashford set to work on a new model.
In 1967, the first Range Rover prototype was built, with the classic Range Rover shape clearly discernible, but with a different front grille and headlight configuration. The design of the Range Rover was finalised in 1969. Twenty-six Velar engineering development vehicles were built between 1969 and 1970 and were road registered with the number plates YVB151H through to YVB177H.The Velar name was derived from the Italian "velare" meaning to veil or to cover. Range Rover development engineer Geof Miller used the name as a decoy for registering pre-production Range Rovers. The Velar company was registered in London and produced 40 pre-production vehicles that were built between 1967 and 1970. Most of these Velar pre-production vehicles are accounted for and have survived into preservation.
The Range Rover was launched in 1970. In the early 1970s, the Musée du Louvre in Paris exhibited a Range Rover as an "exemplary work of industrial design".
2nd generation Range rover
In 1972, the British Trans-Americas Expedition became the first vehicle-based expedition to traverse the Americas from north-to-south, including traversing the roadless Darién Gap. The specially modified Range Rovers used for this expedition are now on display in the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust collection at Gaydon, Warwickshire.
Before 1987, Land Rover vehicles were only sold in the United States through the grey market. The Land Rover company began selling the Range Rover officially in the U.S. on 16 March 1987. From that time until 1993, the U.S. marketing was all in the name of Range Rover, because it was the only model offered in the American market. In 1993, with the arrival of the Defender 110 and the imminent arrival of the Land Rover Discovery, the company's U.S. sales were under the name "Land Rover North America".
In 2005, Land Rover launched another model under the Range Rover brand – the Range Rover Sport, which was based on the Land Rover Discovery platform. But the new Range Rover Sport has the latest Range Rover platform.
In 2011, the Range Rover Evoque was launched.
3rd genertion range rover

            3.       Toyota Land Cruiser - A Legendary Off Road Machine

Production of the first generation Land Cruiser began in 1951 (90 units) as Toyota's version of a Jeep-like vehicle. The Land Cruiser has been produced in convertible, hardtop, station wagon, and utility truck versions. The Land Cruiser's reliability and longevity has led to huge popularity, especially in South Sudan and Australia where it is the best-selling body-on-frame, four-wheel drive vehicle.Toyota also extensively tests the Land Cruiser in the Australian outback — considered to be one of the toughest operating environments in both temperature and terrain.
The name "Land Cruiser" was created by the technical director Hanji Umehara. "In England we had another competitor — Land Rover. I had to come up with a name for our car that would not sound less dignified than those of our competitors. That is why I decided to call it 'Land Cruiser'," he recalls. The name had already been used on the US Studebaker Land Cruiser car from 1934 to 1954 but this didn't cause any problems.
1950 — The Korean War created demand for a military light utility vehicle. The war put a Jeep on Japan's doorstep. The United States government ordered 100 vehicles with the new Willys specs and Toyota was asked to build them.
1951 — The Toyota "Jeep" BJ prototype was developed in January 1951. This came from the demand for military-type utility vehicles, much like the British Land Rover Series 1 that appeared in 1948. The Jeep BJ was larger than the original U.S. Jeep and more powerful thanks to its Type B 3.4 L six-cylinder OHV Gasoline engine which generated 63 kW (86 PS; 84 hp) at 3600 rpm and 215 N·m (159 lb·ft) torque at 1600 rpm. It had a part-time four-wheel drive system like the Jeep. Unlike the Jeep, however, the Jeep BJ had no low-range transfer case.
1951 — In July 1951, Toyota's test driver Ichiro Taira drove the next generation of the Jeep BJ prototype up to the sixth stage of Mount Fuji, the first vehicle to climb that high. The test was overseen by the National Police Agency (NPA). Impressed by this feat, the NPA quickly placed an order for 289 of these offroad vehicles, making the Jeep BJ their official patrol car.
1953 — Regular production of the "Toyota Jeep BJ" began at Toyota Honsya Plant (Rolling chassis assembly), and body assembly and painting was done at Arakawa Bankin Kogyo KK, later known as ARACO (now an affiliate of Toyota Auto Body Co.).The "Toyota Jeep BJ" Series was introduced alongside the following:
In Japan, the Land Cruiser had a minor change in 2009 when it received the 4.6 L V8 1UR-FE engine and the gearbox was replaced with a 6-speed automatic.[22] Although the new 4608 cc 1UR-FE is smaller than the old 4663 cc 2UZ-FE engine, the power has been increased from 212 to 234 kW (288 to 318 PS; 284 to 314 hp), torque increased from 448 to 460 N·m (330 to 339 lb·ft) and fuel consumption improved from 6.6 to 7.1 km/L (19 to 20 mpg-imp; 16 to 17 mpg-US) (Japan 10·15 mode measurement).
In the Middle East, the Land Cruiser 200 series was introduced in late 2007 as a 2008 model, for 2008 to 2010 there was three engine choices, 240 hp 4.0 L 1GR-FE petrol, 271 hp 2UZ-FE petrol and 217 hp-232 hp 1VD-FTV 4.5 L turbo diesel. Starting in 2011 the 362 hp 3UR-FE was offered along with the previous engines. For 2012 the 1GR-FE gained dual VVT-i which increased horsepower to 271 hp, the 4.7 L 2UZ-FE was dropped in favor of the new 304 hp 1UR-FE, and the 5.7 L and 4.5 L diesel were unchanged.
In North America, the Land Cruiser 200 series is offered with one trim level and engine, the 5.7 L 3UR-FE V8 petrol engine producing 284 kW (386 PS; 381 hp) and 544 N·m (401 lb·ft) of torque channeled through a six-speed automatic. Towing is rated at 3,700 kg (8,200 lb). Beige or black leather is standard along with a 14 speaker JBL sound system. The only wheel choice is 18 in (460 mm) allowing a lot of sidewall so the vehicle can be driven off-road without modification though a more aggressive tread pattern is advised for deep mud.

For the 2013 model year, Toyota added all previously optional safety and luxury options as standard. The Land Cruiser now gets pushbutton start, a power moonroof, heated front and rear seats, a rear-seat DVD entertainment system, bluetooth, rearview camera with parking sensors, navigation system, HD radio and Entune. Another new feature is the Multi-terrain Select system which helps control wheelspin and brake lockup giving the selectable choices of: Rock, Rock & Dirt, Mogul, Loose Rock, and Mud & Sand. There is no Active Height Control for longevity and no xenon headlights, so the lights can be repaired by the user. The KDSS suspension allows massive amounts of wheel articulation and with automatic sway bar disconnect the Land Cruiser is able to boast an RTI score (550) more than 12 times that of the same-year Ford Explorer.
In Oceania, the 200 Series is offered in four different levels of trim: GXL, VX, Sahara, and GX.
Land cruiser

                  Mitsubishi  Pajero- Historic off road legend

Early  Pajero
The Mitsubishi Pajero:is a sport utility vehicle manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors. It was named after Leopardus pajeros, the Pampas cat which is native to the Patagonia plateau region of southern Argentina.[3] However alternative names have been used for many markets overseas. It is known as the Mitsubishi Montero (meaning "mountain hunter".in Spain, India, and the Americas (except Brazil), and as the Mitsubishi Shogun in the United Kingdom. In Japan, it was sold at a specific retail chain called Car Plaza. Discontinued in the United States in 2006, the vehicle continues to be sold in the rest of the world in its fourth-generation iteration.
Thanks to their success, the Pajero, Montero and Shogun names were also applied to other, mechanically unrelated models, such as the Pajero Mini kei car, the Pajero Junior and Pajero iO/Pinin mini SUVs, and the Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero/Shogun Sport. Main rivals are the Land Rover Discovery, Toyota Land Cruiser Prado SWB/LWB and Nissan Patrol Y61.

the first generation made its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 1981, and was launched in May 1982. Initially, it was a three-door, short-wheelbase model available with a metal or canvas top and three different engines options, although more were gradually added, ending with a 3-litre V6 on top of the range.
2.0-litre 4-cylinder petrol (2000/2.0)
2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol (2000/2.0 Turbo)
2.6-litre 4-cylinder petrol (2600/2.6)
2.3-litre naturally aspirated diesel (2300 D/2.3 D)
2.3 litre turbocharged diesel (2300 TD/2.3 TD)
2.5 litre turbocharged diesel (2500 TD/2.5 TD)
3.0 litre V6 petrol (3000/3.0)
It was loaded with features that had previously not been seen on a Japanese four-wheel-drive car: a turbocharged diesel engine, a front double wishbone suspension with torsion bar springs, power steering and suspension seats. This made the Pajero a four-wheel-drive vehicle which integrated all the amenities of a passenger car.
In January 1983, only a year following its launch, mildly tuned production Pajeros entered the world of motor sport. The Pajero, however, failed to appeal to everyone. In Japan it was seen as a commercial vehicle, and since it was only available in a short-wheelbase form, it didn’t really appeal to those with families.


Near perfect design
Hence, in February 1983, Mitsubishi came out with a long-wheelbase, five-door model, to serve the needs of a larger target market. The long-wheelbase model was available with a choice of two different engines; a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol (badged as "2.0 Turbo" and "2000 Turbo" in some markets) and a 2.3 litre turbocharged diesel. It also came in Standard, Semi-High Roof and High Roof body styles. A stripped down nine-seater version of the High-Roof variant was commonly used in UN Peace Operations.
The long-wheelbase model also increased seating capacity to seven, with available third row seats, which could be folded to the sides for additional trunk space or combined with second row seats to form a bed.
The Pajero was further refined in June 1984. The turbo diesel engines now had higher power/torque ratings, whilst the long-wheelbase models got standard four-wheel disc brakes and four-way adjustable shock absorbers as standard equipment.
A new flagship model was then introduced in early 1987, with a two-tone paint job, fifteen inch (38 cm) light alloy wheels, front-seat heaters, wool seat covers, genuine leather headrests, a three spoke steering wheel and a sound system with radio/cassette. Also in 1987, a version of the Pajero/Montero was rebadged by Dodge as the Raider, which ran through 1989.
Finally in 1988, a 3.0-litre SOHC V6 engine was made available, alongside a 2.5-litre turbo diesel engine, with the first 4x4 intercooler. This translated to better acceleration in mid to high rev ranges. The long-wheelbase models got a coil link suspension system for better ride comfort and off-road ability.
It was available with a 3-door body for a short wheelbase (SWB) or a 5-door body for a long-wheelbase (LWB). Engines included a 2.6 L I4 with 82 kW (110 hp/112 PS), a 3.0 L V6 with EFI and 104 kW (139 hp/141 PS) and a turbocharged 2.5 L OHV diesel I4 with 62 kW (83 hp/84 PS) or an intercooled 70 kW (94 hp/95 PS). Part-time four-wheel drive was standard on all models.
The Gen I platform was later built under licence by Hyundai Precision Products as the Hyundai Galloper from 1991 to 2003, and exported to Europe for a brief time. While it used first generation mechanicals, the Galloper's body was closer to the second generation Pajeros.
source: wikipedia and own knowledge

Present Pajero


Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Jay Kannaiyan's - Adventure rider-rides aound the world

Jay Kannaiyan's ride around the world on a motorcycle

Taking off my helmet at a petrol station in Bolivia, I’m approached by a curious local and the inevitable first question, “Where are you from?” I enjoy their shocked reaction on hearing “India”. I quickly add, “but, I started in the US”, which doesn’t really help reduce their bewilderment.

Vanakam, I am Jay Kannaiyan and my roots are in Chennai, with a childhood spent in Zambia and Kodaikanal. I went to the US to pursue mechanical engineering, and after landing a comfortable corporate product design gig, I started pursuing my passion for two wheelers. I upgraded my college Suzuki GS500 to a brand new Suzuki GSX-R600 and right away got into touring. The GSX-R is by all means the ‘wrong’ bike for touring. But, it’s the right bike for twisties and I pursued all the twisting tarmacs that I could find across the US and racked up 80,000km over four years on that gixxer.

n that time, I became aware of the possibility of riding a motorcycle around the world. It was a dream; a dream that many others have dreamed. I started researching what it would take to make it come true. Firstly, there was the money aspect: how much was needed to live on the road? Secondly, there was the paperwork issue: would it be possible to travel with an Indian passport and get all the required visas? Thirdly, what bike was best-suited for such a journey? And then there were questions such as: what route to take, what kind of gear did I need and what to tell my parents?
I didn’t know when this dream would be realised, but I started saving up and learning about the life on the road by touring around the US. I gleaned knowledge by touring with other veteran bikers and had mechanics guide me through various maintenance procedures so that I could be self-sufficient on this journey. I realised that an enduro bike would be best for this kind of journey and got acquainted with the Suzuki DR650, a highly capable off-road bike that can handle the highway as well. I acquired camping gear and learned how to cook and stay healthy on the road.


I found out that traveling on an Indian passport wouldn’t be an issue, but I would have to time it perfectly with visas and their expiry dates. By now, it had dawned on me that leaving on such a trip would mean giving up my life in the US and my greencard application. However, I wanted to return to India, and I figured that this trip would be my transition from the US to India – a slow, overland transition through Latin America, Europe and Africa, through the Andes, Amazon and Sahara, and sailing across the Altlantic and Indian oceans.

With everything falling into place, I sold my house and most other worldly possessions that I had in Chicago. And once I submitted my resignation letter, there was no turning back!
There were butterflies in my stomach on the night before departure, but on the morning of March 5, 2010, all doubt vanished as soon as I turned on the ignition of sanDRina, my DR650. Soon I was riding into the wind.
Sailor man: Discovering South America

It was not until I crossed the US border into Mexico that it sunk in that I was on a one way journey to India. I got through Central America before the hurricane season and had to sail from Panama to Colombia since there are no roads connecting the two continents. It felt grand to be arriving into Cartagena on a boat, a hark back to the old days of reaching a new continent by ship. There weren’t going to be any plane travels. This was going to be one long journey.
 Colombia was a country that I was a little apprehensive about, given its reputation of being a hotbed of crime. But once there, I realised that I had nothing to worry about. I got in touch with the local biking community and they took care of me for my entire stay there. I realised that what’s reported on the news is just a small slice of the ground reality. My father would warn me of every South American country that I was entering based on the news, and I told him that “Based on the news, India isn’t a safe country either, Dad!”





I enjoyed the ride down the mighty Andes and spent days riding across small dirt tracks in remote areas of Peru and Bolivia. From there, I headed across the Amazon Rainforest and rode the 2,000km hard-mud track of the Rodovia Transamazonica. My reward for the jungle ride was an easy cruise down Brazil’s coastline, meeting lots of friendly locals and learning to speak Portuguese. It’s one of the countries that I’d want to return to and live in at some point. There’s a good vibe there; the people are happy, the weather is nice and the beach is always nearby.


I got back to the Andes and sojourned down Ruta 40 that traverses the length of Argentina, all the way down to Ushuaia, the southern tip of South America.  In many places, I would be camping with not another human being around for a hundred kilometres, at least. I didn’t feel lonely and felt more connected to the nature.

Adios Americas: To Europe, Africa and the pyramids

From Buenos Aires, I bid adieu to the Americas and boarded a cargo ship for my voyage across the Atlantic. It was a car-carrying freighter, and they welcomed me and my Suzuki DR650. It was a 26-day journey across the ocean to Hamburg, Germany. In Europe, my route plan changed as I was denied a visa for Morocco since I was not applying from my home country. So I decided to head down the East Africa route. I boarded a ferry from Venice, Italy, and crossed the Mediterranean Sea to Alexandria in Egypt.

The timing was just perfect as I arrived in Egypt just three months after the 2011 Egyptian revolution. Luckily for me, most tourists were still scared to visit Egypt, which meant that I was just by myself inside the Great Pyramid. Then I left the Nile and sought solace by camping in the White Desert – the Sahara where giant limestone sculptures have been carved by the sand-borne wind into psychedelic shapes. Camping out there was a sublime experience.
 From Egypt, I crossed into Sudan and was once again surprised how the people were so different from how the news would have us believe. As strange as it sounds, but among the countries that I’ve been through, Sudan made me feel the safest. I was wild-camping by the Nile in northern Sudan and a group of fishermen invited me to join them, and I ended up spending five days with them, experiencing a bit of their life. I drank lots of mint tea to keep cool from the heat and ate fresh fish and sweet dates.






After the deserts of the Sahara, the climb into Ethiopia was a welcome change. The Simien Mountains made for some great off-roading, which prepared me and SanDRina  for the epic 900km off-road route from southern Ethiopia into Kenya along Lake Turkana. I teamed up with other overlanders and had them carry extra fuel for me in exchange for chicken curry.

Once in Kenya, I took a long break to do research for a distance masters programme in sustainable development, which I was studying for while travelling. I wanted this trip to be a transition in my life and my career. I pursued research in natural resource management and planned to put this trip experience and degree into effect once the journey was over in India. With the thesis and degree completed, I continued my journey around East Africa and from Tanzania, I rode through northern Mozambique, which has fantastic off-roading. I then headed into Zambia and visited my childhood home. From there, I had an epic experience across the deserts of Namibia with days upon days of camping under the stars and feeling small and humble in the grand landscapes that rolled into view.
 
 Final leg: To India and across

I made a loop around South Africa and from Cape Town, and on failing to find a sea passage to India for myself, I shipped sanDRina to Chennai and boarded a flight home.
Once sanDRina landed in India, we set off on the last leg of the journey, a tour of India. I left Chennai and went down to Kanyakumari and then came up the western coast through Kerala and Goa into Mumbai. From there, I cut across Central India and visited Khajuraho and Agra, seeing the Taj Mahal for the first time. Then I entered the Himalayas at Nainital and took backroads up into Kinnaur Valley and then rode the fabled Manali-Leh Highway, the epic finale of my journey. I rode into New Delhi in early June and finished the trip at India Gate.

It’s been a wonderful three years and three months and more than 1,00,000km on the road and I’m so thrilled that I could pull it off. I met so many people who have reassured me of the general goodness of humankind; a feeling that is lost sometimes by our fast-moving globalised culture. I saw vast wildernesses where the only human touch was the dirt track that I rode on. My life on sanDRina has been all that I dreamed of, and much more, and I hope that my story will encourage others to pursue their own dreams. Ride on!





Reached Home

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Kamaz t4 truck- Champion of Paris to Dakar



Kamaz t4  truck   - Champion  of  Paris to Dakar


The Dakar Rally is one of the most grueling Off-Road Races Adventure in the world and covers thousands of miles of harsh terrain.under most unwanted conditions.



Kamaz t4 is undisputed king of the race for almost 10 years.Category:Trucks
I am a great admirer of Russian machines  because they simply built them for purpose.
and they built them to last.
And when they entered in Paris to Dakar race,they did the same by building a truck
which is winner of more then 10 Paris to Dakar races.

Below are some pics & video of the Kamaz t4 in Action 
Engine V-8
H.P-730

spinning around Paris to Dakar

on and on

surfing on dune

made to cross anything -Quick

Racing to win

going for the win

who is the driver ?

Kamaz T4
                                                   Watch video below for more Action:

                                                                     video-1

                                                                Kamaz 4X4                 


                                                                     video -2

Kamaz-t4- On a big off road race Adventure