Remember the Hoverboards from the Back to the Future trilogy? Australian Chris Malloy hopes to take that concept and do one better with his Hoverbike. Looking like a cross between a twin-rotor helicopter and a futuristic motorcycle, the Hoverbike uses a 1,170cc boxer engine from a BMW bike to power a pair of propellers.

The Hoverbike is still undergoing testing, but could theoretically reach altitudes of 10,000 feet and travel at speeds of up to 92 miles per hour for nearly 100 miles. Controls look like those of a motorcycle, with the right and left grips used for thrust and forward/reverse movement. Turning works like you would expect with the handlebars.

If this thing ever makes it out of the testing phase and into production, Malloy believes that it could be sold for ,000 or less, depending on the numbers sold. At that price, we figure there would be quite a few buyers, especially since, as an ultralite aircraft, it would not require a full pilot’s license.

Check out the image gallery to visualize how this thing works, and check out the video after the break where the team is using smoke to visualize the airflow of one propeller.

Continue reading Hoverbike concept combines motorcycle with helicopter [w/video]

Hoverbike concept combines motorcycle with helicopter [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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