Gadget Freaks

The Darwin Awards honour individuals whom die or are sterilized by their own stupidity. Taking its name from the move, ‘The Darwin Awards’ , those individuals are posthumously rewarded for ensuring the successful continuation of the human race by removing themselves from the gene pool.

Here at Gadget Freaks we love motorcycles and fast cars and crazy gadgets but some people really go to extraordinary extremes with extraordinary devices or vehicles in the name of fame, fortune and fun. So lets take a look at ‘5 Gadgets Guaranteed To Get You A Darwin Award’.

1- 3800 Horsepower Jet Motorcycle.

Looking at this motorcycle several words come to mind some of which I will not write here. Imagine riding this insane creation. Fitted with a Rolls Royce Viper MK 202 Turbo Jet engine it whacks an amazing 3800 horsepower plus a further 1200 ponies with the afterburner. With a wheelbase of 3.4 metres, it runs double disc brakes and has no chain or sprockets ( unlike the Y2K Jet Bike ) making it a true Jetbike!! Ironically the bike was built by Ron ( Mad ) Laycock who resides in of all places Darwin, Australia! This IS the Gadget Freaks top pick for a sure Darwin Award for the rider of this thing!

2- Turbo Pocket Bikes

Now if you’ve ever riden a pocket bike you’ll know how insanely dangerous they are. Not to be dissuaded some future Darwin Award candidates have made the decision to turbo charge these things. That makes an insane power to weight ratio coupled with the procarious centre of gravity with a grown man atop makes these babies a definite sure fire gadget to get you an award.

3- Car Visor DVD Player and Game Station.

If you like playing computer games or watching DVDs while you are driving then you must be in the running for potential ‘Darwinian Stardom’. This neat Car Sun Visor DVD and Game Player  will keep your eyes off the road so much that you can get an award without hardly trying. Imagine doing 100 mph down the highway and playing Mario Kart! Go on buy one, your posthumous 15 minutes of fame are calling!

4- Jet Engined Volkswagen Beetle.

Jet engines and terrestrial vehicles just don’t mix. The legendary Jato Rocket Car ( jet assisted take off) which won the 1995 Award was a fine example. Combining a jet engine and a 1967 Chevy Impala equates to car and driver experiencing speeds and G-forces usually reserved for fighter pilots. It can, and in this case did, result in the vehicle becoming airborne for 1.3 miles and impacting 125 feet up a cliff face! Not pretty. I wonder if the owner of this ‘Street Legal’ Jet Engined Beetle is aware of this! Hold on Gadgeteers, we may have a winner! 

5- Rocket Powered Speedway Bike.

Just to show that folk have been ‘chlorinating the gene pool’ for considerably longer than the awards   have been running we have this blast from the past. In 1947 90,000 people in Wembly Stadium saw an attempt to increase the performance of a speedway bike by attaching 4 rockets to it. Check out the article here and there is even an historic news reel from the occasion.

Well after all the rumours and speculation,  Formula One legend Michael Schumacher indeed made his debut in the German Superbike series. Somewhat of a mixed weekend for the 37 year old and his Honda CBR1000RR. After qualifying 39th fastest he finished race one in 28th at the flag posting times just 3 seconds of the pace of teamate and race winner Martin Bauer. Unfortunately, race two saw Schumi crash out while working his way through the pack.

                                      Schumacher gets a taste of the German tarmac

There has been quite a lot of talk about why Schumacher has chosen to take up bike racing. Even Bernie Ecclestone has commented in the press hinting that it is not really a good idea. However, hats of to him and we’ll certainly be watching his exploits here at Gadget Freaks.

Well Moto GP fans it’s on again. This weekend sees the Grand Prix of France at the historic Le Mans circuit. With 4 different winners from as many races so far this season, this Sunday looks set to be a cracking battle between Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo. And as usual we here at Gadget Freaks have preparations well under way for the big race! 

FP 1 & 2- Pedrosa clocked the fastest combined times on Friday with Casey Stoner less than five-hundreths of a second behind. Yamaha veteran Colin Edwards was a further eleven thousandths of a second behind. Ever so close behind this trio was ‘Iron Man’ , Jorge Lorenzo. Although still injured from his Shanghai crash, the rookie is right amongst it but reportedly had to be stretchered back to his motorhome from the pit garage after taking a tumble in the session. Australian, Chris Vermeulin set the fifth fastest time and will be looking for a good result after taking the win at this circuit in 2007.

                      ‘Iron Man’ Jorge Lorenzo looks relaxed with his MP3 shades.

FP 3 - The Saturday morning session saw Colin Edwards set the fastest time on the latter stages. Valentino Rossi was second fastest followed by Dani Pedrosa. Casey Stoner was the early pace setter but finished fourth for the session. Poor Jorge Lorenzo had a rather short session crashing early and was required to visit the Clinica Mobile for precautionary checks. Let’s hope he can settle himself for qualifying later today. He registered the 13th fastest time, a sitiuation he will be very eager to improve.

                                                         Jorge Lorenzo crashes in FP3

In other motorcycle racing news it has been confirmed that 7 time World Formula One Champion, Michael Schumacher will compete in The German Superbike Championship. It is said that Schumi will pilot a 190 HP Honda CBR 100RR in the series. Way to go!

                                    Guess Who? Michael Schumacher on his CBR1000RR

We here at Gadget Freaks just love motorcycles and motorcycle racing of all kinds( esp. Moto GP). Throughout the ages there have been some amazing motorcycle designs and some monster creations. Some of these have caught on while others just kind of fade away and pop up in a museum somewhere. The golden era of the 50s and 60s saw some of the best and worst in bike design especially in competition machinery with some crazy aerodynamics. However, the entrance of the Japanese manufacturers in the 1970’s saw somewhat of a homogenization in bike design. These days though there many new designers bringing out some awesome concept bikes and radical new designs and as with the past some will be groundbreakers while others will just be bank breakers.

One of the legendary competition bikes that really set tongues wagging was the 1975 Yamaha TZ750 Dirt Tracker ridden by none other than the legend himself, Kenny Roberts. When they wheeled this thing out for the 1975 AMA series most people( including Roberts himself) thought they were joking. King Kenny had won the 73 and 74 series using Yamaha 4 stroke twin engines but 1975 saw Harley Davidson pull back the advantage. So Yamaha decided to take the TZ 750 4 cylinder two stroke road race motor and slot it into the dirt track frame! Pure insanity! The machine spawned one of the most famous quotes in the history of motorcycle racing.” They don’t pay me enough to ride that thing”, said Kenny Roberts. Read More……. 

Who could forget the movie ‘Easyrider’. That iconic flick where Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper go in search of America on motorcycles. As ‘iconic’ as the movie itself was Fonda’s Captain America chopper. Starting life as a 1952 Harley Hydra Glide which Fonda bought at a police auction, only the original HD pan head engine was retained while everything else was chopped stretched or twisted to make the final bike. Read More……..

Going way way back now to the dawn of motorcycle racing in The US. Back in 1908 if you were looking for a supersport bike for racing this is probably what you would have ridden. This 1908 Indian 1000cc twin was the state of the art back then and would have cost you US$360. It weighed 120 Lbs and had a top speed of 65 mph. Pure history. Read More…….

Well after looking at 3 of the classics we have this rather strange looking cycle! Almost a hyrid Segway/motorcycle this Uno Cycle looks like it has one wheel but in fact has two. Controls are quite simple as it only has an on/off  switch and its electric motor is controlled much in the way a Segway is. That is push forward to slow/stop, lean back to accelerate. Looks sporty enough but will it stand the test of time. Read More…… 

Ever been to an F1 or Moto GP race and been a bit frustrated at how much you can actually see? There are trees, heads, safety barriers and all sorts of obstacles that you almost wish you had x-ray vision. Portable televisions have been around for years but getting decent reception at race events has been a bit of a sticking point.

Kangaroo TV is going to be renting out portable tv gadgets at F1 races this year. For 50 pounds you can hire a small handheld tv with a 3″ screen that receives a direct telecast. You can switch between ‘in car’ cameras and get all the commentary via headphones. Read more…….

If your event doesn’t offer Kangaroo TV you might want to take along your own portable device. This neat portable TV has a cool 10.2″ screen and has an analog TV tuner and DVB TV. It also plays DVDs,CDs and basically is an all purpose Multi-Media Centre. It also has a car power adaptor and comes with a great range of accessories.

If you are not into TV but relish the excitement of motorsport you might want to throw a leg over this! This is the latest in exotica from Ducati, the 2008 1098R. This is the production model that Troy Bayliss is leading the World Superbike Championship with. It features a 1098cc twin engine with a 6 speed gearbox producing 186 hp. Traction control is an awesome feature on this model which the Moto GP team uses to great success with Casey Stoner. Weighing in at 165kg and looking sexy as hell, this is about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on! However, every rose has its thorns and with this baby it’s the pricetag, a cool 60K (approx)

After all the action and drama of practise and qualifying the stage was set for a great race. The morning warm-up was run in full wet conditions and it was uncertain what the weather would do. As the field sat on the grid during the pre-race build up there weren’t many happy faces among the riders. Track conditions were less than ideal with wet sections and a fairly distinctive dry line around most of the circuit. Despite the race being officially declared ’wet’ all riders had chosen slick tyres. 

More pain for Jorge Lorenzo as his bike stalled on the grid as the riders took off for the warm-up lap. It looked as though Lorenzo had forgotten his injured ankles as he instinctively jumped off the bike and began to push it in an attempt to get it started…..ouch! Very cruel indeed. Finally his crew were able to run on to the grid and get him started.

Off the start it was veteran Colin Edwards with the lead into the first corner but Casey Stoner just squeezed past. The pace was fast and furious as the lead pack began to settle in and start to think about where to now. Pedrosa was the first to break away with Rossi in hot pusuit. Casey Stoner settled into third and was looking like he may join the battle at the front. Rossi got past Pedrosa for the lead and the two put on a display that saw them lapping at near record pace. Rossi was at his best and as hard as Pedrosa tried he could not find a way past ‘The Doctor’. Stoner had dropped of the pace somewhat and looked settled in third. Pedrosa also eventually relinquished and thoughts of catching Rossi and settled for second. Meanwhile, Jorge Lorenzo who had earlier dropped to ninth had carved his way through the field to finish fourth in what must be said was a brilliant and brave ride considering his injuries.

So that would seem to be  the last Chinese Moto GP we are likely to see for some time as the race will go elsewhere in 2009. Judging by the lack of spectators it appears that Moto GP is going to take some time to gain in popularity in China. Or maybe it is just that everyone is too Olympic focused to pay any attention to anything else. Not to mention the problems associated with the race namely the trouble many riders and teams faced with visa uncertainty and dramas with flights due to red tape and delays getting paperwork in order.

World Championship Positions ( after 4 rounds )

1- Dani Pedrosa ( Spain ) Honda  81

2- Jorge Lorenzo ( Spain ) Yamaha 74

3- Valentino Rossi ( Italy ) Yamaha 72

4- Casey Stoner ( Australia ) Ducati 56

5- Loris Capirossi ( Italy ) Suzuki 33

6- James Toseland ( Britain ) Yamaha 33

7- Colin Edwards ( USA ) Yamaha 31

8- Nicky Hayden ( USA ) Honda 29

9- Andrea Dovizioso ( Italy ) Honda 26

10- John Hopkins ( USA ) Kawasaki 26

Next Race : Le Mans, France May 18th.

Isn’t it really annoying when you sit down for your favourite sitcom and it’s as if they’ve run out of ideas and you get a  regurgative ‘ walk down memory lane’ type show. You know like on Seinfeld when they sit around and Jerry says,” Hey remember the time Elaine and Peterman……….” And 30 minutes of cliche ridden segways follows to hightlights from past episodes!  I think you get the idea. Almost as bad as the retro nostalgic trend to remake movies of the classic 60’s TV shows like Get Smart and The Thunderbirds!

Anyway despair not! Today here at Gadget Freaks we thought we’d take a look at some of the more interesting gadgets we’ve reviewed to celebrate our 3 month anniversary here on WordPress.

Retro and nosltalgic in itself, this USB powered mini-fridge is just the ticket now that summer is well on its way. Styled on a 1950’s refrigerator, it has hot and cold controls and is just perfect for cooling a can on a hot day whilst watching Moto GP or something just as cool.

Staying on a retro theme, we really loved this MP 3 cassette player. Shaped like and old tape it is in fact an MP 3 gadget you can actually use in and old cassette player. Roll out all those 70’s hits and impress your younger friends who may have never seen such a thing!

Ah and who could forget our post and review on the 2008 Ducati Desmosedici GP 8 Moto GP bike. With its V4 Fourstroke 799cc motor pumping out 200+ horsepower weighing 148(dry) kg and hitting a top speed in excess of 310 kmh it surely is the ultimate gadget.

Anyway that’s it for our walk down memory lane. If you missed any of our past posts take your own retro read of our gizmo & gadgets reviews and race previews. Stay tuned for new any interesting gadgets and news right here on WordPress!

Whoo ee! We here at Gadget Freaks are still recovering from an amazing days racing in Spain. Drama drama drama! After the shocking and dramatic end to an amazing 250cc race where we saw a race long battle between Alvaro Bautista and Marco Simoncelli only to see them both crash on the penultimate lap, the Spanish crowd wanted a local victory in the Moto GP class and they would settle for nothing less!

After an amazing day of qualifying on Saturday all eyes were on the starting order. Jorge Lorenzo in only his second Moto GP start had scored his second pole position! Meanwhile, Casey Stoner had a dreadful time and was way back in seventh spot. Dani Pedrosa looked ready to race in second with Colin Edwards in third continuing his awesome qualifying form.

From the start Pedrosa showed his intent- to win at home. It is no secret that both Spaniards ( Lorenzo and Pedrosa) have no time for each other. However, the eagerly anticipated battle between the two never materialised as Pedrosa pulled out a lead right from the off that no rider could bridge for the whole race. Rossi was fortunate to hang onto second, almost slowing down on the second last lap thinking the race was over. One wonders what Rossi is on these days it has to be said! Jorge Lorenzo came home a hard charging third just narrowly missing out on beating Rossi home.

Dani Pedrosa takes the win in his home Grand Prix.

World Champion Casey Stoner made a brilliant start to the race moving up to fifth with a 200+ horsepower Ducati that looked to be handling like a shopping trolley. He was later to run off the track and rejoined the race in last place. The Aussie moved back through the pack to eleventh and found himself on the tail of a group of six riders. With plenty of time left in the race it looked as though he may finish as high as fifth, however, he was baulked by Shinya Nakano and was in the gravel again! Once again rejoining the race to finish in eleventh place.

Casey Stoner takes his second trip into the Spanish gravel!

So Dani Pedrosa now leads the Championship from Lorenzo with Rossi third and Stoner in fourth. It’s a long Championship but it has been explosive so far. We here at Gadget Freaks are already getting set for the next showdown at the Estoril Circuit in Portugal in two weeks time.

So, till then………….

Well Moto GP fans it’s on again this weekend in the fantastic Spanish sunshine. Of course Round 2 takes us to the magnificent Jerez circuit in the south of Spain and what a race it promises to be. Everyone has tested there this year and all the riders know this track intimately. New teams ,bikes and tyres should all begin to be getting settled in now so we should see some cracking competition coming from those that failed to fire in Qatar.

It has been widely reported in the press this week that 2006 world Moto GP Champion Nicky Hayden has admitted making a big mistake in Round 1 choosing to ride the 2007 RC 212V placing a distant 10th whilst fellow Factory Honda pilot Dani Pedrosa placed third on the 2008 machine. Hayden had a dismal year in 2007 and is really looking for some magic for this season as there is a hungry crop of new young riders coming up and only a handful of factory seats in Moto GP.

Also in the news, Valentino Rossi has predicted that he will shine at Jerez and that he is coming to grips with his new Bridgestone tyres ( no pun intended ). Ever the sportsman ‘The Doctor’ has spoken out in the press this week about  fellow Yamaha rider James Toseland, stating that the Briton is the biggest surprise so far this season. We here at Gadget Freaks would have thought that Dovisioso who beat Rossi into 4th in Qatar would have that honour.

Over at the Tech 3 Yamaha garage the new ‘pneumatic valve’engines run by the Fiat Yamaha Team have not arrived for Jerez as expected. The two Tech 3 riders were well down on top end power in Qatar but still managed to qualify in front of the full factory bikes. One wonders what they might be capable of with a few more ponies in the chassis!

After an excellent year in 2007 Suzuki looked to be on track to really be battling at the front this season. However, thus far they really have been struggling and it looks as though things won’t be much better for them at Jerez on Sunday. Whilst most teams have all of their 2008 hardware sorted Suzuki will be once again using hybrid bikes assembled from 2007 and 2008 spec machines. Mixing and matching chassis, suspension components and aerodynamic packages is not the start the Japanese team would have been hoping for.

The Ducati Team is of course looking good albiet only really with one rider, Casey Stoner. The 2007 World Moto GP Champion will be looking for his first Jerez podium this Sunday. Apart from Jerez and Indianapolis ( where nobody has raced before ) these are the only circuits that The 2007 Young Australian of the Year has not been on the podium in any of the Grand Prix classes. His garage partner Marco Melandri is struggling to get a handle on the 2008 Ducati. This really surprises us at Gadget Freaks as he has shown his talent in the past and a knack of riding the wheels off a bike but this Duke seems to have his number.

Ok so get strapped in for a great weekend of racing and we at Gadget Freaks will be looking forward to bringing you all the gossip and action on monday. so till then race fans……………..!

Top Ten FP 1 Times Jerez 2008

1- Colin Edwards USA 1′40.714

2- Casey Stoner Aust 1′40.828

3- Valentino Rossi Ita 1′40.918

4- Nicky Hayden USA 1′41.182

5- Jorge Lorenzo Spa 1′41.371

6- Andrea Doviziosi Ita 1′41.378

7- Dani Pedrosa Spa 1′41.419

8- Chris Vermuelin Aust 1′41.443

9- Alex De Angelis RSM 1′41.579

10- Shinya Nakano Jpn 1′41.599

Ah…… the old classic ‘Born To Be Wild’ by Steppenwolf. A great song to play over and over when on the road. It is also our favourite karaoke song here a Gadget Freaks along with anything by The Rollling Stones. Basically anything that involves screaming and no namby pamby lovey dovey stuff. Rock on!

As you have most likely gathered from the title and intro we are on the subject of cars and motorbikes again. Of course we are all getting ourselves prepped for the opening salvo of this years F1 season in Australia on Sunday. Yes, the high-octane soap opera that is F1 is on again. Following last years sensational season with it’s twists and turns on and off the track, this season looks set to enthrall and entertain. Resident F1 blubber boy Alonso will have his work cut out this year now he’s back with Renault while Lewis Hamilton should be able to keep his focus on the track where it belongs now that the formerly mention driver has left the McLaren camp. Anyway……..!

If you are looking for the thrills and spills of F1 in a physical sense but don’t have the a budget that resembles the GDP of Switzerland, you may what to get yourself one of these! This seriously nasty gadget will give you the rush and sense of danger that a real F1 car will give you. In fact the power to weight ratio may actually exceed that of any racing vehicle known to man! Powered by a 1300cc Suzuki Hayabusa engine nestled in a simple Kart chassis, this is a gadget for the brave at heart or short of grey matter! Of course the Hayabusa motor is the most powerful production motorcycle powerplant ever produced. Some have been modified to a point where they are pumping out 500 bhp. No, that’s not a typo, this is a nasty bit of gear! Read and see more….!

We love ‘American Chopper‘ here at Gadget Freaks. That Tuttle family sure do know how to make motorcycles even if they are a little dysfunctional. We’ve seen them make many a concept chopper but this one is probably the most gadgety we’ve seen. Produced together with Intel and Black Diamond, this beautiful machine has a fingerprint recognition system, digital dash instrumentation and rear view cameras which eliminate the need for cumbersome mirrors. Awesome! Read more…..

Now for a few gadgets on the more sane, practical and affordable side. Flat tyres are an inevitable part of motorcycling. When off on an extended ride you need to take your own repair equipment. This off course can be quite a load to carry and who needs extra weight and baggage! This Tyre Repair and Inflation kit from Cycle Gadgets.com is just the thing for your touring bags or even your race kit. Light and compact it has all you need for running repairs. Also available is this Solar Powered Digital Tyre Gauge. Light weight and reliable, it is a valuable addition to your travel gear.

And finally here is something that is long overdue. This ‘Invisible Sheild” will keep your gadgets looking like new. Developed for the US military to protect the leading edge of helicopter blades in desert conditions and now available to the consumer. I am sure we have all experienced that horrid feeling when your shiny new gadget( esp. Touch Screen MP4) gets its first scratch. Well fear no more. Awesome, I need this for my new camera when the approval for my second mortgage comes through! Ah the horror! The horror!