Bike for the Jetson set

Appeared in Daily Report, Tuesday, May 26, 2009:


Lawyer motorcycle enthusiast adds a space-age Monotracer to his collection

By Karl W. Ritzler, Special to the Daily Report

There's both a practical side and a strong dash of fantasy to Shinji Morokuma's newest motorcycle, a space-age ride that looks more like a wingless airplane than a bike.

The director of the Georgia Supreme Court's Commission on Dispute Resolution is a self-admitted motorcycle nut. He'd love to drive a bike to work every day, but bugs, rain and heat can make a mess of his suit and tie.

The solution? An enclosed motorcycle. For Morokuma, it's a Monotracer, the only one of its kind in the United States and one of just five in the world.

“I intend to ride it to work most days,” he said.

That's the practical side. Most people don't spend as much as $80,000 on a motorcycle, let alone one that George Jetson might ride.

“It's a way for me to have an exotic vehicle at a relatively cheap entry fee,” compared with a Ferrari, for example, said Morokuma. “It's a fantasy. … I'm looking forward to seeing the faces of valets when I pull up” at a fancy restaurant.

The company's goal is to build a sporty vehicle that combines the fuel efficiency and touring style of a motorcycle while offering an enclosure that makes it usable every day, all year, like a sports car. “In short, it's the ideal vehicle for year-round fun and efficient daily commuting,” the company says in its brochure.

Morokuma's motorcycle is heavier than conventional bikes, and more top-heavy, so it has pop-down stabilizer wheels. Two passengers can ride inside, sitting upright. And unlike other motorcycles, the Monotracer has foot controls for the clutch and brakes.

It gets 50 to 60 miles per gallon—“a good vehicle for times when fuel prices are high,” said Morokuma.

The Monotracer isn't Morokuma's first unusual motorcycle. Several years ago, he purchased an exclusive Alligator Motorcycle built by auto racing legend Dan Gurney. That purchase, Morokuma said, helped him recover from the death of his wife from cancer.

“It was a talisman for my sanity,” he had said.

The Monotracer “goes back to the same feeling,” he said. “When an opportunity arises, when something is within reach, take the opportunity to pursue your interests and fulfill your fantasy. It was a crazy decision, but the opportunity to have a unique driving experience was too tempting.”

Morokuma's interest in the Monotracer dates to the 1990s, when he saw a futuristic movie in which police officers rode enclosed motorcycles.

“I thought they were riding movie props,” he said. “But I found out they were real motorcycles.”

The vehicles were Ecomobiles, predecessors to the Monotracer built by the same company, Peraves AG of Winterthur, Switzerland.

Morokuma said he entertained the fantasy of owning one and followed them on-and-off in motorcycle publications and blogs. About two years ago, the blogs were abuzz with Peraves' new vehicle, the Monotracer.

“I thought it looked better,” Morokuma said, and he put down a deposit with a special introductory discount. He took delivery two weeks ago.

In the meantime, Morokuma made two trips to Brno, Czech Republic, for on-track and on-road training—first on Ecomobiles and later on the Monotracer.

Recently, Arnold Wagner, the chief executive officer of Peraves, accompanied Morokuma's Monotracer when it was delivered. He came along to give Morokuma a refresher course on his new bike, as well as to clear the vehicle through customs and settle all the paperwork and emissions certifications. That included a trip to a Georgia State Patrol office, where officers verified the VIN number was properly displayed and gave the bike a thorough look over.

“People are curious about the vehicle and were willing to help us,” Morokuma said.

Getting insurance was a little easier. After explaining what his new vehicle was, Morokuma was able to include it on the policy with the rest of his vehicles.

Peraves switched to the Monotracer after a fire damaged Ecomobile body molds in 2005. It had built about 100 Ecomobiles.

Many of the mechanical components are similar to the Ecomobile, Wagner said. The engines are from BMW. Steering is motorcycle handlebars. The body, however is all new. “I'm coming from aircraft design,” said Wagner. “The old model looks like the fuselage of an airplane,” including a tail fin.

The new body, largely designed by a Czech industrial design student as his final project, is sleeker. It's made from layers of epoxy resin and carbon weave cloth, the same as in a glider cockpit, and molded into shape. That process limits production to about 120 Monotracers a year. However, Wagner said, he is in discussions with major motorcycle manufacturers for a mass-production version.

Wagner said the Monotracer is priced from about $50,000 to about $80,000 fully loaded. That will include features unusual for motorcycles, such as a trunk, air conditioning, GPS units, antilock brakes, three-point seat belts and cruise control.

The stabilizer wheels are needed to keep the bike, which can weigh up to 1,670 pounds, upright when stopped. The wheels pop up and down with a toggle switch. The bike can travel up to about 60 mph with the stabilizer wheels lowered. Wheels up and on a track, it's capable of 170 mph, and it can go from zero to 62 mph in about 4.8 seconds.

Morokuma said the stabilizers are one reason it takes some getting used to. “You have to be close to straight up and down to raise the wheels. … You have to get going on four wheels, then raise them,” he said.

“We drove two-and-a-half hours on the freeway, and it was very comfortable,” Morokuma said. And helmets weren't necessary because most states say you don't need them in enclosed motorcycles.

“People look at this and say, 'This is crazy,'” Wagner said, then pointed to a passing SUV with only the driver inside and commented, “This is crazy.”

Karl W. Ritzler is a freelance contributor to the Daily Report.