Fluid Forward

FLUID FORWARD

Innovation doesn't come from conform-ity. So say Mark Carpenter and Jess Lindsay, who are doing their part to make bike riding easier. The lowa Falls, Iowa, residents have created the Hydro-Drive, a homespun, V-Twin-engined custom that uses hydraulics in place of conventional driveline components. There’s no clutch or transmission, for exam-pie, and the same system that gets the show-topping machine rolling-forward or reverse-also provides the stopping force. For safety’s sake, there is a conventional front disc brake. “If you’ve never ridden a motorcycle, you can ride this one,” says ideaman and test rider Carpenter. So far, only one prototype exists. A second is in the works.

Jessica Miller