The once clear delineation between the car and motorcycle has become somewhat muddied in recent times with the emergence of an array of narrow tracked vehicle designs sporting two, three and four wheels. Kawasaki threw another fascinating oddity into the ring at the Tokyo Motor Show today with the unveiling of the outlandish, shape-shifting "J" 3-wheel electric vehicle concept.
Looking something like a Tron Lightcycle in Kawasaki Lime Green livery, the J is able to morph between a low-slung riding position (Sport Mode) that allows the rider to carve through corners at speed and a higher stance (Comfort Mode) in which the distance between the front wheels is widened for more relaxed urban cruising. Steering-wise, the J has neither a wheel or handlebars, instead employing two levers that seem akin to those found on zero-turn ride-on lawn mowers.
The J will be powered by a bank of high-capacity nickel-metal hydride batteries, but there's no word yet on what range or top speed they might afford. As for production units hitting the streets, we'll have to wait and see what potential buyers think of this strange beast before Kawasaki makes a final decision on whether or not to give it the green light.
There’s not a lot more to say about the J concept, as Kawasaki didn’t provide many more details on the electric vehicle, except for the fact steering is done via levers bonded to the front wheels. It doesn’t look like the motorcycle will be heading into production any time soon, so you are left to dream about a distant future riding bikes like this instead of actually being able to get one now.
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