The flying motorbike is officially here! Japan’s new US$700,000 hoverbike, the XTurismo Limited Edition, targets supercar drivers – but it’s so loud that bystanders have to wear earplugs
- Mitsubishi Electric and millionaire footballer Keisuke Honda are just two backers of Tokyo drone start-up A.L.I. Technologies, who showed off the new bike near Mount Fuji
- The hoverbike joins other gadgets like jetpacks and flying taxis – but can it give Japan a technological edge over self-driving and electric cars?
A flying motorbike may sound like something in the far off future, but that’s exactly what 2022 has in store – for those who can afford it.
A Japanese start-up backed by millionaire football player Keisuke Honda hopes to persuade wealthy consumers to swap their supercar for a US$680,000 (77.7 million yen) hoverbike which went on sale on Tuesday, October 26.
The XTurismo Limited Edition from Tokyo-based drone start-up A.L.I. Technologies is equipped with a conventional engine and four battery-powered motors and promises to fly for 40 minutes at up to 100kph (62mph).
The company plans to produce a limited run of 200 of the single-rider hoverbikes, each weighing 300kg, for delivery in the first half of 2022.
“Until now the choice has been to move on the ground or at scale in the sky. We hope to offer a new method of movement,” chief executive Daisuke Katano said.
The black and red hoverbike consists of a motorcycle-like body on top of propellers. The machine rests on landing skids when stationary.