Here’s something we haven’t seen before: a motorcycle that does double duty as a camper.
Motorcyclists have camped in tents, etc., for more than 100 years, and more recently we’ve seen bigger touring bikes hauling miniature camper trailers, designed to be pulled by bikes. But a motorcycle with a built-in camper is something completely new.
At its core, the Motohome is a Honda CB street bike with a CR500 front end and modified rear suspension, with a miniature camping shell grafted on to the back. It’s a senior thesis project for Jeremy Carman, an architectural student from California, and he’s hoping to take it across South America to prove it actually works. As you can see in the video above, it’s not just a mock-up; he’s actually put a prototype together to prove the functionality of his idea.
Most riders’ first question will be about handling dynamics, and from the descriptions we’ve seen, it’s hard to make a call on the Motohome’s viability. Carman claims the camper shell weighs about 20 kg, which isn’t that much, but the added surface area would likely make the machine a handful in any sort of crosswind, and when the machine is in use, that centrestand might not be enough to prevent a tipover if the camper rolls over in their sleep. No doubt he’ll figure out the answer to those questions and more, if he actually makes it around South America as planned.
For more information on MotoHome, check out Carman’s GoFundMe page, where he’s trying to raise funds to perfect his vehicle’s design. He’s currently about halfway to his $5,000 US goal.
God almighty. No. Just..no.
How much is he paying for his degree?
Kudos for trying. But it’s hard to see any advantage – and easy to see many disadvantages – compared to a trailer arrangement.
this would be great for motorcyclist funerals !
It’s good to see that things haven’t changed with architecture students. Always trying to re-invent the wheel. Solving the problem that know one else thinks is a problem, and in the process creating 10 more. And I say this as a former architecture student. I truly hope that he try’s riding that thing thru South America, and fairly video documents the ensuing ciaos. We should take bets to see how long he goes before pulling it off and tossing it in a ditch.
I’d definitely watch that. It’d be right up there with Ed March
Cough cough… tent… cough cough!
It looks like if it fell over on its left side while you were inside with that lip on the lid, you would be trapped? Plus I’m sure it handles like a (nightmare) dream.
Hahaha oh there was some discussion about the machine’s drawbacks here. I do have to applaud the kid for doing something different though. At least he is making something himself to suit his own purposes, instead of throwing money at an aftermarket catalogue.