Manufacturer | Yamaha |
---|---|
Successor | Yamaha Tricity Concept |
Class | Concept vehicle |
Engine | Liquid-cooled, 2 cylinders, V-Twin and an Electric Motor[1] |
Suspension | Dual Scythe[2][1] |
Dimensions | L: 2,115 mm (83.3 in)[1] W: 720 mm (28 in)[1] H: 1,065 mm (41.9 in)[1] |
Related | 4MC, Quadra4 |
The Yamaha Tesseract was a hybrid electric concept vehicle introduced by Yamaha at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. Although the Tesseract is technically a quadricycle, Yamaha has called it "The 4-Wheeled Motorcycle"[3] because it has a frontal profile nearly as narrow as a conventional motorcycle[4] and because it has a tilting wheel suspension that allows it to bank like a motorcycle. This suspension, which Yamaha refers to as a "Dual Scythe Suspension",[2][1] is similar to that of the 4MC concept vehicle.[5] Yamaha experienced delays in its own patent filings with the European Patent Office as a result of patents held by the 4MC's inventor, Mike Shotter.[6][7]
Yamaha's own patent filings indicate that it has continued to develop vehicles similar to the Tesseract[8]
The Tesseract was designed by Luciano Marabese.[9][10] He and his family founded the Italian company Quadro Tecnologie, which develops similar tilting vehicles, like the Quadro4 (formerly the Quadro 4D Parkour).