Mercedes introduces its two-wheel alternative

By Russell Williamson

PT Star Motors Indonesia, the local assembler of Mercedes-Benz cars, has introduced the perfect partner for the luxury German passenger cars.

For those times when Jakarta's traffic becomes a little too heavy or your fitness level becomes a serious concern, the luxury car-maker is now offering the latest in high-tech, two-wheeled human-powered transport, the Mercedes-Benz bicycle.

The bicycle was developed with the help of the Austrian company Steyr-Daimler-Puch, which also builds the four-wheel drive G-Wagen for the German car-maker.

The Mercedes-Benz bicycle, like its other luxury vehicles, offers the very latest in technology.

With mountain bike styling, the bike has a lightweight aluminum frame available in three sizes, 46cm, 50cm and 54cm.

In place of a regular chain, the bike is driven by a rubber belt drive, making it smooth, quiet and maintenance free.

The gears are powered through a Shimano 7-speed hub with the gear change mechanism, located in a revolving handle, integrated into the handle bars.

Both the front and rear brakes are discs sealed in cylindrical housings to minimize maintenance and reduce the effects of the weather.

A dynamo provides power for the lights and runs off the rear wheel. It is activated by a remote control switch mounted on the handle bars.

A U-bolt type security lock fits into a housing behind the leather seat and doubles as a lightweight carrier, capable of bearing up to 10kg.

All this technology does not come cheap however. The Mercedes- Benz bike is on sale in Indonesia for Rp 4 million.

In addition to the bicycle, Mercedes-Benz is also understood to be working on a motorbike.

While details of the motorbike's specifications remain sketchy, it is likely to be powered by a version of the three- cylinder engine developed for Mercedes' micro car joint-venture with Swiss watch-maker, Swatch.

Mercedes-Benz asked Puch to investigate building a Benz motorcycle as it was seen to be making the Smart's three-cylinder engine (as the micro car is known) more economically viable.

The Smart's three-cylinder is likely to require little modification to go into the motorbike.

A Mercedes-Benz executive told Automotive Business that although no launch date for the motorbikes had been announced, development was well advanced.