Specialty Vehicles Dominate MythBusters Episode
MythBusters is a show that is my husband and I love to watch (we are self-proclaimed geeks to some extent). Thankfully our TiVo records each episode for us to make sure we don’t miss any of the excitement. My husband loves to see the movie myths busted (or to see large things explode into millions of pieces); and I utter the words “poor Buster” – the ballistics gel crash test dummy used to see if a human could survive the fate of the myth – during most episodes.
In late September, the MythBusters episode “Bikes and Bazookas” aired which featured a small trailer that was blown up by a RPG (rocket-propelled grenade); the same episode included a series of tests to see if motorcycles were “greener” than cars.
The myth involving the RPG was really less about the trailer, but I was absolutely amazed at the high-speed footage. The MythBusters were trying to determine whether or not a bullet could take on a bazooka, but they first performed a demonstration to give viewers an idea of the kind of damage a RPG can do. Click here to watch various segments of the “Bikes and Bazookas” episode. My favorites are the “Red Bazooka High-Speed 1” and “Red Bazooka Angle 2” videos, which show the trailer blown to pieces with the RPG.
The episode also tested the myth that motorcycles are a “greener” alternative to cars. Jamie and Adam tested a motorcycle and car from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. They measured fuel efficiency and emissions of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitric oxide. After a series of tests (some of which included building an aerodynamic cage around the motorcycles), the results showed that motorcycles are more fuel efficient and produce less carbon dioxide than cars. However, motorcycles produced more carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitric oxide than cars. Click here to see the various show segments and the post-show commentary.
While motorcycles may not be “greener” according to MythBusters, some feel that the MythBusters show should have looked at post-2010 bikes and other factors such as wear and tear on the roadways. Check out a related article (and the comments that follow) in Dealernews.
What do you think?
Kelly Miller is the Director of Business Analytics at Manheim Specialty.