Motorcycles

Chopper City's street-legal BatPod replica - only a superhero could ride it

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Built by Dave Welch at Chopper City USA, owned by Pankaj Shah, it's a street-legal BatPod. Don't go trying that wall-flip u-turn at home, folks.
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Built by Dave Welch at Chopper City USA, owned by Pankaj Shah, it's a street-legal BatPod. Don't go trying that wall-flip u-turn at home, folks.
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
Chopper City's road-legal BatPod replica
View gallery - 24 images

The average custom chopper is something most motorcyclists find puzzling – they're heavy and cumbersome, with terrible handling and mediocre performance, they're hard to ride and they cost unbelievable amounts of money. This fully custom 850cc Batpod replica takes all those traits to the max – it looks downright scary to ride, there's almost no way to turn a corner with any sort of dignity, and may God help you if you want to pull a U-Turn. But for owner Pankaj Shah it's a tribute to his love of the Dark Knight movie where the BatPod first appeared – and beyond the neck-snapping appearance of the thing, it's also quite an amazing bit of rolling metalwork. Click through for several videos and photos of the PS-Pod under construction.

With a pair of 360-section tires – yes, front and rear – a hub-center steered front wheel, a levered handlebar system, a shaft drive and a wheelbase more appropriate for a pickup truck, the PS-Pod ain't a handler. In fact, watching the test ride video below, it looks little short of treacherous in the corners and virtually unmanageable at low speeds:

So you can't imagine new owner Pankaj Shah being able to get it around like ol' Bruce Wayne did in Chopper City guys took their remarkable creation down to a biker meet to see if it attracted eyeballs the way it was meant to:

Unfortunately, as you watch the PS-Pod make a Road King look like it handles like a trial bike at the end there, you'd have to say the owners of most of those eyeballs would have been thinking… "why?"

Plenty more photos in the gallery.

View gallery - 24 images
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10 comments
robinyatesuk2003
the Batpod must have taken more hours to create than we can guess, I ask the same question as the article writer,,, WHY ?
kyle becker
Actually,
I kinda like the form of it before all the tacky guns and stuff were put on it (in some of the build pictures).
Griffin
Why\'d they make it? Same reasons they made the movie. Fun, artistic expression and, of course... for the money(at least,Chopper City\'s side of things).
The challenge in making something real that started as just a fantasy far pre-dates movies or current machinery. Why\'d they(whoever \"they\" were)build Stonehenge or the Pyramids? Does every question have or need an answer? Some things have more meaning as a mystery. IMHO,of course.
Facebook User
Hey guys thanks for the article on our PS-Pod here\'s some input from the builder Dave Welch of Chopper City USA see more pictures & video at www.choppercityusa.com
Welch states: "Amazingly the PS-Pod is more ride able than you think. My riding stance is different; sitting up more than most would ride it, as my neck is fused by arthritis. The Pod is well balanced and with practice it is completely maneuverable and corners well. The most fun I've had on two wheels, ever."
Ghoshan Jaganathamani
awesome
fenriq
It is impressive but I think of better places to spend the boatload of cash this cost to make.
Nolan Helmly
CAN I BUY ONE? If so how much is it?
Matthew King
1. will the put this on the market? 2.if so when and how much will its cost. 3.will it be better built so it could go faster? 4. will the next verision have the wheel rotate when making a shar turn or a U-turn?
maak
Rideable????????? Hmm. took three lanes to pull out of a driveway.
SaysMe
Why? Why not? Because you can and it's rideable, yes you tilt to turn just like a regular bike, just more so here they have a fat wheel electric scooter I want, it doesn't need a kickstand at all...