Batman fan builds his own 'Batpod' motorbike in Vietnam

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Batman fan builds his own 'Batpod' motorbike in Vietnam

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A Vietnamese mechanic has designed a prototype of caped crusader's motorbike, the Batpod.

29 August,2012 08:57 pm

Motorbikes dominate the roads of Vietnam but the Batpod that Vu Tung Lam designed and built, using scrap metal and an old Suzuki, is definitely one of a kind.Mr Lam said locals in his home of Lang Son town, near the Vietnam-China border, always look twice when they see his bike accelerating down the street.The motorbike is not an identical replica, thankfully, as it does not include the machine guns of the one ridden by Batman star Christian Bale in director Christopher Nolans recent trilogy.The vehicle runs on a 125cc engine removed from an old Suzuki motorbike, whilst the tyres are from a four-wheel drive and the frame is welded from pieces of steel pipes. Finally, the covers are made from plastic sheets.Lam redesigned the brake, gear and acceleration systems as he learned from his experiences disassembling his first ever motorbike.It has no rear lights, but has LED lights at the front and on the tail of the vehicle.At the maximum speed, it can reach 90 kilometres per hour (56 miles per hour).As I watched the Batman movies, I was very excited with the Batpod, which is a very interesting vehicle. It inspired me to make one for myself. I took the concept of the Batpod and built the rest based on my researches, Lam said.It took the 24-year-old two days to finish the design of the bike frame; and another two more months until he could completely finish the vehicle.In total, the bike costs him roughly 450 US dollars to build.Lam has no intention to sell it, but he intends to put it on display for his upcoming shop for modified vehicles.Lams work became an Internet sensation in Vietnam when a video clip of him driving the bike skeleton was posted on social video sharing website Youtube in July.The clip was reposted by various users and has reached over a million views to date.While Lam himself has not yet watched the latest Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, because it does not come to a theatre in his town, he searched on the Internet for the next inspiration.My next assignment is Batmans car, the Tumbler. And one day, I may research to make the Batwing (Batmans plane). Who knows, said Lam, who is expected to run a family hotel and restaurant business set up by his parents.But it is unlikely that Lam can legally ride his bike on the streets because Vietnams law does not allow structure-modified vehicles to join in the traffic.Lam knows this from first hand experience as he had a modified 4-wheel vehicle confiscated by the traffic police last year, citing its safety.His Batpod now spends most of its time in the garage, but he hopes he can one day take it to Hollywood.