The Lawson All Wheel Drive Dirt Bike

Here's something you don't see every day - An all wheel drive dirt bike.

The idea is pretty simple. Like a 4x4 car, you drive both the front and rear. This may not sound like a big deal, but if you check out the Chrstini video (a company that makes these commercially), you'll see how useful it can be.

[cid=19460,http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/si-bI84SZKA/hqdefault.jpg]

The Lawson machine isn't quite a polished as the Christini, and you're going to need a lot of chain lube for it. The steering looks unneccessarily overbuilt, but it's a clever design and as it's a prototype, I'm sure it would become better engineered in future versions.

I would also be curious to know how much energy was lost from the engine in driving the front wheel, too - all those chains and linkages would decrease any efficiency, but the increase in traction looks like an excellent trade- off. I'd also guess that power leakage is the reason you won't see it on street bikes any time soon, though the powered front may prove very useful in driving through corners at speed.

For someone that gets stuck far more than they should when off-roading, this looks to be a fantastic innovation and I'd love to try it.