Star Wars Inspired Darth Vader Motorcycle, Lightsaber Included

Star Wars Themed Motorcycle

The Russian motorcycle manufacturers Ural came up with a limited-edition model inspired by the Star Wars saga which is quite the ideal means of transportation for a Sith Lord, or someone who really loves the popular science-fiction universe.

Since the seventh episode, – The Force Awakens, came out ten years after the last one, this event needed to be properly celebrated and Ural came up with a wonderful idea.  At the price of $15,000, these are quite a great deal, especially when you consider that there are only 25 models made, so it’s an amazing collector’s dream.

The motorcycle has a 2.9 cubic feet waterproof trunk for your belongings and a sidecar for your travelling companion, either a humanoid, wookie or a droid. The most impressive thing about it comes with a lightsaber ready at your disposal and a special place to hold it. The extendable 3’ Lightsaber is mounted to the sidecar and thus within your grasp in just a few seconds.

When it comes to the technical features, the Dark Force motorcycle has a 749cc two cylinder engine that is air-cooled and has an output of 41 horsepower. The gearbox provides four forward gears and a reverse and there are 42 pound-feet of torque. These specifications lead to a top speed of around 70 mph or 113 km/h, more than enough for any urban needs as well as for trips through the countryside.

The chassis has a front IMZ leading link fork suspension and a double sided swing-arm with Sachs hydraulic spring shock absorbers in the rear, while the sidecar features a similar swing arm and all of them are adjustable. The fuel tank has a capacity of 5.0 gallons with an estimated fuel economy of 31-37 mpg at the cruising speed of 70 mph.

IMZ-Ural was founded in 1941 and since 1998 they aren’t a state company anymore, so they adapted to the market with original ideas such as the 2013 Gaucho Rambler which was also a limited edition built for long roads and with a retro design that they described as a “wistful homage to a past age”. The Dark Force continues their legacy with a motorcycle that Darth Vader himself would take pride in.

They offer several upgrades included such as the high visibility LED headlight, the black ceramic coated exhaust and black engine as well as the enduro bench seat that allows a third passenger to have room on the motorcycle. The warranty you get is for two years with unlimited mileage but if you have some experience with Russian motorcycles you probably know that they are sturdy and last a long time.

The price excludes taxes, license, registration, delivery, set-up and other options which you might want. Since the edition is so limited you will have to reserve yours in advance to have a chance of actually owning one and you can do this here. Even if you aren’t the biggest Star Wars fan it is still a really great motorcycle, but with so few available everyone will admire you if you manage to join the dark side.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories at The Coolest Star Wars R2-D2 Gifts in the Galaxy and The Star Wars R2-D2 Self-propelled Fridge

DIY Burning Lightsaber: Luke Blademaster

Last October, Allen Pan aka Sufficiently Advanced wowed us with his electromagnetic Mjölnir. Now he’s celebrating the return of Star Wars to cinemas by making a lightsaber with a fiery blade. It’s actually more of a supercharged lighter with a lightsaber handle, but it still looks really cool.

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Put simply, Allen integrated a blowtorch into a toy lightsaber handle that emits the familiar lightsaber ignition sound. The blowtorch uses butane to forcefully eject methanol and acetone through a small heated coil.

Just a heads up – if you choose to watch the video above directly on YouTube, don’t read the comments. There are trolls there who are spamming major spoilers for Star Wars VII on many Star Wars-related videos. I’ve seen the movie – it’s great! – so believe me, skip the comments.

[via Digg]

Valence Saber Lightsaber Replicas: A Bluetooth Weapon for a More Advanced Age

Last month we featured Calimacil’s new lightsabers, which have foam blades to keep roleplaying sessions injury-free. But if you need lightsabers for performances or more intense dueling, the Valence Saber might be what you’re looking for.

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Valence Saber President Cody Freelen has a background in martial arts choreography and fencing. He told me he was tired of accidentally turning off his lightsaber or changing its sound during performances, so he opted for a more practical handle that has nothing but vertical ridges to make it easier to grip.

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To make up for the lack of physical controls on the saber itself, you’ll tweak Valence Saber’s light and sound effects via Bluetooth with the help of its mobile app. From there you can switch the saber’s LEDs to one of 31 colors and assign its 240 sound effects to various motion-based triggers, such as when it’s powered on, when it’s stationary or when it hits an object.

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The saber’s LEDs are also motion-activated. They automatically light up when you start swinging the saber, glow brighter when you swing hard and automatically turn off if the saber remains still for 6 seconds. You’ll also be able to connect two lightsabers into a dual-bladed staff and sync the effects of both their blades if you want.

 

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Cody did tell me that they’re working on several handles, including ones that have decorative details. He also said, “Everyone will be pleased to know that you will not need a smartphone to use the saber. In fact, when the sabers ship in the spring each user will have access to complete color and sound change directly from the saber.”

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Pledge at least $275 (USD) on Indiegogo to receive a Valence Saber lightsaber as a reward. You also have the option of pledging only $175, and then paying $124 when the Valence Saber is ready to ship to receive a unit.

 

Your phone is a lightsaber in Google’s desktop browser game

Since real lightsabers don't exist (yet), Google and the studios behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens are offering the next-best thing: A program that turns your smartphone into a lightsaber, which then takes out bad guys on your computer screen. Ligh...

Lightsaber Facebook Profile Pics Geek up Your Profile

With everything that has been going on around the world, we have seen some temporary profile pic tools on Facebook to show support for various causes. Lots of folks had a French flag over their profile pics after the terrorist attacks in Paris. Facebook now has something a bit more playful and geeky that you can add temporarily to your profile pic. To celebrate the new Star Wars flick, you can now update your profile picture with a lightsaber.

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The tool is accessible via the Star Wars Facebook page and puts one of two lightsaber designs over the top of your profile pic. You can go with the Dark Side red saber or the Jedi cool blue saber.

The tool lets you choose how long the lightsaber stays on your profile pic before it comes off automatically. I think might be able to cook up something that melds a little Spaceballs with this cool Star Wars tool if you know what I mean.

[via TechCrunch]

Kylo Ren Lightsaber Necklace: Anti-Jedi Jewelry

Can you believe that we actually have a new Star Wars movie on the way – and that it actually looks awesome? A new movie also means lots of new merchandise. Among the many pieces of merch that you can get is this necklace that looks just like Kylo Ren’s cross-bladed lightsaber.

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I never realized how much Kylo Ren’s lightsaber resembles a religious cross when worn as a necklace. Wear this and it’s like you are a member of the Knights of Ren, showing your love for your leader. Or a Christian whose God is totally rocking a Jedi weapon. It’s religious. It’s geeky.

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Get on your knees, talk to your Sith lord’s helmet and tell him that you will finish what he started. This necklace is proof. It’s only $29.99(USD) from ThinkGeek.

Calimacil Glowing Foam Lightsaber: There Is No Part of This Blade That Cuts

It may sound like an anti-fungal cream, but Canadian company Calimacil actually specializes in LARP weapons, armor and accessories. The company has recently developed a lightsaber that can emit lights and sounds but is safe to use, thanks in part to the translucent foam that they use for the blade.

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The foam lightsaber blades will be available in two types and three tiers. There’s the plasma blade, which is basically the lightsaber you know and love, and the vibro blade, which emits less light and has a secondary non-foam katana blade, similar to the beam katana in No More Heroes.

The tiers start with basic red and blue blades, which don’t have electronic parts:

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Then there’s the basic red and blue light up blades, which can’t change color. You can choose between the 14W vibro blades and the 35W plasma blades.

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The third and top tier blades have RGB LEDs, so you can change their color and patterns with the help of a mobile app. Once again, you can pick between the 14W RGB vibro blade and the 35W RGB plasma blade.

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Calimacil will also release three tiers of hilts, with the decorative details and electronic capabilities improving as you go higher. Note that these hilt designs will be available only to Kickstarter backers. As you’ll see in the table below, you’ll only get sound effects with the top tier Master hilt.

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Here’s a demo of the foam blade:

We are progressing; Friday Foam Light Saber tests.

Posted by Calimacil on Friday, October 9, 2015

Here’s the app and the RGB blade in action:

This one gives you a good idea of the blades’ brightness:

Calimacil Lightsaber Night Test

Last time you saw our mobile app. Now it’s time to have some fun testing our lightsabers in the dark. Good thing we have an intensity setting on the app, this saber is bright!

Posted by Calimacil on Friday, October 23, 2015

Pledge at least $99 (USD) on Kickstarter to receive the non-light up foam lightsaber as a reward. The single color lightsabers are given for pledges amounting to about $170 or higher, and the RGB lightsabers start can be yours for a pledge of at least about $290.

[via Gadgetify]

Lightsaber Rings: Marry Me, You Will

A few years ago, we saw a really cool ring that was custom made by one talented Star Wars fan. We can’t all be jewelry Jedi, but thanks to Takayas Custom Jewelry you can still wield a lightsaber-inspired ring.

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I might be wrong but I think the rings’ sterling silver body and Swarovski zirconia gems are based on the lightsabers of Luke, Darth Vader and Mace Windu.

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Contact Takayas Custom Jewelry through their website for pricing and other details.

[via Damn Geeky]

Downton Abbey Fights an Evil Butler with Lightsabers

As we gear up for the The Force Awakens to hit theaters, everyone is getting excited, and Star Wars stuff is turning up everywhere. I really like it when lightsabers pop up in weird places that have nothing to do with Star Wars. The perfect instance is that Koala with the lightsaber I mentioned before.

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The cast of the PBS show Downton Abbey is clearly excited about Star Wars too. This video was made for charity, and features the real cast of Downton Abbey wielding lightsabers to fight a butler that is scheming to kill them.

It’s pretty weird to see Maggie Smith, clearly looking unimpressed by the butler, wielding a lightsaber. Give her a brown robe and she could totally be a Jedi. If this show had lightsabers in it all the time, I might even watch it.

[via Entertainthis]

Star Wars Kylo Ren Lightsaber Chopsticks: A Disturbance in the Forks

Wield six blades in just three fingers with Kotobukiya’s officially licensed Kylo Ren lightsaber chopsticks. It doesn’t light up like the Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader chopsticks though.

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You can pre-order the chopsticks for $12 (USD) straight from Kotobukiya; check out the rest of the arsenal here.