1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,000 On this episode of Mythbusters... 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:10,000 Adam and Janie go green for science. 3 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:12,000 I'm actually kind of excited about this. 4 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:16,000 And kick their engineering expertise into a full throttle. 5 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:18,000 When I was a kid I would have killed one of these. 6 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:19,000 Were you ever a kid? 7 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:20,000 No. 8 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:24,000 As they pit bike against car for the ultimate eco challenge. 9 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,000 We're just getting started too. 10 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:27,000 The Austin! 11 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:28,000 Meanwhile... 12 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:32,000 Carried Torian Grant... 13 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:33,000 I'm here often. 14 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,000 Raid the arsenal for an explosive filmic fable. 15 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:38,000 Good job, Melkabitch. You don't get any hair. 16 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:43,000 And unleash the first RPG in Mythbusters history. 17 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:49,000 To find out if a bullet can beat a rocket-propelled grenade. 18 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:59,000 Who are the Mythbusters? 19 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:01,000 Adam Savage... 20 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:04,000 Working on these decisions, great for my dad. 21 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:05,000 And Janie Heineman... 22 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:07,000 Are you done screwing around? 23 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:11,000 Between them more than 30 years of special effects experience... 24 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:13,000 Together with Carrie Byron... 25 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:14,000 Maaaar! 26 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,000 Tori Bellaci... 27 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:17,000 You ready to get your head cut off? 28 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:19,000 And Brandi Mahara... 29 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:20,000 Save yourselves! 30 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:22,000 They don't just tell the Myths... 31 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:25,000 They put them to the check. 32 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:38,000 Jamie, you're a fan of motorcycles, right? 33 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:39,000 Ever since I was 16. 34 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:42,000 Really? They've had motorcycles that long? 35 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:43,000 Here we go. 36 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:48,000 Okay. There is a trend, apparently, going on where people, including fans of Mythbusters, 37 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:52,000 are trading in their cars and driving motorcycles instead because they believe 38 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,000 that's the more environmentally friendly choice. 39 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:55,000 What's their logic? 40 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:59,000 Their logic is simply that because motorcycles are generally more fuel efficient than cars, 41 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:02,000 they burn less gas and thus they must be better for the environment. 42 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:03,000 Sounds sensible. 43 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:06,000 But there are people that say not only is that not true, 44 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:09,000 they claim that motorcycles pollute far worse than cars. 45 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,000 Well, that sounds like something we need to investigate. 46 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:14,000 I totally agree. 47 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:20,000 There's no doubt both cars and bikes produce gases that can be harmful to the environment. 48 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:26,000 And supposedly being smaller and using less fuel means that bikes produce less. 49 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:28,000 So is there fuel to this fire? 50 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:33,000 Are motorcycles a greener machine than cars? 51 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:37,000 Well, clearly this involves getting a bunch of different cars and motorcycles, 52 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:39,000 testing them and comparing the results, right? 53 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:40,000 Right, but which ones? 54 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,000 I mean, there's tens of thousands of makes and models of each. 55 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:44,000 What do we choose? 56 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:48,000 Well, why don't we get some of the most popular models of the last three decades? 57 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:49,000 A representative sample, right? 58 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,000 Some cars and bikes from the 80s, the 90s and the naughties. 59 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:55,000 The naughties are 2000 till 2010. 60 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,000 That sounds like a perfect way to do this. 61 00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:58,000 Well, let's get our hands dirty. 62 00:02:58,000 --> 00:02:59,000 Okay. 63 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,000 Whoa, where are we? 64 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:03,000 This will be our base of operations. 65 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:05,000 Let's walk you through the particulars. 66 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:11,000 These are our test cars. 67 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:15,000 We've got a car from the 80s, a car from the 90s and a car from the naughties. 68 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:16,000 We've also got some motorcycles. 69 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:21,000 We've got one from the 80s, one from the 90s, one from the naughties. 70 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:26,000 We've chosen them based on their popularity within their respective decades. 71 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:30,000 There is literally nothing fancy about the route we'll be driving today. 72 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:33,000 No tricky maneuvers, no extreme road conditions. 73 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:36,000 It is simply a 30-minute drive spread out over 20 miles 74 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:41,000 and split 75% freeway driving and 25% city driving. 75 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:43,000 So how are we going to measure our emissions? 76 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:45,000 Well, that's where these guys come in. 77 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:49,000 They're from the Clean Air Technologies Division of Global MRV 78 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:51,000 and they've brought with them something called the PEMS, 79 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:54,000 a portable emissions measuring system. 80 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:57,000 And basically, you know when you take your car in to get it smogged? 81 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:02,000 Well, that's what the PEMS does, except it's more accurate in its real world 82 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:05,000 because you put it in the vehicle, you stick a probe in the exhaust, 83 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:09,000 you hook it up to the engine and you drive the car or the motorcycle around for a while 84 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:11,000 and voila, instant data. 85 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:14,000 The numbers we get should be precise enough to allow us to call 86 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:18,000 whether the motorcycles or the cars are better for the environment. 87 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,000 And with six vehicles, it's a lot of driving. 88 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:22,000 I'm ready. 89 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:23,000 All right, let's do this. 90 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:24,000 All right, here we go. 91 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:27,000 But thanks to the wonders of nonlinear editing. 92 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:30,000 Okay, this is Mike versus Carr. 93 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:32,000 The 30-minute test for the 80s. 94 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:33,000 80s. 95 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,000 Pollution test in three. 96 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:37,000 90s. 97 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:38,000 Two. 98 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:39,000 And naughties. 99 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:40,000 One, go. 100 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:42,000 Can take place simultaneously. 101 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:44,000 And we're off. 102 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:46,000 Da-da-da-da-da-da. 103 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:50,000 A left turn takes us into the neighborhood. 104 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:53,000 Don't worry if we can do some city driving. 105 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:54,000 Jamie's keeping up nicely. 106 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:56,000 Everyone's going roughly the same speed. 107 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:58,000 Test is going perfect. 108 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:00,000 Everything is going perfectly. 109 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:04,000 And Adam's running commentary gives us a very special insight. 110 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:06,000 Oh, I just burped. 111 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:08,000 It takes a little bit of my lunch. 112 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:09,000 It's a lot of... 113 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:12,000 As the guys gather their data. 114 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:15,000 I must say I never quite understood the dogs and sweaters thing. 115 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:19,000 I mean, they're cute as blazes, but I like petting my dog. 116 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:21,000 I don't like petting a sweater. 117 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:23,000 I'm really glad we had this time alone. 118 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:25,000 We can talk. 119 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:27,000 Ha ha ha ha. 120 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:30,000 After a few minutes of city driving, 121 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:33,000 the freeway portion of the testing begins. 122 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:41,000 I am driving for scientific testing on the freeway in Northern California. 123 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:45,000 I'm followed by Jamie and following Apple e-skirts. 124 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:49,000 Gathered by pollution days are hard. 125 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:53,000 Eventually after 30 minutes of each vehicle, 126 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:55,000 the testing comes to a close. 127 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:58,000 And Adam finishes how he began. 128 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:02,000 We've been driving on the freeway, 129 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:06,000 testing our emissions 130 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:17,000 in motorcycles and the car. 131 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:27,000 Today! 132 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:30,000 Thank you. Thank you very much. 133 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,000 After a full day of driving, 134 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:34,000 we've done three runs with six vehicles 135 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:37,000 and collected 24 separate points of data. 136 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:39,000 Home sweet home. 137 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:41,000 There we go. 138 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:42,000 So that's it. 139 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:43,000 Yep. 140 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:46,000 It's time to head back to the shop and see what it means. 141 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:56,000 Next up, the guys are seeing red with an explosive myth. 142 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:58,000 You're gonna love this. 143 00:06:58,000 --> 00:06:59,000 Why? 144 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:01,000 Because after 180 or so episodes, 145 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:05,000 we finally found an excuse to use a rocket launcher. 146 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:06,000 Yes! What are we testing? 147 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:08,000 This one comes from the movie Red, 148 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:10,000 retired and extremely dangerous. 149 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:11,000 Okay, here's the scene. 150 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:12,000 There's a standoff. 151 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:13,000 Our hero has a revolver 152 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:16,000 and our villain has a rocket-propelled grenade. 153 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:18,000 They both fire. 154 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,000 The bullet and the RPG heat in midair. 155 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:23,000 The bullet triggers the RPG, causing a huge explosion, 156 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:26,000 killing the villain, and the hero walks away unscathed. 157 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:30,000 So that's two rocket-propelled grenade myths for the price of one. 158 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:32,000 Will a bullet trigger the warhead? 159 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:36,000 And when it explodes, would it really be 5i rocket-tier 160 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:39,000 with only the bad gal going up in flames? 161 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:41,000 So, where to start? 162 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:43,000 Alright, two myths, one scene. 163 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:47,000 Now the first one is, can you set off a round from an RPG using a bullet? 164 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:49,000 Well, to begin with, I think we need to match both the gun 165 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:51,000 and the rocket launcher from the movie. 166 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:54,000 Then we point them at each other and fire. 167 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:55,000 Simple, right? 168 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:57,000 Okay, besides being a logistical nightmare, 169 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:00,000 you can't shoot a rocket launcher in California. 170 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:02,000 But, I know a place we can. 171 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:07,000 Luckily, the team have friends in high, explosive places, 172 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:10,000 so they head to the Mythbusters' rocketeering HQ. 173 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:15,000 To test the myth of our RPG handgun face-off, 174 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:17,000 we've come to one of our favorite places. 175 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:20,000 It makes a good attack, so it feels like a second home. 176 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:22,000 Why do we love this place so much? 177 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:29,000 We have 40 square miles of testing facility, 178 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:32,000 where they have gun ranges and bomb sites. 179 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:34,000 How can you get any better than that? 180 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:37,000 Well, by throwing in a license to fire these. 181 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:41,000 So, for this myth, we have three questions we need to ask. 182 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:44,000 One, how does an RPG work? 183 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:46,000 Which end is the rocket going? 184 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:50,000 Two, what happens when an RPG and a bullet meet midair? 185 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:53,000 And three, when they do meet and the explosion goes off, 186 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:55,000 who survives? 187 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:57,000 And question one, how does it work? 188 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:01,000 Calls for a little RPG 101 with John Merkel. 189 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:05,000 John, we've fired a lot of guns on the show, but never an RPG. 190 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:07,000 Could you fill me in on the basic components? 191 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:09,000 Okay, this is the launcher. It's pretty simple. 192 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:11,000 It's basically a bunch of metal tubes welded together. 193 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:13,000 And this is the rocket. 194 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:15,000 It's when it fires, it kicks the RPG out of the tube 195 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:18,000 and part-weights the rocket motor lights and makes it accelerate. 196 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:20,000 And what actually causes the fuse to arm? 197 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:21,000 A setback. 198 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:23,000 G-forces, when it comes out of the tube, 199 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:25,000 it goes from zero to 140 meters per second 200 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:28,000 in about six milliseconds, so it's experiencing a lot of Gs. 201 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:33,000 It's time for the practical demo of exactly how the RPG works. 202 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:38,000 You guys realize this is the first time in the history of mythbusters 203 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:40,000 that we've ever shot an RPG? 204 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:45,000 Alright, this is RPG versus trailer, just to see what it does. 205 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:51,000 Five, four, three, two, one. 206 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:57,000 It's gone. The trailer is completely gone. 207 00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:58,000 It's gone. It's gone. It's gone. 208 00:09:58,000 --> 00:09:59,000 It's gone. It's gone. It's gone. 209 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:00,000 It's gone. It's gone. It's gone. 210 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:01,000 It's gone. It's gone. It's gone. 211 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:02,000 It's gone. It's gone. 212 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:03,000 It's gone. It's gone. 213 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:07,000 That didn't look anything like you see in the movies. 214 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:08,000 No, it was like bang bang. 215 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:12,000 Let's check the records. 216 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:13,000 She held right. 217 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:19,000 Outside, they find a trail of RPG devastation. 218 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:23,000 Or should that be an RPG devastated trailer? 219 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:27,000 Wow, that is a scary amount of destructive force right there. 220 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:29,000 Well, now we know how an RPG works. 221 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:33,000 Yep, they couldn't have asked for a better demonstration. 222 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:36,000 After looking at the high speed of the trailer, 223 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:38,000 we noticed one thing after the trailer exploded. 224 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:41,000 We saw hot molten copper continue on 225 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:44,000 and actually burn holes into the steel armor behind it. 226 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:48,000 The reason being is because an RPG isn't like a typical grenade 227 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,000 that has an explosive charge that throws shrapnel. 228 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:53,000 It actually has an inverted copper cone 229 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:55,000 that is surrounded by a shape charge. 230 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:58,000 And when that hits the target, the charge goes off 231 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:03,000 and actually pushes that copper out into a hot molten slug of copper 232 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:05,000 that burns through steel. 233 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:09,000 So not only is the RPG explosion nothing like the movie, 234 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:12,000 it also throws forward a molten copper surprise, 235 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:15,000 which doesn't bode well for the hero. 236 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:18,000 Now we need to see what happens when a bullet needs an RPG. 237 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:20,000 The hard part is going to be getting those two to match up. 238 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:21,000 Let's get to work. 239 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:23,000 That was incredible. 240 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:00,000 Finally, the data is in. 241 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:05,000 So after some swift consulting, equating, and calculating, 242 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:08,000 the guys have the emissions verdict. 243 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:12,000 After running the numbers and looking at the outputs of pollutant gases 244 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:15,000 from all the vehicles and getting some expert analysis 245 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:19,000 from Professor Kent Johnson of the University of California Riverside, 246 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:21,000 we came up with some surprising results. 247 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:26,000 First up in the Mythbusters motorcycle versus car data crunch is fuel efficiency. 248 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:29,000 Across all of the vehicles, the results were consistent. 249 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:32,000 Motorcycles use less fuel than cars. 250 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:34,000 Which makes sense. Motorcycles are lighter than cars, 251 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:37,000 and thus they require less energy to push themselves forward. 252 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:41,000 And you'd think that using less fuel would make them better for the environment. 253 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:42,000 But you'd be wrong. 254 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:46,000 From an emissions standpoint, let's take a look at the most populous of the gases 255 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:48,000 that these vehicles put out, carbon dioxide. 256 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:52,000 It's nasty. It's a greenhouse gas, so it contributes to global warming. 257 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:56,000 And it makes up 90% of the emissions of an internal combustion engine. 258 00:12:56,000 --> 00:13:01,000 And because it's a direct byproduct of burning fuel, motorcycles, 259 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:05,000 which burn less fuel, consistently produce less carbon dioxide than cars. 260 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:09,000 But the other pollutant gases we measure tell a totally different story. 261 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:14,000 Hydrocarbons, for example, cause smog, cancer, asthma, emphysema, 262 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:18,000 and a host of other nasties, and motorcycles produce far more than cars. 263 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:23,000 Oxides of nitrogen, responsible for smog, lung ailments, and acid rain. 264 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:27,000 Motorcycles produce up to 3200% more than cars. 265 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:31,000 And carbon monoxide is an air pollutant and poisonous for animals to breathe. 266 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:36,000 Well, motorcycles produce up to 8000% more than cars. 267 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:40,000 In summary, while we found that motorcycles were more fuel efficient than cars 268 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:44,000 and put out a lot less carbon dioxide, the amount of polluting gases they put out 269 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:45,000 was vastly worse. 270 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:48,000 This myth is about someone that traded the car for a motorcycle 271 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:51,000 because they believed it was better for the environment. 272 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:54,000 And they were wrong. At best, it's a wash. 273 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:56,000 Motorcycles are just as bad for the environment as cars. 274 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:58,000 At worse, they're far worse. 275 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:02,000 Yep, the data doesn't lie. The cars aren't cleaner. 276 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:06,000 But bikes and mythbusters go way back, and they're not done yet. 277 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:13,000 By combining Heinemann Ingenuity with Savage Savvy, they're taking this myth to the max. 278 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:15,000 Now that is a cool looking design. 279 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:21,000 Can they put bikes back on track by creating the ultimate clean green machine? 280 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:23,000 It's starting to look sexy. 281 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:31,000 ATG are taking on an RPG. 282 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:36,000 And it's got nothing to do with role-playing. 283 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:42,000 In this movie myth, the villain is taken out by their own rocket-propelled grenade. 284 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:45,000 All because of a well-timed bullet. 285 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:49,000 So far we've seen what happens when an RPG hits a trailer. 286 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:51,000 And it turns out it's not looking so good for the myth. 287 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:58,000 Because once an RPG detonates, it fires a stream of molten copper through and beyond the target. 288 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:01,000 But you know what? This is mythbusters. 289 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:02,000 We can't give up here. 290 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:06,000 What we want to look at next is what happens when a bullet meets an RPG. 291 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:08,000 Can it even trigger? 292 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:09,000 Indeed. 293 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:13,000 But getting a tiny bullet to hit the warhead on the head is tricky. 294 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:18,000 Luckily by joining forces with NMT, they've come up with a solution. 295 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:20,000 All right, Leonard, you've built this system. Tell me a little bit about it. 296 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:24,000 Well, this was actually designed, Tori, from Friends of ours up in Huntsville, Alabama, Arctic. 297 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:26,000 And they call it Rocket on a Rope. 298 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:28,000 So it's kind of like soap on a rope, but a little bit more dangerous. 299 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:30,000 Yeah, a lot more power. 300 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:31,000 More powerful. 301 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:32,000 And more deadly. 302 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:34,000 And here's why. 303 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:38,000 Now, obviously, this isn't a real RPG. This isn't a NERT one because we're not crazy. 304 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:40,000 Right here is our launcher. It's a steel tube. 305 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:42,000 The RPG will go into that. 306 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:44,000 Right here is where our firing pin will be. 307 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:53,000 Once that starts, pressure will build up inside this pipe and it will push our rocket on the sled down these lines towards our gun. 308 00:15:53,000 --> 00:16:00,000 That quick change in acceleration arms the warhead and it travels down this line, which is tensioned at 3,000 pounds. 309 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:03,000 We handle the rocket and keep it on a level and straight path. 310 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:06,000 When that's a stainer motor kicks in, that's when we really start cooking. 311 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:12,000 Now, at some point along the line, the RPG will actually hit a tripwire that will activate our gun. 312 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:16,000 Now, I know this doesn't look like the gun in the movie, but it does exactly the same thing. 313 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:22,000 And the bullet, which is the same caliber as in the movie, will come firing out of here right into the tip of the RPG. 314 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:26,000 Then we'll finally find out what happens when bullet meets RPG. 315 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:34,000 With their ingenious rocket on a rope rig primed and the gun loaded, it's time to hunker in the bunker. 316 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:38,000 Okay, RPG versus bullet. 317 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:44,000 It's a launch. Alright, here we go. In five, four, three, two, one. 318 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:47,000 Whoa! 319 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:51,000 Do you think maybe the bullet disabled it? 320 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:53,000 I don't know. High speed. Let's check the high speed. 321 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:54,000 Let's check the high speed. 322 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,000 It all happened in the blink of an eye. 323 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:01,000 But it does seem like there was a trip up with the tripwire. 324 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:09,000 Through our first test, we were not able to hit the RPG with the bullet. 325 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:11,000 And there was a couple of reasons for that. 326 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:13,000 One, the lines were not tight enough. 327 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:16,000 So as the rocket came down the line, it was bouncing around. 328 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:20,000 By the time it got to the bullet, it was actually out of line with the barrel of the gun. 329 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:25,000 Not only that, the bullet didn't even fire. The trigger was not sensitive enough. 330 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:28,000 So we made some adjustments. We put more tension on the line. 331 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:32,000 That way that will keep that rocket stable and we have a more sensitive trigger. 332 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:36,000 So that way by the time the rocket gets to the barrel, the gun will fire. 333 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:40,000 And then finally we'll find out, will an RPG get set off by a bullet? 334 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:45,000 With the rig adjusted and a new warhead loaded, it's back underground for round two. 335 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:48,000 I think it's time for another shot. 336 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:54,000 Alright, here we go. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. 337 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:01,000 Wow, it definitely exploded. I don't know if it was because of the bullet. 338 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:06,000 Hard to tell. 339 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:07,000 Let's look at the high speed. 340 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:08,000 Oh, this is crazy. 341 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:11,000 Crazy with a capital C. 342 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:17,000 And it looks like they've gotten bullet versus RPG success. 343 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:19,000 It's a trip wire. 344 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:20,000 Triple A. 345 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:21,000 It worked! 346 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:25,000 The bullet can set up an RPG. 347 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:27,000 Dude, that's amazing. 348 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:30,000 Alright, so that part of the myth is confirmed. 349 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:35,000 Amazing and confirmed, add all down to an incredible rig. 350 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:41,000 Now to nail down who actually lives and who dies in this myth, we've got to do a few things. 351 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:46,000 We've got to find out how fast the bullet travels, how fast the RPG travels, 352 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:50,000 and then we can figure out where in the 80 feet between the good guy and the bad guy they meet. 353 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:55,000 So that means we need to get some bullets, we need to get some RPGs, we can go shooting. 354 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:02,000 So for the oxides of nitrogen, the hydrocarbons and the carbon monoxide, 355 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:07,000 the bike's put out more pollution in the cars, but somehow I don't feel like you're done with this story. 356 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:09,000 No, I'm not. And here's why. 357 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:14,000 Ultimately, the amount of pollution that comes out of a bike has to be related to the amount of fuel that goes into it. 358 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:19,000 And while it's true that bikes are lighter and smaller than cars and so they use less fuel, 359 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:22,000 they'd use even less if they were more aerodynamic. 360 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:25,000 Right, the fact is that bikes are totally aerodynamically inefficient. 361 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:28,000 That upright rider presents a huge block to the wind. 362 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:31,000 They're not designed like cars to slip through the air. 363 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:36,000 Exactly, and so what I'm wondering is if we made a bike super streamlined, 364 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:42,000 could we reduce its fuel usage to such a degree that it would actually beat the fuel pollution standards of cars? 365 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:45,000 You want to build a super streamlined bike and put it to the test? 366 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:46,000 I do. 367 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:48,000 I love it, let's do it. 368 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:52,000 The plan is to create an aerodynamically efficient bike. 369 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:58,000 And for that, the Mythbusters fire up the old gray cells for one heck of a brainstorm. 370 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:04,000 So, making one of those super aerodynamically efficient, how do we do it? 371 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:06,000 Well, it's got to be some kind of a shell. 372 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:12,000 And it's got to be lightweight and pretty much, I've got to cover the whole thing. 373 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:14,000 In this concept cyclone, 374 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:17,000 something like a teardrop with a bike in the middle. 375 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:20,000 A whole load of ideas are thrown up in the air. 376 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:25,000 I was thinking more like a tuner where the tip can be a little bit more pointed. 377 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:27,000 It's kind of like an igloo. 378 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:30,000 What if this thing was like a big sphere? 379 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:35,000 And just like lightning, one idea strikes them as the best way to go. 380 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:41,000 If these are steel, like ribs, yeah, secure it, and then you cut out an access port sized door, 381 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:43,000 these would be covered by heat shrink. 382 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:46,000 And have not just a design, but a plan too. 383 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:48,000 Now that is a cool looking design. 384 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:50,000 I've never seen anything like that before. 385 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:55,000 If we did this and we did this in a tubular steel, it's a really nice divide in comfort design. 386 00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:56,000 I love it. 387 00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:57,000 Let's do it. 388 00:20:57,000 --> 00:20:58,000 Okay. 389 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:02,000 After a tremendous amount of back and forth, we have a plan. 390 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:04,000 And that is it. 391 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:09,000 With a little bit of bent tube steel, some heat shrink plastic, and a couple of dozen hours, 392 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:11,000 I think we'll have our bike fairing. 393 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:12,000 Later. 394 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:13,000 Whoa! 395 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:15,000 That was intense. 396 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:16,000 But first... 397 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:29,000 I've followed my Jamie and following a police car together by pollution. 398 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:35,000 It seems that cars have the edge on bikes when it comes to being green. 399 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:40,000 We found that motorcycles were more fuel efficient than cars and put out a lot less carbon dioxide. 400 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:44,000 The amount of polluting gas as they put out was vastly worse. 401 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:52,000 So now the guys are creating a super streamlined motorcycle to increase its fuel efficiency and minimize its emissions. 402 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:58,000 Now, a lot of bikes normally have fairings on them, which are plastic callings that cover the front portion of the bike 403 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:00,000 to reduce wind resistance. 404 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:03,000 In our case, we're going to get considerably more involved, however, 405 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:08,000 and we're going to build a fairing that covers the entire bike, its passenger included. 406 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:10,000 A little more crouchy than that. 407 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:17,000 This device will cocoon the cyclist inside, making it more aerodynamic, greener, and eco-competition for the car. 408 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:23,000 This is our stripped down bike, and very soon a bunch of steel like this is going to make the frame for our fairing. 409 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:25,000 And the frame is going to be comprised of two parts. 410 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:32,000 There's a large overarching circle, which Jamie is going to ring roll, and a bunch of horizontal ellipses, 411 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:35,000 which I'm going to hand bend with a conduit vendor. 412 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:42,000 Getting the steel frame perfect is crucial, as the design literally hangs off of it. 413 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:45,000 I love bending metal. 414 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:54,000 Soon what starts out as a series of bent steel rods is welded together to become one half of the fairing. 415 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:57,000 Wow. 416 00:22:58,000 --> 00:22:59,000 That is a pretty thing. 417 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:01,000 It is, isn't it? 418 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:04,000 I don't care what it's for, it's just plain lovely. 419 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:06,000 Yeah, let's make a whole bunch of them. 420 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:13,000 A little more measuring, welding, and bending, and they've got what looks like a giant hamster ball. 421 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:15,000 That is freaking sexy. 422 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:17,000 More surface area, but it's smoother. 423 00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:19,000 Oh yeah, totally. 424 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:25,000 With the sphere complete, they cut out the part where the bike will go. 425 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:28,000 I like it. 426 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:31,000 When I was a kid, I would have killed for one of these. 427 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:32,000 Were you ever a kid? 428 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:33,000 No. 429 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:38,000 And since the bike fits snugly, it's time for the comet to get its tail. 430 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:42,000 How about that? 431 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:43,000 That is freaking awesome. 432 00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:45,000 It's starting to look sexy. 433 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:48,000 It's kind of different, you know? 434 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:54,000 A perfect teardrop, but there's just one more thing to complete their aerodynamic design. 435 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:58,000 So this frame that we've spent all this time building isn't what makes this bike more aerodynamic. 436 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:04,000 It's actually the skin we put on top of this frame that will do all of that work, and this is our skin. 437 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:09,000 It is a roughly clear plastic that shrinks when you heat it. 438 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:12,000 So we're going to put it all over this frame. 439 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:18,000 Then we're going to heat it with a blowtorch until it's drum tight. 440 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:22,000 And that ought to make this the aerodynamic fuel efficient bike of our dreams. 441 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:28,000 An aerodynamic bike of their dreams, and all by reducing a little thing called drag. 442 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:34,000 Now we know that the motorcycle is less aerodynamic than a car, and that is because of drag. 443 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:37,000 The best way to visualize drag is to take a look at this clip. 444 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:39,000 You see the ink floating behind the vehicle? 445 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:47,000 That is a low pressure bubble of air that the vehicle has to drag around because it's not properly aerodynamic. 446 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:53,000 Our thinking is that the smooth front and sharp tail of our fairing will allow the motorcycle to slice through the air, 447 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:56,000 spending less of its energy driving and saving fuel. 448 00:24:56,000 --> 00:25:01,000 If we're able to save enough fuel, the emissions might finally dip below that of the cars. 449 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:04,000 That's looking great, isn't it? 450 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:06,000 Yeah, it is. It's cooling down right now. 451 00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:08,000 That's when it shrinks, huh? 452 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:09,000 Yeah. 453 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:12,000 And in no time at all, the fairing is skin. 454 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:18,000 That is really, really pretty. 455 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:21,000 That just looks frickin' awesome. 456 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:27,000 That was worth the wait. 457 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:34,000 The fairing is finally complete, and just as the guys anticipated, the bike looks like a teardrop crossed with a comet. 458 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:38,000 It's like giving birth, but in reverse. 459 00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:41,000 Lowering the back hatch now. 460 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:42,000 Okay. 461 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:44,000 What do you think? 462 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:46,000 It's not at all uncomfortable once you're in here. 463 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:47,000 That's great. 464 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:53,000 Not at all uncomfortable, but its real test will be on the road. 465 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:55,000 Coming right up. 466 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:58,000 It crashed a trailer and obliterated a bullet. 467 00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:01,000 But how fast can an RPG fly? 468 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:04,000 Wow, it totally penetrated. It went all the way through. 469 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:06,000 That is crazy. 470 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:19,000 It may seem unlikely, but the team has proved that a bullet can trigger an RPG. 471 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:23,000 Now, they need to know where in the air they would meet. 472 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:24,000 Ready to do some science? 473 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:26,000 You know him. 474 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:31,000 Down at the gun range, first they need to find out the speed of the speeding bullet. 475 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:38,000 So what we are trying to find out is where between the two dueling shooters, the bullet and the RPG meet. 476 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:44,000 Now, we've set up a scale 80 feet long, just like two 40 foot truck containers, like the scene in the movie. 477 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:54,000 So what we're going to do is shoot the gun and the RPG, measure how fast each of them are going, then we'll be able to calculate exactly what point the two meet and the explosion happens. 478 00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:59,000 And just how far away that explosion is from the shooter and the rocketeer. 479 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:07,000 So here's how the experiment is going to work. We're going to use the same gun they had in the movie, a Smith & Wesson 460, has a muzzle velocity of 2200 feet per second. 480 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:11,000 We're going to fire it through this piece of foil, which will start the timer. 481 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:16,000 The bullet will hit this plate, firing the switch and stopping the timing sequence. 482 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:18,000 We're going to do it at 40 and 80 feet. 483 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:22,000 And through that, we should be able to see where along the path the bullet and the RPG meet. 484 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:23,000 Keep going, stop. 485 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:25,000 So first up, Tori's packing the heat. 486 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:28,000 This thing is so big, it looks like a cartoon gun. 487 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:31,000 To find out the speed of the bullet at 40 feet. 488 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:34,000 All right, this is the speed of the bullet from 40 feet. 489 00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:40,000 Good shot. 490 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:41,000 Let's go see what you got. 491 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:43,000 All right, see how fast that went. 492 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:47,000 Pretty fast. 22 milliseconds to be precise. 493 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:52,000 Next, it's Grant's turn to turn on the firepower. 494 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:55,000 But I'm not going to do this one standing up. 495 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:59,000 I'm going to do this one on a rest, because not only am I not John Malkovich, 496 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:02,000 but I'm not retired and I'm only moderately dangerous. 497 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:05,000 Okay, this is timing the bullet from 80 feet. 498 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:06,000 Are you ready? 499 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:07,000 Ready. 500 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:11,000 Got it. 501 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:13,000 See, you're not mildly dangerous. 502 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:15,000 You're a bad man. 503 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:17,000 All right, let's see how fast it took. 504 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:18,000 What do we got? 505 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:20,000 42 milliseconds. 506 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:21,000 Perfect. 507 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:22,000 That adds up. 508 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:23,000 All right. 509 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:26,000 After a hard day shooting, the guys have the bullet speed. 510 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:31,000 Now, to the second part of the equation, the rocket-propelled grenade. 511 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:35,000 It's a good day to be a myth buster. 512 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:36,000 Got that right. 513 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:38,000 So we know how fast the bullet flies. 514 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:41,000 Now it's time for us to find out how fast the RPG goes. 515 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:44,000 We're going to take our RPG 7 launcher, set it up in the test stand, 516 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:48,000 put our scales behind it, and plot the data points. 517 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:52,000 From that, we'll be able to find out where the bullet and the RPG are likely to be. 518 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:56,000 And all that means is setting up the gauges just as before. 519 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:00,000 The rocket is primed and it's firing time. 520 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:02,000 Okay, here we are. 521 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:05,000 All right, now we can find out where the bullet and the rocket meet. 522 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:08,000 Okay, this is RPG speed test. 523 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:12,000 In five, four, three, two, one. 524 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:19,000 You see, plant. 525 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:20,000 Boom. 526 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:21,000 You can't see it traveling. 527 00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:23,000 You definitely need the high speed. 528 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:25,000 Let's go do some calculations. 529 00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:26,000 Cool. 530 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:27,000 Let's do some math. 531 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:30,000 All right, well, let's use multiple data points because there's two stages. 532 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:35,000 We reach 20 feet in 43 milliseconds, 40 feet in 83.6 milliseconds, 533 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:41,000 60 feet at 125 milliseconds, and 80 feet at 161.3 milliseconds. 534 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:46,000 Okay, so if we flip this around, we see the bullet and the RPG meet at 64 feet. 535 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:50,000 So that's 64 feet from the bullet fire and 16 feet from the RPG fire. 536 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:54,000 All right, so why don't we set up the RPG at that point between the two shooters 537 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:56,000 and see which one of them survives. 538 00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:57,000 If anybody. 539 00:29:57,000 --> 00:29:58,000 Go! 540 00:29:58,000 --> 00:29:59,000 Thanks. 541 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:01,000 Adam and Jamie, take to the street. 542 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:03,000 Hinderman crossing. 543 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:07,000 But will their green bike get the green light? 544 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:17,000 It's a given that if something's aerodynamic, it'll slice through the air better. 545 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:25,000 But does making a bike more streamlined also mean it'll become greener than its four-wheel counterparts? 546 00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:30,000 We've combed out the Alameda runway, and it is going to be our closed course for motorcycle testing today. 547 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:31,000 9.40. 548 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:38,000 We're going to use it to replicate the exact same conditions of freeway and city driving we had for the first round of vehicle testing. 549 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:43,000 Jamie's going to start out on the motorcycle and do seven laps all the way down to the end of the runway and back, 550 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:47,000 which gives us 15 miles of freeway driving just like we want. 551 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:53,000 This is both the start line and the finish line after a bunch of laps. 552 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:56,000 Then I've marked out a little city course of some stop and go traffic, 553 00:30:56,000 --> 00:31:03,000 and that Jamie has to do 25 laps of to give us the 7.5 miles of city driving we need, 554 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:06,000 and that should give us a set of comparable numbers. 555 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:09,000 No city courses complete without signage. 556 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:11,000 And we've got signage. 557 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:13,000 Hinderman crossing. 558 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:17,000 Yep, first is the baseline for the bike without its ferry. 559 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:22,000 But before Jamie gets on his bike, why did he choose it for the beat the car test? 560 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:29,000 The name of the game here was to find a motorcycle that is as environmentally friendly as anything currently available on the market. 561 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:34,000 That means it needs to be a relatively small displacement, fuel injected, have a catalytic converter, 562 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:39,000 and any other pollution controls available on motorcycles as of this day. 563 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:41,000 So that's why we've selected this bike. 564 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:48,000 It's a 250cc late model single cylinder motorcycle that meets all of those qualifications. 565 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:53,000 And once again, the PEMS will sniff out all its emissions for this baseline test. 566 00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:54,000 Are you ready? 567 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:55,000 I'm ready. 568 00:31:55,000 --> 00:32:00,000 Alright, remember, 7 big laps, 25 small ones, I'll be counting them down. 569 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:07,000 Here we go, late model, low displacement bike test, and 3, 2, 1, go! 570 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:11,000 Oops. 571 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:12,000 One more time. 572 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:15,000 In 3, 2, 1, go! 573 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:20,000 And now we wait. 574 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:29,000 First off, Jamie goes round in circles at 50 miles per hour for 15 miles of freeway driving. 575 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:34,000 Now it's time for some city driving. 576 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:37,000 Then he's in the loop for the city conditions. 577 00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:42,000 Complete with a stop sign and a 25 mile per hour speed limit. 578 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:47,000 Finally, after looping both loops for 30 minutes in the saddle, 579 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:49,000 now it's a finish line. 580 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:52,000 It's time to get a readout on the control data. 581 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:56,000 The results are in. 582 00:32:56,000 --> 00:32:59,000 We have our baseline for our modern bike. 583 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:03,000 The good news is that it's the most fuel efficient bike we've tested by far 584 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:06,000 and gave the cars the best run for their money we've yet achieved. 585 00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:07,000 The bad news? 586 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:11,000 Its dangerous emissions are still surprisingly high. 587 00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:14,000 Will our aerodynamic fairing increase the fuel efficiency? 588 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:18,000 And will the increase in that fuel efficiency dilute the dangerous gases? 589 00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:19,000 I don't know. 590 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:21,000 But it's time to bring out the bubble. 591 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:25,000 The prototype approaches. 592 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:30,000 Are you ready for this? 593 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:31,000 I am. 594 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:32,000 All set. 595 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:34,000 Alright, on the green flag. 596 00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:39,000 Bubble bike in 3, 2, 1, go! 597 00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:42,000 Ah, it's done. 598 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:47,000 Bubble bike in 3, 2, 1, go! 599 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:56,000 That's the second time you pop the clutch on the starting line. 600 00:33:56,000 --> 00:34:00,000 After an identical start, it's an identical course. 601 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:04,000 Starting with a pedal to the metal blast of freeway driving. 602 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:08,000 Lap 1 is away. 603 00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:15,000 You know those old films of people trying to take off clips and flying machines 604 00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:17,000 and they crash when they land? 605 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:19,000 That's exactly what that thing looks like. 606 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:23,000 I'm gonna like this. 607 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:29,000 Then it's science fiction in motion as Jamie puts the bubble through its city driving paces. 608 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:31,000 It's getting kind of hot in here. 609 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:35,000 Alright Jamie, this is your last lap. Last lap. 610 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:38,000 And with that, Jamie's bubbly ride comes to an end. 611 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:49,000 Nice work man. You are done. How'd that feel? 612 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:52,000 This thing is crazy, but I kinda like it. 613 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:55,000 I'll tell you, it looks like a weird kind of primordial airplane 614 00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:57,000 every time it takes off down the lane. 615 00:34:57,000 --> 00:34:58,000 It's gorgeous. 616 00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:04,000 Finally, it's down to the emissions data to either confirm or burst 617 00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:06,000 this eco bubble. 618 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:10,000 I wish we had a second bike and we could ride the two of them off into the sunset, you know? 619 00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:12,000 Sure, why not? 620 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:17,000 Like the sign says, it's crunch time. Let's have a look at the numbers. 621 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:21,000 Alright, let's take a look and see how we did in the fuel economy category. 622 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:25,000 Well, the fairing bike did pretty well. It got 70.9 miles per gallon. 623 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:27,000 It's the best across the board. 624 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:31,000 Now, I would expect because of the increase in fuel efficiency to see a corresponding drop 625 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:35,000 in carbon dioxide emissions, let's call up the carbon dioxide chart and see how we did. 626 00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:40,000 And there you go. 105 grams, that's a fraction of everything else on the chart. 627 00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:44,000 That is fantastic. Now I'd like to see how we did in all of the other emissions. 628 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:46,000 Let's call up the last chart. 629 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:48,000 Oh, not so good. 630 00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:52,000 It is solidly in the middle and the cars are still winning hands down. 631 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:53,000 Yep. 632 00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:54,000 Where does that leave us? 633 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:59,000 Well, you know it's tricky because if you look at CO2 alone, the bikes win by a large margin. 634 00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:03,000 But if you look at all the other pollutants, then the cars are far better for the environment. 635 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:06,000 I think it's got to be busted. Here's why. 636 00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:10,000 Over time, cars have made a remarkable improvement, very steadily. 637 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:15,000 And the bikes, well, the bikes have gotten better, but not near as much. 638 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:21,000 Yep, I agree. At this point in time, it is not better for the environment to trade your car for a bike. 639 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:27,000 Next up. 640 00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:29,000 I think everybody's dying. 641 00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:34,000 The finale of Bullet vs. RBG goes out with a bang. 642 00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:44,000 In the deserts of New Mexico, it's time to test the survivability of this. 643 00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:53,000 But before they bring in the dummies, there's just one problem. 644 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:54,000 I lost my hand. 645 00:36:54,000 --> 00:37:00,000 Okay, John, so based on our data, if an RPG shooter and a gun shooter are 80 feet apart, 646 00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:04,000 the RPG and the bullet will meet at 16 feet in front of the RPG shooter. 647 00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:05,000 What do you think about this? 648 00:37:05,000 --> 00:37:08,000 The biggest problem with that is that the RPG won't be armed at 16 feet. 649 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:10,000 It takes a lot farther to get out. 650 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:13,000 The RPG is just going to keep right on going like a really big bullet. 651 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:19,000 Yep, and that's all down to the two stages of the RPG's firing system. 652 00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:26,000 The first stage of ignition throws the grenade out of the launcher at around 384 feet per second. 653 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:33,000 This sudden acceleration triggers stage two, activating the rocket propulsion and arming the warhead. 654 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:38,000 So unlike the movie, the rocket must be at least 60 feet from its target to arm. 655 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:42,000 So it looks like the myth has pretty much busted out right, but what if it were a fluke? 656 00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:45,000 How could we still look at this explosion? 657 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:49,000 We can do this by actually moving the target farther away from the RPG launcher to a range 658 00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:56,000 where it will actually be armed and positioning our dummies in the appropriate positions for the two individuals. 659 00:37:56,000 --> 00:37:58,000 Alright, can I fire the RPG? 660 00:37:58,000 --> 00:38:00,000 Ooh, we'll see. 661 00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:01,000 Yes! 662 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:03,000 Right, all is not lost. 663 00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:09,000 For the final parameter of survivability, they'll tweak the setup to simulate a faulty RPG. 664 00:38:09,000 --> 00:38:15,000 This time, the RPG will fire from 60 feet behind the stand-in rocketeer. 665 00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:19,000 I think we might have to increase our budget on mannequins. This is pretty ugly woman. 666 00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:21,000 Come here often. 667 00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:28,000 And just like the movie, 16 feet in front of her is where the now-armed warhead will trigger. 668 00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:30,000 But instead of a bullet... 669 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:32,000 Now this piece of acrylic is representing our bullet. 670 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:37,000 Now we know once the RPG is armed, it doesn't take much to set it off. 671 00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:42,000 And finally, 64 feet from that is where a gun-totan dummy will be positioned. 672 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:46,000 Oh, wait a minute. You're John Malkovich. You don't get any hair. 673 00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:50,000 And for the lethality of the blast, well, each dummy will have two gauges. 674 00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:57,000 Alright, what I have here is a large piece of pork belly. This is going to act like our human flesh. 675 00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:59,000 That's good. I like that. It's a nice hat. 676 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:02,000 Firstly, the gory low-tech version. 677 00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:04,000 Oh, God, it smells so bad. 678 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:07,000 It's got muscle. It's got flesh. It's got fat. 679 00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:11,000 The shrapnel goes through this. We do the mannequin. We know that's a kill. 680 00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:15,000 And second, the excitingly named high-tech version. 681 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:19,000 To measure the blast wave of the explosion, we're using this. It's a bikini gauge. 682 00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:22,000 You know, when you said bikini gauge, it had something totally different in mind. 683 00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:28,000 Now the way it works is that we have foils spread over holes that represent different tolerances for the overpressure. 684 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:31,000 When the foil bursts, that will indicate our number. 685 00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:37,000 Now, if this right here bursts, that's 20 to 25 PSI. That means that our shooters died from just the pressure wave. 686 00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:44,000 Now there's only one way to find out. They're bunkering down for the RPG survivability. 687 00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:51,000 Okay, this is survivability test RPG shooter versus bullet shooter. 688 00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:56,000 In five, four, three, two, one. 689 00:40:01,000 --> 00:40:06,000 That was intense. 690 00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:08,000 Intense is right. 691 00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:16,000 Unsurprisingly, the RPG detonates and throws forward a shower of molten copper and debris. 692 00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:20,000 But did the dummies survive it? 693 00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:25,000 I don't believe this. She's still alive in the movie. She was totally decimated. 694 00:40:26,000 --> 00:40:29,000 Yeah, and that goes along with what we've been seeing with these RPGs. 695 00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:32,000 I mean, they're not like regular grenades. It's very directional. 696 00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:38,000 But look at that. Our bikini gauges are still intact, which means she would have survived that blast wave. 697 00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:45,000 Unlike the movie, the villain made it through. But more surprisingly, so did the good guy. 698 00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:51,000 Oh my God, that is incredible. He did not get touched. I mean, he didn't get hit by one single bit. 699 00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:55,000 And look, our bikini gauge didn't get ruptured. 700 00:40:55,000 --> 00:41:00,000 Yeah, he may have survived, but just by luck, there was a stream of molten copper coming straight at him. 701 00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:03,000 If he were one foot over, he'd be totally Swiss cheese. 702 00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:11,000 Especially since in the movie, the warhead would not have been armed on contact with the bullet, 703 00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:15,000 but on contact with the gun totem good guy. 704 00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:18,000 Yeah, this is the exact opposite of what it was in the movie. 705 00:41:18,000 --> 00:41:22,000 She would likely have been killed and she would likely have survived. It's busted. 706 00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:23,000 Totally busted. 707 00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:26,000 Hollywood, not being scientifically accurate again. 708 00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:27,000 Ha. 709 00:41:28,000 --> 00:41:32,000 Look, I'll admit it, I was fooled by Hollywood, but here's why. 710 00:41:32,000 --> 00:41:37,000 Normally when we see an RPG hit something, there's a big blast and then that thing explodes. 711 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:43,000 But in this case, the RPG exploded in midair. There was nothing to create any shrapnel. 712 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:48,000 And the bullet, it didn't have very much mass, so there's nothing to stop that energy in its tracks. 713 00:41:48,000 --> 00:41:53,000 As a result, all the energy went forward exactly as it was designed to. 714 00:41:57,000 --> 00:41:59,000 Well, that didn't suck. 715 00:41:59,000 --> 00:42:01,000 No, it didn't. 716 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:04,000 Another day of work for the Mythbusters.