Vietnamese builds Batpod from old bike

VIETNAM - A man has earned the nickname "Vietnamese Dark Knight" after he built a replica of Batman's Batpod motorcycle used in the recent Dark Knight movie. What's more, he built the bike from an old Suzuki FX125 motorcycle which he had bought for just 3,000 dong (S$180). In comparison, a 1:1-scale replica of the Batpod, which is equipped with a 650cc four-stroke engine, is priced at US$100,000 (S$125,000) at gadget website The Awesomer. The Batpod appeared in the 2008 The Dark Knight film, directed by Christopher Nolan. It also appeared in the recent The Dark Knight Rises movie and the bike was given to Catwoman, who used it to fight villains. Last month, Mr Tung Lam, a Vietnamese vehicle mechanic, created online buzz when he posted a YouTube video of his prototype. The video was viewed 370,000 times in just 10 days. Vietnamese news website VN Express later posted a YouTube video which showed Mr Tung riding his completed Batpod in the country's Lang Son province. The video appears to have attracted the admiration of Batman fans. YouTube user moonbandito wrote: "It runs. It rides. And it turns. Amazing." Another user, GT Tran, wrote: "Well done! I like your idea." Mr Tung had built the motorcycle to promote his car repair business. He bought the old Suzuki bike and replaced its tires with ones he got from a car and used steel tubes to create exhaust pipes. Although his Batpod has attracted its fair share of criticism from some fans who said it didn't look like the original, the majority of fans seemed keen to get their hands on one. Mr Tung said he did not originally intend to sell the bike, which was worth slightly more than 10,000 dong, but is now considering selling it to a devoted Batman fan if the price is right. He added that if he is successful in selling it, he will invest the profits in his next project - a replica of the Tumbler, Batman's futuristic car which has also appeared in recent movies.