Japan toilet maker unveils 'poop-powered' motorbike

SHOTLIST:SAITAMA, JAPAN, AUG 19, 2012, SOURCE: AFP- Toilet bike is unloaded- Toilet bike plate- TOTO employees admire the bike- Woman starts engine- Rider secures helmet- Rider climbs aboard bike- Rider drives bike in car park- Rider drives bike along road------------------------AFP TEXT STORY:Japan-toilet-environment-transport-society-offbeat Japan toilet maker unveils 'poop-powered' motorbike TOKYO, Aug 29, 2012 (AFP) - Japan's best-known toilet maker on Wednesday unveiled a "poop-powered" motorcycle that can travel as far as 300 kilometres (180 miles) on a tank filled with animal waste. Billed as the world's first waste-powered vehicle, the three-wheeler has a toilet in place of a regular seat and huge paper roll at the back. But as a young female model climbed aboard for a test drive Wednesday, toilet giant TOTO was quick to point out that she would not supply the "gas". "The biogas it uses as fuel is not made from human waste. It's made from livestock waste and sewage," Kenji Fujita, a company spokesman, told reporters in a Tokyo suburb. "We hope to raise awareness among customers about our green campaign through development of environmentally-friendly products such as water-saving showerheads and water-saving toilets," Fujita added. The company -- which makes toilets equipped with an array of features including heated seats, water jets with pressure and temperature controls, and ambient background music -- has no plans to commercialise the motorcycle.