Frightening Looking Motorized Monocycle

That think looks like something out of the tv show southpark, I just hope you only need your hands and or feet to control it.

WHERE DO YOU PUT YOUR FEET TO MAINTAIN A COMFORTABLE POSITION WHILE MANAGING TO REMAIN MANUVERABLE IN CITY TRAFFIC

Actually Guest, the true cost of the monocycle is about $3,000.00 The other $10,000.00 is for the concealed gyroscope.

The build these in the Netherlands as well but I do not know the cost.

The first one I saw was a home build one with a proper 250 cc engine in it. That would have been fun.

You put your feet like you would on a race bike. There are foot steps in the body work for them. The steering is done by changing your point of gravity so it leans. When you accelerate or decelerate, you will move along the inner circle in a reaction to the changing speed and forces. It takes getting used to but I think any body who like motor cycles would have a go without any problems.

There is a video of one in some car park on the web somewhere. If somebody finds it post it here for all of us as I have lost the link.

Case, I didn't see a video but here are some good photos.

-John

Now I know the first one I saw was indeed Kerry on his home made wheel in some car park. Looked realy interesting but the braking is equally interesting.

Does anybody know how long the typical stopping distance is?

Maybe that is why they make the public ones only with a 25 cc engine with a top speed of 35Kph.

I don't know the stopping distances, but would suppose that you would be limited in stopping force to whatever would not overcome the inherent bottom-weighting caused by the riders low position in the rim.

I read once that the result of a too-vigorous stop was that the driver spun forward, head-over-heels, within the rim. In the case sited it was in a test, at low speed, and the driver was ejected after about the third eccentric rollover his body went through. By then he was barely moving forward, and since the test was on grass, he got a good laugh out of it. But it did shoot down production dreams for the weird ride!

Micah

What do you mean it shot down production dreams?

http://www.hammacher.com/publish/11102.asp

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9900669-1.html?tag=nefd.only

They are clearly for sale here as production items.

It seemed so at at the time, as the write-up I read seemed to be saying "well, we found out why it won't work, so we aren't pursuing it, and nobody else is either". They (the writers-up) probably quit pursuing it. I know I did. I confess that at that point I quit paying attention to it.

Glad it didn't die, but it would be interesting to know how the handle the hopefully never-needed emergency stop, given that Head-over-heels thing that occurred to the earlier testers. A Gyro might work, but it seems it would take a very powerful gyro to do that job, and that might very well hinder other aspects of maneuverability.

So, my error. It IS NOT DEAD.

Thanks for the headsup.

Micah

Not quite as fancy looking, back in the late 1940's, there was a Space Explorer, who used a similar invention to travel around on the Planet Saturn.

Memory banks here are unable to recall the name of that Space Adventurer.

The Comic was printed only black and white, of course, no colour comics then.

It was not "Dan Dare".

Kind Regards....