Hold on tight! The world's first unicycle MOTORBIKE
29 April 2008
A young inventor has created a motorbike with a twist. It uses two wheels but they are positioned right next to each other, giving it the illusion of being a powered unicycle. And even better, it might help save the planet. Ben Gulak has spent several years building the electric Uno that uses gyroscopic technology - like the infamous Segway commuter device - to stay upright.
The bizarre-looking contraption has only one switch - on or off - and is controlled entirely by body movement. The rider leans forwards to accelerate to speeds of 25mph and back to slow down. It has two wheels side-by-side and has been turning heads wherever it has been ridden. The green machine is so small and light it can be taken indoors and carried into lifts - and is recharged by being plugged into the mains. The wheels are completely independent, allowing the bike to turn on a sixpence and the technology takes the balance and guesswork out of riding a unicycle.
Its 18-year-old creator is now looking for investors to get the Uno into production and onto the streets. Ben, from Ontario, Canada, said: "I was inspired to make the bike after visiting China a few years ago and seeing all the smog. They all drive little bikes that are really polluting and I wanted to make something to combat that. I started with the concept because if something doesn't look cool people just won't be interested. After coming up with the concept I started to build it and now have the first prototype and the reaction has been amazing.
"It has two wheels side by side and that means it is easier to turn as they are completely independent and have their own suspension. The bike has a 'neutral point' and when you lean forward it accelerates to keep the neutral point in the right place. It has a couple of gyros and is basically self-balancing - it takes the guesswork out of riding a unicycle. The bike takes a bit of getting used to because you have to learn to trust it. But it doesn't take long. It takes any weight and weighs 120 lbs and can fit into a lift so you can take it indoors to charge it up. Currently it has a top speed of 25mph, but that will be increased greatly with bigger motors.
"It has a range of about 2.5 hours and it is designed for the commute to work through busy towns. I believe this could be electrical alternative to the car. I'm just looking for an investor to help me get it into production."
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it's quite a smart idea, but I wouldn't fancy being in traffic on it!
Plumber spends £1,000 transforming Sinclair C5 into a monster trike
Colin Furze, 32, spent two weeks upgrading the tame electric three-wheeler into a 5-ft high petrol-powered beast. He revamped the slow Sinclair by fitting it to the frame of an old Honda bike, then added 2-ft wheels.
‘I’ve taken a bike that was banned in the 1980s and a rubbish old electric car and made a machine which looks really cool,’ said Mr Furze, from Stamford, Lincolnshire. ‘It can go pretty fast, but it’s very scary as you’re driving five feet off the ground – and it’s really top heavy and rather unstable.’
The infamous Sinclair C5 was the first electric vehicle designed for mass production but flopped spectacularly when it was released in 1985. It was designed by Sir Clive Sinclair, cost £399, and worked like a tricycle with handlebars for steering. Its top speed was just 15mph, there were no gears, no roof and it overheated going up hills. The hybrid machine goes nearly three times as fast.
Mr Furze, who has also built the world’s fastest mobility scooter and longest motorbike, said: ‘The person who owned the Sinclair wanted me to improve it, so I decided to not only give it more speed but to make it look more impressive too.’ However, with the petrol crisis he regrets making the Sinclair run on the fuel. ‘The conversion was rather bad timing, now I wish it was still electric,’ laughed Mr Furze.
Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 10:40 am Post subject: BMW sued for giving customer a persistent, lasting erection
BMW is being sued after a customer found his BMW motorcycle gave him a persistent, lasting erection. No, not because it morphed into a sexy woman like that one Fiat ad, but because its custom "ridge-like" Corbin-Pacific seat, on which he sat for a total of four hours, gave him priapism (medical talk for a persistent, lasting erection) which he further claims has made him unable to engage in sexual activity TO THIS DAY. Whaaaat? A minute ago we were writing this seat down on our personal shopping wish list; now we are discreetly crossing it off. If BMW is found liable, they will owe him money for lost wages, personal injury, medical expenses, product liability and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 8:07 pm Post subject: Vroom enviromental Vrooooommmmmmm
Air-Powered Motorcycle Runs on Scuba Tank, Rotary Engine
Alexander George
If you haven’t already accepted that motorcycles running on something other than dead dino juice are the real deal, then you probably should come around. In many cases, they perform just as well as their fuel-burning brethren, and, depending on from where you get the electricity, they run cleanly. Now, they’re getting even cleaner with the introduction of the air-powered bike.
The O2 Pursuit, a project from an engineering school graduate in Australia, runs off compressed air stored in an on-board tank. Dean Benstead’s project began with a rotary air compression engine, around which he built a dirt bike. He started with a Yamaha WR250R frame, and added a scuba-diving tank and a 25-pound engine to power the rear wheel. Squeeze the throttle and air is released to accelerate the bike. And its stats are impressive. The O2 Pursuit gets 62 miles of travel on a full tank, and can hit a top speed of 87 mph.
Air beats electric both for convenience and environmental kindness. There’s no battery to dispose of when the cells eventually break down, filling up with air takes two minutes rather than hours required for charging, and it can be stored in an inert state forever. And while the air-powered car is little more than a four-wheeled scam we’ve been hearing about for decades, the low weight of a bike is perfectly suited for the application.
“When the air comes out, it’s in the same state as when you compressed it,” Benstead said. “You haven’t technically used anything.”
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