Last edited by osbornk; 03-04-2013 at 11:40 PM.
'You can say what you want about the South, but I almost never hear of anyone wanting to retire to the North.
Black 86 R80RT Brown 03 R1200CLC
That is some of the sweetest computer animation I've ever seen.
This looks like a great and very practical concept that solves a lot of problems. Way better than a 2-wheel open-air scooter.
Just think how great these things would be for lane splitting... it would keep the rednecks' tobacco spit off of you as you went by!
I wonder when, and how much.
Great link, Ken. Thanks.
Ia
Toyota estimates 54 km per charge with a three hour turn around... wow, that's like.... 33.5 miles
"A scooter that drives like a car." but you'll need a Motorcycle Endorsement to drive it (motorcyclist's survival mentality not included).
But I have a motorcycle endorsement, and I think it'd be a hoot!
"It is what you discover, after you know it all, that counts." _ John Wooden
Lew Morris
1973 R75/5 - original owner
GM developed and built a couple prototypes proving this concept in, I think, the early 80s. It was called the "Lean Machine." Very little public interest at the time other than the "cool" factor among a few early adopters.
I guess everything old IS new again, especially if spun by Toyota.
Don't flame me, this is just an inconvenient truth.
Stan
Lake Tahoe
Oh, that is interesting... similar to how American companies innovated compact and mid-sized cars in the sixties and Japan ate our lunch with them in the 80s.
Timing is everything.
http://youtu.be/ngn7Io4HtdU - GM
http://youtu.be/AOfuAjXP4cs - Mercedes
I wonder which one handles better?
Three wheelers. Cum se, cum sa. They come, they go. But none seem to actually be produced in number.
The iRoad. .. smaller than the rest and it's cuter.
In reverse order...
2009, Mercedes-Benz Dreirad.
1994, The Carver, 200 produced between 1997 and 2006; no longer in production.
1984, Trautwein Dreirad (three wheels)
1983, 3VG; designed and prototyped by the folks at Mother Earth News.
1980, GM The Lean Machine
[youtube]ngn7Io4HtdU[/youtube]
TTW, Ernst Neumann, 1945 (German industrial designer responsible for the Neander automobiles & motorcycle).
1926, Neander Rahmen, aluminum box-section frame.
"It is what you discover, after you know it all, that counts." _ John Wooden
Lew Morris
1973 R75/5 - original owner
Forget about it being sold in the U.S. I can't envision a market for it. Some say a big city, where you never need to go on a highway. But our big cities already have mass transit and people don't even need a car to get around them... Maybe Europe?
But what would the price be? $15,000 is my guess, but for that price you could buy a small econobox car that gets 40MPG.
2011 R1200RT - (Thank You, MOA!)
1978 Honda Hawk 400
Lit Motors C1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo7RTWmMoMY
E.
An enclosed vehicle that leans makes sense to many of us rider types. But now, add in the mix of people that have no idea how a motorcycle handles (dare I say it, countersteering) including many motorcycle riders, could make for some interesting development challenges. Take the Lit C1, it has two large gyros, well below the rotational centerline for stability, but I wonder how it affects steering. The C1 has a steering wheel, just like a car. That means to a car driver, you "steer" left to go left, "steer" right to go right. Just the opposite of what a motorcycle does to lean. They obviously went with a steering wheel versus a handlebar, to make it more car like and familiar.
But the physics of a single tracked leaning vehicle still apply. Interesting.
Maybe Sheldon on Big Bang Theory will finally see fit to buy a "car".
Woodenshoe to Cheesehead
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