Electric Gyro Two-Wheeled Thingie

[tshelfer]

Saw this story on Yahoo. Okay, who's buying one?

http://news.yahoo.com/video/gyro-sta...020759644.html

[Gravel Guy]

yesterday I posted this:
http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78204

Interesting concept; out of my price range and penchant for NOT buying 1st gen.

[VFRRider]

Yet another solution via high tech electronics to a non-existent problem.

Sorry, no thanks,

Larry
VFRrider

[jimhaleyscomet]

They are promoting this as a "safer" two wheeler. The only problem is they fail to address the main safety problem in Urban riding (head on collision with a left turner) and they designed a low slung vehicle that will be hard for other drivers to see and won't give the rider the good visibility found on a taller bike.

I guess it will prevent you dropping your motorcycle and breaking your leg but I don't see it impacting fatality and injury rates in any measurable way.

[Gravel Guy]

Originally Posted by VFRRider

Yet another solution via high tech electronics to a non-existent problem.

Sorry, no thanks,

Larry
VFRrider

Interesting take.... and I think I agree with you.....but grandpa might not!

[KenH]

If half the commuters drove these instead of cages there'd be no traffic. It's two wheels. Helmet laws would still apply. Hillbillies in their coal rolling jacked up 4x4s would have a ball playing soccer on the expressways.

Reality is over the next couple generations people are going to have to make lifestyle changes to cope with increasing energy costs. One effective method is smaller, more energy-efficient vehicles.

[wanabeguru]

$1 for 200 miles is great, but............................who can afford $19K? And what is cost to replace batt packs and how often do they need to be changed? Just sayin'

[cdc]

Looks interesting...

[RedPill]

Not me.

[DaveC]

Put a internal combustion motor in it, run on propane. I would consider it as propane and CNG won't wear out a motor like current fossil fuels do. Battery packs cost as much as the vehicle when it is time to replace..

[buck000]

I like it.

I'm wondering though: a "small elephant" couldn't tip it over. But what happens if one or both tires lose traction? You crash upright?

[Gravel Guy]

Originally Posted by buck000

I like it.

I'm wondering though: a "small elephant" couldn't tip it over. But what happens if one or both tires lose traction? You crash upright?

Good catch....I think it would turn into Ken's soccer ball....

[Jack Giesecke]

19K? I can buy a Verseys and save the rest for gasoline. I ain't that safety paranoid, either. If I were, I'd probably drive a Suburban.

How fast can the thing cruise? They never said.

In addition to the crashing upright thing, I was wondering about steering the thing. Countersteer or no? How does one take a high speed corner, steer into it like a car? The G forces could rival that small elephant.

Too, what happens if a gyro or two goes out?

Is this thing, perhaps, a product of NHTSA research? Remember the backward motorcycle no one could ride?

[Jack Giesecke]

I worked one one of these, once, another answer to a question never asked. It was supposed to get 80 mpg or something, powered by a Yamaha 4 strong SOHC air cooled twin. Later versions used a larger water cooled engine. It incorporated a fan to blow air on the engine, but apparently it wasn't enough in south Texas as the thing had fried. I had changed a couple of clutches out on it, too, previous to the catastrophic self destruction. Stupid design to say the least. Let the buyer beware. Seems some folks care more about being different than being thrifty.



http://www.autocycles.org/specs.html

[DaveC]

Originally Posted by buck000

I like it.

I'm wondering though: a "small elephant" couldn't tip it over. But what happens if one or both tires lose traction? You crash upright?

Well duh, of course you crash upright, dang gyro would set everything back to normal after you wrapped it around the yield sign pole. What it needs is a transmorgifier, like Calvin had.