350 mpg success story (I think) - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

js miller · 10-29-2009, 05:09 PM

Short and sweet, 3500 miles on an electric bike has cost me ~$40, and I like reading about conservation.
My contribution today to this conversation?
go to THE OFFICIAL MONOTRACER WEBSITE - PERAVES AG and, if you haven't done so before, enjoy the ride!

Just click "Movie"
Now, that's what's on my mind, guys. Thanks for looking.

Christ · 10-29-2009, 08:39 PM

I believe an introduction is in order...

Welcome to EM!

theycallmeebryan · 10-30-2009, 10:50 AM

Those monoTracers are pretty sweet, but they come with a hefty price tag.

My Ninja 250 will look like one of those someday.

Old Tele man · 10-30-2009, 03:38 PM

...pardon my "tongue-in-cheek" analogy, but that sorta looks like a "...wearing a rain coat while taking a shower..." version of a motorcycle over-indulgance?

Christ · 10-30-2009, 08:25 PM

I don't like the closed monocoque design, for safety reasons. But apparently, you can get them with wheels on the sides so you don't go spilling down the motorway at light speed, also.

I still don't like it that way. I'd rather lose some of the aero around the sides and make it easier to bail if necessary. That's just me, though.

lunatech · 10-31-2009, 12:29 PM

One would have to have much faith in those stabilizer wheels to actually come down when you came to a stop! I might be too faint of heart for that.

js miller · 11-03-2009, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Christ

I don't like the closed monocoque design, for safety reasons. But apparently, you can get them with wheels on the sides so you don't go spilling down the motorway at light speed, also.

I still don't like it that way. I'd rather lose some of the aero around the sides and make it easier to bail if necessary. That's just me, though.

These monocoque designs have an advantage, as they glance off objects easily and try to stop in a line, which they are...linear. Bicycle or bike, retractable standing gear is a benefit. Esp at a stop sign in the pouring rain, when you don't want to use your only good foot to hold you up.

Christ · 11-03-2009, 08:26 PM

What's wrong with using your foot to hold you up? Riding boots are water proof, and you if you're riding in rain, you can easily put on a pair of ankle aprons so that you don't get water down your boot tops.

I'm not so sure what you meant by the "linear" comment... bikes in general are linear, and all the ones I've ridden tend to stop in a straight line, too.

So what's that mono going to help when you hit a pothole at high speed, bend your front rim, lose control of the bike, and as it falls, you start getting bounced around like the boy in the bubble during a bully beatdown? Just think, instead of your aptly designed clothing slowing you down in the event of a slide, you're stuck inside a fiberglass and plexi bubble that has a slippery, glass like surface, which will continue to slide much further than your scrawny human body will, eventually striking something with great force, causing you to stop suddenly against whatever it hit, possibly flinging shrapnel at you from the broken fiberglass, and probably killing you due to the sudden deceleration of your helmet hitting whatever had enough of a hold on the earth to stop the bike after a good slide.

Sure, that's probably worst case scenario, but even at low speeds, that thing won't let you bail out too easily if something were to happen, like an electrical fire.

js miller · 11-03-2009, 10:23 PM

OK you may be on to something with boots. Outriggers are cool, though. I've always liked the idea, and the Monotracer sports a nice set. As for the linear comment, if you go back to the Monotracer movies, there's a clip taken where a racer loses it on a wide turn. The bike slides itself around, rear-end first, on its side. Of course, the engine being in the rear, the vehicle is just following the heaviest end, and the motion is linear and predictable.
As for electrical or gas fires, we see vans and buses on fire every day in all parts of the world. As for being inside a structure while in a crash or a slide, it's a good idea. I put my head in a helmet, a structure if you will.
Actually I envision a monocoque structure for me and my fat head, a strong, lightweight vehicle outrigged like the Monotracer, with a 4KW or larger motor coupled to the same BMW tranny. With the choices of batteries, the vehicle could even weigh less than the BMW Monotracer.