Quote:
Originally Posted by Electictracer
I Finally got started this last weekend! I bought $200 worth of steel to build the frame. I got much of the lower frame built. The bent frame parts require my square tubing bender dies that are being milled out. I have a lot of school work this semester, so things might go somewhat slow.  |
Hi Electictracer,
Here's a note I sent to Visionary regarding driving impressions, etc re my own enclosed motorcycle:
Hi Pete,
Looks like a pretty cool project! My main caution is that the vehicle should be vertical with respect to gravity when you come to a stop. The common alternative (perpendicular to the road surface) usually means that the bike is leaning when stopped (itself a little odd feeling) and so you must swerve to get the contact patches under the CG. This takes Monotracer drivers a while to learn, and even then, they still swerve and wobble, using up road space that might not be available.
I didn't spend a great deal of time on linkages before deciding to go with three wheels (just drive it like a car) but found that even with the outriggers deployable independently, it was hard to get the leverages right to permit both quick deployment and enough force to have good control if the vehicle started to lean too much. If the system were powered (as in power steering, with good force feedback) then this would not be an issue -- just have the outriggers reflect foot position.
My outriggers had casters for wheels, so that as they moved toward and away from centerline during balancing they did not create large drag, the way a forward facing wheel would. On the Ecomobile system, for example, tilting right and left (if possible) would cause a lot of tire scrub (which hydraulics could overcome, but human power could not).
You will need to be able to adapt to the situation in which there is a four inch deep pothole right where you need to have an outrigger (or in the path of an outrigger as you start to move).
I thought the idea of having feet come out the bottom was potentially unsafe, (as well as less than ideal aerodynamically) but it might be a simpler way to deal with balancing when stopped.
I'm an old roadracer, and familiar with countersteering, and I understand the physics of driving like a car with the outriggers down (steer right to go right) and driving like a motorcycle with the outriggers up (steer left to go right). But in actual operation of the vehicle, I found I could get out of synch. My seat was very low (6") off the ground, so roll inertia was low, and as a result the response time to control inputs was short (the roll rate was pretty high). Crashed once by getting out of synch -- kind of like the pilot induced oscillations that can happen with airplanes, especially during landings -- in my case right left right left right left boom.
I have not driven a Monotracer, but if you can find one, doing so would be helpful, I'd think.
That's about all I can think of right now, but if you have questions, please ask... and I'll try to respond more quickly. Actually a better address is
ken@zingcars.com.
Regards,
Ken