[visionary]

3 year review

As I write this, the 3 year anniversary of the start of this thread is fast approaching. It’s a scary thought, 3 years spent on this project and its still far from finished! I thought I would write a brief summary of the work so far, about the targets and how I’ve missed them. And maybe it will assist others who embark upon this type of work in the future.

So what’s gone wrong?
With hindsight, I can see that I approached this project in the wrong way – put simply I have tried to build the vehicle that I envisioned, rather than build the vehicle that I was capable of. This wasn’t due to a skills gap, at the outset I was a skilled fabricator and welder with extensive engine building experience. I also have years of vehicle body design and composite construction experience to draw upon, but my ambition has led me into areas where I am weak, needing to either learn new skills or acquire new equipment, or both. And compounded by constant redesigning of parts, as I strive to make improvements to my original design, the pace of progress has slowed.
The project also exploded! It has revealed itself as being much larger than I expected, once started I saw there was a lot more to do than I had imagined. This is mainly due to my ambition to build a genuinely ground-breaking vehicle. So I have found myself taking on more than I needed to, usually because my budget (or lack of it) has prevented me from “buying in” a solution.

Among many other diversions, here are some of the specific reasons for getting side-tracked -

I have built my own large-scale vacuum forming machine (which is still not finished) in order to do my own canopy. This has taken many hours of work and will not feature on the machine for at least another 18months.

I have adapted a cabriolet folding roof hydraulic system to activate my canopy opening and parking stand operations.

I have acquired parts and equipment for not just one, but two alternative engine options, and although I am not very advanced with the necessary modifications, it has still soaked up a lot of time.

I have started building a completely new “Hossack” inspired front suspension system to fit within the low nose bodywork.

I’ve also been drawn into the complex subject of aero-stability, which is something of a black art, and have started a project that will enable me to accurately predict the drag and sideforce acting on my full-bodied design. This is genuinely groundbreaking research and will divert my attention massively.

A simple summary of all of the above, is that I have bitten off more than I can chew!

So what’s gone right?
Firstly, and most importantly, I remain convinced about validity of my design. I am more confident than ever, that a fully-enclosed two-wheeled single person vehicle will open up a new class of transport solutions for people. I’m adamant that modifying existing motorcycles can only get you so far, and a fresh start offers the best long-term solution.

Secondly, I’m certain that design & development go hand-in-hand (at least for prototypes). I firmly believe that evolving the design as you build it, is the most efficient design method. When I started the project I had a well-considered AutoCad model and a high level of confidence that everything important had been taken into consideration. But at almost every stage in the work I have found a better way to achieve my goals. Sometimes it can take a while for the best solution to present itself, and I have learnt to be patient and dwell on alternative ideas. In an ideal world, I would be doing this work as part of a team. This speeds up the process, as you “bounce” ideas off one-another but it may not be the best way to find “style” solutions, which require a clear vision and ruthless determination. Working on my own, limits the variety of solutions, but each one that emerges fits well within the overall design.

What lessons have I learnt?
Do what you can! Often I can imagine a design solution that would be perfect for the finished vehicle, but making that part would take so much time and money that it really cannot be justified. This is where you need deep pockets, like an existing vehicle manufacturer, to show what can be achieved. An individual, like myself, can only hope to show an idea, a hint at a direction in which vehicle design may evolve. Many times I have looked at other peoples projects and have been “put off” by the crudeness of their work, now I realise why (as my own work looks crude to me) they showed their work – its only the idea that you’re showing, not the execution.
This really is the definition of “concept” vehicle, but we have become so accustomed to perfectly finished concept cars that it is difficult to look beyond the lower standards of “fit and finish”. It costs manufacturers a great deal to produce “one off” concept vehicles, far beyond the means of an individual, so somewhere you have to compromise. This has been a difficult fact to face, but I’m just getting to grips with dropping my standards in order to make some progress.

How to redefine this project
Looking at what’s left, I need to be realistic about targets. Getting road legal in basic form is another six months away, with a standard motor and simple open-cockpit bodywork. Then, fitting the fuel injected 100cc motor will take another 6 months and a similar time for the covered canopy. So my attempts at the targets will come just inside the 5 year mark, not what I had imagined at the start.
The “big gun” in my armoury will be resilience, keeping at it when things get difficult – lets hope next year’s review is a bit more positive (and contains a few more pictures)