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Build Your Own Monowheel

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the need-something-quelled dept.

glengineer writes "Just when you thought it was safe to buy a Segway, Popular Sci has an article on the Monster Monowheel, an 1,100 pound single wheel 'scooter'. From the article: '...works on the hamster-in-a-wheel principle: Move a wheel's center of gravity forward and the wheel turns.' It has an 80cc four-stroke Honda scooter engine and 80 pounds of lead for ballast. Scary part: the driver's seat is in the very front, and the seat scrapes the ground when braking really hard." The builder's website is theriotwheel.com.

10 of 209 comments (clear)

  1. What impresses me MOST... by YankeeInExile · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ... is that they have a version that is licensed as a motorvehicle in California.

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    How does the Slashdot Effect happen given that no slashdotters ever RTFA?
    1. Re:What impresses me MOST... by Deraj+DeZine · · Score: 5, Funny

      Rear-end impact, 5 MPH: wheel tipped forward, occupant thrown forward onto ground and run over by vehicle. Slightly above-average damage (approx. 7 standard deviations above the mean for CA motor vehicles).

      Front-end impact, 5 MPH: occupant's legs broken off, driver seat torn off and subsequently run over by vehicle. Comparable economic impact to modern SUV damage estimates.

      Side impact, 5 MPH: vehicle tipped on side, occupant's left arm broken off, driver seat broken off due to shear force and subsequently crushed under vehicle. Comparable results to Segway Human Transporter.

      Head-on impact, 120 MPH combined: occupant broken into several pieces, many of which fused to the vehicle and subsequently crushed under weight of vehicle. Comparable to average damage when involved in a collision with an SUV.

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      True story.
  2. Scary part: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Scary part: the driver's seat is in the very front, and the seat scrapes the ground when braking really hard.

    In other words, Ford owners will feel right at home.

  3. Crazy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Check out www.zekewheel.com too, if you want a non-motorized wheel to ride inside of downhill.

  4. I love the diagram on their site... by BitWarrior · · Score: 5, Funny

    Particularly the labeling of the rider as - "Dummy". I may have to agree with that assessment ;-)

  5. Steamroller by RotJ · · Score: 5, Funny

    The most obvious use for this vehicle is to run over those snotty people using Segways. Of course, I guess you'd have to back up over them.

  6. Amazing by dirtsurfer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Clown technology has really come a long way

  7. How much would 'they' charge by kurt555gs · · Score: 5, Funny

    In Illinois the Tollway Authority charges 'per axle'

    I wonder if this would be free?

    Cheers

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    * Carthago Delenda Est *
  8. What a great idea! by Deraj+DeZine · · Score: 5, Funny

    All the safety of a poorly-made, precarious go-cart, but with the weight and fuel economy of a small car.

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    True story.
  9. Oh, crap. by ro_coyote · · Score: 5, Funny

    Scary part: the driver's seat is in the very front, and the seat scrapes the ground when braking really hard.

    Well, it seems two definitions of the term "tire tracks" will finally meet...