The Uno - Segway meets motorcycle

MotorcycleMoto magazine has a great article on The Uno - a one wheeled-looking motorcycle. Thanks Daniel!
The 2008 National Motorcycle Show in Toronto has always been heavily influenced by the American V-twin crowd and highlights some of the area's top custom builders who have on display a fine array of one-off custom machines.
This year's show, however, had one very unusual one-off custom, the Uno. The orange and grey coloured Uno made its first public appearance balanced on its two side-by-side wheels and its footpegs. Looking more like it should have been ridden by George Jetson as he pulled up to his space platform, it looked out of place amid the other custom creations in the building. Perhaps that's why it garnered so much attention.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Apr 25, 2008 07:01 AM
Made On Earth, Transportation |
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Comments
Oldest comments listed first.
| Posted by: on April 25, 2008 at 8:03 AM |
It's not one wheeled. It has two wheels next to each other. BIG difference
| Posted by: on April 25, 2008 at 8:52 AM |
That's pretty cool. I must say though, I wonder if the designers thought to themselves, "Hey, I wonder how we can build something technologically superior to the motorcycle AND less safe."
| Posted by: ap1.myopenid.com on April 25, 2008 at 9:03 AM |
Why would tandem wheels make such a BIG difference? It's like having one wide wheel that steers better.
| Posted by: bowers on April 25, 2008 at 11:44 AM |
Googled this and whoa...
http://www.innovationcanada.ca/29/en/articles/gulak.html
Look's like Ben, the 18 year old you invented this is waitlisted at MIT, anyone want to put a good word in for him?
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Posted by: JennaSys on April 25, 2008 at 12:16 PM |
I'd imagine having 2 tandem wheels gives it more side to side stability than a single wide wheel would. Cool design though. Incredibly dangerous mind you, but cool nonetheless. And when you get right down to it, isn't that what custom bikes are all about anyway?
| Posted by: trex on April 25, 2008 at 1:45 PM |
As cool as it looks, it is complete crap. It is physically impossible to slow down fast enough. The maximum possible braking force is the body weight of the driver. Not very much when you want to slow down from 80 mph. Why don't these guyse just invest their creativity and money in something that is cool and useful?
| Posted by: Anon on April 25, 2008 at 4:05 PM |
I don't understand these people who think everything has to be 'cool AND useful' otherwise it is 'bullshit'. Are these people with no passion, no imagination, no talent of their own? Can they not see the joy and skill involved in making something different just because they can? By their logic most of what Leonardo da Vinci did was complete crap!
| Posted by: on April 25, 2008 at 7:56 PM |
It's like this, the "cool must be useful" crowd most likely share the same genetic code as the boobs who opposed flight and most surely for same reasons. Going back a bit further it is just as likely they were also the ones who insisted the world is flat. What a bunch of frightened little children they are...
| Posted by: Diesel on April 27, 2008 at 6:31 AM |
Obviously some people don't understand what they are looking at. I agree that thinking everything must be both cool AND useful is very narrow minded. I think that all the circuit bending stuff is some very cool hacking, but I don't think that the music is listenable at all. The Uno is basically a motorcycle styled DIY segway and will never see 80 mph, and doesn't have brakes, so before you bust on someone else's projects, it would pay to know what you are talking about.
| Posted by: sam on May 26, 2008 at 7:36 PM |
that thing looks relly cool i wonder how he did it and how he drves without falling over!!!!!!!!!!
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