@@pizzyp Seen it. There's also another fabricator in Japan doing the same thing, albeit his design deviates from Otomo's Akira bike, but still a reclined design.
Keep at it Robert! I've been riding for 50+ years and have spent many hours thinking of something similar to offset the high G effects of any modern fast bike with great brakes. I would love to see lap time comparisons with a well funded take on this idea..
I've always thought sitting ON the bike made no sense whatsoever. Once should work WITH physics, not against it. Great job on the bike! Would LOVE to ride something like this one day!
This is the closest I've ever seen of a viable method to make an Akira Battle Bike. Because it allows for an engine of any size as well as allowing it to be made oversize to fit the pilot. If I ever had the money ...I'd contact Robert to make it.
I've been building recumbent motorcycles for years as daily drivers. I've built a lot of them, As long as your body is in the right position and the steering is not crazy, then they're pretty comfortable ride. I never built one to race, though. I've built them for friends also who absolutely love to cruise around on them. Got a TH-cam channel full of them. I do admire this man engineering on his steering!
Thanks for sharing. The topic reminds me of some oil sheikh with an enormous garage full of supper cars. In the corner parked against the wall like a bicycle was I think a Kawasaki or some other more expensive bike. When asked about it he said it was a piece of crap, "if you drive a million dollar car it really feels like a million dollar car, the most expensive motor cycle doesn't feel any better than a cheap one." It kinda made me wonder, where is the innovation? If people with an unlimited budget cant buy anything there must be something weird going on in the sector. It is not unlike bicycles all looking like the heavily restricted tour the france bikes where recumbents got banned after (winning) the first race. Perhaps you can turn a velomobiel design into a motorcycle. They are recumbent bicycles with an aerodynamic body that fully covers the rider and wheels. It's a challenge to get the weight down with human power, lots of things should transfer to motorcycles nicely. lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GbEmZgOdwzU/T9_K1lzNRKI/AAAAAAAAJqs/YY8ld42g7uk/s1600/energieverbruik%2520vervoersmodi.png
OP: just saw your channel and subscribed! Thank you for mentioning it! Regarding the bike used in this particular video .. I had been trying to work out the handling characteristics of one that steers with both wheels like that, and the results seemed to suggest that the turning of the rear wheel would be a fraction of the turning of the front wheel (around maybe 20-30%) and that it would need a little rake on both ends. Interesting to see this guy's take on the BMW telelever suspension. (disclaimer: I am not an educated ME)
@@gabydewilde On bicycles; there's room for improvement it's just that in the US where you don't bike to get around the next biggest constituency is upper middle class brain trust type folks who need an expensive hobby and want to look like they're competing. That means the same 'optimized' bike that's really a result of the rules of a competitive sport none of them are competing in. There are other types of bike out there being put to other uses. Folding bikes, BMX, hauling bikes - hell, bakfiets/boxbikes are a great example of redesigning a bike to do something totally different and there are some really wild looking ones like the Carrie. There was a video of a guy trying a recumbent in time trials: th-cam.com/video/zg7Kl0bQCR0/w-d-xo.htmlsi=TgEZoqAu9mpvqodJ The fact that it's some dude just trying it for kicks rather than someone with real capital trying to overturn stuff says a lot about the rigidity of competitive biking IMO.
Thats it! Im building my Akira bike (feet forward bike). It's been in my head for years, now i make it it life. My first new project, once i get my apartment i begine production. Know what heck it, now!!
@@adrianjayne6580 Yah. Minimal front area profile. Most motorcycles have the sort of drag coefficients you'd see on trucks with stuff sticking off them. There's a guy on youtube who's made a fuel-efficient fully faired reverse recumbent trike along those lines .. see Paul Elkins, economical gas powered commuter trike.
I have been interested in the "feet first" idea for years. Ever since I saw a Quasar displayed at a show in Batersea. Later I got into FF bicycles and still have one..
Love this bike, such amazing work. I hope he continues with development. I wonder if he rides it on the road. That would give a good testing. I ride a recumbent bicycle. I do notice a lesser stability at slow speeds. Also a twitchyness. This is far less when loaded up with panniers low down. I suspect his bike doesn’t suffer so. Especially with the vertical front steering axis, though be interesting to know if the rear wheel steering helps, a few folk have tried rear only steering with no real success. My main issue is that it is difficult to turn your head and look around at junctions or behind. A good mirror definitely needed.
YES!! Been thinking about something like this awhile. Super low profile, ought to have very good energy efficiency. Unfortunately also too easy for cagers not to see it :(
How weird, I literally just wondered this morning if a foot-forward/recumbent motorcycle could be raced. I didn’t do a search this was just in my feed 😂
2:34 My aunt built a kit plane at home, in her backyard, decades ago, although admittedly she wasn't designing it from scratch to be a radical reconception of what an airplane should even be, so fair enough.
You left out that most full size semi-trucks are more aerodynamic than a motorcycle. The foot-forward design solves that problem while lowering the CoG. It has to be the way forward.
See Paul Elkins (on youtube) and his gas powered economical trike. Vehicles with such low CoD & CoG are definitely the way forward. The designers of yesteryear were focused on getting past horses & steam, peak oil and climate change weren't on the radar yet - another thing they didn't have then.
What fascinates me about this frame is the engineering of the rear wheel, which can tilt the opposite direction of the front. This makes the turning quite nimble. I wish he would make a deal with the manufacturers.
Dan Gurney in 1976 came out with a bike very similar to this design THE ALLIGATOR ... and raced it and was very successful ... it would be the most fascinating invention in the last 48 years
Роберт, давно наблюдаю за попытками победить физику и управляемость мото🤔 Твои изыскания вдохновляют на попытку исполнить нечто подобное🤓 Удачи😉 Быть Добру✊️
There has been a small but persistent Foot Forward movement in UK motorcycling for decades. The Quasar made by Malcolm Newell from the late 1970s to the early 1990s made an appearance in this video. Other exponents include Royce Creasey and his Voyager project
Lie down is used when the thing receiving the action and the thing doing the action are the same. "He lies down" "I'm lying down" "the cat lies down". Lay is used when the object receiving the action is different than the thing doing the action. So you could use it with people if one person was holding another person and put them down. Like "He laid the baby down in the crib". That said, it's extremely common to mix them up and use them interchangeably in the specific instance of talking about people lying down. Especially cause the past tense of lie is lay. "I'm going to go lay down" technically incorrect, but such a common mistake that it sounds natural and is understood.
Nice experiment. The recumbent design could have very low drag. Try adding caster to the front "fork" to make the bike more self steering and balancing like on a regular motorcycle. Also, to decrease the turning radius in the corners, have the rear wheel turn the opposite direction of the front wheel. Pretty cool.
Virtual steering itself can be seen in OECs from the 1920s. The down side is that stability decreases rapidly as the steering angle increases. I think this is a good thing in that it allows you to control the steering angle within a small range by using the front and rear wheels for steering.
I have to agree with Robert on the mystifying appeal of cafe racers. My particular pet peeve are the fenderless scrambler-ish builds. A single mud puddle would cause the rider to be sprayed with mud!
Gustav Baumm was a brilliant pioneer, but he didn't go 200mph on a 125. His NSU 125 'only' went 150mph, with only 16bhp! The 250 got close to 300kph (186mph) IIRC.
I like the stick or fighter jet control. I whould move that to a left-hand or right hand position for ergonomic reasons. Also, to accelerate push the stick forward, pull back to slow down or brake. I whould also implement electronic stabilisation, so if one of the tires where to slip one does not fall over and slide across the road.
6 หลายเดือนก่อน
I owned a recumbent bicycle and also could test a low rider where you sit only about 10 cm above the street. It is a total different way of cycling. Starting is not so easy but then the sensations licks in.
To the Author, i would love to know more about the geometry number of your machine 😅 the geometry of suspension is what makes or breaks any vehicle. I have some experience with building racing machines, but have always wanted to build a sit down bike, ever since I saw the Japanese anime movie Akira, would love to know to know more, as it will take me quite a while to learn the intricacies from looking at the footage of your inovative machines😅 thankyou for your input into the modern world of alternative sit down two wheeled machines
He's correct. I've daydreamed about a similar abet even crazier setup myself with rear steering let the bike turn in and out of turns that much faster. Rear steer is a necessity on long wheelbase and or low cg bikes in much the manner that a long trailer is more stable but slower to change lanes behind an over the road truck. These designs will always bump up against the "race what's selling contingent" that until recently were funded much better than this individual. It's a shame he's not closer to Philly. I'd certainly help him out if not give him the machinery he needs.
My FXR with forward controls has me riding in a position like this. Counter-intuitively, I can corner real well in canyons with it, and even navigate rough dirt roads
The reason sport bikes are taller than cruisers is for lean angle. You can't lean as much on low bikes. That's the buggest reason we don't ride bikes like this. As a fan of akira back in the day and a motorcycle rider i wish it wasn't true I'd love kinadas bike
based on a recumbent bicycle (optima orca, not mine, borrowed it) this is really not such a big deal. you quickly adapt. as for being seen, people often use a flag in the back, and modulated lights
I have long dreamed of a racing motorcycle where the rider would lie on his stomach with his knees bent, a bit like sidecar riders. Low center of gravity. Excellent aerodynamics. “Normal” handlebars. (Sorry for my basic English).
a leaning reverse trike? the complexity compared to a two wheeled bike is really through the roof with this. caster angle, camber angle, scrub radius, toe, bump steering are just some of the things that gets introduced that really isn't much of a problem with only 2 wheels. i'm not saying don't do it, but considering how much of a headache this one is to make the special rear hub, the work needed to make your city recumbent motorcycle idea probably adds a thousand hours work. of course if someone else builds it for you this isn't a problem
Why no mention of Britain`s Royce Creasey (again ex air force background)? He explored and developed the concept during the 70`s and offered a police version of the "feet forward motorcycle". I`m all for innovation where the drawbacks don`t outweigh the approach. To me, motorcycling has become a leisure activity and people ride bikes because they ARE bikes and not because they make sense to the rational mind on the drawing board - Still it`s good to explore
That Akira style photo is beyond epic!
that it is.
Maybe that was the inspiration for the Akira poster.
A guy in Japan actually made that bike from Akira and it's fudging awesome 👍✌️
@@pizzyp Seen it. There's also another fabricator in Japan doing the same thing, albeit his design deviates from Otomo's Akira bike, but still a reclined design.
@@steampunkster2023
Other way around is more likely seeing as how akira predates this by more than 15 years
Really nice job - I'm honored - thank you for your enthusiasm!
nice
The Akira pose, at 6:55, was that your idea?
@@urdnal Yes! Used a forklift in an industrial area to take that shot.
Keep at it Robert! I've been riding for 50+ years and have spent many hours thinking of something similar to offset the high G effects of any modern fast bike with great brakes. I would love to see lap time comparisons with a well funded take on this idea..
I've always thought sitting ON the bike made no sense whatsoever. Once should work WITH physics, not against it. Great job on the bike! Would LOVE to ride something like this one day!
Dude's got his lathe in his kitchen absolute chad
5:40
This is the closest I've ever seen of a viable method to make an Akira Battle Bike. Because it allows for an engine of any size as well as allowing it to be made oversize to fit the pilot. If I ever had the money ...I'd contact Robert to make it.
I've been building recumbent motorcycles for years as daily drivers. I've built a lot of them, As long as your body is in the right position and the steering is not crazy, then they're pretty comfortable ride. I never built one to race, though. I've built them for friends also who absolutely love to cruise around on them. Got a TH-cam channel full of them. I do admire this man engineering on his steering!
Thanks for sharing. The topic reminds me of some oil sheikh with an enormous garage full of supper cars. In the corner parked against the wall like a bicycle was I think a Kawasaki or some other more expensive bike. When asked about it he said it was a piece of crap, "if you drive a million dollar car it really feels like a million dollar car, the most expensive motor cycle doesn't feel any better than a cheap one." It kinda made me wonder, where is the innovation? If people with an unlimited budget cant buy anything there must be something weird going on in the sector. It is not unlike bicycles all looking like the heavily restricted tour the france bikes where recumbents got banned after (winning) the first race.
Perhaps you can turn a velomobiel design into a motorcycle. They are recumbent bicycles with an aerodynamic body that fully covers the rider and wheels. It's a challenge to get the weight down with human power, lots of things should transfer to motorcycles nicely.
lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GbEmZgOdwzU/T9_K1lzNRKI/AAAAAAAAJqs/YY8ld42g7uk/s1600/energieverbruik%2520vervoersmodi.png
OP: just saw your channel and subscribed! Thank you for mentioning it! Regarding the bike used in this particular video .. I had been trying to work out the handling characteristics of one that steers with both wheels like that, and the results seemed to suggest that the turning of the rear wheel would be a fraction of the turning of the front wheel (around maybe 20-30%) and that it would need a little rake on both ends. Interesting to see this guy's take on the BMW telelever suspension. (disclaimer: I am not an educated ME)
@@gabydewilde On bicycles; there's room for improvement it's just that in the US where you don't bike to get around the next biggest constituency is upper middle class brain trust type folks who need an expensive hobby and want to look like they're competing. That means the same 'optimized' bike that's really a result of the rules of a competitive sport none of them are competing in. There are other types of bike out there being put to other uses. Folding bikes, BMX, hauling bikes - hell, bakfiets/boxbikes are a great example of redesigning a bike to do something totally different and there are some really wild looking ones like the Carrie.
There was a video of a guy trying a recumbent in time trials: th-cam.com/video/zg7Kl0bQCR0/w-d-xo.htmlsi=TgEZoqAu9mpvqodJ
The fact that it's some dude just trying it for kicks rather than someone with real capital trying to overturn stuff says a lot about the rigidity of competitive biking IMO.
Thats it! Im building my Akira bike (feet forward bike). It's been in my head for years, now i make it it life. My first new project, once i get my apartment i begine production. Know what heck it, now!!
let us see your progress 🥳
Dang that is the closest Kaneda Bike I’ve ever seen. Great job Robert Horn!
Reminds me of “ Akira , Kanneda’s bike “
I think it would be great if this concept is used in cruising and touring motorcycles....Because it seems very comfortable for rider...
They were made in the 1970s in the UK and only sold in small numbers, comfortable but visibility is poor.
its aero is way better too!
@@adrianjayne6580 Yah. Minimal front area profile. Most motorcycles have the sort of drag coefficients you'd see on trucks with stuff sticking off them. There's a guy on youtube who's made a fuel-efficient fully faired reverse recumbent trike along those lines .. see Paul Elkins, economical gas powered commuter trike.
I relly want an Akira style enclosed lay down bike, it's weird to me that it doesn't already exist
Anyone that has machine tools in the kitchen has my vote!!!!
Guilty 😎
I have been interested in the "feet first" idea for years. Ever since I saw a Quasar displayed at a show in Batersea. Later I got into FF bicycles and still have one..
Best kitchen ever.
Akira was 1988 with a similar bike with a low center of gravity. but nice to see it on the road
That rear steer must have given you some late nites & lots of coffee 😎
Laying not Lying or Lay Down Bike. Lovely concept and very innovative.
Love this bike, such amazing work.
I hope he continues with development.
I wonder if he rides it on the road. That would give a good testing.
I ride a recumbent bicycle.
I do notice a lesser stability at slow speeds. Also a twitchyness. This is far less when loaded up with panniers low down. I suspect his bike doesn’t suffer so. Especially with the vertical front steering axis, though be interesting to know if the rear wheel steering helps, a few folk have tried rear only steering with no real success.
My main issue is that it is difficult to turn your head and look around at junctions or behind. A good mirror definitely needed.
YES!! Been thinking about something like this awhile. Super low profile, ought to have very good energy efficiency. Unfortunately also too easy for cagers not to see it :(
How weird, I literally just wondered this morning if a foot-forward/recumbent motorcycle could be raced. I didn’t do a search this was just in my feed 😂
Brilliant. I'm an older motorcyclist and cyclist and intrigued by this design from an aerodynamic and comfort PoV and want to know more.
2:34 My aunt built a kit plane at home, in her backyard, decades ago, although admittedly she wasn't designing it from scratch to be a radical reconception of what an airplane should even be, so fair enough.
I love her already! :)
You left out that most full size semi-trucks are more aerodynamic than a motorcycle. The foot-forward design solves that problem while lowering the CoG. It has to be the way forward.
See Paul Elkins (on youtube) and his gas powered economical trike. Vehicles with such low CoD & CoG are definitely the way forward. The designers of yesteryear were focused on getting past horses & steam, peak oil and climate change weren't on the radar yet - another thing they didn't have then.
So cool, I'd love to try it!
Would buy one of these!
This man has made my dream vehicle!
EXCRUCIATINGLY AWESOME YO!
KUDOS ON THE BUILD
Watch….Elon steal this and make a cyber bike!!😂😂
What fascinates me about this frame is the engineering of the rear wheel, which can tilt the opposite direction of the front. This makes the turning quite nimble. I wish he would make a deal with the manufacturers.
Cool, may this be the norm so we can all be Kanneda from the amazing technical marvel in animation called Akira.
God bless.
it's like a recumbent bike but motorized. good work
👍😎👍
LOVED IT ... LOVED IT .... LOVED IT.
Dan Gurney in 1976 came out with a bike very similar to this design THE ALLIGATOR ... and raced it and was very successful ... it would be the most fascinating invention in the last 48 years
KANEDAAAA!!!!!! TETSUOOOOOO!!!!!!! TASUKETE!!!!!!!! lol Make it look cool, paint it red and I'd buy one in a heartbeat.
It is a copy of the UK’s Quasar.
Which was a better design than this.
See the National Motorcycle Museum example.
R
Congrats you have figured out what a paradigm shift is.
I hope someone makes an Akira bike using this!!!
Роберт, давно наблюдаю за попытками победить физику и управляемость мото🤔 Твои изыскания вдохновляют на попытку исполнить нечто подобное🤓 Удачи😉 Быть Добру✊️
I am gonna copy this...!!
I never knew that there was a recumbent motorcycle. This is cool.
There has been a small but persistent Foot Forward movement in UK motorcycling for decades. The Quasar made by Malcolm Newell from the late 1970s to the early 1990s made an appearance in this video. Other exponents include Royce Creasey and his Voyager project
GET THIS MAN SOME MILIONS
The Dan Gurney Alligator reimagined version 2.0.
I wish this video was longer 😅
play it again
Now this is pod racing!
Always wondered what that lay down go ped was called :)
4:15 w2s go ped
Lying is what you tell your wife after a stint at the bar, this one the other hand is a recumbent or a feet-forward motorcycle.
Lie down is used when the thing receiving the action and the thing doing the action are the same. "He lies down" "I'm lying down" "the cat lies down". Lay is used when the object receiving the action is different than the thing doing the action. So you could use it with people if one person was holding another person and put them down. Like "He laid the baby down in the crib".
That said, it's extremely common to mix them up and use them interchangeably in the specific instance of talking about people lying down. Especially cause the past tense of lie is lay.
"I'm going to go lay down" technically incorrect, but such a common mistake that it sounds natural and is understood.
Amazing, ty youtube for recomend ths video to me
Nice experiment. The recumbent design could have very low drag. Try adding caster to the front "fork" to make the bike more self steering and balancing like on a regular motorcycle. Also, to decrease the turning radius in the corners, have the rear wheel turn the opposite direction of the front wheel. Pretty cool.
Virtual steering itself can be seen in OECs from the 1920s. The down side is that stability decreases rapidly as the steering angle increases. I think this is a good thing in that it allows you to control the steering angle within a small range by using the front and rear wheels for steering.
Reminds me of the concept of Kaneda's bike in Akira all too closely.
I have to agree with Robert on the mystifying appeal of cafe racers. My particular pet peeve are the fenderless scrambler-ish builds. A single mud puddle would cause the rider to be sprayed with mud!
Неожиданно и гениально , интересная идея.
nice work
such an cool idea!
Seen allot of people try to make Akira style bikes. But this is one of the closest ideas that could someday lead to a production.
Love it and see some great potential!!! Gas or electric!!
You see very similar looking bicycle over the Nederlands and some in Germany.
They actually are very handy for people with back issues.
The Bohmerland is what this fine effort brings to mind.....
Gustav. Baum held 125 cc land speed record for NSU at 200 mph . using a feet forward design in 1954. He unfortunately died when using a250 cc engine.
Gustav Baumm was a brilliant pioneer, but he didn't go 200mph on a 125. His NSU 125 'only' went 150mph, with only 16bhp! The 250 got close to 300kph (186mph) IIRC.
@@pnblondon1087 I was going to say, 200mph! Seems... impossible, given
Good luck with the wheelies 😊
great ideas man
Akira ❤
리컴번트가 모터사이클로 구현됐네
가벼운 중량 작은 엔진으로도 대배기량 모터사이클만큼 빠르고 편안한 승차감을 제공할 수 있는 좋은 아이디어
I like the stick or fighter jet control. I whould move that to a left-hand or right hand position for ergonomic reasons. Also, to accelerate push the stick forward, pull back to slow down or brake.
I whould also implement electronic stabilisation, so if one of the tires where to slip one does not fall over and slide across the road.
I owned a recumbent bicycle and also could test a low rider where you sit only about 10 cm above the street. It is a total different way of cycling. Starting is not so easy but then the sensations licks in.
OK for racing, dangerously low for the roads.You wouldn't be seen in traffic. I like the engineering of it thought.
The monotracer concept i quite cool looking
Motorcycle buyers are the most conservative market on the planet. They think a faring is wild but a belly pan is “whoa dude!! Relax with the crazy!!”
that is nice references!!!
Damn...I had that idea 20 years ago!!
Супер люкс вариант моцик!
That shot @0:06 😎
To the Author, i would love to know more about the geometry number of your machine 😅 the geometry of suspension is what makes or breaks any vehicle. I have some experience with building racing machines, but have always wanted to build a sit down bike, ever since I saw the Japanese anime movie Akira, would love to know to know more, as it will take me quite a while to learn the intricacies from looking at the footage of your inovative machines😅 thankyou for your input into the modern world of alternative sit down two wheeled machines
I want a Tetuso Motorcycle!
Everybody: recumbent pedal bikes are annoying and the visibility is terrible, but at least they don’t go very fast.
Robert Horne: hold my beer.
Epic
Best conclusion in the history of conclusions
Also Frog 🐸
@WeirdBike Who wrote the frog-bird-innovation analogy at 7:19? It's really good and I can't find a source.
Man I love japan Invention ❤️❤️
Moto GP x F1???? sign me up!!!
I don't think I'll ever understand why this wasn't a regular thing.
I absolutely can't stand cafe racers and it seems like every E-bike being made right now is based on them 😬.
This video was great 👍
another version of the Dan Gurney alligator. kinda like this one better
Aero and ergonomic.
👏
He's correct. I've daydreamed about a similar abet even crazier setup myself with rear steering let the bike turn in and out of turns that much faster. Rear steer is a necessity on long wheelbase and or low cg bikes in much the manner that a long trailer is more stable but slower to change lanes behind an over the road truck. These designs will always bump up against the "race what's selling contingent" that until recently were funded much better than this individual. It's a shame he's not closer to Philly. I'd certainly help him out if not give him the machinery he needs.
AKIRAの金田のバイクじゃないか！
Sooo, a recumbent motorcycle? Haven't these been around, albeit not in excessive amounts
Yeah, loads of them and every one looks as dangerous as the last lol
I think the 2 wheel steering concept sets this one apart from all the rest.
@@countryjoe3551 that's what I thought after I posted this. I don't remember any of the others that had dual wheel steering.
AKIRA… They should build something enclosed esp. with the auto-balancing gyro available nowadays… 👍
id like to see him enclose the front wheel for aero
Imagine one where you're lying on your belly, head at the front 😂 would be a suicide bike but would be cool to see.
My FXR with forward controls has me riding in a position like this. Counter-intuitively, I can corner real well in canyons with it, and even navigate rough dirt roads
The reason sport bikes are taller than cruisers is for lean angle. You can't lean as much on low bikes. That's the buggest reason we don't ride bikes like this. As a fan of akira back in the day and a motorcycle rider i wish it wasn't true I'd love kinadas bike
I don't fancy riding this contraption on the road. Your head is far too low to see much in traffic.
Yeh, good point. But the bigger issue here would be to be seen.
based on a recumbent bicycle (optima orca, not mine, borrowed it) this is really not such a big deal. you quickly adapt. as for being seen, people often use a flag in the back, and modulated lights
if current sports-bikes are boring for you - your doing something wrong XD
Dan Gurney had developed a similar design long time ago
I still don't understand the counter steer with a stick control. What was that for?
Mostly because the wheelbase gets so long you need the rear steering at low speeds so it can turn tighter.
I have long dreamed of a racing motorcycle where the rider would lie on his stomach with his knees bent, a bit like sidecar riders. Low center of gravity. Excellent aerodynamics. “Normal” handlebars. (Sorry for my basic English).
Your English looks fine to me.
TETSUOOOO!!!
Recumbent bikes are banned from UCI racing. This is another motorbike category
Build it with two narrow wheels up front that are still tilt steered, n' the thing will be an amazing commuter vehicle.
What would 2 wheels make better than 1 ?
a leaning reverse trike? the complexity compared to a two wheeled bike is really through the roof with this. caster angle, camber angle, scrub radius, toe, bump steering are just some of the things that gets introduced that really isn't much of a problem with only 2 wheels. i'm not saying don't do it, but considering how much of a headache this one is to make the special rear hub, the work needed to make your city recumbent motorcycle idea probably adds a thousand hours work. of course if someone else builds it for you this isn't a problem
Why no mention of Britain`s Royce Creasey (again ex air force background)? He explored and developed the concept during the 70`s and offered a police version of the "feet forward motorcycle". I`m all for innovation where the drawbacks don`t outweigh the approach. To me, motorcycling has become a leisure activity and people ride bikes because they ARE bikes and not because they make sense to the rational mind on the drawing board - Still it`s good to explore