Hanging over my desk, for many years now, was my first 2WS/2WD experimental electric recumbent bike. While leaning back in my chair and staring up at it recently, I wondered why a video wasn't produced as soon as it was done. Then it hit me: It was built and ridden about 3 years before YouTube was launched! It was designed and built almost a quarter century ago! It also hasn't been ridden in 8 years - time to take it down, dust it off, and give it a fresh set of tires and batteries! The paint exhibits some wear and tear, but, well, so do I:
Inspiration behind this concept was written almost a third of a century ago - articles by Kevin Cameron about breakthroughs that could overcome performance limitations of conventional race bike design: Beyond Telescopic Forks, Cycle, January 1987 and Two-Wheel Steering, Cycle World, February 1992.
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It isn't just theory anymore - in practice, 2WS offers far more than the theory suggested - implementation was also easier than expected. And it is a lot of fun to ride.
But I'm expecting the next racer to be far more fun - off to the museum with the first one. It is in good company at the St. Francis Motorcycle Museum in St. Francis, KS. Ask the staff there - they'll gladly show you how the steering system works...
