6. Multi-link suspension ON BOTH ENDS ! 7. No chain tensioner needed.
8. Center of mass retained by shifting the engine.
9. Mimics shapes of each bike style precisely.
Shapeshifts from Chopper, Cruiser, Tourer, Enduro, Deep
Woods.
ShapeShifting
It is able to go almost anywhere you need or want to
go. .... two lane twisties, horse trails or the beach.
Go to the corner store, or ride 4 days in the saddle
on the open road.
Whatever the ride or rider calls for it delivers; an
Enduro bike one minute and a Cruiser the next. It
does not make trade-offs between the needs of hi-ways
and horse-trails. It very accurately adjusts its center
of gravity and overall geometry to differing riding
conditions.
6ft Rider .... actual speed
.... (headlight is not shown properly mounted)
ShapeShifting ON-THE-FLY
In the R-Bike, the bike shapeshifts under you.
The feet and the bike move under you.
A much more comfortable experience
because your torso and arms stay in a controlled steering position.
The prior ShapeShifting attempt was by Yamaha
well over a decade ago with a bike called "Morpho".
The problem with the "Morpho" ....
it radically changes the tilt of your torso
.... while you are riding !
It would feel like someone else is taking control of the handlebars.
Then they widen and narrow the handlebars as it shapeshifts.
It would feel way too scarey to ride !
(On the R-Bike, handlebars widen, but it is manual.)
One reason the engine mass moves as the bike shapeshifts
is to maintain the same center of mass
and so keeps the center-of-mass equal front-to-back
This is important for the rider's stability,
but also so that braking feel stays consistent.
In a typical motorcycle, for example,
you apply the front brake and tether the rear brake.
In a typical stretched "chopper" where you don't shift the engine mass
you apply the rear brake and you tether the front brake.
This is because the stretched front gets so light
which also makes for a very long braking distance when stretched.
With the R-Bike center of mass shifting, the brakes feel conistent
.... and braking distance is consistent too.
__________________________________________
ShapeShifting on-the-fly opens up a long list of possibilities to play with.
We are going to spend 3 years or so playing with some of these,
hooked to sensors and using A.I. software
to see where the comfort levels are in automating some and leaving others manual.
.... with a cut-off option (as with the ant-lock and anti-spin).
Here is the list ....
1.DOWN a Steep Hill As you start a steep slow descend, you stretch your bike out a bit with stretched feet pointing downhill
and the seat much lower and you tuck your body rearward.
2.UP a Steep Hill As you ascend the hill,
you start fairly stretchy and slowly scrunch as you go up to let the ShapeShift pull-it up and you need more tight control as you do those last few feet of climb.
3.Tight Squeeze When the trail goes tight between trees you need squeeze it in a bit,
then stretch it back on the other side.
4.Sharp Curves You approach a sharp curve and need a little more belly clearance
and you need a shorter more nimble wheelbase,
so you scrunch a bit into the curve and stretch back out of the curve pulling itself out of the curve..
5.Creek Crossing You approach the creek and so you scrunch high
to keep the nostrils tucked high and dry behind the side-pods
that also keep splashes of water deflected from the intake and the rider,
and the tailpipe tilts down to keep water from backing up into it.
Then you stretch to let the ShapeShifting help pull up onto the other bank.
6.High Speed Cruising You are riding in your most comfortable position
and you want or need to go smoother faster.
You are only a 10-inch wide frame, so if you stretch it out,
you have a longer faster more stable arrow in the wind.
7.High Speed Braking You are stretched out and cruising the open road
and suddenly a deer pops up onto the road and just stands there.
So you clamp the binders full-on
and the bike frame slowly shortens as the bike slows,
because a shorter wheelbase stops quicker with better control. Stopping benefits from a wheelbase best suited for hard braking at that momenary speed,
8.Lock-n-Stretch over a Log You kiss up to a log and plant the rear brake and then stretch
and in so doing "crawl" the bike.
The bike comes with a 21 inch front wheel to help in this option.
9.Pulling out of a Hole There you are stuck in the mudhole. Seen it a thousand times.
Now you don't worry about pulling the bike out.
You can stretch to both spread out the weight
and use the stretch-crawl method of "inch-worming" your way out
using the frame's ShapeShifting.
10.In a SideSlide The bike might want to scrunch a bit more
to help make the SideSlide easier to control.
11.If the Road gets Rough The bike might want to raise up a bit and shorten its wheelbase for better control.
12.When life Leaves you Short The bike allows anyone to easily mount with the seat in the lowest position
and yet still have the flexibility to ride a high seat off-road.
Upgrading/Changing
The R-Bike is a modular, simple and reliable always
upgradable approach in a stable long-term rust-free
over-engineered platform so you can develop a relationship
that will evolve and endure.
Add micro-gauges, for example ....
Form -vs- Function
It began with the relationship between the rider and
the road, the bike and the road, and the rider and the
bike. It was this triangle that defined the function.
As functional parameters emerged, form took care of
itself.
Personality
The form is modern, sleek and clean, showcasing the
best of old-school mechanics and using classic materials
such as brass and wood. A motorcycle needs to be a machine.
No hidden parts .... It shows off its gismos, little
parts, nuts, bolts and linkages. It looks like there
is a lot going on, yet its a clean uncomplicated look.
Theme
Mobility, freedom .... themes that have endured
since the cowboy and his mustang on the open range.
Relationship
It is all about keeping things simple.
Building a lasting relationship is about always being there
doing anything you ask of it and never letting you down.
If you park her in barn for 20 years, she can still be cranked,
and run as reliably as she did 20 years ago.
That goal starts with using only metals that don't rust.
and polymers that bounce back and don't scratch.
It also means designing her so you can get your hands in there
to work on her yourself. Who would you rather trust her with ?
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