- Update 09/13/2005-
Well a temoporary but unfortunately a little too long employment trough had delayed the bike project, but now things are back on the up swing and I will soon have a lot of spare money to throw at this project. I have moved my shop again this time to a slightly larger two car detatched garage instead of the shop I was renting before, sometime soon I hope to be moving onto a 3 car garage. The news generated by the NEO-FUKYOKO design has tapered off singificantly yet my site is still getting over 100,000 hits per month. No doubt motorcyclists probably feel, as I do, that the NEO design was much more about show than any semblance of functionality. Thank you to everyone for your persistence in keeping up with the project, I am sorry it is taking me so long but it is a large and complex undertaking.
During this time I have learned a new skill, pictured is me pouring some molten aluminium into a sand mold. The ability to melt, pour, and cast aluminum has been one of the most enjoyable skills to acquire during this process. Behind it is the steel furnace I welded to heat the crucible in. This project will likely branch into three related projects now. Project 1 will be the commencent of the construction of a completely new bike, with all new components, from the ground up, done right. Project 2 will be a continuation of the existing prototype, which will primarily be used to test the drive and control systems that will be integrated into the final version. Project 3 will be a recumbant bicycle with adjustable steering geometry in order to have a better sense of how this long low vehicle will be controlled. All 3 are well underway. My listed contact of [email protected] is no longer valid and has been down for a few months, so if you sent an email to it recently I did not recieve it. You can email me at [email protected]
As I mentioned in the last update this project will be diverting into three related paths. The first is a bicycle based design whose geometry is similiar to my design for the Akira Bike. This bike will get a small engine and will be used to test out some of the geometry, steering, and drive train variables. I have received quite a few inquiries on the bike project and I just wanted to let everyone know, I am still working on the project, but as you have obviously guessed progress has slowed. It has not slowed, though, as much as it seems from the lack of updates. I am not trying to build a bike that merely looks like an Akira Inspired bike, it will be a functional vehicle, and, I think, a superlatively functional vehicle compared to common motorcycles. Work on this project has led me to a few corollary projects which, if they work, I will patent but include in my Akira Bike design. There are complexities inherent in a functional vehicle like this that require some innovative solutions. Unfortunately these solutions require developing and testing of their own, currently I am building a machine which I need to build a functional prototype of one of these innovations. Because these are things that if they work I hope to patent, I haven’t been publishing any information on them, so it looks like the project has slowed more than it has. Additionally though, the project has slowed because of other circumstances which have limited the time and money I can devote to this project (which is extremely frustrating for me, as I would work on this every second if I could) Currently I am building two different prototypes to test out different aspects of the design, I then intend to build a new, 3rd one, out of all new components incorporating all of these designs. If everything works half as well as I think it will, I think many people will be quite impressed by the result of the project. So don't worry too much, though I appreciate the concern and implicit encouragement, but the project will sadly probably still take another year or two, unless my situation changes so that I can devote as much of the time and energy I want to on the project. I will post some salient updates as soon as it is feasible. Thank you again everyone. If you are interested in assisting with the project either materially or financially please visit the contribute page. - Back to Status - To Next Update - |
