The Uno Electric Motorcycle, or MotorUnicycle
Posted on May 8, 2008 by Matt Embrey in Cars+Tranportation
Dubbed the Uno, this crazy Segway / crotch rocket hybrid is the result of teen, Ben Gulak’s preternatural engineering skills combined with his desire to help the environment. This “motorUnicycle” actually has two wheels, side by side, and is reportedly easy to ride. Pictured above is an actual working prototype that weights about 120 lbs and runs for about 2.5 hours on an electric motor. The bike really has no controls other than the handle bars and the drivers ability to shift his/her weight. Similar to the Segway, the Uno uses two Gyros to keep itself upright and to operate. Simply lean in the direction you want to go… forward to accelerate, backwards to go back, and to either side…
Gulak came up with the idea after a 2006 trip to China where he noticed a lot of people riding internal combustion bikes and horrendous smog. According to Gulak, “The smog was so thick, we never saw the sun.” The trip made him realize that there was a need for a compact electric vehicle that would ease congestion and not take it’s toll on the environment.
All things considered this is great Green innovation, and its’s amazing that it was developed by a teenager! Let me leave you with this question, will you miss the joy of popping a wheelie or is this like riding a wheelie all the time? [via: MotorcycleMojo]
electric, motorcycle
73 Responses to “ The Uno Electric Motorcycle, or MotorUnicycle ”
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Com emoção ou sem emoção? - Mundo Tecno
09. May, 2008
[...] GreenUpgrader These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web [...]
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15. May, 2008
[...] Uno electric unicycle [...]
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[...] Uno Electric Motorcycle, or MotorUnicycle this is cool __________________ BOO-YAA keep up, catch up or stay home - Timmy -t-dog BEER IS PROOF THAT GOD [...]
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Wednesdays Insanity « Madnessletters
04. Jun, 2008
[...] Although there are, of course, going to be exceptions. I am sure there’s a few tree huggers out there that wouldn’t mind meeting the stud who drives one of these. [...]
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The Uno « EnerGeoPolitics Blog
22. Sep, 2008
[...] concepts as the Segway personal transport. Read more about it at Motorcycle Mojo magazine and Green Upgrader. The Uno is the brainchild of teenage designer Ben Gulak. In the Green Upgrader article, we [...]
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PUNKERINOS! » Blog Archive » Vroooom!
04. Apr, 2009
[...] motorbikes your favorite uncle rode to make your grandparents angry, Gulak crafted an all electric unicycle with the assistance of Trevor Blackwell, a robotics engineer. (Blackwell helped with the [...]
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30. May, 2009
big tits Double Penetration…
My God! You compliment like an ‘educated critic’ (compliments included) with a big spoon for dipping ‘fat ass- lard’ detestation. There is no need to offend the galaxy by including your phrase- “Id say you resemble Jabba the Hutt, but thats offens…
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www.citybikerblog.com » Blog Archive » Not a motorcycle…
03. Sep, 2009
[...] Lower emissions and lower consumption (along with lower speed) is often the goal: There’s the one-wheeled (sort of…2 wheels side by side) motorcycle operating on the same principle as the Segway, the [...]
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sony
09. May, 2008
kinda looks like the machine invented by mr. garrison from southpark
Strung
09. May, 2008
Nah… There’s a photo of the seat and Mr Garrison would be disappointed.
Great concept though and a brilliant build by the look of it.
So what happens when you emergency brake from top speed?
Not a front wheel “stoppie”.
More of a face “plantie”.
Antiques
09. May, 2008
that thing looks like a lot of fun. I’d totally love to try one out. I wonder if the balancing is easy or if its a circus act type of thing.
MII
09. May, 2008
vid plz…
sP00N
09. May, 2008
I think it uses the same type of stabilizer as the segway, thus counter balancing it during an abrupt stop.
neonguy
09. May, 2008
why not call it a municycle? (motorcycle/unicycle)
Anon
09. May, 2008
Has two wheels, there for it’s not a f@$!*^% motorunicycle or municycle. dumsh*@#!.
SB
13. Aug, 2009
Bad day?
Cpt. Obvious
09. May, 2008
Because neonguy, that would be far too easy. Most of us would much rather use six syllables instead of four. Plus, municycle would imply the devices intended use in cities.
Foppy
09. May, 2008
It seems like a excellent idea.. but a 2.5 hour motor.. kinda lame sacrifice the 120 lbs put a bit bigger battery in there make it run longer…. with good traffic in my town it takes 15-25 min just go down town… so if you alotta running around to that day school downtown to work back home…. i don’t think it would last you the whole time.. good idea but not every practical.. and whats the recharge time on the 2.5 hours any how?
Josh Darville
10. May, 2008
This is pretty cool, I like it alot.
JoshD@themediazoo.com
http://www.TheMediaZoo.com - We Create Custom Website Videos
delux
10. May, 2008
DO A WHEELIE!!!!!!!!! ……wait
Watchit
10. May, 2008
FACE PLANT… OW!
Alan
11. May, 2008
That looks like an accident waiting to happen, bikes are dangerous enough as it is, why heighten the chances?
thedude
09. May, 2009
fuc u taint
Tuono
12. May, 2008
Just because you can do it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea…
Dave
13. May, 2008
Hey i’ve an idea, why not take the second of the two center wheels and put it at the front and put the other wheel to the back thus eliminating the need for a balance device, oh wait…
Ha still cool though
Duncan
16. May, 2008
shopped…
Tim
17. May, 2008
How fast can it go?
d
17. May, 2008
lmao you guys think this is genius? It’s one of the stupidest f@$!*^% things I’ve ever seen, if you were to stop you’d fly off, why go 2 wheels side by side over 1 wheel in front and another in back? This is f@$!*^% garbage, like you all, it’s stupid.
0000
17. May, 2008
whats with the negative ppl leaving these comments? if you dont like it move on. and would it hurt to actually stop and try to understand the device? “if you brake you’ll fly off”. No. You wont. it maintains a balanced center of gravity, its not a seat on a rod connected to a pivot. and two wheels on the side? you wouldnt have the steering capabilities of which a motorcycle has, and this vehicle most likely does. go ride one then say stupid s@!&, because then there is backing.
0000
17. May, 2008
oh and onther thing.. “shopped” . .. pfff shut up. why is it shopped? you have never seen one, or it is an out of the ordinary device so its shopped? open your mind to new ideas, but then again ignorance is bliss..
Bosco
18. May, 2008
You guys aren’t reading the article very carefully…there are no brakes. so no emergency braking.
Hopefully the only way a face plant happens is if the software stops working.
ITrush
18. May, 2008
That’s really cool, very nice idea.
Stumbled!
nhick
http://www.itrush.com
James
19. May, 2008
Not much hope for the future from the comments here. “lame”,” Stupidist thing I’ve ever seen”,” How fast can it go?” Looks like they should move the wheels to front and back and put in a gasoline engine, just to keep people happy. Oh, wait, we’ve already been doing that for 100+ years. News for the morons, IT IS A PROTOTYPE, NOBODY IS FORCING YOU TO BUY IT. Like all the concept vehicles from the regular car companys (the ones that give you more horsepower so you can kill yourself faster when you’re loaded), it is a test. If people like it, they will work out the bugs. If they don’t, it will fade away. Put away your big stick, drag your knuckles off the ground, and take a deep breath. You presume that the egghead that invented this can’t think of the simple things you latch onto. Get all the spec’s first, then rant.
ewanm89
21. May, 2008
So it’s a segway with bigger wheels and a seat, should be fine as long as both computers don’t crash/full power failure (someone did include backups?). And be careful of the Arianne V bug, both computers (main and backup) made same mistake
asdas
21. May, 2008
Hmm, I seem to be running out of fuel FACE PLANT!!!
Nobody
22. May, 2008
yea, that looks awesome, i would definatly like to try this, but…. if it has no brakes, just slam into a wall… you wont get hurt,
dutsi
25. May, 2008
I think you faceplant sayers are forgetting to calculate the angle of the rider from the center point of the bike when leant back to brake and the anti lock system on the brakes. bad I can not draw a diagram but I hope you will get this.
stef
25. May, 2008
The third flexigrip is gently inserted into the anus, to keep the driver in place…
lol
Bangorip
26. May, 2008
All you fools with the ‘faceplant’ comments: You lean back to stop so the only way you’d do a faceplant would be hitting an object and going over the top. The same as if you hit the object on a motorbike. Bet this would come off better than a motorbike though. You’d be injured all the same. If you cant understand the basic mathematics behind it you shouldnt be allowed to have any interactions with the outside world.
halfdeaded
28. May, 2008
Looks like a good idea, especially around campus or downtown Portland. They could probably put 6 of these in one parking spot. The near future will produce smaller, lighter battery packs with a much longer run time.
Backers look up Ben Gulak and get him going on a very lucrative investment. You won’t be sorry.
bhbbb
28. May, 2008
gay just use a motorcycle fuck the _POLICE
Mike Hawk
30. May, 2008
But, does it run Linux?
shawn
30. May, 2008
Where and when can I buy one! Awesome idea. I was wondering when someone would invent a decent electric motorcycle. 2.5 hours for an electric vehicle is incredible if you people haven’t checked into current times/ distances on electric charge. Most cars are getting barely 1 hour per charge. Not to mention that here in California we can split lanes on motorcycles making our commutes much quicker. My current commute to work in my car takes me 1.5 hours and on my motorcycle 45 minutes. No back tire is brilliant in reducing the overall weight of the bike. I’m guessing that saves at least 50+ pounds not including the extra frame work required.
ExperiencedEngineer
31. May, 2008
(It’s amazing to me how dumb some people are-see comments above.)
The understanding of a teenager about gyros, etc., and his ability to actually build this Unicycle gives me hope for the future and that we, as Americans, will continue to design and develop new ideas keeping us competitive.
Kudos to you! Good luck in the future.
blank
26. Aug, 2009
He is Canadian.
fake!
31. May, 2008
wow this is sooooo photoshopped. you can tell because he obviously couldnt balance that way, and no teenager could build something like that. but the reflections and shadows look almost exactly rite, someone spent a long time on this.
Nickole
21. Jun, 2009
Wow. It’s not photoshopped at all. His website explains the processes, and the magazine “Popular Mechanics” actually went and checked out the thing. They’re the ones who took the photos. A popular motorcycle magazine also went and checked it out. They took pictures of it too. Plus, there’s a lot of pictures of the outer framing being made, as well as the internal structure, and the finished process. And using the internal computer, it’s easy to maintain balance, because it’s two wheels, side by side. Go read up on it.
TL;DR version:
You’re wrong, and an idiot.
tacha
31. May, 2008
i think the idea is a great one. i agree that the teen who invented it is quite smart and talented, a lot of thought and planning and calculating go into creating something like this. right on, congrats.
to all the idiots who dont get it? keep stumbling thru your browser, and go find something… like terrorists…to bitch about. at least this kid is trying to do something about the environment, instead of using a fuel powered earth killer like other motor cycles.
joshi
31. May, 2008
“d
lmao you guys think this is genius? It’s one of the stupidest f@$!*^% things I’ve ever seen, if you were to stop you’d fly off, why go 2 wheels side by side over 1 wheel in front and another in back? This is f@$!*^% garbage, like you all, it’s stupid.”
YOU are fucking stupid.
You accelerate by “LEANING” to front and vice-versa to break. So, with the G considered it’s almost impossible to make an immediate stop that would cause “you to fly off” of it.
Plus no one is claiming that it would go fast, it’s not a motorized vehicle, it’s an alternative to cycling/walking. And the important fact here is product being environmentally friendly.
READ THE FUCKING TEXT YOU ARE NOT CLEVER ENOUGH TO FIGURE OUT WHAT’S GOING ON FROM THE PICTURES.
joshi
31. May, 2008
“fake!
wow this is sooooo photoshopped. you can tell because he obviously couldnt balance that way, and no teenager could build something like that. but the reflections and shadows look almost exactly rite, someone spent a long time on this.”
WOW since they can do these kinda things in photoshop you might just wanna import a picture of yours and draw a brain inside your head. Maybe people will think it’s real.
learn to appreciate before fucking criticizing
joshi
31. May, 2008
“asdas
Hmm, I seem to be running out of fuel FACE PLANT!!!”
IT WORKS WITH FUCKING ELECTRICITY YOU MORON WHAT FUEL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT
joshi
31. May, 2008
ExperiencedEngineer
(It’s amazing to me how dumb some people are-see comments above.)
I sadly second that!
Bruno
02. Jun, 2008
Why can’t people see the benefits of this kind of innovation? Congratulations!
Ray
04. Jun, 2008
Looks like a lot of American kids are leaving comments. I’ve actually seen this device in person, running. You can do a full, safe, panic stop from 60km/hr. Due to the extreme light weight, it stops shorter than most sport bikes, and a fraction of any car. The use of the electric motor torque is brilliant to maintain pitch. The use of the motor as brake is also done on Segways and hybrids -it doesn’t wear out and work when wet.
If they hope to sell this in the US, it will have to burn gas, make smoke, and get a much wider seat.
The fact that these young guys made this is amazing, and it’s obvious that few that leave comments could even understand this technology.
TDF
19. Jun, 2009
I am greatful to be an american teenager that hasnt been brain washed and desentitized to a good idea. If this was to be sold in the US it would have to be gas because we cant see it any other way and adatp to change. The big seat would be for our MC supersized ass’s. I completly understand this technology and wish to thank this dude personaly to show my graditude to the future and to make it a better place
Val Creek
18. Jun, 2008
Way to Go!!!Go!!!Go!!! This is a great idea…I’ve tried the Segway…and currently ride an electric Tricycle…but this looks too fun.
Deffinately innovative…congrats.
Banjo
16. Jul, 2008
This is tits!
Investigate better
27. Jul, 2008
Quite simply, not shopped… too many photos of the same concept in various levels of completion. AND
And if you’re smart enough to read, one photo has another website in ON IT. http://www.motorcyclemojo.com/articles/the-uno/
After you use the clues available you can unmask the good guy like shaggy and scooby!!! The Magazine’s legit and THEY took the photos.
How hard is it to understand that someone added a seat to a Segway? It’s not like asking someone to believe in god, this is technology that is already available… being applied in a new way.
Jesus
05. Sep, 2008
how much would this cost somebody?
devin
13. Nov, 2008
i think your invention is cool and hopefully you get it running and pass the safety test by the year 2011 i would like to buy one when you start selling it.
YOUR IDIOTS
24. Nov, 2008
anyone who thinks that is a dumb idea is a idiot. This kid is only 19 and has already become a multi millionaire.. can any of you people who think this is a dumb idea say that you are a multi millionare? well when some of you come up with an idea that will make u a millioanire.. be sure to go on dragons den
Regular Rider
31. Dec, 2008
Well, I ride a large, 1800CC cruiser, and am not what one would call a tree hugging greenie at all (most tree-huggers are clueless about what real enviromentalism is all about), but find this to be an awesome device on many levels. While most electric vehicles will only reduce pollution when there is more nuclear energy being used for electrical generation, this vehicle, because of it’s efficient use of battery power, reduces the pollution of electrical generation because of that efficiency. Now if only that kind of battery technology could be used to power the brains of the doltish naysayers who are trashing the kid who came up with this…
kelsey69
14. Jan, 2009
that bike is so ugly and can you even sit two ppl on that ?! love yall peeps!
Phillip Gibb
03. Feb, 2009
wha, what?
won’t it over balance?
can you park it next to your desk?
Steve
10. Feb, 2009
Excellent idea — and start of a great product. We all need more ideas and working models on thinking far out of the box.
soosas
16. Feb, 2009
just for fakes benifit its not photoshoped unless this kid fooled daily planet. it was on a science tv show for god sake
Horacio H. Martins
03. Mar, 2009
This is a great idea, my congratulations to the creator, and there’s only one thing left to say to you. Keep going, you’re gonna be great someday!
For the idiots that leave tohse stupid comments, just remember the history, with carriages with no horses, cars only with two whells, and from the fall of an apple they discover gravity.
So…. for those without the vision and even worse with stupid and destructive comments I say F..%#!?$.. you all, you don’t deserve to live on this planet!!!
Charles
23. Mar, 2009
Fuck I want one!! I don’t even know if it’s safe or if it goes fast enough, but fuck do I want one.
J.J.
24. Apr, 2009
first off for all of you that talk trash about this product are very ignorant. If you study up and do your home work on this you will see that it is not photo shopped and you will not face plant or any of that. it is not meant for racing so no emergency stop required, the top speed is 15 mph. its actually a very brilliant idea and plus why would investors give him 1 and a 1/4 million dollars for 20% of the company if it was fake. it amazes me so many of you have no faith that a 19 year old kid is smarter than you i mean look at dell he was young when starting the dell computers and now he is one of the richest men in the US. open your minds its the times of technology. a lot of these comments show the simplicity of your mind when you have to curse while typing is there no intelligence her
T.D.F
19. Jun, 2009
I think that the overall concept is very intelligent. I am curious to see it in a video or full understand the mechanics if you had ended up in an emergency situation and needed to manuver in a split second. I think those who leave a negative comment are just un willing to break from the norm. Dont dis the battery technology this is the first of its kind and with proper finances and research this “municycle” could be incredibly benificial to the world
TDF
19. Jun, 2009
A battery that could power this bike for 100 at 80mph does exist but it is ruled by the oil companies who bought the patents so that they would not lose any profit in the oil indestry
SB
13. Aug, 2009
Ah come on, this is to be put in the urban legends folder.
What kind of battery are you talking about? How do you know about it and who owns the patent? Don’t just repeat things, educate yourself.
Cheryl
18. Sep, 2009
I think it’s pretty cool. Just have one question. How come only pics and no video? I’d like to see how it runs. That would be cool to see.