11 NOVEL ODD-WHEEL WONDERS

Odd-Wheel Wonders: 11 Novel Vehicles with 1 or 3 Wheels
By Delana, Web Urbanist, 7 May 2013.

We’ve gotten accustomed to the idea of vehicles having two or four wheels. However, not all vehicle designers are so restrained in their ideas. All of these conveyances are unique because of their lack of the conventional wheel count, making do (and even making a scene) with just one or three.

1. The Leanster Motorcycle

What’s the easiest way to make a motorcycle safer? Add one more wheel, of course. The Leanster from Brudeli Tech is a strange-looking bike that lets users make incredibly tight turns without the danger of falling over. The Leanster is somewhere between a motorcycle and a four-wheeled ATV, but somehow managers to look cooler than both.

2. UX-3 Commuter Unicycle

It wasn’t long ago that unicycles were reserved for the likes of circus performers. But this Segway-like motorized unicycle from Honda, called the UX-3, brings the unicycle firmly into the consumer market. It’s driven like a Segway, so all you have to do is sit down and lean slightly to tell it which way to go. It might take a little while to figure out how to ride the UX-3 without tipping over (or feeling like you’re about to), but once you master the trick you’ll never want to walk anywhere again.

3. Vesna Electric Vehicle

The Vesna, designed by Kristina Magnitskaya, is a perfect example of just how different the vehicular form can be when it isn’t restrained by the needs of the internal combustion engine. The two gigantic front wheels resemble large rubber belts and allow the car to steer easily. The single rear wheel is a kind of ball that controls the car’s electrical, braking and steering systems.

4. THREE Electric Tricycle

Maybe there is nothing new and revolutionary about tricycles, but the THREE tricycle from Veliac Electric Bikes & Trikes is a modern take on the pedal-powered transportation. The trike offers three levels of electric pedalling assistance: 50%, 75% or 100%. The trike has a tilting axis balancing system that allows it to turn corners smoothly, even when the front and back cargo areas are full.

5. Ryno Electric Unicycle

The Ryno Electric Unicycle is another entry into the self-balancing, one-wheeled wonder vehicle arena. Designed by engineer Chris Hoffman of Ryno Motors, the one-wheeled motorcycle is incredibly agile and eco-friendly thanks to its being battery powered. It can’t go very fast or for very long on a single charge, but it’s an excellent alternative to biking or taking the bus for short commutes.

6. 3R-C Zero-Emission Motorcycle

If you’ve ever had the misfortune of being called a “third wheel,” chances are the circumstances weren’t exactly positive. In the case of Honda’s conceptual 3R-C, however, the third wheel is actually a benefit. The extra wheel on the all-weather bike gives it an impressive amount of stability, while the retractable roof lets riders decide whether they want bugs to splat against their helmet or against their windshield.

7. The Streetflyer

Combining a bike with running with hang gliding, the bizarre Streetflyer is certainly unlike anything the world has ever seen before. The three-wheeled, non-motorized contraption requires the rider to run in order to get it started. After that, momentum will carry it along for a while before some more running is required. It may look odd, but it seems like a pretty good way to get around - provided there are no hills to run up.

8. The Solowheel

The Solowheel might be the ultimate in minimalist transportation. It is, as the name implies, a single wheel. The user balances on the footrests on either side of the wheel and leans forward, Segway-style, to make it go. The battery can go for about two hours on a single charge, and when you’re not riding around the streets feeling cooler than everyone on two or four wheels, it packs up into a neat handled, easily-carryable package.

9. The Monsterbike

Putting regular puny bikes to shame, the Monsterbike (or should that be Monstertrike?) took Dutch design student Wouter van den Bosch about three months to build. Constructed solely of materials that were donated to him by friends, family and a tractor company, the inventor came up with what is easily the most intimidating tricycle we’ll ever see. Weighing in at an astonishing 1650 pounds, this beast holds the world record as the heaviest rideable bike.

10. Flyrad

Want to break out those in-line skates that have been sitting in your closet since 1996 but aren’t sure you have the leg power to use them anymore? The Flyrad is a unicycle that isn’t meant to be ridden - rather, it’s meant to tow skaters behind it. It has been described as a motorcycle where your skates are the wheels. We’ll concede that this invention is probably one of the goofiest ever - and one of the ones we most wish we could play with.

11. The ELF

As the ultimate in eco-friendly transportation, the ELF is an ideal way to get around without contributing to the world’s rising pollution. The cute trike can be pedalled, but it also has solar panels and a battery pack. You can use leg power to get to your destination or just leave the ELF in a sunny spot for a while to charge it up. If neither of those are an option, however, you can charge the adorable vehicle via a plug.

[Source: Web Urbanist. Edited.]

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