PULSE AUTOCYCLE NETWORK

[chengsls]

I read a facinating "Pulse Look-Alike" article, avaialable at .....http://magazine.continental.com/content/ideas-inspiration/idea-makers.jsp#3

Text version...enjoy...Scott.

"As it cruises down the highway, it’s easy for the Peraves Ecomobile to be mistaken for a glider cockpit. The funky two-wheeled vehicle is really an enclosed motorcycle, or cabin motorcycle as it is commonly called, and its ilk have been around for almost 80 years. But Arnold Wagner, a Swiss entrepreneur and former airline pilot, has improved on the old idea by applying modern aviation technology.

Wagner managed a glider manufacturing company in Germany in the 1970s, and commuted to work by car from his Swiss home. One day, he was passed by a motorcycle on the autobahn and, in a moment of inspiration, said to himself, “This guy on the motorcycle is still having fun driving at 60 miles per hour.” If he could commute on a motorcycle, Wagner reasoned, he could combine pursuits that are often mutually exclusive: an enjoyable drive, fuel savings, and environmental friendliness.

However, motorcycles are not very practical. If you have to show up in shirt and tie, carry documents, or mush through the snow, you leave the bike at home. “The motorcycle,” Wagner affirms, “is a very agreeable toy. But, I thought, wouldn’t it be possible to design one that would have the practical usefulness of a car?”

Drawing on his experience with glider manufacturing, he combined lightweight materials with building techniques used in low-volume glider production. In 1982, Wagner built his first prototype with Peraves, a company he founded in 1976 to build hang gliders.

The result was a motorcycle with the security, safety, and comfort of a car. The Ecomobile’s composite monocoque frame is fitted with a roll bar, side crash protection bars, and SAE-compliant seat belts. Powered by a 1200cc BMW-K inline four-cylinder engine, the Eco goes from 0 to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 165. It gets 55 miles per gallon.

The vehicle’s top performance inspired Wagner to call the machine the Rocket, but when it came time to convince Swiss transportation authorities to register the vehicle for road use, he had second thoughts about his choice of a name. “I thought, if I go to the authorities and tell them I have a Rocket in my garage,” he says, “they might not like the idea. So I thought of its efficiency and called it the Ecomobile.” It worked, and Wagner has been selling the Ecomobile in Europe for more than 18 years.To date, he has built and sold nearly 100.

Currently available in the United States for $80,000, the Eco doesn’t come cheap. According to Wagner, that could change, as several auto manufacturers are interested in his design as the basis for their cabin motorcycles. Still, if you can afford it, you’ll get a high-performance, fuel-sipping road rocket.

— Eric Tegler"

[Randy]

More info on the Ecomobile ... with Videos ..

http://www.peraves.ch/movie_e.htm

[Guest]

http://www.peraves.ch/ndexe.htm

[Bob Hichborn]

What's interesting is that if you check out the specs, they list the weight at 1000lbs, which is comparable to the Pulse. So, what's so different about the design that allows it to balance at a full range of speeds, leaving the retractable outriggers for low speeds and stopping? The look doesn't do much for me, but the engineering is quite impressive. I'm going to have to do some digging....
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"Everyday you wake up with a Pulse,
is a good day!"

[tomcap21]

I will be visiting the Czech Repiblic in August and intend to get down to Brno for the Ecomobile Grand Prix Trial races. I plan to take pictures and get upclose and personal with these machines.

Take a look at these pictures and compare the Ecomobile with our autocycle:

http://www.peraves.ch/Startbild.htm

All the ecomobile is, is a stretch BMW K-100 motorcycle enclosed in fiberglass with a simple outrigger assembly. No steering wheel, just the motorcycle handlebars. Maybe they sit a little higher than we do. The front wheel is a motorcycle wheel and because it leans the front wheel assembly doesn't have to contend with side forces in turning. They have modified the BMW K-100 gearbox to include a reverse gear. I would like to send my gearbox over there to have the modification done... when I win the lottery. You guys are trying so hard to shoehorn a Honda engine into the autocycle engine compartment, you should look at the BMW K-100 engine: four cylinder inline fuel injected ... fits neatly inside the engine compartment.

Anyway, I have my LiteStar assembled again and road worthy. The country roads of Wisconsin call.

Tom Caprioli

[Bob Hichborn]

Tom,

Have a safe trip. Sounds like an exciting one!

Hey, have you found any pictures of the Ecomobile without the fiberglass. I'm real curious about the layout of the frame subsystem.
_________________
"Everyday you wake up with a Pulse,
is a good day!"

[elden simons]

First off...duh, I have always overlooked the "search" function on the top of the Forum pages. Thanks.
As for your trip, take a copy of a photo of yourself and your GCRV with you. Plus anything else that will help you create a opening of conversation with anyone particular involved with the Eco-Blobbile (snicker). Heck, bring three copies. Europeans like such as well as we do. Even a postcard from Wisconsin is swell. Us, Americans are curious folk (don't we know it) and they'd probably like the connection.

[maxpeterson]

The Ecomobile (Eco) has a Kevlar unibody with no steel framing underneath . There are removable engine panels on either side that allow access for servicing of the powerplant.

I met with Mr. Waggner this past summer at his factory. He has knowledge of some type of outrigger retraction experiments on the Pulse. The retraction speed was so slow that he said it "made the Pulse look like a wounded goose". I didn't press to learn where he got that info.

The Eco is built by hand and is much like a composite aircraft, hence the high price. I got a 20 or 30 minute ride in one and it is an unbelieveable experience... like flying 2 feet off the ground. Its out riggers are very light and deploy in under a second.

He sells the reverse gear system to BMW owners that have sidecars. I assume if your Pulse is BMW powered you could purchase the parts needed (he has a bin full of the gears he removes to install his reverse just sitting in a corner of his shop).

I've got a lot of photos and will gladly share them if you are interested. I'm also currenlty building my own Eco-like machine, its sitting next to my Pulse.

Max
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Max

[elden simons]

"...wounded Goose..." now that's funny! Glad you shared the above information...sure we'd like to hear more. Max, during the mid '80s there was an American designed enclosed cycle named the Road Hawk. It also had retractible stabilizers. It was apparantly unsuccessful. It was given a nod with only a black and white photo in Cycle magazine and even then it was on a trailer and not a good photo at that. I only have one mini clipping from Cycle magazine for to write for video or call for further info. Wish I bought the info available just for its collectibility.

[Bob Hichborn]

Max,

Pictures would be great! There are plenty of completed pictures of the Ecomobile online, but some shots of the frame, suspension , etc would be real nice.

If it's Kevlar why does is weigh in at 1000lbs? That doesn't make sense. What other details did you get?

Bob
_________________
"Everyday you wake up with a Pulse,
is a good day!"

[maxpeterson]

My photos don't reside on the web, only on my PC so I can't post them per the instructions in the general info section.

I've got a couple that are of a wrecked machine with its engine access panels removed. I think its probably available on the Eco web sight somewhere?

Max
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Max

[tomcap21]

I found that there is a message board for ecomobile enthusiasts.

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/ecomobile/

I am member 13 Hmmmm.

There are pics of the ecomobile in verious stages of build that may be of interest.

It seems that the ecomobile is a three piece construction: the front forks/wheel, the main kevlar body, and the rear BMW engine/wheel.

TomCap

[elden simons]

Hmmm...How iz it zat der Moderator iz named Schteve! Kould it be a koencidentce? Ve vill hav tu investigate further, ya?
Und Tom, you hav done very vell in infultrating the Eco group. You vill be rewarded with der Iron Kross lug nut wrench soon...happy Fahr figg nugen!

[RFly2Dive]

Maxpeterson...you could email your photos to Bob H. on your PC of the eco as a file...this would not be the same as "posting on the internet."
after all if they can exist on your PC----why not Bobs....???
If this still causes concern--download them to a disk and mail the disk to him...then only the USPS is involved and email transmission does not occur...
Ralph
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Life Begins With A PULSE!!!

[Bob Hichborn]

For those that are interested. There is a video of the ECO on:
www.msn.com
_________________
"Everyday you wake up with a Pulse,
is a good day!"

[Falcon Wing]

[Bob Hichborn]

Joel

Under VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS there's a selection called:

A $94,000 Concept Motobike

It's a tad bit tricky to get loaded and you have to be pretty patient while it does it's Loading Routine.

Sorry, but I couldn't get a direct link for the video
_________________
"Everyday you wake up with a Pulse,
is a good day!"

[Falcon Wing]

http://video.msn.com/video/p.htm?mkt=us&i=19b468b0-992a-49f9-8323-3127cf1d3d9b&p=Source_Fox_Motorsports_Speed&m=Sports&mi=Features&rf=http://www.msn.com/?lc=1033
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Joel Patton
www.picturetrail.com/pulse199
www.picturetrail.com/falconwing
www.picturetrail.com/falconwing2 (seat bracket build)

[Doug Walsh]

I often asked Jim Bede to consider a leaning mechanism on the first BD200 prototype but I started to annoy him, so I backed off. I was roadracing motorcycles at the time and thought this was essential. He relented and let me drive the bare chassis around the parking lot with no outriggers just to see if it would balance. This was a poor test because the CG was way different, but it did not do well with the stock steering geometry. I had sketches of passive systems that let the car lean with the little wheels following the ground but since the car was not inherently stable as it was this would not have worked. I then worked up a pendulum based sensor to force a proper lean angle with electric motors. Nothing was tested and no one seemed to care but me.

I always considered it a crime that we never persued this. I still have sporadic visions of a single seat litestar with big power and handling like the ecomobile.
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Primary builder of the first two Autocycle prototypes. Does anyone know where they are now??

[Bob Hichborn]

Doug,

What was the main reason for going with the 4 to 1 right angle gear reduction box for a steering box? I realize you gain some mechanical advantage which is helpful when turning the steering wheel at slow speeds, but wouldn't a ratio closer to 1:1 have given the driver a more direct link to the front wheel helping the whole balancing task? Was the 4:1 just more available than some other steering box option from a parts sourcing standpoint?

I'm looking for a replacement and would like a solution that improves overall balance and steering characteristics of the Pulse, so any insights from you would be welcomed.

Bob
_________________
"Everyday you wake up with a Pulse,
is a good day!"

[Doug Walsh]

Bob

I wish I could say the 4:1 ratio was derived from exhaustive testing, but precious little testing was done on anything. The BD200 prototype had around 3.5:1 I think? (chain and sprockets), and most people thought it was too stiff. We were under pressure to get the cheapest gearbox we could find. In order to get costs down, one of the engineers specified plastic bushings and roll pins instead of bearings and keyways. The 4:1 ratio used standard gears, instead of custom ones.

There was a short discussion of whether a different ratio would be better, but there was no time to build prototypes and test them. I never liked that gearbox. It always had too much backlash, and I was able to partially shear one of the roll pins just by twisting the wheel real hard. I think they switched to harder pins after that? I'm not even sure if Owosso used the same box?
Doug
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Primary builder of the first two Autocycle prototypes. Does anyone know where they are now??

[Bob Hichborn]

Doug,

Thanks for your first hand experience. I hope you don't take any of these questions and comments as criticism of the Pulse design. Yes, there are things that could have been done different (what design can't be improved), but you and the others that worked on the Pulse/Litestar created a very unique vehicle and were able to accomplish a pretty impressive "production" run. I'm on a couple of other "prototype" vehicle forums and there are alot of builders/tinkerers who wish they could just get one vehicle out of their garage (well, their wives do, anyway), let alone 350!

I hope you continue to contribute to the inquires by us owners and inject some of your personal stories of design decisions and production processess.

Bob
_________________
"Everyday you wake up with a Pulse,
is a good day!"