PULSE AUTOCYCLE NETWORK

[Bob Hichborn]

I just came back from Bike Week in Daytona and wanted to get a few pix from my early morning meeting with Dan and Tom and their 2 ECOmobiles. These are the only 2 in the US of some 90 that have been produced since the 1990's. Rumor has it that it's developer was inspired by the Pulse he saw in the 1980's.

Tom took me for a ride and it was very cool. Hey, outriggers that retract...! These vehicles are a bit pricey, but very well built. Being a European product they are outfitted with a BMW motorcyle powerplant. The ride was very smooth and the ECO seemed to handle great in all road conditions. The majority of the ride feel I believe can be attributed to the fact that they aren't riding on the outrigger wheels, except at very slow speeds, like 5mph or lower. The Pulse picks up a lot of road noise from the 10 inch trailer wheels we all use. I'm wondering if there's a better radial styled tire that would fit the Pulse.

As with the Pulse, they are real attention getters. Being a Pulse owner, I'm still partial to the look of our vehicles, but seeing the ECOmobile up close was a great experience and riding in one was even better. I'm glad they're out of my price range, because I don't have any room in the garage for another toy.

Here's a link for some pictures of today's Pulse meets ECOmobile.
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2950620870038589010CExVwI


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

[Falcon Wing]

Nice pics of all 3!

Are there any Eco mobiles for sale in the US?

What are they going for??
_________________
Joel Patton
www.picturetrail.com/pulse199
www.picturetrail.com/falconwing
www.picturetrail.com/falconwing2 (seat bracket build)

[Bob Hichborn]

Joel,

There's only 2 in the US and they're both in that picture. Here's Dan Whitfields web site for more info on the ECOmobile in the US.

http://www.ecomobile.com/

The price listed is a pocket emptying $79,000. I'm not sure if that's for the ECOmodile or the new model which is now named the MonoTracer.

http://www.monotracer.com/

As I mentioned it was a great experience running into both Dan and Tom here in Central Florida. Great guys and the ECOmobile is a nicely designed vehicle, It solved all the challenges us Pulse owners experience, except price.

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

[DMD1]

Wow Bob Your Pulse looks exactly what I would want. You better ride it to Tavares. 9 degrees this am. See You soon. Later 186Dave

[Stevenp74]

Bob,
The Ecomobile lists an A/C as standard equipment. Did you get a
chance to look them over and maybe see how they did this.
On a different note, you posted that we could use a 14 in. tire and rim
on our Pulses. I would like to make this change for several reasons.
how hard is it to change the brakes over and can you use the same
brakes? Also, Don Muddiman made a special hub and sprocket out
of alumininium for the rear wheel. Have you thought of making some
of these for sale. OK I'll leave you alone for now!
Thanks!
P.S. I am almost ready to drive my Pulse over to your area. That would
be a six hour trip from the panhandle. (almost ready)
_________________
Florida Panhandle

[hcubed]

I'm wondering if they use something like a TE (thermoelectric) cooler, as shown here:

www.tetech.com

Their AC-027 module has fans for both the "hot" side, and the "cool" side.

Runs off of 12VDC, Max of 4.5A (depending on how much cooling, or heat removal you need).

Handles temps from 14F to 158F.

Of couse, it does run about $219, the controller is about 109, might need sep battery, and would require a custom cabinet, but it's solid-state, (no freon or coolant needed), and no moving parts (ok, it does have a fan).

One can dream, can't they?

[elden simons]

Now, that is called 'Progress' if vehicle air-conditioners don't need coolant and coolant pumps.
I wonder, if depending on installation restrictions if the only place to install such is still behind the passenger's head?
My wife don't like that sensation (even though we still choose to wear helmets for vehicle operation).

[hcubed]

These TE coolers are currently being used in Igloo brand coolers and portable refrigerators.

The nice thing is, they can provide either heat or cool (from the same device) depending on connecton of the polarity of the input voltage.

The portable refrig I have plugs into the lighter port, and has a switch for heat/cool (reverses current throuugh the device).

The same technology could be used for Pulse cooling. I mean, the interior space isn't THAT big.

So I suppose that since you're making your own housing, you could mount it anywhere.

BTW, Eldon, that company I mentioned (TE Technology, Inc) is in Traverse City...

[Falcon Wing]

[Stevenp74]

This is the one piece hub
with a sprocket of your choice attached. Looks like
this one may be slighty thicker than it should be. That could be why it is
gouged. The overall design is still much better than original with four
long stand-offs. I don't know if Don's web site is still active, but is shows
some very good pictures of this design. With the long stand-offs I
wonder how well centered and ballanced the wheel is.
THANKS FOR THE PICTURE.
_________________
Florida Panhandle

[Falcon Wing]

I made a mistake on the picture...the GOUGES were caused when I owned it....the chain popped off and would have caused those marks, it was not a design fault by Don.
I took a corner pretty quick and shifted at the same time, causing the motor to torque on the rubber mounts and let the chain lose slack (what my mechanic said probably happened).

I should have taken better care of the chain, but I had only had the car for maybe a hundred miles.

I just wanted to be clear that is was not DON's mistake at all. It had been owned by another person when I bought it.
_________________
Joel Patton
www.picturetrail.com/pulse199
www.picturetrail.com/falconwing
www.picturetrail.com/falconwing2 (seat bracket build)

[Bob Hichborn]

Dan told me the Eco used an automotive alternator, compressor, etc from some small vehicle made and used alot in China. (go figure...) Like the Pulse, gaining access to the engine compartment is a major undertaking so we didn't attempt it while he was in town. He did say it didn't push that much air, but since the Eco driver and passenger area is small, it worked good enough. Of the 2 ECOs, one had AC and one didn't.

The advantage the Pulse has over the un-airconditioned ECO is that we can drive with our canopy slid back. The ECO has a small vent in the top, but basically you "bake" without AC.

Pulse #77 has a Goldwing GL1100 with shaftdrive, so I've never had the need to deal with chains and sprockets. Did Don have that sprocket custom made or did he retrofit the existing one for his Pulse? It appears to be an COTS sprocket with perhaps a custom mounting bracket.

Those of us that have Pulse's with basically a donor bike mounted into the rear had a slight advantage than the vehicles with the motor mounted in a custom Pulse frame, in that we just have to hunt down parts for whatever donor bike we have. That's not always easy, but a least we know exactly what we're looking for. The custom Pulse frame owners are ok, as long as they can find a similar replacement part, but knowing what to look for is the tougher part. I'm sure Don knows exactly what he used, if folks want to know.

Steve.... 6 to 8 hours in a Pulse to Orlando! I'd love to see you down here, but... Yikes! You're a brave man. The one reason I'm looking for outrigger wheel replacements is that I just want to get the ride comfortable enough so that I want to get in it and drive for extended distances. It's fine tooling around town, (Do people still say that?) but it's a bit rough for distance travel. Now the ECOmobile is a nice ride... Of course, at $80,000 it better be.

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