Curious to see if anyone has ever ridden this one.
Rear-wheel steering
Because of the theoretical benefits, especially a simplified front-wheel drive mechanism, attempts have been made to construct a ridable rear-wheel steering bike. The Bendix Company built a rear-wheel steering bicycle, and the U.S. Department of Transportation commissioned the construction of a rear-wheel steering motorcycle: both proved to be unridable. Rainbow Trainers, Inc. in Alton, IL, offered US$5,000 to the first person "who can successfully ride the rear-steered bicycle, Rear Steered Bicycle I".[30] One documented example of someone successfully riding a rear-wheel steering bicycle is that of L. H. Laiterman at MIT, on a specially designed recumbent bike.[11] The difficulty is that turning left, accomplished by turning the rear wheel to the right, initially moves the center of mass to the right, and vice versa. This complicates the task of compensating for leans induced by the environment.[31] Examination of the eigenvalues shows that the rear-wheel steering configuration is inherently unstable.
Author
Topic: Easyriders Show Charlotte 2011 (Read 12978 times)