Apr 28 2008Uno Cycle Looks Like It Has One Wheel, But Actually Has Two (They're Side By Side!)

uno-cycle-1.jpg

Now I'm not here to start an argument over who came up with the first one wheeled motorcycle, so, for simplicity, we'll just assume that I did. Anyways, this is the Uno (which is not as cool as the Wild Card I built), a two wheeled motorcycle that has the wheels placed side by side. Oh snap! It was designed and built by 18-year-old Ben J. Poss Gulak, who is probably a genius. It stays upright thanks to advanced gyroscopic technology and a powerful sorcerer using black magic.

Operation of the 54.4 kg (120 lb) machine is simple, in fact it's so simple there are no controls except for an on-off switch. To go forward you simply push your body weight forward to tilt the machine. To back up, just lean back on the seat to tilt it backwards and back it goes. The farther you lean, the faster it accelerates. The gyro tells the ECU how much to accelerate and that in turn delivers the proper amount of current to the electric motors, one for each wheel.

Wow, that's pretty cool. Too bad you look goofy as hell riding it. Still, my hat is off to Ben for being able to create something so amazing at 18. God knows the only thing I was making at 18 were bongs out of 2-liter bottles. Regardless, I think we can all agree the Uno brings new meaning to the phrase "crotch rocket", doesn't it? HAHAHA HAHAHA! What's that -- it doesn't? Well shit.

Several more pictures of the machine after the jump.

uno-cycle-2.jpg

uno-cycle-3.jpg

uno-cycle-4.jpg

The Uno [motorcyclemojo]

Thanks to Hielke, who actually made a hovercycle but then drove it into a lake, for the tip

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Reader Comments

christ, like motorcycles aren't dangerous enough. I can already see the headlines the day after this starts to sell "another uno-moron has gone end-over-end and landed himself under an 18-wheeler"

I wouldn't use one of these on the road even if you paid me millions to do so.

I concur, none, that this is a Darwin award just waiting to happen.

However, think of the abs that one would have after riding this for awhile. Rippling, powerful muscles of pure control and balance...eh, what? Sorry, I've forgotten what we were talking about.

Okay, I didn't actually get to read the article as I cracked up over the opening statement:

"Now I'm not here to start an argument over who came up with the first one wheeled motorcycle, so, for simplicity, we'll just assume that I did."

Thank you Geekologie writer, Thank you

agreed. this is unnecessarily retarded.

18 and already wearing Dad-shoes?

What happens if you have to hit the brake because something is in the road? Faceplant! Then again, those who get crotchrockets and then like to drive like complete tools, this will get rid of those jackasses real quick-like. Sell it!

This is just a less nerdy segway

Nothing like a machine that gets you to the crash slightly ahead of a conventional motorcycle.

it looks like this guys riding the head of an autobot with his mouth gaping open.

i want to ride it...

You control it just by leaning? So this is basically a Segway clone for people that don't like standing?

#7 - That's funny, I was just thinking the exact opposite - that this is just a nerdier Segway.

So, how do you not die on this thing?

@9
lol i was thinking the same...
it does look like a pretty terrified transformer about to hit some wall straight on

this looks like something i pulled out of a box of cereal this morning. oh yeah and he has ugly shoes, yeah shoes are very f***ing important when you're, what, trying to prove you have a dick? thank you. f*** your shoes and your gay hot rods.

Isn't this a tech blog? Where are there nothing but chicks posting
here. America just doesn't make men the way it used to. I would love to take this thing for a spin. The rest of you can keep pedaling your ten speeds.

Agreed #16 Roku.

Uh, so if the only controls are "speed up" and "slow down", how the hell do you turn?

Nothing but chicks, huh...*looks around* I seem to be outnumbered by this sausage fest that we have going on here.

One perhaps up to three vaginas does not equate "nothing but chicks". Oh, excuse me, why don't you borrow my douche, Roku. Wouldn't want that mangina of yours to get any itchier. And here's some Summer Eves powder to go along with it...you know, for those times that you have that not so fresh feeling because you're discharging disgruntled mangina juice.

There you go...we'll keep this between us. ;)

It has to use centrifuges to stay balanced. it would be almost impossible to tip over. It's simple physics really... all he did was copy the same idea of the Segway.

so basically this kid built this motorcycle that works on "gyroscopic technology"... basically he ripped off of segway, like what nate said. lawsuit anyone?

This is a terrible idea. Anyone who's had a go on a Segway knows how ridiculous they are and how unpleasant they are to ride on even the most gentle of slopes. Fast acceleration and sudden stops are hard to do and are disorientating, so they decide to make it into a motorcycle? Clever, chaps, very clever.

@19

i think roku was sarcastically referring to the fact that most posters here thought this was a bad idea. In my experience this seems to be general girl logic (i know, because my gf keeps threatening to leave if i sell my car and get the CBR that i want - she says that i will kill myself on it)

i dont think he *actually* thought that all the posters here were girls.

Dude, at the risk of sounding like a complete tool, I saw this in a show like at least 15 years ago. Anyone heard of Venus Wars??? No? Well there ya go- I am a nerd! Damn IT! Oh well! Look it up!

@23, perhaps he was, perhaps he wasn't.

And while I don't agree with your girlfriend threating you with loneliness, heaven forbid she be worried about your saftey. And I wouldn't really attribute the idea of saftey to be purely "girl logic". Nor would I attribute common sense to be purely "girl logic" either.

But thank you for the compliment.

This is just a dissected Segway, seriously, it still has the same wheels and everything. He just built a shell around it and a few other exterior mods.

that looks cool in a 1980s roger moore james bond kind of way.

@25

yeah, she loves me . i still dont have a cbr though.

@22

keep your opinions to yourself, cuntfoot.

WOW!!
A certain path to a certain death I might say.

What's the target market here? People who are "too cool" for segways, but not cool enough for a motorcycle? While it's an interesting idea and a really impressive thing for a 18 y/o to accomplish (I also was "engineering" 2 ltr bongs at that age) it's never going anywhere but the concept stage.

18 or not this guy has no concept of safety

Is this guy still alive?

@ 29

Clever. Very very clever. I'll have you know my cunt foot comes in handy in the bedroom. Oh wait, you wouldn't know about that stuff would you? Do you even know what a cunt is? No? Thought not.

Heh, the bickering in these comments is hilarious... grow up, or at least become more clever.


I thought of Venus Wars after seeing this too... Cool movie IIRC!

Call me old fashioned: but as long as you're putting motorcycle handlebars on there anyway why not just control the throttle with the grip? Also, without a top speed, a 0-60 time, or a 1/4 mile time I'm not impressed. A segway with motorcycle fairings attached to it does not a revolution make.

If This Thing Ever Went Into Production It Would Sell Like Crazy

LOL WHATS THE POINT NOW HE CANT DO ANY WHEELIES!!!

Looks... unsafe...

YO SPAK HEADS
THIS IS WELL SIKK BLED!
YO LOT ARE WELL F***ERS
;D
GO SHAGG A F***ING BLOODY SHEEP YOU MANKK HEADS
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

Can it get you laid? NOOOOOOOOOOO

Ban unicycles.
Ban fixies.
Require helmets for walking.
Butt donuts for sitting.
Rubber gloves for opening public doors.

I, personally, wear a motorcycle armor and an air filter everywhere I go. It is a dangerous world.

Oh, and ban sailboats... those things don't have any damn brakes.

that is a sweat bike

It is amazing the number of people that are badmouthing and bashing this thing as if your lame opinions mattered.

The boy is a mechanical prodigy, the device has potential in a centralized urban environment.

Why is that the lower the intelligence of a person the snappier there comebacks are? Or , it just shows your ignorance and lack of compassion for others as you sit behind your monitor, trashing something. Maybe, if you got off your butts and did something other than blog, you too could make a product or come up with an idea. But I doubt you will, because you are the type of people that would rather sit around pretending to be cool and put others down, becuase you, yourself, are totally lame.

Think about it for just a minute, then you may retort with the standard immature responses you obviously post on a regular basis.

Grow up!

If you recall some of the old Japanese ANIME there was a bike that looked just like this. I think it was AKIRA. same basic bike but had little winglets.

I think it is cool.

It is also a shame that so many of the uneducated immature people feel a need to trash this thing.

If you don't like it, don't buy it.

In 2008 it is just sad that the childish grade school behaviours still persist in a modern civilized society.

What the hell is the point of building a one wheeled motorcycle with two wheels? Did he get half way through and then chicken out and stick an extra wheel on?

#9 & 14 - You're absolutely right. The rider looks calm but the bike is scared shitless. 8O

That's pretty fantastic for what amounts to a one-man design and build with a few consultations, though. Wonder how it steers.

Just imagine this.....

Faulty Gyro and a need to stop urgently....

@#48 faulty gyro lol no shit roflmao you see him slam the breaks and . .ha ha an. .and roll like a doughnut (i cant spell) ha ha

Okay!! Who would want to ride something soooo uncool?

No concept of Safety??????????????? Have you noticed all the folks who say they passed a drivers test?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Soooooo..... his dad bought him a segway and he tore down an old motorcycle for the plastic.

I wouldn't exactly call him a genius, just creative with other peoples inventions.

@45
there were no 1-wheeled motorcycles in Akira. watch it again. there are 1-wheeled motorcycle typre vehicles in other anime, but not Akira. that is all.

A segway with a fairing. I suppose it turns like a segway, which means top speeds in the range of 10 to 20 mph. So it really doesn't need to look aerodynamic, does it? I don't know if this is meant to be sarcastic, but I've seen people at younger ages build more impressive devices (think robot wars competitions or solar car projects). And it does look scared! Yikes!

Whoa. Take a segway. Chop it up. Take a motorcycle. Chop it up. Throw it all back together. Voilla! You are probably a genius. I bet his mom wrote that.

Hey Grown Up, you had me until you couldn't spell. If you are talking about people, it's "their" not "there" and it's "because" not "becuase". I'm not here to make myself look smart, just thought you may want to look smarter by spelling correctly.

By the way, Chuck Norris has one and he CAN do a wheelie on it.

This is literally just a Segway with the handle cut off and a couple pieces of motorcycle hardware attached. I would bet money that this kid did not have anything to do with building the motor, gyros, software or interface.

I'm sure it was a fun project and all, but there's nothing 'genius' about it.

when can you purcase this item?

GOD DAMN IT.....
WHY DO YOU IGNORANT BASTARDS AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME THE WORST OF PEOPLE?
DER DER DER.....
HE JUST CHOPPED UP A SEGWAY... LOL THAT IS SO LAME.... RONFLOMA....
YOU KNOW WHAT?
SHUT THE F*** UP AND LEARN TO SPELL WITHOUT USING LOL AND OTHER RETARDED F***ING LAZY ABBREVIATIONS YOU F***ING MORONS.....
GOD DAMN IT.....
I'D LIKE TO SEE ONE OF YOU F***TARDS BUILD SOMETHING LIKE THIS....
OH AND ONE MORE THING:
NO ONE GIVES A SHIT WHERE YOU SAW THIS BIKE FROM OR HOW IT WASN'T IN AKIRA.... GOD DAMN....
GOD DAMN F***ING RETARDS.....
DER DER DER.....

SINCERLY,
VOICE OF REASON

gotta be a segway. wheres the breaks/clutch/shift lever. theres no controls on that thing at all
a real one wheel motorcycle:
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r46/Motorbiker_photos/NewsPics2/Compact-motorcycle.jpg

I think that this type of ride is pretty kool.Different is nice

I would love to see these used for road race competition. Would sure make some interesting viewing!

Please stop calling every teenager who builds something absurd a genius. It's offensive to those of us who really were certified as a teenage genius by academic authorities.

thx

I think this thing is really cool. So motorcycles do have their drawbacks they said the samething about airplanes and look where they are now.

Have any of you negative commenters ever ridden a Segway or understand how it works? This thing is controlled by leaning. It is also controlled by two internal gyros. Hmm do you understand how a gyro works?

This kid shows real promise. He is 18 years old and has created a new mode of transportation which I suspect like the motorcycle gets great gas mileage. This kid is going places as he has chosen to push the envelope rather than sit back and let the world pass him by. I wish him a congratualed send off into the future.

From an admirer who likes to see individuals think out side the box.

I'm with Dick Dongle. No pun. I want to see 10 of on a track with jackass on them. Going fast and over jumps. Mud pits on the sides of the track. One mud pit in the middle that you have to jump over or go through. Sounds like a video game I played 15 years ago. Yah give each rider one of those padded sticks to knock each other off.

i think the whole idea of this retarded thing is just plain stupid! i mean safty is a issue but if i saw myself on that fag machine, i woul die!!!

hey mark from arizona, YOU ARE GAY!!!!!!!!

adam is too!

What a bunch of children. All of your comments could be said about a bicycle. It is like anything fun, the more chance of danger the better. I did not say this thing is dangerous but for the trained individual it would certainly be fun. How fast does this vehicle go and how far on one charge. It looks like you could load it into a bus if you ran out of power. Personally I think it looks beautiful. Very imaginitive. I am sure it will hit the market with a bang. Invest in it boys and girls and quit your bitching.

its just weird!!!!!!!!!

Your product is great and as a promoter of new innovations i suggest you get into conyact with me if you are interested in marketing your Uno cycle. Its an appealing cycle and obviously will make you famous saying nothing to how much profits it will generate you.

motorcycles are only dangerous when they are driven on the same roads with cages (cars), or the person riding is a complete morron.

Most 18 year olds are trying to play video games with one hand while keeping the other hand busy. Even if this is the reassembled parts of existing machines, I suspect it's a fair bit more advanced thinking than the majority of the posters here are capable of. This is clearly evidenced by comments like "where are the motorcycle controls?" You moron, if you took one wheel off a motorcycle and tried to ride it, it would flip over backwards or forwards every single time. We could hope that these moronic individuals were strapped to just such a machine and the rest of us had a remote control to accelerate and brake repeatedly. Such a repeated pounding of the front and back of the head might result in more logical thinking, or barring that, an inability to type.

I am trying to kill myself this may be the way

Ho much for this

Neither motorcycles nor guns nor segways are dangerous by themselves. They all become dangerous with human interaction/control. I.E., humans are dangerous.

And one last thing, please stop ending your sentences with a preposition.

What that thing NEEDS is a gas turbine engine!

@63: F*** the shut up. Doing something constructive with what you have, be it a handicapped kid sewing a hat or a rich kid turning his segway into a motorcycle, is ten times better than making high SAT scores. I'm one of those kids too, but I suffer from Inpracticus Uselessifcus, and it really does not pay to have the mental resources if you don't use them constructively.

its a good idea, but 5 and a half thousand dollars? i can get a 2008 kawasaki Ninja for $3500... and in the markets he wants to target there are bikes for less than 1000 USD...

The inventor, Ben, recently got a $1.25 million investment for 20% from Dragons' Den.

I would buy it in a minute, it would be ridiculous fun! will it do highway speeds?

Its not a bad idea

and rolling down the road like an over sized doughnut is not a good idea

Its just not the conventional dual wheel setup we are used to, but with out this where would be be soon? the same place as we are now; the same old naff cars and motor bike technology.

the ideas need some development but it has potential to continue the natural progression of modern technology within the engineering world.

but i suppose it is a good example of someone that has not spend their beer money correctly

Obviously no one here has rode a unicycle,i have 2 a 4ft and a 6ft unicycle.This is engenious and safe at 25 mph much faster would take a skilled experienced rider with a big pair and i personally would like to see a top speed of 45,any faster would be dangerous.Over 45 i would like to see a front wheel drop down for safety and stability especially when you hit a pothole or bump.

Hey Darth Caligula, there's nothing wrong with riding a crotch rocket like a total tool, because you can't hurt anybody but yourself. It's the pickups and suv's that will kill half the occupants of your car in side impact at 31 mph (IIHS tests). Know any "tool" that drives over 31 mph? (Probably you.) They are literally mass murderers and serial killers.

You have no braking power on the Uno due to your body and engine being above the wheel, instead of behind it. Light Chinese women (target market) will have even less brakes. This is a death machine for sure.

The concept is quite good. And this dude is to be credited for his idea. It has 2 wheels & 2 motors that turn independently, and that is how it turns with the help of 2 gyros (2 axes). Calling it a jazzed up segway is accurate. It's BIGGEST prob is that it looks fast, but can only do 15 mph. Any quicker and you could be toast. As long as this limit is there, the chances of making it big is limited. Maybe if it had a training wheel in front and another in back...: (

this bikes are terible. better to die than to ride

I'ts pretty interesting to me how most of the self-professed nerds and techies miss a practical use for something like this machine in very conjested urbal areas OUTSIDE North America where people don't have the luxury to be the space hogs we are or travel at much more than 20 mph in a vehicle without risking an accident with another vehicle or pedestrian (have you ever been to Delhi or Mumbai?). Perhaps this machine is not the right solution for this type of urban commuter conjestion, but at least the inventor is attempting to come up with a possible solution. Do any of you have a better idea?

it like a hobby car,but is big than hobby car,rc hobby car is present appear 1/5th scale car.

Maybe it is dangerous to ride it,but funny!!!

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