bike related questionnaire - please help me

[Gav-CB500]

Hi, am an engineering student, who as it happens owns and loves bikes. Anyway, am designing a new scooter/quad bike hybrid and could really do with this questionnaire being filled out by lots of bikers.
So if you would like to help me out, just download the small word document i've attached, fill it in by highlighting the tick boxes, and e-mail it back to me at k0310875@kingston.ac.uk

Thanks to anyone who helps, and any other input on the vehicle would be gratefully received. By the way theres a pic of what it will look similar to in the word doc. cheers people!

Gavin

[baz g]

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[jay_666]

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[Rookie]

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[MRX Steve]

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[fast_tzr]

Erm well you dont have my age group but oh well. Btw, no offense but I dont really think there is a market for your scooter/quad hybrid. Firstly quads are only fun if they have big engines. Secondly, any inner city commuters using scooters will not buy your quad basically because no doubt they only bought the scooter for its filtering capabilites, which your quad obviously cannot do. The only market you may fill is 16 year old moped riders, and even then I'm not sure if it will be legal to ride on a cbt(doesnt a moped specify it has to be 2 wheels?)

[Gav-CB500]

Cheers for the reply.

I have covered every age group unless your under 16, in which case to young to drive a bike on the public highway, and so not in a position to answer my questionnaire.

I've checked with the DVLA and as long as it has an engine capacity of less than 50cc and a max speed of around 32 mph it can be classed as a moped and ridden on a cbt, or with a full car license.

The target market for the vehicle is partly 16 year olds, as many do not have a 2-wheeled moped for the purposes of filtering, and as you are probably aware, a large majority of moped riders will get a car as soon as they turn 17 and so may prefer a 4-wheeled vehicle at 16. There is also the safety aspect, many 16 year olds are not allowed to get a moped due to concerns from their parents, who are often the people paying for the vehicle, and may permit their offspring to ride this vehicle as apposed to a 2-wheeled moped.

It is also targeted at the older generation. Many older people own or use scooters/mopeds as a cheap easy form of transport, and many of them have shown an interest in one that doesn't fall over! As a moped anyone with a car license would also be able to ride the vehicle, so if you wanted something to pop to the shops in that was slightly safer, especially in poor driving conditions, i believe this would be that vehicle.

I do realise that the hardened inner city commuter would probably find this vehicle completely pointless, but as you may be aware many people do not commute through heavy inner city traffic, or even own a scooter for commuting purposes.

Gavin

[G]

I can see your reasoning, but, reasons I don't like the idea:

I suspect it may well flip if you try and take a corner at any kind of speed. Remember 4 wheeled vehicles have a tendancy to roll to the outside of the corner. Quads are quite limited on road because of this.
Your design seems to have a fair bit narrower wheelbase.
Similar three wheeled designs that are out there have the front wheel the same as a normal bike, with a hinged section for the twin rear wheels, so that the vehicle can lean.
So while people may buy it on a safety aspect, I suspect the opposite would be true.

I appreciate not everyone wants to filter or the flexibility of a narrow vehicle, but if you're going to make it wider, why not give it decent luggage capacity, otherwise we're talking about the worst of both worlds.

50cc restricted to 30; that's not really very good unless you're in a city really, unless you're 16 and aren't allowed anything else. And even then you're likely to find 40s and 50s where people are going to have even more trouble getting past you.

I'm not sure of the rulings if you got your licence a while ago, but I thought you have to do a CBT now, to ride a 50, even if you've got a car licence.

[Gav-CB500]

Well, the suspension would be much stiffer and lower than that of an ATV as it is not designed to go off road, so the cornering would be substantially improved, also the seat unit is designed with a tilt system allowing the rider to lean into corners when in motion.

You are correct on the point of having to take a CBT now even if you have a full license, but firstly most old people would have got their license before 2001 when that came in, plus the vehicle could be riden on a B1 category which is given when full category B is achieved, i.e. when you pass a car license, in which case you could have it de-restricted, making it much faster, and even produce larger engine sizes.

Thanks for the feedback anyway.

Gavin

[G]

I would have thought stiffer suspension could make it even more likely to go on two wheels thanks to the high centre of gravity.

A leaning rider position may solve the problems, but I would have thought would be a nightmare to engineer and I suspect would put people off.

Just my

[fast_tzr]

[Gav-CB500]

Your right, not in spain.

As for the voice of reason. I believe I mentioned the suspension would be stiffer and LOWER! I do not intend keeping the high double wishbone type setup of an ATV, so therefore lower ing the c of g considerably.

The system is suprisingly simple and is not forced upon the rider, so should not concern anyone other than punk kids trying to take mini roundabouts flat out.

[G]

[Gav-CB500]

well, you are right, the height of the c of g is important, but it is the weight, or mass of the vehicle and its position that affects it and by having more car like suspension and less ground clearance, there will be more vehicle mass lower down which will lower the c of g. This can also be improved by things like moving the fuel tank lower down and reducing the seat height etc..

If you think of it as being half way between a quad bike and a go kart.

[DynamiteBoy]

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[Gav-CB500]

Thanks to everyone who has done the questionnaire,

cheers people!

[Gav-CB500]

anyone else wanna do it