While people struggle to raise the bar in motorcycle land speed records down at the Salt Flats, some bloke in the UK decided he’ll have a go too - on a monowheel.
According to a BBC report, a man recently made history making it into the record books for the fastest monowheel motorcycle ride, reaching a top speed of 61.2 mph (98.5 km/h).
The hero’s name is Kevin Scott, and he lives in Lincoln. He and the UK Monowheel Team successfully broke the previously established record of 57 mph (91.7 km/h) belonging to American rider Kerry McClean who set it back in 2001.
The speed run took place at the Elvington Airfield, near York, and Scott said recording a new fastest speed there was “absolutely fantastic.” The new score will be included in the 2017 Guinness World Record book.
Now, some of you might ask why reaching 61 mph on a monowheel is record worthy. Well, let me explain. The monowheel might be lighter than a standard motorcycle, but its simple construction also comes with some riding impediments.
You see, a monowheel is just a large wheel with no spokes that goes around the rider, engine and minimalistic frame. Now, the last three components ride inside the rim on rollers just like the central part of a roller bearing.
This means that sudden acceleration or braking will make the central part roll independently of the outer wheel. This effect is also known as ‘gerbiling’, as it is similar to the situation of a gerbil running too quickly inside a hamster wheel.
Steering is also harder than on a standard motorcycle since the single wheel has to deal both with putting the power down and turning the machine. Visibility is another minus, with the rider in the middle seeing only a rim rolling in front of his eyes unless he tilts his head to the side.
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