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Who Needs Training Wheels When You Have Ridiculously Elaborate Bicycle Simulators?
Honda EV-Cub Marries Electric Bike With 2WD, Star Trek Communicator
Honda U3-X: An Omnidirectional Segway-Style Unicycle That I Want Badly
Wearing an Asimo Costume May Be the Least Questionable Aspect of Your Social Practices
How It Feels To Walk With Honda's Cyborg Legs
Honda Asimo Creators Turning Your Brain into the Ultimate Robot Controller
Honda Creates Pixel Art From Hundreds of Car Headlights
New Asimo Action Figures Are Heads Better than Old Asimos Action Figures
Inside Asimo Takes Your Robotic Relationship To The Next Level
49-Foot-Tall Honda Asimo Robot to Terrorize Spectators at the Rose Parade

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92BuickLeSabre
10/19/09

In reply to Who Needs Training Wheels When You Have Ridiculously Elaborate Bicycle Simulators?
The same thing can be accomplished with a stick, horse blinders, and lots of yelling. #hondabicyclesimulator
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UGAdawg
10/19/09

In reply to Who Needs Training Wheels When You Have Ridiculously Elaborate Bicycle Simulators?
Oh for fuck's sake! Whatever happened to the right of passage of getting nicked up shins and knees while learning how to ride? I remember back in the day learning how to ride on my Huffy banana seat bike and banging up my shins pretty good. I had not mastered the art of braking and my pedals where made of metal and they'd bang against my shins after I put my feet on the ground at the end of stopping. It was no biggie. Plus there's something about having your dad holding the back of your bike pushing you along and making sure you don't fall. I'd rather have those memories than one sitting in front of a screen. #hondabicyclesimulator
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Lizard_King
10/19/09

@UGAdawg: I think this is more for simulating a controlled situation to teach kids how to handle traffic situations while riding. I can't imagine this machine teaches a kid to balance a "2-wheeler" properly
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Edited by Lizard_King at 10/19/09 9:23 PM Lizard_King was starred Lizard_King was unstarred

UGAdawg
10/19/09

@Lizard_King: In that case then I think having your parents riding along side you would be better than this. #hondabicyclesimulator
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Lizard_King
10/19/09

@UGAdawg: Absolutely, but some parents will go to great lengths to automate something instead of spending time with their kids. Also, as the threads below suggest, maybe some adults aren't the best role models from which to learn rules. I'm all for personal responsibility, as well as letting parents raise their children, but if this method keeps kids from getting hit on their bikes, or gives them the confidence to get outside and ride their bikes, I'm for it. #hondabicyclesimulator
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Software_Goddess
10/19/09

In reply to Who Needs Training Wheels When You Have Ridiculously Elaborate Bicycle Simulators?
You know, I get so sick of seeing grown adults riding bikes on the sidewalks. Kids don't need this; adults do. I say we make anyone over the age of 15 who is caught braking traffic laws while on a bike, take mandatory lessons on this. #hondabicyclesimulator
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Kaiser-Machead
10/19/09

@Software_Goddess: I say anyone breaking traffic laws on a bicycle over the age of 15 get put in a wooden stock and get pummeled with rotten tomatoes. #hondabicyclesimulator
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Software_Goddess
10/19/09

@Kaiser-Machead: Well... I was saving those tomatoes for the drunks that walk on the train tracks to avoid detection, but... OK #hondabicyclesimulator
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psychiccheese
10/20/09

@Software_Goddess: also, biking on the wrong side of the road is also really annoying. A bicycle is a vehicle, you bike on the RIGHT side of the road (unless you live in England or one of the other countries where you drive on the left).

But worst of all is the drivers who simply refuse to acknowledge that people are biking, and will either cut them off or force the cyclist to brake/swerve wildly to avoid being run over or running into the car. #hondabicyclesimulator
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headc4se
10/20/09

@psychiccheese: My car is bigger than their bike, as such I have the right of way. Same thing with pedestrians. #hondabicyclesimulator
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Lizard_King
10/20/09

@headc4se: Oh I had no idea we could make up our own rules! Let me try: Oh since I'm faster on my motorcycle than just about anything else, I have the right of way. Or, since when on the bicycle, I consume no gas or produce no emmisions I have the right of way.

Or hey, I like this one best - Since 99% of roads gets funded by property taxes all you renters can get the f*ck off my roads. #hondabicyclesimulator
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headc4se
10/20/09

@Lizard_King: I do like the rule about the motorcycles, since I usually do give myself the right of way when I'm riding, safely of course. Since you don't produce any emissions on a bicycle, I would have to take your right of way since idling isn't bad for the environment. Unfortunately, the whole renter thing doesn't work, since rent does include something towards property taxes, etc.. #hondabicyclesimulator
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ilovexspin
10/19/09

In reply to Who Needs Training Wheels When You Have Ridiculously Elaborate Bicycle Simulators?
Is it just me or does the screen kinda look like a giant iPhone? #hondabicyclesimulator
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Lizard_King
10/19/09

In reply to Who Needs Training Wheels When You Have Ridiculously Elaborate Bicycle Simulators?
I see a use for this in my neighborhood - take the brake levers off and teach the hipsters how to ride in traffic. #hondabicyclesimulator
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bigpolla
10/19/09

In reply to Who Needs Training Wheels When You Have Ridiculously Elaborate Bicycle Simulators?
this is it. this is the starting point in which family life is destroyed. where the bronze of technology fills the fabric of human connection and love.

dam you honda. dam you. #hondabicyclesimulator
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Lizard_King promoted this comment bigpolla was starred bigpolla was unstarred

Lizard_King
10/19/09

@bigpolla: Learning to trust the machines at an early age will be our downfall.

Seriously though, the family-time element of learning to ride is often removed when the parents decide to hire the guy at the local bike shop to teach their kid to ride. #hondabicyclesimulator
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maven2k
10/12/09

In reply to Honda EV-Cub Marries Electric Bike With 2WD, Star Trek Communicator
This is a great looking bike. It looks like the old Honda Passport, which were really nice little bikes.
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Alfisted
10/11/09

In reply to Honda EV-Cub Marries Electric Bike With 2WD, Star Trek Communicator
Honda may have finally found the perfect way to kill customers with torque steer. Why not just make it fwd?
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Dacker
10/11/09

In reply to Honda EV-Cub Marries Electric Bike With 2WD, Star Trek Communicator
LOOP looks like a walkie-talkie, not a texting device. The bottom circle looks like the speaker and the black doodad in the top-left is probably the push-to-talk switch or the volume dial.

This seems silly though. First, it would mean riding the bike one-handed. Second, wind noise, not engine noise is the problem on a small bike/scooter., Third, you hopefully have your head stuffed into a helmet, restricting your ability to hear anything from a 1" speaker.
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Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
10/11/09

In reply to Honda EV-Cub Marries Electric Bike With 2WD, Star Trek Communicator
And then the rider crashes into a tree trying to look down at that little communicator screen. Thanks Honda!
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Lizard_King
10/11/09

In reply to Honda EV-Cub Marries Electric Bike With 2WD, Star Trek Communicator
Somebody better tell Christini that Honda is first

[www.christini.com]
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trx0x
10/11/09

@Lizard_King: does christini make an all electric 2WD bike?
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Lizard_King
10/11/09

@trx0x: "Honda's not alone in the 2WD space, nor is the space really that new—at least for concept vehicles." . The article goes on to say that Honda may be ready to commercialize on the 2WD market, "or at the very least an all electric one". In other words, being electric was secondary to 2WD, something Christini has been making, and selling, for a while.

I know, I know - but Christini's is AWD. Yes, it is. And as any Subaru owner will tell you, AWD is a type of 4wd, as is full time and part time 4wd (though I have a bias on PT4WD).

Honda's not first to market here.
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Scaramanga
10/11/09

@Lizard_King:

Even Christini isn't the first to make a 2WD bike. In fact the the long history of 2x2 bikes Christini contribution is unremarkable.

More recently, Yamaha made a the WR450F 2-Trac, and KTM had a similar hydraulic front-wheel-drive system, as well as BMW F800 competition bikes.

[www.mcnews.com.au]

Recently, there's even been a 200hp Yamaha R1 2WD bike:

[www.fasterandfaster.net]

If you really want to look back, the first 2x2 bike was the 1924 350cc Raleigh. The first well-known mass produced 2x2 is the ROKON (they've been selling these since the 60s)

The first hydraulic front-wheel drive was the 1983 DR 250 Suzuki. In the 90s Suzuki made the XF-5 and Lander for the Japanese markets.

Honda is taking this to the next step. Obviously an all electric model is much easier to incorporate a 2x2 system since motors can be mounted on the wheels. They will be the first to mass-produce a 2x2 scooter in mass numbers.
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Lizard_King
10/11/09

@Scaramanga: Okay, I never commented that I thought that Christini had invented the 2-wheel drive motorcycle. Christini is the most popular model of AWD/2WD motorcycle right now, and is a production bike, kinda.

The comment was made because Christini modifies Honda bikes (and KTMs, but I've only seen the Hondas in person), and has been doing this for a few years, but Honda gets credit for this as a commercial entry, no nearly the first, but most importantly, NOT THE FIRST 2WD system on a Honda bike.

I've ridden one, it is pretty rad, better than the bicycle version they have. I can't imagine a use on the road though, I want to keep my traction for turning and leaning, leave that front wheel unpowered for me.
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Scaramanga
10/12/09

@Lizard_King: My point being that Christini deserves no real credit in this conversation. They were not the first to commercialize 2x2 bikes, and aren't even the first to commercialize hydraulic front-wheel drive systems- as I've pointed out.

Nobody need tell "Christini that Honda is first"...

In fact, if we are talking about small outfits like Christini doing 2x2 Hondas they are NOT the first for that either. Xuereb's Australian firm has also makes Honda CR500s using a similar hydraulic front-wheel drive years before Christini. There was even a late-80s Honda XR250 modified for 2x2 shown at Hond's Idea Days ages ago.

Beyond that, this EV-cub is an entirely different beast all together.

The Cub is the best selling powered vehicle of all time- 60 million vehicles. If Honda builds this then it makes a strong statement by going EV with a full-electric 2x2.
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Edited by Scaramanga at 10/12/09 1:03 AM Scaramanga was starred Scaramanga was unstarred

bnetter12
10/11/09

In reply to Honda EV-Cub Marries Electric Bike With 2WD, Star Trek Communicator
No no no they expect you to place the call then leave of course, and everyone will do that. I mean no risk see, Bluetooth is my answer to the other commentors.
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Lizard_King promoted this comment bnetter12 was starred bnetter12 was unstarred

Lizard_King
10/11/09

@bnetter12: I place and answer calls when driving my motorcycle all the time. I do not see what the issue is, it seems most of the people that have a problem with it do not ride motorcycles.
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chrisfox01
09/24/09

In reply to Honda U3-X: An Omnidirectional Segway-Style Unicycle That I Want Badly
A ride so exciting, you have to hold onto your cheeks.
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SushamaHybris
09/24/09

In reply to Honda U3-X: An Omnidirectional Segway-Style Unicycle That I Want Badly
Seems to me to be the first step towards the All Access Hover Chair in Wall-E. Can you say decreased bone density? I knew you could.
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SewerShark: LOOK BEHIND YOU, A THREE HEADED MONKEY!!!
09/24/09

In reply to Honda U3-X: An Omnidirectional Segway-Style Unicycle That I Want Badly
Reminds me of GTA4's radio ad for the motorized scooter.

"You can begin living a life of luxury. Why worry about health, your weight, or what people think of you? Now, you're faster! Motorized scooters are the future of the American lifestyle - carefree! Take the wait off! "
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