I think I got one under my bed brand new in the box. What a nighbmare that thing is.
I was dating this girl who wasn't mechancially savvy and she saw it in a catelog. Gave like $80 bucks for it along time ago. Then she wanted a RED 10 speed to put it on. I told her to get a 26 or 27 inch. Well the lady at Sears tells her they don't have any that size right now.
Now get this. Some punk college kid working there as a part timer thru the Christmas Holidays says "Pisssst ..... lady" ! I know where there's a RED one back there. (understand he's just wanting to make the sale) The reason the woman clerk told her they didn't have any was they didn't have any 26 or 27 inch back there. There was a 24 back there in the back and the punk figured she wouldn't know the difference. So he sold it to her and loaded it out the delivery door so the woman wouldn't know what he did.
So, she gets home all excited and it says clearly on it "24" inch.
I told her it wouldn't work........so she turned around and drove the 25 miles back and took it back. She lost interest before nice weather. And I wound up with the Bike-O-Matic.
It works on a pneumatic cylinder which has a roller on the bottom of it's piston which is pumped by a plastic triangle that fits over the axle opposite the sprocket cluster. As air pressure builds the cable to the rear derailer is tugged to shift thru the gears.
Nightmare.
After that there was a system where the rear sprocket was divided into 3 or 4 parts that expanded outward. Thus an infinantly variable ratio was affected
by the outward and inward movement of the moving sprocket parts.
I mean most of the time I ride........I just use the large front sprocket and shift the rear derailer. I ain't no Lance Armstrong who splits gears like a mountain trucker....hey it's just pleasure riding. Hard can it be to shift thru 5 gears up and down and back. Jeez, if ya can't chew gum and walk at the same time stay off the ten speeds. It just makes me groan when I think of that thing.
NEW NEWS !! I lied.
It's called an Air Shifter made by Leasure Cycle Technology of Fairfield, NJ
but I'm sure it's nearly the same thing.
Anyone want a real toy ? I got a "Pop Rod" in the garage. It's a one Cylinder
Pogo Stick. The cylinder fires when you jump onto it and the glow plug touches the top of the piston. The piston has a valve in it that talkes the small amount of fuel (it's called "PoGoGo") and you can go bouncing around on a parking lot at about 24"+ with each bound. It uses C cell batteries in the handle where at the base of the handle is a ignition coil. The fuel tank only holds a few ounces. (hey ya don't wanna wind up in the next county)
Yes it is an attraction. I had a buddy in central Ahio who had a Kawasaki Dealership and lucked into a Harley dealer who was wanting to retire from it.
So, to cristen the Harly Dealership we did a day or so of teaching the girls he hired to ride the Pop Rod. Once they knew what they were doing they rode the PopRod as a Wet Tee Shirt event. He payed me well for the use of the thing too. I don't think there could have been enough Ice Cold Beer in Ahio that night.
The Pogo Stick vents front and rear between your feet so the fire blowing out of it doesn't set your socks on fire. Something to remember. And if you don't think dogs like motorcycles you ought to see them around this thing. I chased a dog half way down the street on it fore he ran under a house. He can't outflank ya cause you just twist in mid air and land with the exhaust aimed at him. Poroomph ! and Fido runs like a scared cat on alcohol & firearms night at the dew-drop-inn.
