anyone hear own one of these?

Vapor Ware! To the best of my knowledge they have never gone into production on these, and have not been available to the general public.

ocscully
 
A long time ago I was in a Honda Motorcycle Dealership and they had a bunch of old restored 1960's Honda bikes on display in a special room. One of the bikes was from the earlier sixties and it had it's motor built in the rear wheel like the front wheel shown in that Revo. Honda actually sold them before the 50cc step thru bikes became an icon of the 60's. I can't remember the name or model number of it now but it was quite a light weight bike.

This concept isn't anything new, building internal combustion engines into the wheel(s). I think it was being done over 100 years ago.

That little Honda was probably around 50cc's and the rear wheel looked like it had a hub cap over both sides to cover the motor.

Anyone knowing what it is, could you please post a photo or model # of it.
 
I found this

med_power_bike_unit.jpg
 
eDJ said:
A long time ago I was in a Honda Motorcycle Dealership and they had a bunch of old restored 1960's Honda bikes on display in a special room. One of the bikes was from the earlier sixties and it had it's motor built in the rear wheel like the front wheel shown in that Revo. Honda actually sold them before the 50cc step thru bikes became an icon of the 60's. I can't remember the name or model number of it now but it was quite a light weight bike.

This concept isn't anything new, building internal combustion engines into the wheel(s). I think it was being done over 100 years ago.

That little Honda was probably around 50cc's and the rear wheel looked like it had a hub cap over both sides to cover the motor.

Anyone knowing what it is, could you please post a photo or model # of it.
Click to expand...

I believe what you are describing is the original Honda Cub motor and it was originally an add on motor to the rear wheel of a bicycle, and sold just after the War. Mounted on the outside though rather than inside the wheel. With luck see photos below

Couldn't get the photos to upload for some reason so maybe the links will work?

http://i.pbase.com/o4/93/235893/1/63241107.0gonUOHJ.barber8.jpg
http://www.outsideconnection.com/gallant/hpv/mbralley2008/fs/P1010011.JPG
http://www.outsideconnection.com/gallant/hpv/mbralley2008/fs/P1010012.JPG
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/smithenhiven/Honda Cub F/DSC00124.jpg

Honda also used this engine setup on a moped in the middle to late sixites, and I believe it was called the P50

ocscully
 
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That was real eye burner back in the late 60's. I was just a pup then, living in Jacksonville FLA, we were at the boardwalk and their was a vendor renting these bikes out, they all had the cub engine on them. Everyone thought he was out of his mind charging $5.00 for half day rentals, heck, that was only 4 hours of time.
He told my parents the units cost him a good dollar for the investment, he wasn't going to take a chance of being robbed. His stable was nearly empty on good days back then. His best customers were sailors and their dates. It would cost these young men nearly $15 for the date, but my dad always said those young men had socks full of money and no where to go while out at sea.
I always laughed at his short ones, but as I grew older, they really started to sink in as I too was in the same spot as them men years ago. :D
Maximo
 
What is kind of neat about the RevoPower is that the engine rotates around the crank, rather like a rotary aircraft engine from the WWI era (not to be confused with radial or a Wankel rotary).

That being said, it is slow and appears to be more of an interesting oddity than a viable product...at least with the current company behind it.
 
I Don`t Remember If I Got These Pictures From Here Or Where. MITCHEL ADD 1903, SMITH 1917, BRIGGS & S 1920. WITH MASS PRODUCTION SPEED THESE DAYS, WE GET A MUCH BETTER BANG FOR OUR BUCK. IMHO. RON
 

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They went right past motorcycles to 4....actually 5 wheel contraptions.

Here is a Briggs and Stratton Flyer (my next project).
 

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The Honda P 50 is the bike I saw.

http://djsaan.homestead.com/files/Honda_P50.jpg
Honda_P50.jpg


It seems to be an obscure footnote in history now but when you Google Honda you are generally looking for motorcycles where as the P50 is a moped.

But it's what I was speaking of where the engine was built in the rear wheel.

When I studied Industrial Design, our instructors were quick to point out to us in the first days that there really isn't much "NEW" under the sun. So we shouldn't waste our time trying to invent new things only to find out later it had already been done before. (called reinventing the wheel) But rather to concentrate on learning about the most successful things which exist which could lend themselves to revivals, restyling, and remarketing.

So it goes with motor in wheel, whether it be be internal combustion or electric. Like I said, the idea goes way back and even some of todays heavy equipment uses motorized hubs.

What has to be watched for are those who use technology as con artistry. Whether it be a motorized bike motor, 150 mpg carb, a flying car, or a Dot Com movement.
 
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