When we last left Bob Horn and his recumbent racer, he had just had a rather unfortunate accident running off track leading to an extended recovery. Not the type to waste an opportunity, he used the time off to redesign the racer during the rebuild. Now, Bob’s back with the first track test of his EXperimental500, with two wheel steering, no less!
He made his way to High Plains Raceway and slowly ventured back onto the track, testing what he knew, in theory, should work, but up until that point, had no knowledge of whether it actually would work. We’re in uncharted territory here, two wheel steering recumbent road racers, not for the faint of heart. Add to that, a two year layoff since the accident and you can imagine the many thoughts running through his mind while he felt his way around the track testing his creation and his reflexes.
The great news is those first two laps were uneventful, everything worked as intended. The 2WS is now combined with a new linked braking system and according to Bob it’s a major improvement. After a long inspection in the pits to be sure nothing was coming loose and there were no mechanical issues, he went back for several more laps, feeling a bit more relaxed.
This entire project is so incredibly refreshing to watch, an entirely new design, a recumbent racer with two wheel steering, built and tested on track. I love it!
No lap times were recorded during this test session, but the last MRA race of the season is at High Plains Raceway, September 17th and 18th. I bet he’ll get some lap times then. Great seeing you back out there, Bob! Go get ’em!
Link: Rohorn.com
Ken Spencer says
Congratulations Bob for fixing the bike and returning to testing. I’m curious about the way it works, do both front and rear wheels countersteer (turn outboard relative to intended direction of travel to use gyroscopic precession for creating lean in the turn direction)?
Best of luck,
Bob Horn says
Thanks Ken!
Yes, both wheels countersteer, with the rear wheel steering less than the front.
Ken Spencer says
Wow, how’s it feel? I imagine it has pretty quick steering then, especially with such a low c.g.
C Miller says
Wicked cool, forks suck!
Glad to see your bike back, new and improved. The recumbent position looks to be a hoot.
Any chance we could see some close-up shots of the rear suspension and final drive?
In a sea of same-old-same-old, stuff like this is a welcome change.
Bob Horn says
Ken Spencer,
It does roll in and out a lot faster than before, but it hasn’t been ridden at a race pace yet – I’m really looking forward to that.
C Miller,
Thanks!
A close and short video of that in motion should get posted, probably after the race date.
Drive the Wheels Off says
Great job & keep Rollin’ Bob!. Looking forward to updates
rafe03 says
Hey Bob!
Congratulations on your return to 2 wheels (n life in general)
Good to see you persevering down the path less traveled. Sorry to see you have to do it by yourself. Impressed that you are still making advances n progress into the unknown.
Video’s n Tee shirts to come?
rafe03
Bob Horn says
Thank you!
If all goes well, video shot in 2 weeks will be edited and posted soon afterwards.
T-shirts? Well, a friend made a way cool “Bartkira” team logo…
Alan says
Hey Bob, I enjoy checking on your progress now and again so it’s great to see you’re back on track with new hardware to test and develop. Looking forward to following your exploits. You’ve got a fair amount of interest here among the shed tinkerers – all agree it looks like a fun sled!
From NZ