Michelin patents possum-scraper electric motor

[Richard230]

What do you make of this? https://www.motorcycle.com/mini-feat...ive-motor.html

[Bogbody]

Interesting!! You'll never see one on a Fireblade unless it takes 0.01 seconds off a laptime

[Runmyownlife]

This reminds me of those old school bicycle lights that you'd lever against the tire when required!

[Richard230]

This reminds me of those old school bicycle lights that you'd lever against the tire when required!

Which would be powered by a little generator with a rubber wheel rubbing against the side of the tire. Kind of makes me wonder how the possum-scraper wheel would get enough traction against the tire to move 600-800 pounds of bike and rider.

[rcb78]

The fender mounted version would probably not be able to get enough traction without a pretty heavy duty mount, but the drawing of the one mounted in the bridge area of the swing arm could easily work. Either one would use some sort of solenoid to drive the roller against the tire and they're only talking about 1mph or less for maneuvering the bike in parking type scenarios. That shouldn't be too hard to pull off.

[notacop]

"Kind of makes me wonder how the possum-scraper wheel would get enough traction against the tire to move 600-800 pounds of bike and rider."

I'm willing to bet that if a big maker has filed for a patent then there is a reasonably good chance it may work. You have your 6-800 pound lump of bike and rider pushing said load moving itself now with leg power now. A little electric motor and friction wheels would certainly make that task easier. It's an assist that a lot of us have wished for since we first parked in a bad spot, no?

[Richard230]

It seems to me like using the starter motor to provide slo-mo movement might be a better way to go. I think that is the way Honda does it and I seem to recall that at one time BMW might have had a touring model (like a K-bike?) that did the same thing.