cstull
03-16-2003, 08:23 PM
I took my wife to the Phoenix training today and I just observed. I was noting the differences between the training today and the session that I attended in Newport Beach last month. I learned some new items as they have clearly improved the training as they go.
As I was sitting in the practice room, I noticed that one of the LLC staff who was taking a break was from product development. Ah Ha! A chance to get my technical questions from a real techie.
He is a real developer and has specialized in the development of the handlebar. We discussed the two screws under the bar and he said he put them there for just the reason we see, people are getting creative in attaching things. He said as long as attachments don't get too heavy, it shouldn't be a problem.
He said they tried the turn control on both sides, but decided that there are more right handed people who might be using that right hand for delivering mail, etc, they put the control on the left. In addition, on the right, some people confused it with a motorcycle throttle.
I asked him if they considered a speedometer and he said yes, in fact, they used a bike speedometer in the testing phase. He said they decided that the rider probably wouldn't care if it was going 10 or 12 mph. I suggested that we DO care about an odometer.
I asked him about tires and punctures. We have thorns here in Arizona and I asked him if I could use "slime". He said they highly recommend slime and, early on, planned to offer a do-it-yourself patch kit for tires including a bottle of slime.
He said the tires are tubeless, but they are a standard size and you can put a tube in them if you want. He cautioned that the bead on the tire is more fragile than a car tire and that the tires should be mounted by hand.
I asked him about the batteries an how they handle heat (like Arizona heat.) He said, up to a point, the batteries do better if they are warm. If they overheat, there are thermocouplers that communicate to the computer which will give a caution indicator and lower the maximum speed. He said in general, heat won't be a problem on level surfaces. Most of the torque applied when climbing hills.
He cautioned that NMH batteries have a problem that we should be aware of. If they sit for an extended period of time without being used, they discharge slowly. If this goes on for too long, the batteries get so low that they become damaged and will not take a charge. He said the best thing to do is to keep it plugged in all the time, and especially if the HT won't be used for an extended period of time.
Since he was the handlebar guru, I asked him if they considered reversing how the HT steers when it goes backwards. The HT is probably the only vehicle that has the luxury of steering one way going forward and another going backwards since it is entirely electronic. I felt that if they made the switch, it would be more intuitive since a car when turned "right" going forward turns to the right and the rear goes to the right when you put it in reverse. The HT does the opposite.
He said they tried both ways and decided that backing up is confusing regardless of which way the control is turned. They suggest you turn around and go forward.
Overall, I really enjoyed talking to the expert while my wife was falling in love with the HT and killing cones.
Craig
As I was sitting in the practice room, I noticed that one of the LLC staff who was taking a break was from product development. Ah Ha! A chance to get my technical questions from a real techie.
He is a real developer and has specialized in the development of the handlebar. We discussed the two screws under the bar and he said he put them there for just the reason we see, people are getting creative in attaching things. He said as long as attachments don't get too heavy, it shouldn't be a problem.
He said they tried the turn control on both sides, but decided that there are more right handed people who might be using that right hand for delivering mail, etc, they put the control on the left. In addition, on the right, some people confused it with a motorcycle throttle.
I asked him if they considered a speedometer and he said yes, in fact, they used a bike speedometer in the testing phase. He said they decided that the rider probably wouldn't care if it was going 10 or 12 mph. I suggested that we DO care about an odometer.
I asked him about tires and punctures. We have thorns here in Arizona and I asked him if I could use "slime". He said they highly recommend slime and, early on, planned to offer a do-it-yourself patch kit for tires including a bottle of slime.
He said the tires are tubeless, but they are a standard size and you can put a tube in them if you want. He cautioned that the bead on the tire is more fragile than a car tire and that the tires should be mounted by hand.
I asked him about the batteries an how they handle heat (like Arizona heat.) He said, up to a point, the batteries do better if they are warm. If they overheat, there are thermocouplers that communicate to the computer which will give a caution indicator and lower the maximum speed. He said in general, heat won't be a problem on level surfaces. Most of the torque applied when climbing hills.
He cautioned that NMH batteries have a problem that we should be aware of. If they sit for an extended period of time without being used, they discharge slowly. If this goes on for too long, the batteries get so low that they become damaged and will not take a charge. He said the best thing to do is to keep it plugged in all the time, and especially if the HT won't be used for an extended period of time.
Since he was the handlebar guru, I asked him if they considered reversing how the HT steers when it goes backwards. The HT is probably the only vehicle that has the luxury of steering one way going forward and another going backwards since it is entirely electronic. I felt that if they made the switch, it would be more intuitive since a car when turned "right" going forward turns to the right and the rear goes to the right when you put it in reverse. The HT does the opposite.
He said they tried both ways and decided that backing up is confusing regardless of which way the control is turned. They suggest you turn around and go forward.
Overall, I really enjoyed talking to the expert while my wife was falling in love with the HT and killing cones.
Craig