Concept
How did you get the idea with the fairing halves hanging in the supporting bodywork ?

  Originally I wanted to design the crash zones replaceable with flush "crash sheets". But the sheets would have been really big and due to the transition to the surrounding fairing which cannot be helped totally the sheets would have get problematically in aerodynamics ( keyword boundary layer ) . So I decided to take completely replaceable halves.

What is the statical concept ?

  A frame stub, in which the steering tube, the tube for the bottom bracket and the diversion gearbox are integrated, is stuck together also like the seat with the bodywork, which is mounted directly to the rear wheel.

Are there any equalities between Magic Scooter 1 and 2 ?

  Up to certain outer similarities MS2 is a complete new construction. The shape is equal with MS1 especially in the top front part ( the hills for the toes ), and the seat position also hasnīt changed.

Which braking system have you assembled ?

  A hydraulic system was possible only due to the long distances and the narrow curves. Besides the problem was that the thighs would get in contact with a too wide brake. Therefore the only possible braking system was the Magura HS77.

Have you also used fiberwork materials inside ?

  Are there any other possibilities ;-) ? I donīt have to do much with metalwork ( no machines for ) and so I use these materials only at extreme punctual forces ( example: the stepped inset for the rotating landing gear grip on the handlebar ). Among other things: the fairing parts, bodywork, frame, fork, seat, handlebar, the landing gear parts, and so on, are made of fiberwork materials.

How did you calculate the construction "supporting bodywork" ?

  At the beginning of the construction I also thought about solving and optimizing the problem with the FE-method in the form of a diploma work. After lengthy considerations I realized then that experiments on a model would be the better and especially quicker method. So I built a 1:10-model and simulated different forces. The problem zones could get located and optimized very quickly and easily in this way.

Is there any suspension inside MS2 ?

  To get the fairing as near as possible to the ground, Iīve cancelled any suspension. But the construction itself absolutely offers together with the suspension characteristics of the fiberwork materials a certain capability of absorption, so then the "feeling" on normal street compositions can be described as agreeable ( but of course it depends on the layed scale : a possible judgement of the Ostrad-people, which are used to have 20cm suspension or so, could also be : "hard as a concrete plank" ... )

What about the crash protection ?

  With direct contact to the enemy ( so cars, trucks or walls, .. ) normally it should go out badly. But after substantial ( and unintentional ) crash tests with MS1 I always tilted just on the side and slid then to a standstill. With MS2 I can get out without help also when lying on the side, because the door is now on the top. The strength and rigidity of MS2īs unit bodywork / seat / frame / fairing is many times higher than in MS1. Also when flying out of a turn at more than 60km/h with MS2 incl. impact in a concrete demarcation I was able in the meanwhile to test (unfortunately) the protection of the supporting bodywork as well as myself. I just had to replace some sections of the outer fairing without any technical influence.

Aerodynamics
Can you tell me the level of the air resistance ?

  cd*A of the shape is 0,0225, which means a cd of about 0,067 with a frontal area of 0,335 mē.

What about the crosswind problem ?

  This problem also was analyzed in detail in the wind tunnel and calculated into the bicycle geometry on theoretical way with the friendly help of Dr. Andreas Fuchs from the "Hochschule für Technik und Architektur Bern". Besides we tested several shape variants and then we finally picked out this one with the best compromise of air resistance and crosswind sensitivity.

What about the ventilation ?

  Well, in this category I really was spoiled with the electric adjustable lid of MS1 and with the new model Iīll probably have to fight with less ventilation especially at low speed. But at high speed with anyway closed lid I achieve optimal ventilation with the air admission in front of the visor and transmission through the handlebar directly to the mouth. In addition I have 3 small admissions directly at the bottom of the visor, which prevents from getting steamed. In addition the visor is treated with an anti-steam spray on the inside and with a washing-up liquid on the outside, by which raindrops change into a thin and transparent coat ( for a certain time ). But I have to admit that for rain trips a slight lid rise at MS1 was optimal, also when the cd grows at least 50 % ( ! ) by that .

Have you also mounted fairings on the wheels inside ?

  To avoid eddies inside the fairing the wheels themselves are also faired with ultralight glasfiber-sandwich-sheets.

Can you tell me the aerodynamic influence of the mirrors ?

  The cd grows by about 10% to 0,075 in spite of the small frontal area of the mirrors ( the single cd for the mirrors is about 0,4 ) . This means, for example, a speed reduction from 82 to 80 km/h with the same power.

Drivetrain
Which drivetrain conceals inside the bodywork ?

  Front drive, Rohloff-hub in OEM-version ( for frames with a lengthened left dropout for torque support ), Rohloff-chains, diversion gearbox ( tune cassette body ) integrated in the frame.

Isnīt there too much resistance of the Rohloff-hub to be competitive ?

  You canīt answer in a lump sum if the hub has more or less resistance as drives with conventional chain gearing. The Rohloff-hub can also have the advantage depending on chosen gear, power input, wear condition, etc.

Which advantages and disadvantages implies the Rohloff-hub ?

  Have a look at the extra page to the Rohloff-hub !

Is there any influence of the transmission to the steering ?

  Iīve optimized the position of the diversion gearbox with help of autocad to turn off the influence to the steering.

Is it possible to pedal with the legs narrow enough in spite of the front drive ?

  With this item I racked my brains very much, because Iīm used to run my knees very narrow to the frame when driving a normal ( upright ) bike. So I turned the diversion gearbox in the "frame" and fought against each millimeter of frame width. The result is an extremely slim drive, which in addition is completely cut off in the area of the diversion.

What is the transmission of the biggest gear ?

  About 8,7 fold, but with the small 20inch front wheel it gets reduced again. Calculated to "normal" 28inch wheels 6,1 fold or 67/11. Expressed in another way you can make 100 km/h with 116 pedal rpm.

Weight
What is the overall weight ?

  Altogether less than 16 kg.

What is the weight of the fairing ?

  You canīt answer that with an easy statement of weight, because in this case the fairing is not self-supporting as normally on other faired bikes. The fairing consists ( except for the door and the tail ) of two halves hanging on the supporting bodywork. This bodywork already has a similar form as the fairing in the mid part and besides the main function supporting ( a frame in conventional meaning doesnīt exist ) it has to support the outer fairing. Therefore you canīt compare the about 2,6 kg for the fairing parts directly with other fairings ( e.g. MS1 incl. electric lid 5,2 kg ).

Which material is the outer fairing made from ?

  To achieve this extremely low weight Iīve renounced the top coat and laminated 80g-glasfiber directly with yellow epoxy resin ( the tail only with 49 g glas ). Over it there is a 2mm-honeycomb and as the inner layer 36g kevlar. At the area of hips and shoulders I added another 110g kevlar layer for the high load in crashes.

Which material did you use for the bodywork inside ?

  I used 2mm-honeycomb on this part too. For the layers outside I used several carbon types as 125g-atlas, 93g-canvas, 160g koeper or 140g UD, for the inside in addition also 68g carbon/kevlar-hybrid.

Landing gear
Can you explain the principle of the retractable landing gear ?

  On the handlebar thereīs a grip shifter with a stepped inset, which you can unlock with a little lever. From the grip a rope runs through the stem and under the seat to a "distributor", which distributes the rope in 6 directions: retract the landing gear arms, lock / unlock the arms, retract the flaps in the fairing, each per side.

How much weight does the landing gear add ?

  about 1000 g.

What are the advantages of the landing gear ?

  The bike has a safe standing when getting in and out and the legs can stay in the pedals at starts and stops. At slow maneuvers through narrow turns or approaching slowly a red light are very simple, because the landing gear can stay outside then for security. Details.

Is there any control possibility for the driver about the gear arm position ?

  When completely outside each gear arm activates a switch which is connected to a light in the cockpit.