Chris Hoffmann isn't afraid to admit that his one-wheeled motorcycle, called the Ryno, was actually his 13-year-old daughter's idea. "She sketched it out for me and asked me if it was possible to build something like this," Hoffmann said of his daughter, Lauren, now 16. "I said, ‘sure.'"
Today, Lauren's brainchild has become a steel and molded plastic reality.
Resting on a kickstand in a corner of Van-Port Design's warehouse on 5th Street in Vancouver, the latest prototype Ryno motorcycle looks like a prop from the set of "Back to the Future," with little more than handlebars, two headlights and a seat. And of course, only one, albeit gigantic, wheel.
Using the same gyroscopic sensor as the personal transport vehicle Segway, the Ryno allows riders to lean forward or back to control movement. Still in its testing phase, the Ryno can reach speeds up to around 25 mph, and based on a try-out late last month in the tight-confines of its Van-Port design studio, can manage some impressive maneuvers.
While the one-wheeled motorcycle relies on technology pioneered by Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway, Ryno's creator downplays the similarities between the two vehicles. "This is much more exciting ride," Hoffmann said. "It also requires a greater commitment on the part of its user."
Indeed, far from chasing Segway's market niche of Silicon Valley technocrats, the Rynomotors team envisions a much more "extreme" audience – namely, skateboard, snowboard and kite-running enthusiasts.
"We're going for the ‘early adopters' – hipsters, iPhone users, gamers who want to be on the cutting edge of technology," Hoffmann said.
And as an added bonus to the Ryno's "cool" factor, the vehicle runs entirely on electric power, an eco-friendly feature that has attracted attention on both sides of the Columbia River.
Eventually the Ryno crew, including the motorcycle's software developer Tony Ozrelic and marketing director Kevin Tabor, decided on locating their budding enterprise in Vancouver, in large part due to incentives offered to them by the city.
"They hadn't had that sense of community connection on the Portland side," said Alisa Pyszka, business development manager. "They seemed to be really impressed with what we had to offer."
Hoffmann says he also approached Vancouver Police Chief Clifford Cook about possible law enforcement applications for the Ryno. According to police spokeswoman Kim Kapp, the force already tested Segways for patrolling city parks, but found them too costly and unsuitable for use during inclement winter months.
For the time being, Rynomotors continues to test their motorcycle in a warehouse space provided by the Port of Vancouver, in their small studio space at Van-Port and on the streets of Hoffmann's neighborhood in Northeast Portland. "People follow me in their cars to get me to stop and tell them how it works," he said. "There's a big curiosity factor with the Ryno."
Though Hoffmann can sometimes be seen testing out his motorcycle in Portland, it may be some time before Southwest Washington residents will be able to spot his one-wheeled conversation piece. Ryno's team is currently exploring a scooter certification by the Washington State Department of Transportation, which Hoffmann says would allow riders to travel on residential roads at speeds under 25 mph.
With an official public unveiling still in the offing, Hoffman is busy building up buzz about the prototype, including soon-to-be-released teaser videos showing potential customers exactly what Ryno can do.
For Hoffman though, it seems the best part of Ryno's development might be behind him. A veteran of the auto parts industry in Michigan, Hoffman says his creation was the result of doing what he does best – putting things together. "I'm really a systems integrator – not an inventor," he said.
