The Invisible Universe

Traction: Part 2

Now, something that might come as a surprise, is just how different these bikes are compared to the more familiar ones back on Earth, their size being the most obvious characteristic. They're huge! About as long as a bus, their elongated shape looked like a cartoon description of a motorbike going at fast speed. With two equally large wheels placed at either end, it was hard for any bystander not to feel a little bit intimidated by these impressive machines. This almost comical size, was of course a deliberate design feature.

Traversing the Moon's surface does come with its fair share of problems. Apart from the lack of things to say while playing eye-spy, the main issue was gravity, or the lack thereof. Since everything only weighs a tiny slither of what it normally would, the addition of an engine or electric motor becomes quite a complicated process to get just right. 

Because of the almost non-existent weight, the amount of power required to get something moving, is much, much lower than back on Earth. This could result in some very treacherous situations.

Every racer knew the stories of early designs for Luna rovers and bikes that were dangerously overpowered, making them almost un-drivable. The slightest touch on the throttle could send them souring into the sky, as the smallest incline in the terrain would act as a stunt ramp, making it more accurate to call them gliders rather than rovers. The first obvious change was to make any engine or electric motor much, much smaller. Vastly reducing the overall power making them safer to use. Another solution was to make the rest of the vehicle as big, and weighty as possible. As the heaver it was, the less likely it and the driver where to be sent flying off into space every time it reached the top of a hill.

These masters of engineering were this ridiculous size for that same reason. Their body work was designed to be as cumbersome as possible. Made out of heavy metals and having body work panels that were only there to add extra weight, these bikes reached a staggering 10 earth tonnes. Making them the equivalent of 1.65 tonnes once they made it to the Moon. That's pretty damn heavy for a bike!

However, small engines and a ridiculous weight didn't solve everything. Along with avoiding unwanted flight there was the simple matter of torque.

Torque is the term that's used to refer to how much turning power something has, a wheel on a bike for example. The higher torque a wheel has, the easier and faster it will spin up. On earth heavy vehicles require a lot of torque to get their tremendous weight moving from a standstill. On the Moon however, no vehicle came close to the weight of ones found on earth relative to their size, meaning even a low powered car would still have far too much torque then was required. For any Luna driver who wishes to maintain control, a fast spinning set of wheels could cause the subsequent rover, buggy or bike to lift off the ground, losing contact and control.

It's not a life threatening mistake, as all the driver had to do was anxiously wait for the wheels to touch back down before continuing to drive as normal. However in a race environment, that can be the difference between winning and losing. So along with looking like the world's longest model kit, these modern bikes also had a special gear box that allowed for low torque accelerations.

Along with these alterations, the bikes were also fitted with a fast spinning gyro that was placed in the heart of the chassis. This combined with the  low power retro thrusters covering key areas of its surface, allowed these cumbersome bikes to make controlled turns in the low gravity. Using these devices together allowed for directional changes mid-flight. These bikes were the cutting edge of fast Moon travel, making expeditions across the rocky surface a relative dream. However they were only as good as the rider controlling them.

Suddenly (Or as sudden anything could happen under 1/6th gravity) Marvin was moving at an uncomfortable speed towards his bike. Toppling over forward as a pressure could be felt pushing him from behind. Relatively quickly, he grabbed the bike itself for support, only having to use one arm to hold his weight. All he had to do now was just wait until his feet found the floor again. Turning around to confront the cause of his tumble, he wasn't at all surprised to find Lukaz Kowalski striding past in his bright red suit.