The Wheelsurf - calling all thrillseekers

In harder stops, the landing wheels descend and the brakes have something to work against. The acknowledged master of Wheelsurf riding is designer, manufacturer and evangelist Tito Lucas Ott who assures us that those little wheels work EVERY time.

When asked what the best stopping distance for the Wheelsurf is at 30 kmh, Tito says, "It depends. If you are riding on a flat surface I would say at least 8 to 10metres. If you're going downhill, you will need to be extra careful. From experience, I never let the Wheelsurf gain speed down a hill.... it's similar to the same precautions a skateboarder takes going down a hill."

Now the Wheelsurf has a top speed of 35 kmh, taking around seven seconds to reach top speed with an experienced rider who can balance the inertial forces to get maximum acceleration. The rapid acceleration procedure is akin to launching a wickedly powerful motorcycle at the drag strip - you need to get your weight and throttle control JUST RIGHT or else things go pear-shaped very quickly. At least it's at slower speeds - a motorcycle can be doing 160 kmh and be 300 metres away in that time. So a speed demon it isn't. New Model in Development

Tito says that the braking and several other technical issues with the Wheelsurf are soon to be addressed with a new model that will be manufactured in China. To be known as SLIM V1.1 and weighing far less than the current 2005 model Wheelsurf, the new model will be launched before the end of the year!!

Road registerable

In Brazil, the Wheelsurf can be registered for use on public roads and several models have been registered in other countries, notably the United States.

Whether the road safety authorities in your country will allow a Wheelsurf to be on the public roads is one thing, and whether it's suitable for use on public roads is another. Its performance is slower than the most aneamic moped and its stopping distance in comparison is like that of an Oil Tanker.

An experienced and sensible Wheelsurfer may be able to operate it safely in traffic at low speeds but we suspect a first-time user would struggle to cope with a machine that can't be compared with any other road-going vehicle, motorcycle or moped.

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