A plumber has built the fastest mobility scooter in the world, capable of hitting 69mph.
Colin Furze, 31, spent nearly three months converting the machine which has a powerful 125cc motorbike engine installed under the seat, five gears and twin exhausts.
The petrol-powered super scooter, which is British racing green, can almost reach the national speed limit and keep up with cars on the motorway.
It does 10 miles to the gallon and is nearly nine times faster than an average mobility scooter which glides along at just 8mph.
"It is quite scary when I'm driving it fast as the frame is pretty flimsy and designed for going along at slow speeds," said Mr Furze, from Stamford, Lincs.
"You can't take your eyes off the road when driving it as any rash steering decisions could make it flip over and the slightest dip or bump in the road makes it drift off course."
Mr Furze decided to transform the scooter after he was given the machine by a friend.
He was determined to build the fastest mobility scooter in the world and applied to Guinness to set the record as there wasn't one already in place.
He was told his scooter would have to travel at least 61.4mph and still look like a commercial mobility scooter.
"You hear lots of people complain about scooters going really slowly around supermarkets and blocking the aisles so I thought it would be a laugh to make a really fast one," he said.
"I was told I could modify the engine but I wasn't allowed to change the appearance in any way so I couldn't give it bigger wheels or make it more stable.
"I initially tried experimenting with battery power but I only got to about 30mph and the batteries died really quickly so I knew then it would have to be petrol powered."
He removed a 125cc engine from his motorcross bike and spent a week rebuilding the frame of the scooter.
"I was a bit nervous when I first started it up as I wasn't sure if it would work, but it sounded good and got to 64mph, then 69mph very quickly," he added.
"I was worried it would be a real death trap to drive but it's not too bad when you get used to it.
"It takes people by surprise as it looks like the real thing but it's really noisy when it gets going."
Mr Furze is now going to do a time trial at the Santa Pod Raceway, Northants and hoping to gain a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
"I will be wearing full leathers and a crash helmet for the record attempt," he said. "My aim is to hit 70mph - that would make me really happy."
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment