If the Ryno looks like it just came out of a video game, that’s because in some ways it did. The new vehicle balances on one fat motorcycle tire that makes it look ready to tackle triple-digit speeds. In reality, it can barely muster double-digit speeds, something it has in common with your local mall cop's ride of choice, the Segway scooter.
And the two machines share more than just a similar top speed -- both use gyroscopic trickery to maintain balance, both cost within $1,000 dollars of each other and both use electric motors for power. While the Segway is on sale now, the Ryno website says the company expects to deliver its first batch of vehicles in the second quarter of 2014.
Since we were not invited to ride the Ryno, we can only compare the two machines' most important on-paper specs to determine if the Ryno is the better vehicle for the next generation of mall cops or if the Segway is here to stay. Here's what we found:
The single-wheeled motorcycle will start at $5,295.00 when it goes on sale, according to the Ryno website.
The price of the base-model Segway i2 is $6,199.00, authorized Segway dealer New York Motorcycle told The Huffington Post. That's approximately 14.6 percent more expensive than the admittedly cooler-looking Ryno.
WINNER: Ryno
By looks alone, the Ryno’s fat motorcycle tire looks like it would smoke the thin-tired Segway; however, that's not the case. The Ryno manages a paltry 10 mph, while the Segway i2 can get up to 12.5 mph. That's a 25 percent increase in speed over the Ryno, though let’s admit that neither of these forms of transportation are particularly fast.
WINNER: Segway
This isn’t even a contest. With a mere 10 miles of range for the Ryno, the Segway i2 takes the trophy with its 24 miles of range -- that’s more than twice the range for Segway riders, though Ryno did tell Gizmodo an optional battery pack that gives the vehicle approximately 30 miles of range is soon to come.
WINNER: Segway
The Ryno takes 6 hours to charge; New York Motorcycle told us the Segway i2 takes approximately 8-10 hours to charge. Despite the Ryno’s apparent advantage, we’ll call this a draw. Though the Ryno takes less time to charge, it also only has to charge a battery that offers less than half the Segway’s range.
WINNER: Draw
Since The Huffington Post has not ridden either the Ryno or the Segway i2, we cannot make a definitive conclusion as to which vehicle will really satisfy America’s future mall cops; however, it seems like the Ryno won't be replacing the Segway anytime soon.
Despite this, the aforementioned larger battery pack could tilt the favor to the Ryno if the company prices it correctly.