Ganapathi Bhat of Komale, Karnataka, India, needs to get up his trees to harvest areca nuts. So he built from motorbike parts a machine that reliably moves him up and down safely. MSN reports:
Seven months ago he started working on the concept again and finished the ‘tree bike’ in May using standard motorbike components such as clutch, accelerator, double brakes, shock absorbers and a 2.1 HP petrol engine. “The first time I took a ride to the top, I asked my son to be ready to call an ambulance,” says Bhat. But the machine proved to be safe and he climbed 150 trees before demonstrating it to local farmers. ''I have used high-quality components. But if there is a mechanical failure, it stops midway. You just press the clutch to gently glide it down.”
Neighboring farmers are very interested in his clever invention. Bhat plans to sell them for about 75,000 rupees a piece. That's just over $1,000 USD.
I suspect there'd probably be a recreational market, too. It looks like fun!
-via Geekologie