World’s fastest mobility scooter hits record 107.6 mph

Not your grandfather's "Days Strider."

By Newsroom News 08.02.2016

Engadget

It must’ve been a slow week at an Isle of Man bodyshop when mechanics David Anderson and Mathew Hine decided to “tweak” a mobility scooter for a bit more speed. The garden-variety Days Strider model was designed to go 8 mph, so naturally the pair added an 80-horsepower, four-cylinder, liquid-cooled Suzuki motorcycle engine. That made the chassis and tires woefully inadequate, so they also redesigned the frame and added go-cart wheels. “But that’s not really a mobility scooter anymore,” you may say.

Well, the Guinness folks specify that “from the outside the vehicle must appear like a traditional motorscooter. … [but} the engine may be modified or replaced in a way that seems suitable to gain a higher speed.” With Hine at the wheel, the run actually happened in August 2014, but it took Guinness quite a while to certify the feat. The official world record of 107.6 mph was measured as an average over a quarter-mile stretch of the test track, and handily beat the previous mark of 71.59 mph. Judging by the wheelie bars, it could take any comers in a drag race, too.

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