Maybe a better solution would be adding a component that could convert excess energy directly to heat. My vintage motorcycle (50-year-old technology) has a zener diode in the charging circuit that does exactly that. The main design challenge for FM would be how to dissipate the heat. They would need to add a large heatsink somewhere that gets plenty of airflow, but that can't be touched by the rider and burn them.

@dalisdair I took a dive at over 26 mph. I had no hope at all of running it off. It was my only high-speed wipeout so far, and I landed in a sideways Superman position: flying through the air headfirst with my left arm reaching forward, and landing fully stretched out on my left side. I wouldn't recommend other people try it, but I did survive with nothing more than scrapes and bruises.

With no load, the motor can spin fast enough to report about 35 mph in the apps. Ideal conditions for riding at that speed are when resistive forces (aerodynamic drag + rolling resistance) are in equilibrium with forward force due to gravity, resulting in no load on motor except inverse pendulum adjustments required to keep rider balanced.

In other words, a rider with perfect skill on the perfect slope would have a theoretical top speed near 35 mph. Here's my stab at calculating the perfect slope:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_JYK-b6rIj7RF9GTURhRXRESzg/view?usp=drivesdk

When OWheelBuddy includes Android users on the leaderboard, I'll strap on some pads and see how close to 35 mph I can reach with my imperfect balance.

IMPORTANT TIP: Change the mode to EXTREME as soon as you turn it on! Don't be scared of the name, it's just a name. It should be called WON'T KILL YOU, and Classic should be called WILL KILL YOU.

Thanks

What is the difference from Extreme and Classic? Does Extreme require more lean to carve so it's "less wobbly"?

Extreme is MUCH less likely to kill you. The only reason it's called "extreme" is that it will OCCASIONALLY slam up against your undercarriage and pull your gonads into the machinery. Personally, I value my life a lot more than I value my dangly bits, so it seems like a good tradeoff. Definitely not what I would call "extreme."

@thegreck Completely agree. I don't need the board to be able to hit 30mph. I just need the motor to have enough "headroom" that it can keep up with me when I have a wobble at 20mph.

If your primary concern is looking a little more punk rock to random strangers, a fender might not suit you. If your main concern is your own experience, a fender is probably a very good investment.

For what it's worth, part of the punk rock ethic is not giving a shit what other people think.

I don't understand why people think it's difficult to dismount. When I get to my destination, I just crash. I run it into a concrete wall so the board doesn't run away when I fall off. It's pretty much foolproof, and you only have to practice a few times to master it.

I was thinking of going the other direction: Adding a model train smoke generator to my OW and playing steam engine sounds.

@piercingpierce RTFM, and then practice. A lot.