Tamiya Dancing Rider Project

You've probably never seen anything like this before.  The T3-01 chassis with the "Dancing Rider" body was new for 2018.  It is not exactly a motorcycle and not exactly a tricycle either.  It leans, but not in the way you'd think.  The main body leans, but the rear axle stays square to the ground.  In the unlikely event that it tips over, a lateral arm connected to the steering servo tips you back up again.  I have no idea exactly what it is supposed to be, but I've heard rumors that Japanese delivery vehicles look something like this.

This little bike runs off a 370 sized motor and pretty much any tiny battery you can find from 4.8V to 7.4V.  It leans into corners and just looks awesome.  It is super fun to drive, but would be exponentially more fun with a bunch of friends driving similar models.  It is not super fast and certainly not for off road, but on smooth pavement or indoors it is a blast.  The inertial forces of turning balance with the front wheel caster to give a smooth turn at any speed.  The turning radius is a function of speed.  At top speed the radius is about 10 meters but at low speed it will nearly turn within its own length.

I don't know what it is about this model.  It shouldn't be nearly as fun as it is.  It is very simple and there are presently almost no upgrades available for it, but it doesn't need them.  There is something special about carving up the driveway in broad S-curves.  This model is a bit boring in a straight line.  To be at it's best it needs to be constantly turning.  I now have 3 of these: one for myself and two for my daughters.  We love having races in the driveway.  One of the best parts is that's all the space you need.

The only upgrade I've done to this is to replace the stock plastic bushings with ball bearings.  Any other upgrade would be kind of silly, but there are crazy options out there like a full carbon fiber chassis.  I am looking forward to body options in the future.

Update:  I had trouble with the drive axles.  The splined axles fit into a plastic part and strip out pretty easily.  I replaced these assemblies with some all aluminum axles from Hot Racing which solved the problem.

Update:  This model was destroyed in the 2022 fire.  I was not at all sure whether or not I was going to replace this model, but when it went on sale at TamiyaUSA, my decision was made for me.  I built it stock just like my old one except I used a different type of steering servo.  I didn't take any new photos since it looks exactly the same.