Patent ID: 8157043

Claim:
A motorized cycle having a self balancing mode, the cycle comprising: a plurality of wheels disposed next to one another in the self-balancing mode; a suspension system coupling the wheels to a frame including one or more controlled actuators for controlling a lateral angle of lean of the frame relative to a surface supporting the cycle via the wheels; a wheel drive system for driving of the wheels permitting control of both a common rotation rate and a differential rotation rate of the wheels; a controller configured to provide control signals to the wheel drive system and the suspension system in the self-balancing mode to maintain front-to-back balance of the motorized cycle, and to respond to a steering command from a driver by imparting a differential rotational rate to the wheels, and by causing the one or more controlled actuators of the suspension system to impart an angle of lean of the frame into a turn; the cycle having an extended mode in which at least some of the wheels are displaced relative to one another in a front-to-back direction.