If there is a country that has better understanding of off-roading, it would be Russia. If you search on our blog for “Russian ATV”, you will find a number of incredible all-terrain vehicles, including our all-time favorite, a motorcycle that floats called Taurus 2×2.
Well, here’s another – also a motorcycle – from the Motherland Russia and boy, am I impressed (and smitten, I guess?) yet again by the Russian’s ingenuity when it comes to off-roading.
Not many western medias reported on this so-called Hamyak ATV (or “Khomyak”). Hamyak or Khomyak is Russian for Hamster and it is so named because of its tiny size and fast moving nature.
Hamyak is the brainchild of Eduard Luzyanin and as you probably already noticed, it is a mono-track vehicle.
Keen eye observers may noticed, this mini ATV does not have steering. Indeed, it does not. Turning is very much like with a skateboards and that is by shifting of the rider’s body weight, or you can do the good’ol motocross style, by planting the foot on the side where you want to turn.
According to a Russian blog [RU], it is harder to turn on hard ground, but it should be a lot easier on loose surfaces such as sand, snow et cetera.
A 150cc gasoline motor pulled from a Chinese-made scooter powers the track through a drive shaft and chain drive combo. The track was borrowed from a snowmobile which has shock absorbing rollers built-in.
Beyond that shock absorbers that exist in the track, this tiny ATV has no suspension or shock absorbers of any kind. That said, it may get a little rough – especially if you get it up to its top speed of 43 km/h (27 mph).
For a ride this tiny, 40+ km/h is fast and you will most definitely feel the speed in its entirety due to the lack of suspension. Apparently, the recommended “optimal” speed is 20 km/h (12 mph).
Hamyak maybe very small, but it ain’t no sipper; this hamster is an absolute monster when it comes to burning fuel. The motor burns through a liter an hour and given that it only has a 10L (2.6 gallon) main tank, the designer has equipped it with an extra 5L (1.3 gallon) gas canister at the back.
Damn it. This ride is too adorable and it is not just cool to look at, but it is also a survival ride of sort – thanks to its dual storage compartments where you can find a set of standard survival tools, including a small hatchet, a folding saw, a flashlight, a compass as well as a thermos. A 15-meter (49 feet) rope can also be seen attached to the side.
All told, this tiny ATV weighs just 85 kilograms (187 lbs) and it is tiny enough to fit inside the trunk of an automobile.
Unfortunately, Khomyak ATV does not appear to be a ride you can buy. The Hamyak All-terrain Tracked Motorcycle was spotted at the All-Terrain Vehicle Trophy in September 2020.
Images: www.uazbuka.ru [RU].
Source: Yandex Zen [RU].
