If a doctor asks what I weigh I give it to him in Stones!
Yeah I weigh a Kieth, Mick and half a Charlie! Must start by loosing the Charlie on my diet.
The problem is that many imperial units are very useful in practical application as they equate to bits of body etc. Thus when hand constructing they make far more sense than metric. If you are being scientific the metric system is a lot better. Likewise the standardisation of fasteners in the metric system is far preferable to the myriad of differing types used outside that system, as owning a Berkeley reveals, one reason I do not own one. So we are reluctant to get rid of imperial units as many suit our day to day lives, like a pint of beer, a round metric equivalent does not work. Inches, the turn of a thumb, foot, obvious etc. Why do we need to get rid of them anyway? They are ideal in construction as was because things were done by eye locally. Very often the better for it in fact as what looks right often is not square or exact. The French still use imperial measures in the country, in fact, and they invented and promoted the metric system. Much like driving on the wrong side of the road they claim its better. Like measurements the fact is the countryside took a longer time to adapt than those who pushed the idea through thought. Only law forced the issue. Beyond that which metric system do we use? Centigrade, Kelvin etc.
This battery thing I thought I had answered. There is, now I have looked, ample room for a period battery of larger capacity than standard to be sunk into the floor of the Isetta behind the front wheel arch. It does not get in the way. All that is required is the weights of the various components and to then calculate the moments of them in comparison to the original design to see if it can be matched by moving the other parts listed about. This would take about a day with a slide rule as we are being traditional. Even if it were to not be enough the amount of extra weight added that is useless would be far reduced and the overall weight of the car reduced to better performance and economy. Carrying 60lbs is the same as the terror if it were an airdale or something. In the light of being green and performance added weight is bad news and where modern cars fall down very badly. On a microcar added weight is just not minimalist and a cop out against the tenants of the class.
If this counter balance was a clever bit of design could you buy one to match the weight of the driver to give best performance?No it was moulded into the 'sill' in the hope no one would notice it. Botch up for cash and of a subtly and standard of finish railway engineers could make without help from BMW.
The eBay counterweight. It is SS gold - of sorts. A brick painted gold and marketed as a counter balance. Brilliant. The car version of poodle clipped sheep for Japan.
I have an original Messerschmitt 10 inch wheel conversion here as advertised in the Exchange and Mart that is more useful than that but a really cunning use of available technology. It does work as I have tried it. I love this sort of things.