Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.RainmanP
10-22-02, 03:29 PM
I mentioned in another post that I am considering the purchase of a little motor scooter for errands where a bike doesn't work well, and just for fun. I am leaning heavily to the Honda Elite 80 because the price is attractive, and it is powerful enough for my wife and I to ride on it together for fun rides. A little scooter would also allow us to go on long rides together with her on the scooter and me on the bike. We ride together, but I doubt she will ever be interested in doing more than a few miles. She is not convinced about the scooter idea, but I think it is growing on her. If she agrees and thinks she will ride it herself or ride it double with me I will get the Elite 80.
HOWEVER, if the scooter idea doesn't fly I found an inexpensive alternative that looks interesting that addresses my needs - something a little faster than the bike that I can ride places where I don't want to get too sweaty. A little 48cc motor kit for $419 that you can put on just about any bike. The website is
motorizedbikes.com
You can put this kit on a cruiser or a sturdy old 10-speed, probably with knobby 28-35 mm tires, and have a motorized bike that will do up to 25 while still being usable as a bike, even multispeeds. Picture this. I have a dr. appt. in the afternoon. I ride the bike to work as a bike in the morning. Since I don't want to have to take 1.5-2 hours riding home, showering then riding to the dr. getting all sweaty, I kick in the little motor, zip home in .5-.75 hr., take my shower, then zip to the dr. with very little sweat. You wouldn't put something like this on a primary or secondary bike, but it would be great on an old Schwinn Voyageur touring bike I have with 40-spoke wheels. Though the motor's separate drive chain runs unloaded, the guy at the shop, Angel Wings Bike Shop, tells me there is noticable drag when pedaling, but hey, it's a little power workout right? Again, you wouldn't want to pedal such a bike great distances on a daily basis, but that wouldn't be the intended use. They also sell single- and 3-speed cruisers with the motors already mount.
I kind of deluged the poor guy with cyclist type questions so if you have any questions email me and I will try to answer. Here are some basics that I asked about.
Weight - 20-25 lbs
Speed - up to 32 but 25 max recommended
Clutch lever locks down disengaging clutch for pedaling
Drive is on the left side, a separate chain drives a cog mounted on the axle and kept from spinning by a 5-bolt clamping arrangement through big washers on either side of the spokes. Sounded a little odd to me, too, but apparently it works fine.
Drop bars won't work. Must have straight/riser/cruiser type bars for proper mounting of clutch lever and twist throttle.
Clutch lever can interfere with brake levers, but workable arrangement can usually be found.
Drag from the extra chain is noticable even though clutch is disengaged, but the guy couldn't put a gear inch number on it.
To start you basically open the fuel valve, turn the start switch to on, start pedaling then release the clutch, pedaling until engine starts. Pedals then freewheel as usual. It's like getting a manual transmission car rolling then popping the clutch.
Engine mounts clamp to down tube and seat tube. Fuel tank mounts on top tube.
The website has step by step installation instructions with pictures. I found that the instructions answered a lot of questions.
I would still rather have the scooter since I know Rainbabe would never ride this contraption, but, hey, it's a fallback position. For just over $400 I could have the motorcycle my mom wouldn't let my have. Well, maybe not exactly. A Harley it ain't.
HOWEVER, if the scooter idea doesn't fly I found an inexpensive alternative that looks interesting that addresses my needs - something a little faster than the bike that I can ride places where I don't want to get too sweaty. A little 48cc motor kit for $419 that you can put on just about any bike. The website is
motorizedbikes.com
You can put this kit on a cruiser or a sturdy old 10-speed, probably with knobby 28-35 mm tires, and have a motorized bike that will do up to 25 while still being usable as a bike, even multispeeds. Picture this. I have a dr. appt. in the afternoon. I ride the bike to work as a bike in the morning. Since I don't want to have to take 1.5-2 hours riding home, showering then riding to the dr. getting all sweaty, I kick in the little motor, zip home in .5-.75 hr., take my shower, then zip to the dr. with very little sweat. You wouldn't put something like this on a primary or secondary bike, but it would be great on an old Schwinn Voyageur touring bike I have with 40-spoke wheels. Though the motor's separate drive chain runs unloaded, the guy at the shop, Angel Wings Bike Shop, tells me there is noticable drag when pedaling, but hey, it's a little power workout right? Again, you wouldn't want to pedal such a bike great distances on a daily basis, but that wouldn't be the intended use. They also sell single- and 3-speed cruisers with the motors already mount.
I kind of deluged the poor guy with cyclist type questions so if you have any questions email me and I will try to answer. Here are some basics that I asked about.
Weight - 20-25 lbs
Speed - up to 32 but 25 max recommended
Clutch lever locks down disengaging clutch for pedaling
Drive is on the left side, a separate chain drives a cog mounted on the axle and kept from spinning by a 5-bolt clamping arrangement through big washers on either side of the spokes. Sounded a little odd to me, too, but apparently it works fine.
Drop bars won't work. Must have straight/riser/cruiser type bars for proper mounting of clutch lever and twist throttle.
Clutch lever can interfere with brake levers, but workable arrangement can usually be found.
Drag from the extra chain is noticable even though clutch is disengaged, but the guy couldn't put a gear inch number on it.
To start you basically open the fuel valve, turn the start switch to on, start pedaling then release the clutch, pedaling until engine starts. Pedals then freewheel as usual. It's like getting a manual transmission car rolling then popping the clutch.
Engine mounts clamp to down tube and seat tube. Fuel tank mounts on top tube.
The website has step by step installation instructions with pictures. I found that the instructions answered a lot of questions.
I would still rather have the scooter since I know Rainbabe would never ride this contraption, but, hey, it's a fallback position. For just over $400 I could have the motorcycle my mom wouldn't let my have. Well, maybe not exactly. A Harley it ain't.