buck65

Hello all,
I'm just curious to see if there are any Mazda Miata owners amongst my SoCal bike riding cohort. If so, I'd really like to know if you ever use your car to transport your bike (i.e. Driving to PCH, going to a century or group ride).

I've test driven a couple of them in the past month and am seriously considering purchasing one. Having said that, I'd really like to be able to use it to transport a bike or two if the need ever presented itself. Any of you have any gripes about yours?

urbanknight

Cycling is one of the reasons I DON'T drive a Miata. If I take my front wheel off, my bike fits in the back seat of my Lancer perfectly.

I would only buy a Miata if I had expendable money for a weekend driver, or to build a Spec Miata.

buck65

Haha, I knew something like this would have popped up in this thread.

Some form of autoX or even the Spec Miata setup would be cool in the future.....but I'd want it to be practical for the first year or two of operation. I'm almost tempted to take my wheel, pump, and gear bag when I next get a chance to test drive one.

threeflys

I just sold this 2 months ago, I had a Yakima trunk rack (mighty joe?) that was perfect for the Miata. I never had a problem. I loved the car, just didn't work out once the baby was born! BTW- awesome car for autocrossing!

jsigone

I have an 05 mazdaspeed version, factory turbo, belstien shocks, stiffer and lower springs, extra bracing for the added power. Has a shot and pinned drive train, tranny, drive shaft and rear LSD diff. I've added some bolts on, pushing about 195HP to the wheels get an average of 24 mpg. Awesome lil car, I drive with the top down every day. I use a saris bones rack. No hitch rack because I'd have to trim my rear bumper which is different the normal miatas. Only thing that sucks is removing the bike rack every time I ride. I don't leave it on there cuz if it is ever stolen, the bike will have to taken apart a lot to get home and isn't worth the risk for me. I like the fact that after I ride the bike up the mountain, I can throw the top down and drive the mountains afterwards. Done that at gmr and the Santa Monica's

buck65

This is exactly what I wanted to hear. For some reason I just had this nagging feeling that it'd be a PITA operating this car especially with some cycling gear....but then again, I ride my bike to group rides 90% of the time and rarely transport it with my current car.



Dam, sounds like a fun car. Wanna trade? My WRX and monthly car payment for your built Miata? It'll definitely have a good owner who'll bring new meaning to the name corner-carver.

I'm gonna check out the saris bones rack....just one question though: can you open the trunk while the bike rack is attached? Or do the straps hook up underneath the car?

Rick@OCRR

I have a '97 Miata M-Edition, and I had Hitch Crafters (Costa Mesa) install a 1-1/4" hitch. I have a Hollywood Sport Rider rack, usually in 1 bike configuration, sometimes for two bikes. I can lock the rack to the car and the bikes to the rack, so no problem there. No cutting the bumper either.

Yes, GMR, Ride Around the Bear, Breathless Agony, Angeles Crest . . . I drive the Miata (almost) anywhere with my bike on it. Fun car, just love it, but since it only gets 30 mpg, I use my Honda Insight for workday commutes (65+ mpg). Drove the Insight to Wildflower century, but usually the Miata gets all the fun stuff!

Rick / OCRR

Photo from before SoCal Miata club drive to Big Bear, my car far left.

buck65

Nice wheels Rick....kinda look like Panasports from this angle.

jsigone

Nothing built about my car it comes from the factory with all those goodies, warrenty and all. The mazdaspeed is a special build. I've added intake, bigger intercopler complete exhaust, and other lil bits. The azenis make this car corner on rails! Sorry not for traded haha still got car payments too. I test drove the porche boxerS, sweet car, handles similar to the mazdaspeed and about the same power, but the design of the back end won't allow a trunk rack, all four feet would lay on the back hatch so the weight and balance with a bike on there might be scary. You can open the trunk with the empty rack on there but you might have to fix the straps again. And the best part of this car is the super cheap insurance. I had an 06 xb I traded in for the miata, that was 130 per month, the turbo convertable sports car is on 95 buck!! I'd imagine a normal miata would be even cheaper.

jsigone

Yah Rick does have panasports, he said he got them with the car in 97 if I remember right.

Rick@OCRR

Well no, not exactly. I got the car in 2002 with 22,000 miles on it, and it had the stock six spoke "M-Edition" chrome wheels, which I really didn't like at all. But I was too cheap to just go out and buy the Panasports.

So then another guy in the Miata Club, with a '97 M, crashed his and was looking for a complete set of '97 - M-Ed wheels. Great for me! I sold him my stock wheels and bought the Panasports with the money. I was happy, got rid of the wheels I didn't like, got the Panasports (copy of Mini-Lites) even though I was too much of a cheap ***** to buy them outright.

Now my Miata has 71,000 miles on it, new Toyo tires (don't corner quite as well as the Potenza's), new timing belt / water pump, etc. and should be good to go for many years. I've never auto-crossed it, but if I ever stop living on my bicycle, it could happen!

Rick / OCRR

jsigone

I got mine with only 6300 miles on her last August and now I just broke 23k miles. I enjoy driving it a lot. Winter month top down with the heater blasting! I think the only car that can replace my mazdaspeed would be an exige S, but wouldn't put a bike rack on that baby. The entire body is like 6 fiberglass pieces. Super charged 240HP and less the 2000lbs

Rick@OCRR

. . . Or a Caterham Seven, and I could put a bike rack on that!

Rick / OCRR

jsigone

caterhams are awesome cars but doesn't have that sexy look of a lotus.

Fat Boy

Are you talking about the difference between a Caterham 7 and a Lotus 7? 'Cause there ain't much difference.

Fat Boy

You should try the upgraded version that is shot-peened. That one is really nice.

urbanknight

Reminds me of when I went to the 1998 Historic Auto Races at Laguna Seca and the Miata club had a reserved parking area. It looked like Disneyland's Autopia!!!

Rick@OCRR

Yeah, true, that's the problem with Miatas (if you call it that), i.e. there have been more manufactured than any other sports car (over 700,000 if I recall correctly), so my Insight (only 14,000 manufactured for world-wide sales) is much more rare!

Re: Caterham and Lotus 7's, the Caterham really is a better car, and just about as "authentic" as the Lotus models. But it would weigh less than my Insight (at 1,800 lbs) and have four times the power, so way fun to drive (but yeah, not the 65+ mpg I get with the Insight).

Rick / OCRR

jsigone

both those + a Radical are in their own type of class, basically legallized P1 cars on the road. Well the Lotus isn't legal here in Cali but you can kit the car, not sure if there are any dealers that are doing that though. You also have to Kit a Aeral Atom into Cali as well. If you don't know what I mean by kit car, you have to import the car without the motor and install a motor after it gets into cali, hense not being a complete car.

My friend has on 07' Lotus Exige S. Damn i love that car. He's the guy that told me about the Mazdaspeed version of the miata when I was looking for a budget racer/fun car. He let me drive the ExigeS and it's OMG the best car I've been behind the wheel of.