Originally Posted by
cranky old dude
It sounds as though you've put a lot of work into your touring rig and perhaps there are viable options out there for you to use. I don't know much about those options. I do know that once you start putting motors on bicycles you get into a myriad of laws which vary from one municipality to the next as to where they are legal to ride and where they aren't. Some laws deal with engine size and some deal with the speed of the bike. It can get confusing.
If you're going to pop a gasoline engine onto a bike frame I expect buying a Vespa Scooter might be much easier. If that really doesn't do it for you and you still want the option to pedal occasionally, maybe an old Moped would be a good way to go.
Let us know what you end up doing as it sounds like you have an interesting project in the works. We also love reading ride reports.
Cranky, you're right about the myriad laws on motor bikes, but as written
the federal statute for power assisted bikes supercedes them all as long as said
bike is in compliance with federal guidelines. Look, I'm happy to pedal; I just
want a bit of a boost. Hell, if i wanted a machine to do all the work, I wouldn't
waste my time with a scooter; I'd get a serious motorcycle. Mopeds are a
joke. I'd sooner have a log rolling flintstone mobile.
Some of us still remember when this was a free country, and I try to live
appropriately. (God Bless John Wayne!) However that failing, there remains
animal cunning. This country would never come into existance if people had
mindlessly obeyed stupid laws. 150 mpg on a motorized bike makes a helluva
lot more sense than 12 mpg in some big hemi dodge.
I don't want to use the main highways anyway, and after a life at 60 mph,
I'm perfectly content to go 20. My plan simply is stealth. I'll only use the motor
on back roads. After much trial an errror, I've devised a friction drive mount
with a folding throttle & kill switch rod that can be mounted and detached via
a single bolt. Where I must travel by highway, I simply pop it off and stash it
in my trailer. If I get caught fine! I welcome a day in court and trial by a jury
of my peers. THis country could use a bit of civil disobedience.
Ben Franklin said, " Those who are willing to sacrifice a bit of freedom for
a bit of security deserve neither and will lose both."